Associated Press stories, Page 2124
MLB commissioner Manfred says he will ‘turn over every stone’ for seasonVideo
NEW YORK — Rob Manfred wants MLB to be in position to take the field whenever government and health officials give the go-ahead. “I think it’s incumbent upon us to turn over every stone to try to play the game in 2020 if there’s any way we can in the...
Thousands protest Michigan governor’s social distance orderVideo
LANSING — Thousands of flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders to keep people at home and businesses locked during the coronavirus outbreak. As snow fell, others got out of their vehicles and raised signs, one of which...
GOP bill would relax Pennsylvania business shutdown
HARRISBURG — The GOP-controlled Legislature sent Gov. Tom Wolf a bill Wednesday that would force him to allow some businesses to reopen during the pandemic, but its fate was unclear. The Senate approved the legislation on a party-line vote, sending it to Wolf’s desk for his signature. Wolf hasn’t explicitly...
NTSB report: Halladay had amphetamines in system, was doing acrobatics before fatal plane crashVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay had high-levels of amphetamines in his system and was doing extreme acrobatics when he lost control of his small plane and nosedived into Tampa Bay in 2017, killing him, a National Transportation Safety Board report issued Wednesday said. Halladay had...
Tour de France to start Aug. 29, end Sept. 20Video
PARIS — With the Tour de France pushed back to a late August start, race director Christian Prudhomme is hoping cycling’s showcase event can help bring back a sense of normality to a nation reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers on Wednesday announced new dates of Aug. 29-Sept. 20 for...
Commissioners tell Mike Pence no football before campuses openVideo
The commissioners of the nation’s major college football conferences held a 30-minute conference call Wednesday with Vice President Mike Pence and stressed that college sports cannot return from the coronavirus shutdown until campuses have re-opened. The 10 commissioners, along with the athletic director of Notre Dame, comprise the College Football...
Tech companies step up fight against bad coronavirus informationVideo
CHICAGO — Potentially dangerous coronavirus misinformation has spread from continent to continent like the pandemic itself, forcing the world’s largest tech companies to take unprecedented action to protect public health. Facebook, Google and others have begun using algorithms, new rules and factual warnings to knock down harmful coronavirus conspiracy theories,...
Browns return to past, unveil classic uniformsVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns will look better next season. There’s still no guarantees how they’ll play or when. With a salute to their past, the Browns unveiled new uniforms Wednesday to replace old ones that had grown stale and become symbolic with losing. The “new” jerseys and pants were...
Green Bay Packers hall of famer Willie Davis dies at 85Video
Willie Davis, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman who helped the Green Bay Packers win the first two Super Bowls, died. He was 85. The Packers confirmed Davis’ death to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday, as did his former teammate and fellow hall member, Dave...
Feds under pressure to publicly track nursing home outbreaksVideo
NEW YORK — Federal officials are coming under increasing pressure to start publicly tracking coronavirus infections and deaths in nursing homes amid criticism they have not been transparent enough in responding to an explosion of outbreaks that has already claimed thousands of lives. Public health experts say the lack of...
Apple rolls out cheaper iPhone as pandemic curbs spending
NEW YORK — Apple is releasing a new iPhone that will be vastly cheaper than the models it rolled out last fall at a time when the economy was booming and the pandemic had yet to force people to rethink their spending. The second-generation iPhone SE introduced Wednesday will sell...
China didn’t warn public of likely pandemic for 6 key days
In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations. President...
Rachael Ray tapes show from home, makes $4M virus donation
Rachael Ray had big plans for the quarantine break at her home in upstate New York. She envisioned “a Renaissance time,” rereading the classics, resuming her Danish lessons and studying Italian. “I was going to get more serious about my painting. I had all these lofty goals … and none...
With commerce frozen, retail sales plunge unprecedented 8.7%Video
WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March, an unprecedented decline, as the viral outbreak forces an almost complete lock down of commerce nationwide. The deterioration of sales far outpaces the previous record decline of 3.9% that took place during the depths of the Great Recession in November 2008....
Warren becomes latest ex-presidential rival to back Biden
WASHINGTON — Elizabeth Warren endorsed Joe Biden on Wednesday, the latest of the former vice president’s onetime White House rivals to back him as the Democratic Party moves to project unity against President Donald Trump going into the November election. “Joe Biden has spent nearly his entire life in public...
A virus that hits all faiths tests religion’s tie to science
NEW YORK — Tanzania’s president claimed the coronavirus “cannot sit in the body of Christ.” Israel’s health minister dismissed a potential curfew by saying that “the Messiah will come and save us.” A global Muslim missionary movement held mass gatherings — and took blame for spreading the disease. While most...
Vatican removes financial watchdog head as scandal continues
ROME — The Vatican on Wednesday replaced the director of its financial watchdog agency, completing a coup that began in October with controversial police raids on the watchdog offices and an investigation into a London real estate deal. The Vatican secretary of state named a Bank of Italy official, Giuseppe...
Trump’s halting of funds to WHO sparks worldwide rebuke
GENEVA — Nations and health experts worldwide reacted with alarm Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a halt to the sizable funding the United States sends to the World Health Organization. They warned that the move could jeopardize global efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic. At a briefing in Washington,...
Factory shutdowns near WWII demobilization levels in U.S.
WASHINGTON — American industry collapsed in March as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy. Manufacturing and overall industrial production posted the biggest declines since the United States demobilized after World War II. The Federal Reserve reported Wednesday that manufacturing output dropped 6.3% last month, led by plunging production...
In nod to governors, Trump walks back total authority claim
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s open to some states “reopening” before federal social distancing guidelines expire at the end of month, as he appeared to back off his claim of absolute authority to decide when the time was right to act. Hours after suggesting that the bipartisan concerns...
Stocks sink following grim data on economic hit from coronavirus
NEW YORK — Selling swept Wall Street Wednesday after a dismal lineup of reports made clear how historic the coronavirus crunch has been for the economy. Markets are already bracing for what’s forecast to be the worst downturn since the Great Depression, but Wednesday’s data was even more dispiriting than...
Banks brace for big loan defaults by U.S., global customers
NEW YORK — The major banks in the U.S. are anticipating a flood of loan defaults as households and business customers take a big financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic. JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs raised the funds set aside for bad loans by...
Tired of ‘Frozen’? Stream these less obvious kids moviesVideo
Weeks of quarantine with kids have a way of burning through a movie collection. Even with the libraries of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus and others, there are plenty of households that have already had their fill of “Frozen” and overdosed on “Onward.” In the best of times,...
EU unveils virus exit plan, hoping to avoid more chaosVideo
BRUSSELS — The European Union moved Wednesday to head off a chaotic and potentially disastrous easing of restrictions that are limiting the spread of the coronavirus, warning its 27 nations to move very cautiously as they return to normal life and base their actions on scientific advice. With Austria, the...
Deputies: Florida doctors who took down Trump flag arrested
GULF BREEZE, Fla. — Deputies in Florida said two doctors stole a campaign flag supporting President Donald Trump from their neighbor’s property. Geoffrey Michael Fraiche, 41, and Laura Ann Webb-Fraiche, 38, allegedly took the flag on April 7 while their two children were with them, news outlets reported. A Santa...
