Associated Press stories, Page 2042
U.S. health officials estimate 20 million Americans have had virus
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible. Thursday’s estimate is roughly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been...
Vince Carter, 43, retires after record 22 NBA seasonsVideo
Vince Carter made his retirement official Thursday, announcing on his podcast his 22-year NBA career has ended. The announcement was largely a formality because the 43-year-old Carter had said many times over the course of this season this would be his last in the NBA. His 22 seasons are the...
NASCAR releases photo of Talladega noose
Declaring “the noose was real,” NASCAR officials on Thursday released a photo of the rope found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace that prompted a federal investigation that determined it had been there since last October. The incident has put racism front and center for the stock...
Biden, Trump stage rare dueling events in pandemic era
LANCASTER — Both President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are swinging through key battleground states on Thursday, presenting dueling events that haven’t happened much in the age of coronavirus and showcasing their contrasting styles in response to the pandemic. The former vice president wore a black face...
Banks lead gains for stocks on Wall Street in jumpy trading
Financial companies led stocks broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday as traders welcomed news that the Federal Reserve and other regulators are removing some limits on the ability of banks to make investments. The S&P 500 climbed 1.1% following a jumpy day of trading. At one point, the index was...
Pirate Parrot, other MLB mascots now permitted in parks
Pirate Parrot, phenomenal. Mr. Met and Mariner Moose, marvelous. Wally the Green Monster, welcome back. Mascots are getting a reprieve from Major League Baseball. A month after being tossed out of stadiums because of health concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, the fuzzy and funny creatures will return as inside-the-parkers. “The...
NYPD officer charged with using banned chokehold
NEW YORK — Moving swiftly amid a global furor over police misconduct, New York City prosecutors on Thursday filed criminal charges against a police officer caught on video putting a Black man in what they said was a banned chokehold. Officer David Afanador pleaded not guilty on Thursday to strangulation...
Arizona politician condemned for using George Floyd’s last words
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A city council member in suburban Phoenix is drawing criticism from the governor and others after invoking George Floyd’s dying words of “I can’t breathe” during a protest over an order to wear masks to stop the spread of coronavirus. Scottsdale Councilman Guy Phillips uttered the remark...
Dixie Chicks drop ‘dixie’ from name, now known as The ChicksVideo
Grammy-winning country group The Dixie Chicks have dropped the word dixie from their name, now going by The Chicks. The band’s social media accounts and website were changed on Thursday to the refer to the new name for the band, which is made up of Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and...
Texas putting reopening on ‘pause’ as virus cases soar
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday halted elective surgeries in Texas’ biggest counties and said the state would “pause” its aggressive re-opening as it deals with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that has made it one of the nation’s virus hotspots. The suspension of elective surgeries...
Chuck E Cheese files for bankruptcy as pandemic takes a bite
NEW YORK — Chuck E Cheese, the restaurant chain that became a Mecca for children and a crucible for many of their parents, is filing for bankruptcy protection. CEC Entertainment Inc. has reopened 266 of its 612 company-operated Chuck E Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza restaurants, but did not elaborate...
Macy’s cuts corporate headcount by 3,900 as virus takes toll
NEW YORK — Macy’s said Thursday it’s laying off 3,900 people corporate staffers, roughly 3% of its overall workforce, as the pandemic takes a financial toll on the iconic department store chain’s sales and profits. The company said in a release that the headcount reduction will save the company $630...
U.S. GDP fell at 5% rate in 1st quarter; worse is likely on the way
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank at a 5.0% rate in the first quarter with a much worse decline expected in the current three-month economic period, which will show what happened when the pandemic began spread across the U.S. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the decline in the gross...
Bialik and Batman: Actor teams up with DC for science books
“The Big Bang Theory” actor Mayim Bialik is teaming with DC Entertainment on a project that joins superhero power to the power of science. DC Entertainment announced Thursday that Bialik will collaborate with popular comic writers and illustrators on a story collection that features Batman, Superman, the Flash and others...
Pa. man runs 218 miles to nursing home of virus-stricken ‘Nana’Video
SCRANTON — Endurance athlete Corey Cappelloni once ran six days through the Sahara Desert in what’s considered the most grueling foot race on Earth. But a 218-mile run to grandma after she was sickened with covid-19 turned out to be the longest, toughest and most rewarding of his life. Cappelloni...
‘Coming back and biting us’: U.S. sees virus resurgence
HOUSTON — A coronavirus resurgence is wiping out two months of progress in the U.S. and sending infections to dire new levels across the South and West, with hospital administrators and health experts warning Wednesday that politicians and a tired-of-being-cooped-up public are letting a disaster unfold. The U.S. recorded a...
At age 24, N.C. Congress runoff victor may be rising star
RALEIGH, N.C. — After nearly dying in a car crash six years ago, western North Carolina congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn already has learned many life lessons by age 24. “There is no time to wait,” Cawthorn said in a recent interview. “Life is precious and it can be taken away...
Mississippi gov might not block change to rebel-themed flag
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday, for the first time, that he probably would not stand in the way if legislators muster a large enough majority to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. Amid the backdrop of national protests over racial injustice, Mississippi...
MLB’s Rob Manfred: ‘We owe it to our fans to be better’Video
NEW YORK — Rob Manfred knows many fans were angered by the financial fight between Major League Baseball and the players’ association during a pandemic. “We need to get back on the field, and we need to in a less-charged environment start to have conversations about how we — and...
Trump’s national security adviser takes aim at China
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned China on Wednesday that the United States is waking up to the threat that it believes the Chinese Communist Party poses “to our great way of life” and will act to check the spread of Beijing’s ideology. Robert O’Brien said his...
Malls, movies, gyms in New York still not cleared to reopen
ALBANY, N.Y. — Malls, movie theaters and gyms will not be cleared to open again when areas of New York state progress to the fourth phase of the state’s reopening plan Friday. The businesses had been hoping Gov. Andrew Cuomo would allow them to open their doors after an over...
Suspended WVU assistant football coach Koenning apologizes for commentsVideo
Suspended West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning apologized Wednesday after a player alleged he made a series of insensitive remarks, including against Hispanics. Koenning was placed on administrative leave Tuesday after safety Kerry Martin posted the allegations on his Twitter account about Koenning. “I never intended anything I said or...
South Carolina prosecutor decides not to charge officer who shot Black teen
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina prosecutor said Wednesday that he will not file charges against the white police officer who fatally shot a Black teenager who pointed a gun at the officer as he ran away. Josh Ruffin, 17, was an immediate threat to the safety of the officers...
Wisconsin governor activates National Guard after violence
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s governor activated the National Guard on Wednesday to protect state properties after a night of violence that included the toppling of two statues outside the state Capitol, one of which commemorated an abolitionist Civil War hero. Protesters also attacked a state senator, threw a Molotov cocktail...
Former Penn State women’s soccer standout Rodriguez ready for NWSL tournamentVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Raquel Rodriguez was on her way to join her new National Women’s Soccer League team when sports suddenly were shut down by the coronavirus. It wasn’t an ideal start for the Costa Rican striker with the Portland Thorns. Rodriguez, a former Penn State standout, nonetheless bonded —...
