Associated Press stories, Page 1524
Top Democrats: We have framework to pay for $3.5T bill; no details
The White House and congressional Democrats have agreed to a “framework” of options to pay for their huge, emerging social and environment bill, top Democrats said Thursday, but they offered no details and the significance was unclear. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...
New Florida bill replicates Texas’ broad abortion ban
TALLAHASSEE — An abortion bill similar to one signed into law in Texas was filed in Florida on Wednesday that would ban most abortions in the state and would allow lawsuits against doctors who violate it. The legislation filed by Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby immediately met with opposition from Democrats...
Pennsylvania school district that shunned mask mandate reverses decision
TAMAQUA — A Pennsylvania school district that openly flouted a statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools has reversed course and said it will require universal masking for students and others inside school buildings. The Tamaqua Area School Board in Schuylkill County voted 6-3 on Tuesday night to comply with the...
FDA backs Pfizer covid-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk
The United States moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots. The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who...
Parachutists bail in pandemic on West Virginia’s Bridge Day
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Parachutists won’t jump off the nation’s third-highest bridge next month because of worries about sufficient emergency health care amid the coronavirus pandemic, an organizer said Wednesday. Marcus Ellison, an organizer for BASE jumpers, told the Bridge Day Commission on Wednesday that the group will not participate in...
Appeals court throws out ruling on handgun sales to people under 21
RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court on Wednesday threw out a ruling that found a law banning licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 is unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled that the case is now...
George Bush to headline fundraiser for Liz Cheney after Trump backs challenger
NEW YORK — Former President George W. Bush will headline a fundraiser next month for top Donald Trump critic Liz Cheney, turning her reelection race into a proxy war of sorts between the ex-presidents who represent two competing factions of the Republican Party. Bush will be the featured guest at...
Stocks hold their gains on Wall Street after Fed statementVideo
Stocks on Wall Street closed broadly higher Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signaled it may begin easing its extraordinary support measures for the economy later this year. The central bank said it may start raising its benchmark interest rate sometime next year, earlier than it envisioned three months ago. It...
Mother, daughter charged with murder for ‘outlaw’ butt lift procedures
LOS ANGELES — A mother and daughter have been arrested in Southern California on suspicion of performing “outlaw” buttocks augmentation procedures on women, including one who died, police said Wednesday. Libby Adame, 51, and Alicia Galaz, 23, are accused of performing the “inherently unsafe, FDA unapproved” cosmetic procedures at non-medical...
‘The Postman’ Ian Poulter delivers for Europe come Ryder Cup timeVideo
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Ian Poulter is a very good player who is writing the closing chapters of a very good career — 17 worldwide victories, $27 million in earnings and no major titles but enough top-30 and top-10 finishes to never be overlooked. When he swaps out his trademark plaid...
Pennsylvania hunter kills man during hunting accident in southwest Colorado
DURANGO, Colo. — Two hunters from Pennsylvania were trying to lure an elk in southwestern Colorado when one of them mistook a bow hunter for prey and fatally shot him, according to an arrest affidavit. Gregory Gabrisch, 31, of Houston, died from a gunshot wound in the San Juan National...
Justin Fields to make 1st start for Bears with Andy Dalton injuredVideo
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Justin Fields is set to make his first start for the Chicago Bears. The team will go with the prized rookie quarterback when the Bears visit the Cleveland Browns this week with veteran Andy Dalton sidelined because of a left knee injury, coach Matt Nagy said...
Dolphins say Tua Tagovailoa broke ribs, won’t play vs. RaidersVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa’s bruised ribs are actually fractured ribs, and that means the Miami Dolphins will have a new starting quarterback this week when they visit the Las Vegas Raiders. The Dolphins announced the updated diagnosis Wednesday after initial tests suggested Tagovailoa was dealing with bruised ribs....
College Football Playoff expansion stalls as commissioners sort through issues
A plan to expand the College Football Playoff stalled Wednesday when the management committee was unable to come to a consensus on a whether to grow the postseason format from four to 12 teams. The 10 major college conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director who make up the management...
Browns’ Odell Beckham full go in practice, could return vs. BearsVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Odell Beckham Jr.’s return moved a little closer to reality. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not rule out Beckham for Sunday’s game against Chicago, clearing the way for the star wide receiver to make his season debut and play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery...
West Virginia governor withdraws from consideration as boys basketball coach
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has withdrawn from consideration as the coach of a boys high school basketball team where he already is the girls coach. In a letter to the Greenbrier Board of Education on Tuesday, Justice asked that a boys coach be named soon at...
Mormon church to require masks in temples amid covid surge
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that masks will be required inside temples to limit the spread of covid-19. Church leaders said in a statement that masks will be required temporarily in an effort to keep temples open. The message was the...
Policing talks collapse in Congress, a setback for Biden, Democrats
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan congressional talks on overhauling policing practices have ended without an agreement, top bargainers from both parties said Wednesday, marking the collapse of an effort that began after killings of unarmed Black people by officers sparked protests across the United States. “It was clear that we were not...
Pennsylvania high court OKs ‘comfort dogs’ for witnesses
Canines in the courtroom? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says yes — under certain conditions. A trial witness may be accompanied by a “comfort dog” if the animal will help yield reliable, complete and truthful testimony, the justices ruled Wednesday in a precedent-setting opinion that established a “balancing test” for Pennsylvania...
West Virginia’s Jared Bartlett tries to stay positive after brother’s death
Jared Bartlett’s infectious smile and occasional giggle answering questions after his best game at West Virginia only temporarily masked the pain of his older brother’s hit-and-run death three months ago. After the death was mentioned by West Virginia coach Neal Brown, the linebacker was asked about Richard Bartlett III at...
Day 4 of search in Florida park for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito’s boyfriend
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Search teams fanned out Wednesday at a Florida wilderness park to look for the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the young woman who authorities say was killed while on a cross-country trip with him. The search resumed around 8 a.m. Wednesday at the 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve park,...
Covid-19 creates dire U.S. shortage of teachers, school staff
SAN FRANCISCO — One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students’ lunchboxes, telling parents it’s “now hiring.” Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards, teachers are being offered signing bonuses and schools are moving back to online learning. Now that schools have welcomed students back to...
Done with delays, Academy movie museum rolls out red carpet
The projectors are rolling. The ruby slippers are on. Many an Oscar sits glistening. The shark has been hanging, and waiting, for nearly a year. Nine years after it was announced, four years after its first projected open date, and five months since its last planned launch date, the U.S....
Trump sues niece, NY Times over records behind ’18 tax story
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday sued his estranged niece and The New York Times over a 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices that was partly based on confidential documents she provided to the newspaper’s reporters. Trump’s lawsuit, filed in state court in New...
Officials: Many Haitian migrants on Texas border are being released into U.S.
DEL RIO, Texas — Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said Tuesday, undercutting the Biden administration’s public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion. Haitians have been freed on a “very, very large...
