10 seconds of terror: Alaska man survives brown bear mauling
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Allen Minish was alone and surveying land for a real estate agent in a wooded, remote part of Alaska, putting some numbers into his GPS unit when he looked up and saw a large brown bear walking about 30 feet away.
Republicans rebel against mask requirement in House chamber
WASHINGTON — Republicans are rebelling against the requirement that they wear a mask on the House floor, stoking tensions with majority Democrats who are refusing to change the rules following updated guidance from federal health officials.
COVID briefs for May 20
Las Vegas Strip rules to end for vaccinated
India sets global record for daily coronavirus deaths
NEW DELHI — India on Wednesday reported more coronavirus deaths in a single day than any other country at any time during the pandemic, while infections continued to spread through vast rural areas with weak health systems.
Can monthly cash payments cut child poverty by nearly half?
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The check won’t arrive until mid-July, but Katrina Peters already knows what she’ll do with her Child Tax Credit payments. The 20-year-old mother of three applied to work as a driver with a food delivery app, and the extra cash is earmarked for repairing, registering and insuring her car.
‘City in transition’: New York vies to turn page on pandemic
NEW YORK — More than a year after coronavirus shutdowns sent “the city that never sleeps” into a fitful slumber, New York could be wide awake again this summer.
Supreme Court throws abortion fight into center of midterms
WASHINGTON — In agreeing to hear a potentially groundbreaking abortion case, the Supreme Court energized activists on both sides of the long-running debate who are now girding to make abortion access a major issue in next year’s midterm elections.
The blockbuster movie makes a comeback this summer
After more than a year of benching its biggest spectacles, Hollywood is ready to dazzle again.
Restrictions reimposed as virus resurges in much of Asia
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taxi drivers are starved for customers, weddings are suddenly canceled, schools are closed and restaurant service is restricted throughout much of Asia as the coronavirus makes a resurgence in countries where it seemed to be well under control.
Congress OKs bill to fight hate crimes vs. Asian Americans
WASHINGTON — Congress approved legislation Tuesday intended to curtail a striking rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, sending President Joe Biden a bipartisan denunciation of the spate of brutal attacks that have proliferated during the coronavirus pandemic.
AP source: US encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Tuesday, as the Israeli and Palestinian death tolls mounted and pressure grew on Biden to move more forcefully to stop the fighting.
Conservatives push big issues to fore at Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Abortion. Guns. Religion.
A Trump-fortified conservative majority is making its presence felt at the Supreme Court by quickly wading into high-profile social issues that have been a goal of the right for decades.
Israel, Gaza violence overshadows Biden’s domestic plans
DEARBORN, Mich. — President Joe Biden’s efforts to spotlight his big infrastructure plans are suddenly being overshadowed by the escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians, the conflict sparking protests during his visit to a Ford electric vehicle center in Michigan on Tuesday as the White House faced growing pressure to intervene.
Palestinians go on strike as Israel-Hamas fighting rages
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians throughout Israel and the occupied territories went on strike in a rare collective protest Tuesday as Israeli missiles toppled a building in Gaza and militants in the Hamas-ruled territory fired dozens of rockets that killed two people.
Changed by pandemic, many workers won’t return to old jobs
There’s a wild card in the push to return to pre-pandemic life: Many workers don’t want to go back to the jobs they once had.
A late drop leaves Wall Street indexes lower, led by tech
Stocks closed lower Tuesday on Wall Street as a late-afternoon sell-off in technology companies helped nudge stock indexes into the red for the second consecutive day.
WH memo sees economic strength where critics see fragility
WASHINGTON — White House officials are seeking to quell anxiety about inflation and the pace of hiring, issuing a memo Tuesday that highlights robust economic gains as the United States gets vaccinated and recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
Probe finds Maui police chief accident handled properly
WAILUKU, Maui — The Maui Police Department properly handled an accident involving its chief backing his truck into a parked motorcycle at a shopping center, an independent investigation concluded.
Dump Trump? Kicking him off NYC golf course may not be easy
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has a rich history of fighting back when he’s down and making others pay, and that’s exactly how he intends to deal with New York City over its plans to fire his company from running a windswept city golf course in the Bronx.
In devotion to Trump, House GOP taps Stefanik for a top post
WASHINGTON — House Republicans elevated Rep. Elise Stefanik to a leadership post Friday, highlighting how the party whose lodestar has long been conservative policies increasingly views allegiance to Donald Trump as its indispensable key to electoral success.