Associated Press stories, Page 1866
Joe Biden appeals for unity in Thanksgiving-eve address
WILMINGTON, Del. — In a time of plague and raw division, President-elect Joe Biden appealed for unity Wednesday in a Thanksgiving-eve address to the nation asking Americans to “steel our spines” for a fight against the coronavirus that he predicted would continue for months. But even as he implored Americans...
Stocks move mostly lower even as Nasdaq edges toward record
Stocks are mostly lower on Wall Street in afternoon trading Wednesday, giving back some of their gains from a record-setting climb a day earlier. The S&P 500 was down 0.1% a day after setting an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped below 30,000, a day after crossing that...
The pandemic is changing Hollywood, maybe forever
NEW YORK — “No New ‘Movies’ Till Influenza Ends” blared a New York Times headline on Oct. 10, 1918, while the deadly second wave of the Spanish Flu was unfolding. A century later, during another pandemic, movies — quotes no longer necessary — are again facing a critical juncture. But...
Wiping down groceries? Experts say keep risk in perspective
NEW YORK — Cleaning wipes are harder to find on store shelves, and businesses are reassuring customers with stepped up sanitation measures. In New York, the subway system is shut down nightly for disinfecting. To avoid any traces of the coronavirus that might be lurking on surfaces, Americans have been...
Tweet on spare change generates big money for virus aid
SALT LAKE CITY — Andy Larsen is a sports writer, but with so many games scratched during the pandemic he has spent a lot of time digging into coronavirus data and its sobering implications. Then on Monday, while he was sorting his spare change — some from a childhood piggy...
Trump administration denies permit for divisive Alaska mine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Trump administration on Wednesday denied a permit for a controversial gold and copper mine near the headwaters of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery in southwest Alaska. The Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement that the permit application to build the Pebble Mine was...
Lights, camera, sell: Retailers want you to watch and shop
NEW YORK — When Jenna Powell gets in front of a camera, she can sell $10,000 worth of sparkly dresses and tie-dye hoodies in 40 minutes. Powell, whose three Jennaration shops in Alabama were closed at the start of the pandemic, has put all her focus on selling through live...
West Virginia’s Republican governor blasts mask critics
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice blasted critics of his mask mandate Wednesday, saying he would not follow the lead of other Republican governors rejecting the advice of public health experts. “I don’t want to be South Dakota,” Justice said at a news conference. He then played a...
Cannabis stocks soar high as U.S. election opens new markets
LOS ANGELES — Cannabis stocks are flying high after voters in New Jersey, Arizona and three other states cleared the way for expanding legal sales of marijuana. Shares in some of the biggest cannabis companies, including Aurora Cannabis, Canopy Growth and Cresco Labs, are up between 24% and 75% so...
Penguin snaps up Simon & Schuster, creating mega publisher
BERLIN — German media giant Bertelsmann said Wednesday that its Penguin Random House division is buying rival Simon & Schuster, in a mega deal that will likely reshape the U.S. publishing industry. Penguin Random House, already the number one American publisher, will buy the New York-based firm, whose authors include...
Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona dies at 60
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer great who was among the best players ever and who led his country to the 1986 World Cup title before later struggling with cocaine use and obesity, has died. He was 60. The office of Argentina’s president will decree three days...
EU says first virus vaccinations possible by Christmas
BRUSSELS — Vaccinations against the coronavirus could start in the 27 European Union nations by Christmas and member countries must urgently prepare their logistical chains to cope with the rollout of hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccines, according to a top EU official. Hailing the likelihood that “there’s...
Alabama’s Nick Saban tests positive for covid, has mild symptoms
Alabama coach Nick Saban has tested positive for covid-19 just days before the Iron Bowl. Team physician Dr. Jimmy Robinson and head trainer Jeff Allen said in a joint statement that the positive test came Wednesday morning. “He has very mild symptoms, so this test will not be categorized as...
Unchanged from early estimate, U.S. economy grew 33.1% in Q3
WASHINGTON — The second of three estimates on U.S. growth for the July-September quarter was unchanged at a record pace of 33.1%. But a resurgence in the coronavirus is expected to slow growth sharply in the current quarter with some economists even raising the specter of a double-dip recession. While...
Duchess of Sussex reveals she had miscarriage in the summer
LONDON — The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she had a miscarriage in July, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others. Meghan described the miscarriage in an opinion piece in the New York Times on Wednesday, writing that “I knew, as I clutched...
Joe Biden to deliver a Thanksgiving address seeking U.S. unity
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden is slated to deliver a Thanksgiving address to the nation seeking to unify Americans in the face of the coronavirus pandemic as experts warn of a possible spike in cases resulting from the holiday. Biden’s transition team said the president-elect will “discuss the shared...
Congress braces for Joe Biden’s national coronavirus strategy
WASHINGTON — Congress is bracing for President-elect Joe Biden to move beyond the Trump administration’s state-by-state approach to the COVID-19 crisis and build out a national strategy to fight the pandemic and distribute the eventual vaccine. The incoming administration’s approach reflects Democrats’ belief that a more comprehensive plan, some of...
Mine explodes, damaging oil tanker off Saudi Arabia
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A mine in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia near Yemen exploded and damaged an oil tanker Wednesday, authorities said, the latest incident targeting the kingdom amid its long war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The blast happened early Wednesday and struck the...
Germany to compensate gay servicepeople for discrimination
BERLIN — Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would provide compensation to gay servicepeople who experienced discrimination in the military before a change of policy 20 years ago. The decision comes two months after Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer issued an apology for decades of discrimination. A study commissioned by...
Tens of thousands evacuated as India braces for cyclone
NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in low-lying areas of southern India and moved to evacuation shelters on Wednesday to escape a cyclone that was barreling toward the region’s coast. Cyclone Nivar is expected to bring heavy downpours after slamming ashore near Mamallapuram and Karaikal...
New York state may speed up, permanently expand vote-by-mail
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York may permanently expand voting by mail — something it tried on a wide scale for the first time this year — while also trying to reform its molasses-slow and opaque process for counting absentee ballots. A proposed constitutional amendment would do away with the rule...
Global push to end domestic violence, worse amid covid-19
PARIS — With domestic violence on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, activists are holding protests Wednesday from France to Turkey and world dignitaries are trying to find ways to protect millions of women killed or abused every year by their partners. The pope called for global action to mark...
With U.S. in covid panic, one senator saw stock opportunity
WASHINGTON — As the ravages of the novel coronavirus forced millions of people out of work, shuttered businesses and shrank the value of retirement accounts, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged to a three-year low. But for Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, the crisis last March signaled something else:...
Car hits gate outside German leader’s offices; minor damage
BERLIN — A car crashed into the front gate of the building housing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s offices on Wednesday morning, causing minor damage, authorities said. The driver was detained. Police were investigating the 10 a.m. (4 a.m. Pittsburgh time) crash at the German chancellery in Berlin. The car, a...
This Date in Sports History: Nov. 25
1925 — Red Grange, playing his first game as a professional with the Chicago Bears, is held to 36 yards in a 0-0 tie with the Chicago Cardinals. 1934 — The Detroit Lions suffer the first defeat in franchise history, 3-0 to the Green Bay Packers. The Lions had won...
