Associated Press stories, Page 1554
U.S. regulators give full approval to Pfizer covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine on Monday, a milestone that may help lift public confidence in the shots as the nation battles the most contagious coronavirus mutant yet. The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech now carries the strongest endorsement from the...
Gunfire at Kabul airport kills 1 amid chaotic evacuations
KABUL, Afghanistan — A firefight just outside Kabul’s international airport killed at least one Afghan soldier early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country. The airport shooting came as the Taliban sent fighters north of the...
Henri’s lazy remnants hinder cleanup, threaten inland floods
The slow and sprawling storm system named Henri drenched much of the inland Northeast with rain Monday, hampering cleanup efforts and threatening further flooding in areas with ground already saturated from a wet summer. Rains from the storm, which spared coastal areas of New York and New England major damage...
As Cuomo exits, Hochul to take office minus ‘distractions’
ALBANY, N.Y. — Andrew Cuomo neared the end of his decade as New York’s governor Monday, as he prepared to relinquish his tight grip on government to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul in a midnight power transfer that will break another glass ceiling for women in state politics. Cuomo, a Democrat,...
Poll: School mask, vaccine mandates supported in U.S.
As covid-19 cases surge around the country, a majority of Americans say they support mask mandates for students and teachers in K-12 schools, according to a new poll, but their views are sharply divided along political lines. About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to...
Rod Gilbert, Hall of Famer for New York Rangers, dies at 80
NEW YORK — Rod Gilbert, the Hall of Fame right wing who starred for the New York Rangers and helped Canada win the 1972 Summit Series, died. He was 80. Gilbert’s family confirmed the death to Rangers on Sunday. The team didn’t provide details. “I am deeply saddened by the...
Ryan Blaney takes lead on final restart, holds on to win Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Ryan Blaney needed a push to pass William Byron on Sunday. Kyle Busch provided the boost. With Busch’s help, Blaney took the lead on the final restart, then bobbed and weaved his way around Michigan International Speedway to beat Byron by 0.077 seconds. It was the narrowest...
What’s wrong with Arizona’s 2020 audit? A lot, experts sayVideo
PHOENIX — A cybersecurity firm plucked from relative obscurity to conduct an unprecedented review of ballots in Arizona’s largest county is readying to present its findings to Republican lawmakers. Experts say there should be little anticipation about the revelations from the Maricopa County audit — and whatever those revelations are,...
Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera hits 500th career home runVideo
TORONTO — Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera became the 28th major-league player to hit 500 home runs, reaching the milestone in the sixth inning Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 38-year-old Cabrera connected on a 1-1 pitch from left-hander Steven Matz, sending the ball over the scoreboard in right-center...
Titans coach Mike Vrabel tests positive for covid-19
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Sunday he tested positive for covid-19 and has quarantined pending further testing. Vrabel told reporters he woke up with a sore throat and an earache. He went to the team headquarters Sunday morning to be tested, and the result came back positive....
Tennessee radio host who regretted vaccine skepticism dies of covid
NASHVILLE — A conservative talk radio host from Tennessee who had been a vaccine skeptic until he was hospitalized from covid-19 has died. He was 61. Nashville radio station SuperTalk 99.7 WTN confirmed Phil Valentine’s death in a tweet Saturday. Valentine had been a skeptic of coronavirus vaccines. But after...
Don Everly of early rock ‘n’ roll Everly Brothers dies at 84
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Don Everly, one-half of the pioneering Everly Brothers whose harmonizing country rock hits impacted a generation of rock ‘n’ roll music, has died. He was 84. According to the Los Angeles Times, a family spokesperson said Everly died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday. His...
22 dead, many missing after 17 inches of rain in Tennessee
McEWEN, Tenn. — At least 22 people were killed and rescue crews searched desperately Sunday amid shattered homes and tangled debris for dozens of people still missing after record-breaking rain sent floodwaters surging through Middle Tennessee. Saturday’s flooding in rural areas took out roads, cellphone towers and telephone lines, leaving...
Veterans are prized recruits as congressional candidates
NORFOLK, Va. — With midterm election season rapidly approaching, Republicans and Democrats have something in common when it comes to recruiting candidates they hope will deliver majorities in Congress: a preference for military veterans. Both parties anticipate a significant number of races where veterans will be opposing each other, using...
Biden says U.S.-led evacuation from Kabul is accelerating
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others from the Kabul airport accelerated this weekend, although it remains vulnerable to threats posed by the Islamic State extremist group. One week after the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan by capturing Kabul, Biden...
Yordenis Ugás defeats Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision
LAS VEGAS — Although Manny Pacquiao hasn’t decided what his future holds, the eight-division world champion realizes his 26-year professional boxing career might have ended Saturday night with a disheartening loss. Yordenis Ugás is only seven years younger than the Filipino senator, yet he’s just getting started after seizing this...
Moving inland, Tropical Storm Henri drenches Northeast
WESTERLY, R.I. — Tropical Storm Henri socked the Northeast with heavy wind and rain as it made landfall Sunday on the coast of Rhode Island, knocking out power to over 100,000 homes and causing deluges that closed bridges, swamped roads and left many people stranded in their vehicles. The storm...
Packers’ surplus of receivers creates plenty of competition
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams says the addition of veteran Randall Cobb has made it easier to provide leadership to the team’s younger receivers. But it’s also made it tougher for those receivers to crack the 53-man roster. Adams said much of what he has...
Briscoe, Hamlin will get chance to settle debate at MichiganVideo
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin spent the week trading barbs about their chaotic finish at Indianapolis. They will have a chance to settle the score Sunday at Michigan. During a week many teams scrambled to repair damaged cars while plotting strategy for NASCAR’s return to oval racing,...
China allows couples 3rd child amid demographic crisis
BEIJING — China will now allow couples to legally have a third child as it seeks to hold off a demographic crisis that could threaten its hopes of increased prosperity and global influence. The ceremonial legislature on Friday amended the Population and Family Planning Law as part of a decades-long...
Floyd Reese, GM of Titans’ Super Bowl team, dies at 73
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Floyd Reese, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans’ lone Super Bowl appearance, died Saturday. He was 73. His family told the team of his death. Reese had cancer and was with his family when he died, according to a social media post...
Biden sees dip in support amid new covid cases: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is facing a summer slump, with Americans taking a notably less positive view of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his job approval rating ticking down. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 54% of Americans approve...
Europe fears Afghan refugee crisis after Taliban takeover
HANGEDIGI, Turkey — From above, the new border wall separating Turkey from Iran looks like a white snake winding through the barren hills. So far it only covers a third of the 335-mile border, leaving plenty of gaps for migrants to slip across in the dead of night. Traffic on...
IS threat forces U.S. changes to evacuations at Kabul airport
KABUL, Afghanistan — Potential Islamic State threats against Americans in Afghanistan are forcing the U.S. military to develop new ways to get evacuees to the airport in Kabul, a senior U.S. official said Saturday, adding a new complication to the already chaotic efforts to get people out of the country...
Explainer: Why it takes months to subdue some wildfires
BOISE, Idaho — At nearly every community meeting on firefighting efforts in the U.S. West, residents want to know why crews don’t simply put out the flames to save their homes and the valuable forests surrounding them. It’s not that simple, wildfire managers say, and the reasons are many, some...
