Associated Press stories, Page 1836
Trump pardons 15, commutes 5 sentences, including GOP allies
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned 15 people, including Republican allies, a 2016 campaign official ensnared in the Russia probe and former government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad. Trump also commuted the sentences of five others. While it is not unusual for presidents to grant...
Pandemic reaches Antarctica, last untouched continent
SANTIAGO, Chile — The pandemic has finally reached every continent on Earth. Chilean authorities announced that at least 58 people that were at two military bases in Antarctica or on a navy ship that went to the continent tested positive for the new coronavirus. So far no other country with...
Erie County officers: Man firing at 2nd man at gun range killed by 3rd man
ERIE — A man firing shots at a gun range in Erie County began firing at another man and was then shot to death by a third man, state police said. Troopers in Erie County were called shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday to the State Gamelands gun range in Greene...
NBA studying ways to bring games back overseas in futureVideo
The NBA is still looking at scenarios that could allow teams to play in Europe and China again next season, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said Tuesday. Tatum also said the NBA’s season-opening doubleheader Tuesday night would be shown in China on Tencent, a league streaming partner. But the coronavirus pandemic...
Texas AG Ken Paxton pushed to rescind Houston virus relief funding
AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked Trump administration officials to rescind federal virus relief funding that Houston used to expand people’s voting options, according to a document revealed Tuesday. In a May 21 letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Paxton accused officials in Harris County, which includes Houston,...
Cuomo signs voter registration, facial recognition bills for New York
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York is set to launch automatic voter registration and prohibit the use of facial recognition in schools under bills the governor signed Tuesday. Lawmakers who have largely met virtually this year passed those bills this summer. Several bills that lawmakers have passed are still in limbo...
U.S. hospitals facing worrisome shortage of nurses, doctors
SAN FRANCISCO — With so many states seeing a flood of coronavirus patients, U.S. hospitals are again worried about finding enough medical workers to meet demand just as infections from the holiday season threaten to add to the burden on American health care. California, which is enduring by far its...
City of Flint joins $641M deal to settle lawsuits over lead in water
FLINT, Mich. — The Flint City Council on Tuesday signed off on its portion of a $641 million settlement with residents of the poor, majority-Black city who were exposed to lead-tainted water. The city’s insurer would kick in $20 million as part of a sweeping deal to settle lawsuits against...
Writing off more of that ‘3-martini lunch’ is causing a stirVideo
WASHINGTON — Stuffed into the new emergency relief package is a morsel that President Donald Trump has long had on the buffet of his economic wish list: restoring full tax breaks for restaurant business meals. But experts say it’s scant immediate help for an industry reeling from the pandemic, while...
Bengals get shot of confidence in stunning win over SteelersVideo
CINCINNATI — Few saw what the Cincinnati Bengals were capable of Monday night, least of all the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals got their third win of the season, this one on a primetime stage against a hated divisional rival that was looking to stop a two-game skid and get...
North Carolina boy dies from accidental BB gun shooting
STONY POINT, N.C. — Police in North Carolina say that an 8-year-old child has died after being struck in the chest by “a single shot from a BB or pellet gun.” The Hickory Daily Record reports that the incident occurred Sunday near a family’s home in Stony Point. The Alexander...
White House covid coordinator Deborah Birx says she will retire
WASHINGTON — Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said Tuesday she plans to retire, but is willing to first help President-elect Joe Biden’s team with its coronavirus response as needed. Birx, in an interview with the news site Newsy, did not give a specific timetable on...
Biden addresses covid bill, holiday pandemic precautionsVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday expressed empathy with struggling families and applauded Congress for passing the coronavirus relief bill as the nation deals with a covid-19 surge that’s casting a shadow over the Christmas holiday. He called out to frontline workers, scientists, researchers, clinical trial participants and...
Florida’s Johnson leaves hospital 10 days after collapseVideo
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson is being released from the hospital Tuesday, 10 days after collapsing on the court at Florida State and needing emergency medical attention. The school released a statement from his family saying, “We continue to be amazed at the pace of his recovery and...
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tests positive for the coronavirus
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has tested positive for the coronavirus and was slated to receive outpatient antibody treatment for “mild symptoms,” his office said Tuesday. McMaster, 73, learned he had tested positive late Monday following a test “due to coming into close contact with the covid-19...
Feds sue Walmart over role in opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is suing Walmart, alleging the company unlawfully dispensed controlled substances through its pharmacies, helping to fuel the opioid crisis in America. The civil complaint being filed Tuesday points to the role Walmart’s pharmacies may have played in the crisis by filling opioid prescriptions and by...
West Virginia’s 42 covid deaths is new single day record
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia reported a single-day record of 42 deaths linked to the coronavirus on Tuesday, with victims ranging in ages from 48 to 100. The state reported 787 confirmed coronavirus cases, down from a high of 1,257 last week. There are 22,864 active cases in the state....
One lucky NYC family gets to spend night at FAO Schwarz
NEW YORK — It’s like getting a peek at Santa’s workshop. A New York City family had a most unusual holiday experience — spending the night at the FAO Schwarz toy store in midtown Manhattan, overlooking the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The special night came from a collaboration between the...
Browns closing in on ending lengthy playoff drought
The Cleveland Browns’ lengthy playoff drought is nearly over. The Browns, who have reached 10 wins for the first time since 2007, can clinch their first playoff spot since 2002 with a victory Sunday at the New York Jets and a loss by any of the following teams: the Baltimore...
AP All-Big Ten: Ohio State’s Fields, Penn State’s Toney honored
Quarterback Justin Fields repeated as offensive player of the year and is joined by three of his teammates on The Associated Press All-Big Ten football team announced Tuesday. Defensive end Shaka Toney was the only Penn State player picked for the first team. Penn State guard Mike Miranda, tight end...
Pa. Supreme Court alters police rules for warrantless vehicle searches
HARRISBURG — Police must have probable cause as well as “exigent circumstances” in order to legally search a vehicle without a warrant, a divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The 4-3 decision said the state constitution’s privacy protections are greater than the U.S. Constitution’s and that those protections extend to...
U.S. population growth smallest in at least 120 years
The U.S. population grew by the smallest rate in at least 120 years from 2019 to 2020, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau — a trend that demographers say provides a glimpse of the coronavirus pandemic’s toll. Population growth in the U.S. already was stagnant over...
With virus drop, North Dakota bars can resume normal hours
BISMARCK, N.D. — Gov. Doug Burgum signed an amended executive order that paved the way for bars and restaurants in North Dakota to return to regular hours of operation on Tuesday, as the active number of covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have declined in the state. The food service establishments had...
Pair of passengers exit NYC flight via slide before takeoff
NEW YORK — A Delta flight out of New York City was halted after a Florida couple traveling with a Great Dane puppy fled the aircraft with the pet using an emergency slide, an airline spokesman and authorities said Tuesday. The incident involving Antonio Murdock and Brianna Greco occurred on...
November existing home sales fall 2.5% following record summer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The market for existing homes cooled slightly in November, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday, after climbing through the late spring, summer and early fall despite the pandemic. Existing home sales fell 2.5% between October and November on a seasonally adjusted basis to 6.69 million annualized...
