WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in a win for President Joe Biden, even as top Democrats tried assuring agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage. Read more
Associated Press National News
Saturday, February 27, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — House passes Democrats' $1.9T virus relief bill, setting stage for Senate fight over Biden vision for battling pandemic. Read more
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bruce Meyers was hanging out at Pismo Beach on California's Central Coast one afternoon in 1963 when he saw something that both blew his mind and changed his life: a handful of old, stripped-down cars bouncing across the sand. Read more
Friday, February 26, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Friday approved a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly using photo face-tagging and other biometric data without the permission of its users. Read more
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lady Gaga's two French bulldogs, which were stolen by thieves who shot and wounded the dogwalker, were recovered unharmed Friday, Los Angeles police said. Read more
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The organization hosting the Golden Globes says it is developing a plan to recruit Black members after falling under sharp criticism for lacking diverse members. Read more
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bruce Meyers was hanging out at Pismo Beach on California's Central Coast one afternoon in 1963 when he saw something that both blew his mind and changed his life: a handful of old, stripped-down cars bouncing across the sand. Read more
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Interior on Friday rescinded a January Trump administration decision to grant grazing allotments to an Oregon ranching family whose members were convicted of arson in a court battle that triggered the takeover of a federal wild… Read more
DENVER (AP) — A man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison on Friday for plotting to bomb a historic Colorado synagogue last year by a judge who described the case as "dripping with Nazism and supremacy.” Read more
Chief executives of the nation's largest passenger and cargo airlines met with key Biden administration officials Friday to talk about reducing emissions from airplanes and push incentives for lower-carbon aviation fuels. Read more
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada's governor on Friday unveiled a proposal that would allow technology companies to establish jurisdictions with powers similar to those of county governments, arguing the state needed to be bold to diversify its economy and pushing back against those who have l… Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — A photographer who was shoved by a man who then came at him with a metal pole during a trip on the Staten Island ferry on Friday was able to get out of harm's way when New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang intervened. Read more
SAN DIEGO (AP) — California is freeing up as much as $28 million to help immigrants arriving from Mexico and being released in the U.S. until their court dates, a sharp contrast from other border states that have emerged as foes of President Joe Biden's immigration policies. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — US expert panel endorses Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine; FDA will make final decision soon. Read more
Here’s what’s happening Friday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.: Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — Yes, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, and that’s exactly why stock markets around the world are getting so unsettled. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package late Friday that includes $1,400 checks for most Americans and billions of dollars for schools, state and local governments and businesses. Read more
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man told women he met at online dating sites fantastic stories about being involved in explosions on foreign oil rigs and needing money to get out of a French jail to scam them out of more than $500,000, federal prosecutors said. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation Friday that would create about 1.5 million acres of new wilderness and incorporate nearly 1,200 miles of waterways into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System as Democrats move to protect more public lands — with President Joe Biden's blessing. Read more
United Airlines will pay more than $49 million to avoid criminal prosecution and settle civil charges of defrauding the U.S. Postal Service in the delivery of international mail. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — US officials believe Saudi crown prince approved operation to 'capture or kill' journalist, says newly released document. Read more
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Pythons, iguanas, monitor lizards, oh my! Florida is moving to restrict 16 invasive reptile species that have wreaked havoc in the Everglades and across the state. Read more
CUSTER, S.D. (AP) — A compound in South Dakota’s Black Hills that was owned by a secretive polygamous cult has been sold at auction to three former members who broke with the sect years ago. Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press has named Anna Jo Bratton as U.S. Enterprise Editor on the news cooperative’s Global Enterprise Team, where she will work with colleagues across the United States to produce high-impact journalism for the country and for international audiences. Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — Decades after going to prison, some of the men responsible for the World Trade Center bombing that killed six people 28 years ago Friday are still trying to whittle down their onetime life sentences on the remote chance that they could someday be freed. Read more
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sgt. Taylor Knueven always knew sexual assault and harassment plagued the U.S. Army. But the combat medic’s own assault early last year opened her eyes to the broken system surrounding one of the military’s most infamous problems. Read more
So what did YOU do at 5 a.m. after staying up all night for your prom? Maria Bakalova became a movie star. Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City's Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced Friday he will step down, citing the coronavirus pandemic's personal toll on his family. Read more
MIDDLESEX, Vt. (AP) — The town meeting, for centuries, was a staple of New England life — but the coronavirus pandemic could accelerate the departure from the tradition where people gather to debate everything from the purchase of local road equipment to multimillion-dollar budgets to pressi… Read more
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — When J. Samuel Hammond arrived as a freshman at Duke University in 1964, he knew nothing about the musical instrument that allowed a player to send melodies ringing across campus from the bells in the school's iconic chapel tower. A demonstration from a fellow student int… Read more
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast on Friday became the second country in the world to receive a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the global COVAX initiative, with 504,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation is poised to get a third vaccine against COVID-19, but because at first glance the Johnson & Johnson shot may not be seen as equal to other options, health officials are girding for the question: Which one is best? Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bouncing back from months of retrenchment, America's consumers stepped up their spending by a solid 2.4% in January in a sign that the economy may be making a tentative recovery from the pandemic recession. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — US consumers stepped up spending by 2.4% in January in bounce-back as income jumps 10%. Read more
The newest pledges by countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions are falling far short of what's needed to limit global warming to what the Paris climate accord seeks, a new United Nations report finds. Read more
HONG KONG — Hong Kong has begun administering its first COVID-19 vaccines to the public, kicking off its mass inoculation targeting all 7.5 million residents. Read more
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — When Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso snapped at Deb Haaland during her confirmation hearing, many in Indian Country were incensed. Read more
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia prosecutor investigating potential efforts by Donald Trump and others to influence last year's general election has a message for people who are eager to see whether the former president will be charged: Be patient. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are ready to shove a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package through the House on Friday, despite a setback that means a minimum wage boost is unlikely to be in the final version that reaches President Joe Biden. Read more
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Air Force says it will be distributing bottled water to thousands of residents and business owners near its base in suburban Phoenix until at least April, marking the latest case of chemicals from military firefighting efforts contaminating the water supply in a nearb… Read more
A faction of local, county and state Republican officials is pushing lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that echo those that helped inspire the violent U.S. Capitol siege, online messaging that is spreading quickly through GOP ranks fueled by algorithms that boost extreme content. Read more
Thursday, February 25, 2021
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods was moved Thursday to another Los Angeles hospital after undergoing surgery to his right leg after being badly injured in a car crash. Read more
South Korea administered its first available shots of coronavirus vaccines to people at long-term care facilities Friday, launching a mass immunization campaign that health authorities hope will restore some level of normalcy by the end of the year. Read more
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A cat that went astray about 15 years ago has been reunited, older and maybe wiser, with its owner. Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — Costco will increase its starting wage to $16 an hour, surpassing most of its main competitors at a time when efforts to raise the minimum wage gain traction in the U.S. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Biden orders airstrike against Iran-backed militia in Syria following rocket attacks against US forces in Iraq. Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm won Senate confirmation Thursday to be energy secretary and will be a key Cabinet member trying to fulfill President Joe Biden’s commitment for a green economy as the United States fights to slow climate change. Read more
DETROIT (AP) — Investigators who are looking into the rollover crash that injured golf legend Tiger Woods will rely heavily on data stored in the Genesis SUV he was driving to figure out what happened. Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — Another mutated version of the coronavirus has popped up in New York City, and experts reacted to the the news with a mixture of caution and concern. Read more
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A former aide's allegations that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo subjected her to an unwanted kiss during years of sexual harassment have spurred calls for an investigation — and questions about who might meaningfully conduct one. Read more