Associated Press stories, Page 1609
Phylicia Rashad draws critics and dismissal calls for defending Bill CosbyVideo
WASHINGTON — Phylicia Rashad has found herself embroiled in controversy after expressing public support for Bill Cosby’s release from prison, with some prominent Black voices calling for her dismissal as dean of Howard University’s College of Fine Arts. It remains to be seen whether Rashad’s position at Howard is in...
Trump-era law on surprise medical bills advances under Biden
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday began putting in place consumer protections against “surprise” medical bills enacted in bipartisan legislation signed last year by former President Donald Trump. Regulations jointly issued by four federal agencies spell out protections for insured patients against surprise billing in medical emergencies, and unexpected...
Wall Street hits another record; energy stocks, banks gain
Stocks finished broadly higher Thursday on Wall Street, adding to the gains that helped the market close out its best first half of a year since the dotcom bubble. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, marking its sixth straight gain and fourth consecutive record high. The price of U.S. crude oil...
CBO projects federal deficit will hit $3 trillion this year
The Congressional Budget Office says that the federal budget deficit will again hit $3 trillion this year, $745 billion more than its estimate five months ago, as it takes into account the cost of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue plan. In an updated forecast Thursday, the CBO said...
Meghan McCain says she’s quitting ‘The View’ in late JulyVideo
NEW YORK — Meghan McCain, whose outspoken conservative views have frequently led to verbal fireworks and compelling television on ABC’s “The View,” said Thursday that she is quitting the daytime talk show after four years. McCain, daughter of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, announced on the air that she...
Construction spending fell 0.3% in May, housing slowing
WASHINGTON — Construction spending fell 0.3% in May. Growth in housing, the economy’s standout performer, slowed while activity in areas most directly impacted by the pandemic showed further weakness. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the May decline followed a slight 0.1% rise in April and left overall construction spending...
NFL fines Washington $10M after misconduct investigationVideo
The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million and owner Dan Snyder is stepping away from day-to-day operations for several months after an independent investigation found the organization’s workplace “highly unprofessional,” especially for women. The team was not stripped of any draft picks and no formal suspensions were...
State law against municipal plastic bag bans on track to end
HARRISBURG — Philadelphia began the soft rollout Thursday of its ban on retailers giving out plastic bags to customers, while the state’s two-year-old prohibition on such bans is set to expire later this year. The city will not fully enforce the ban until April 1, with steps in between. On...
Ash Barty avoids upset trend to reach 3rd round at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — Top-ranked Ash Barty advanced to the third round of a Wimbledon women’s draw depleted of other top contenders by beating Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-3 Thursday. No. 3-seeded Elina Svitolina became the latest upset victim, and eight of the top 11 players in the WTA rankings are out...
Mets, under new owner Steve Cohen, to celebrate Bobby Bonilla DayVideo
NEW YORK — The New York Mets under new owner Steven Cohen are embracing Bobby Bonilla Day, an annual remembrance of a famously unsuccessful contract. A promotion announced Thursday allows a fan to book an Airbnb stay for four at Citi Field for $250 that includes use of the team...
L.A. Kings acquire Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville for 2 picks
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville in exchange for two draft picks. The Predators get a second-round pick this year and a third-round pick in 2022 in the trade announced Thursday. The 28-year-old Arvidsson is a two-time 30-goal scorer who has spent...
With Kerri Walsh Jennings out, new generation hits the beach
London Olympics organizers erected a 25-foot statue of two-time defending champion Kerri Walsh Jennings in St. James’ Park, just a short stroll from the venue where she would win her third beach volleyball title. Four years later in Rio de Janeiro, Walsh Jennings again climbed onto the podium to claim...
Crews cleaning up after Zion National Park flash flood
SPRINGDALE, Utah — Zion National Park officials and business owners in a nearby tourist town were still cleaning up and assessing the damage Thursday from a massive flash flood that ripped through the popular red rock park, sending mud and debris onto streets. No injuries were reported. Tuesday’s flash flood...
Trump Organization, CFO Allen Weisselberg indicted on tax fraud charges
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s company and its longtime finance chief were charged Thursday in what prosecutors called a “sweeping and audacious” tax fraud scheme in which the executive collected more than $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation, including apartment rent, car payments and school tuition. Trump himself was not charged,...
Whither #MeToo? Chilling effect of Cosby reversal feared
When Indira Henard, director of the DC Rape Crisis Center, received the text message Wednesday, she thought she wasn’t reading her phone correctly. “Indira oh my god,” said the message from a colleague. “Cosby’s walking out of prison.” “I put on the news and there it was, and my heart...
Peters Township native Alison Riske tabbed for U.S. Olympic tennis team
WIMBLEDON, England — Coco Gauff and Jennifer Brady will lead a U.S. Olympic tennis team that will go to the Tokyo Games without any of the country’s two highest-ranked women or four top men, according to a roster obtained by The Associated Press. The list of players heading to Japan...
Rescue efforts resume after delay at Florida condo collapse site
SURFSIDE, Fla. — Rescue efforts at the site of a partially collapsed Florida condominium building resumed Thursday evening, about 15 hours after the work was halted out of concern about the stability of the remaining structure, the mayor said. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said he did not know why officials...
Picasso kept in Maine house closet for 50 years is sold
AMESBURY, Mass. — A mixed-media painting attributed to Pablo Picasso has been sold after spending 50 years in a closet in a house in Maine. John McInnis Auctioneers, based in Massachusetts, confirmed that the painting entitled “Le Tricorne” sold on Saturday, the Boston Globe reported. The 16 x 16 inch...
U.S. women’s hoops looks for 7th consecutive gold medal
Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird will try and become the first players ever to win five Olympic gold medals in basketball when the United States women’s team begins play at the Tokyo Games. The pair has been an integral part of the U.S. run of six consecutive golds at the...
Supreme Court upholds Arizona voting restrictions
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld voting restrictions in Arizona in a decision that could make it harder to challenge other voting limits put in place by Republican lawmakers following last year’s elections. The court, by a conservative-majority 6-3 vote, reversed a lower court ruling in deciding that...
McCarthy to GOP: Don’t let Pelosi name you to Jan. 6 riot panel
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has threatened to strip Republicans of committee assignments if they accept an appointment from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to join the new select panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a top House GOP aide said Thursday. The warning by McCarthy, R-Calif., underscores...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 364,000, a new pandemic low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the job market and the broader economy are rebounding rapidly from the coronavirus recession. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims dropped...
Road America eagerly awaits 1st Cup Series race since 1956
Road America owns a reputation as one of the nation’s foremost road courses yet hasn’t hosted NASCAR’s premier Cup Series since the 1950s. That changes on the Fourth of July in a coup for a Wisconsin track that bills itself as “America’s national park of speed” but until this year...
Tour de France organizers withdraw lawsuit against careless fan
CHATEAUROUX, France — Tour de France organizers have withdrawn their lawsuit against a spectator who caused a massive crash on the first stage. Organizers made the decision in a bid to defuse the situation after the careless spectator was placed in custody, race spokesperson Fabrice Tiano said on Thursday. Gendarmes...
Monument unveiled to activist, journalist Ida B. Wells
CHICAGO — A monument to journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett was unveiled Wednesday in Chicago. Officially called The Light of Truth Ida B. Wells National Monument, the commemoration created by sculptor Richard Hunt was dedicated in the South Side neighborhood where Wells lived out her life. The...
