Justice Dept. watchdog to inspect prisons amid virus spread
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s inspector general will conduct remote inspections of Bureau of Prisons facilities to ensure they are following b...
Thousands protest Michigan governor’s social distance order
LANSING, Mich. — Thousands of flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretche...
Nevada gearing up for coronavirus, whether wave comes or not
RENO, Nev. — Nevada health officials are moving toward opening several hundred temporary hospital beds within days to handle a potential surge of coro...
France urging top powers to endorse UN virus cease-fire call
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron says he hopes that “in the coming days” the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council can discuss a...
Powerful GOP allies propel Trump effort to reopen economy
WASHINGTON — Leading Republicans say the coronavirus shutdown cannot go on. Car-honking activists swarmed a statehouse Wednesday to protest stay-home ...
Explosion caught on video damages paper mill; no one hurt
PORTLAND, Maine — An explosion at a paper mill in Maine shook the ground Wednesday and produced a plume of black smoke that was visible for miles arou...
Soft-serve defiance: Ice cream trucks ply Brooklyn streets
NEW YORK — Usually a welcome harbinger of spring and summer, Mister Softee's signature jingle has made a startling juxtaposition to the piercing wails...
Commissioners tell VP no football before campuses open
The commissioners of the nation's major college football conferences held a 30-minute conference call Wednesday with Vice President Mike Pence and str...
WHO, allies lament Trump cut to US funding as virus rages
GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday lamented the U.S. decision to halt funding for the U.N. agency, promising a review of ...
‘A crisis like no other’: IMF facing huge demand for support
WASHINGTON — The head of the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that the lending agency is facing huge demand for support from its members dur...
Fed notes what most Americans see: A sharp economic downturn
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is noting what most Americans are already acutely aware of: Economic activity contracted sharply and abruptly cross a...
Film Review: A sober diplomacy drama in ‘Sergio’
The United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello has been described as a cross between James Bond and Bobby Kennedy, which sounds like a compelling ...
WWE cuts wrestlers after Florida deems it ‘essential’
STAMFORD, Conn — WWE started releasing professional wrestlers on Wednesday in budget cuts related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Little League World Series faces 0-2 count amid coronavirus
Put them in, coach. The boys and girls of summer are ready to play.
Newsom’s mask deal shows tendency for big plans, few details
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement was audacious: On a national news show, he said the state had just inked a deal to bu...
Apple rolls out cheaper iPhone as pandemic curbs spending
NEW YORK — Apple is releasing a new iPhone that will be vastly cheaper than the models it rolled out last fall at a time when the economy was booming ...
Wisconsin, Alabama awarded F-35 fighter jets
MADISON, Wis. — Air National Guard units based in Wisconsin and Alabama have been awarded squadrons of F-35 fighter jets, the U.S. Air Force announced...
Germany plans cautious 1st steps to restart public life
BERLIN — Germany plans to let smaller shops reopen next week after a weeks-long coronavirus shutdown and to start reopening schools in early May, but ...
More states finally paying $600 extra in unemployment aid
HARTFORD, Conn. — The bills are mounting for Justin Conrad, who lost his warehouse job three weeks ago and is anxiously awaiting his first state-provi...
Detroit facing fresh fiscal woes with coronavirus closures
DETROIT — Barely surviving the 2008 economic meltdown and humbled by its 2013 bankruptcy, Detroit’s fiscal future now faces another daunting foe in th...
Tech companies step up fight against bad coronavirus info
CHICAGO — Potentially dangerous coronavirus misinformation has spread from continent to continent like the pandemic itself, forcing the world’s larges...
Asia Today: Millions vote in South Korea despite virus
BANGKOK — Millions of South Korean voters wore masks and maintained social distancing as they voted in parliamentary elections on Wednesday, with a su...
Rachael Ray tapes show from home, makes $4M virus donation
Rachael Ray had big plans for the quarantine break at her home in upstate New York. She envisioned “a Renaissance time," rereading the classics, resum...
Missteps mar Puerto Rico’s response to the coronavirus
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico officials say data that show COVID-19 cases on the island are much lower than in some U.S. states constitute proof...
Former partners say Ayesha Curry has ‘gutted’ their value
LOS ANGELES — A celebrity branding company on Wednesday sued Ayesha Curry, the food and lifestyle personality and wife of NBA star Stephen Curry, seek...
Liberty trade Tina Charles to Mystics in 3-team deal
NEW YORK — The New York Liberty traded All-Star Tina Charles to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal.
A virus that hits all faiths tests religion’s tie to science
NEW YORK — Tanzania’s president claimed the coronavirus “cannot sit in the body of Christ.” Israel’s health minister dismissed a potential curfew by s...
FBI: Government’s response to virus spurred would-be bomber
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri man who investigators say was planning to bomb a Kansas City-area hospital was distressed by the government’s response t...
WWII veteran, age 99, raises millions for UK health service
LONDON — A 99-year-old British army veteran who started walking laps in his garden as part of a humble fundraiser for the National Health Service has ...
‘American Tacos’ probes a dish’s evolution across borders
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — You can eat one with carne asada and corn tortillas in East Los Angeles, or one with flour and pit-grilled pork known as al pastor ...