Stories by Associated Press
As Tokyo Olympics Approach, Virus Worries Rise in Japan
The pressure of hosting an Olympics during a still-active pandemic is beginning to show in Japan. The games begin July 23, with organizers determined they will go on, even with a reduced number of spectators or possibly none at all.
Amazon Begins New Chapter as Bezos Hands Over CEO Role
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO on Monday, handing over the reins as the company navigates the challenges of a world fighting to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
Search Back on After Rest of South Florida Condo Demolished
Rescuers were given the all-clear to resume work looking for victims at a collapsed South Florida condo building after demolition crews set off a string of explosives that brought down the last of the building in a plume of dust.
Biden Sees Virus ‘Independence,’ But COVID Takes No Holiday
Calling a vaccination “the most patriotic thing you can do,” President Joe Biden on Sunday mixed the nation’s birthday party with a celebration of freedom from the worst of the pandemic.
New US LGBTQ-Rights Envoy Sees Reasons for Hope and Worry
Jessica Stern, soon to become the State Department’s special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, sees a mix of promising news and worrisome developments almost everywhere she looks, both at home and abroad.
Migrant Kids Play, Watch TV in What US Calls ‘Model’ Shelter
The Biden administration on Friday gave a rare look inside an emergency shelter it opened to house migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone, calling the California facility a model among its large-scale sites.
With Storm Looming, Demolition of Collapsed Condo to Start
With Tropical Storm Elsa looming in the Caribbean and forecast to move toward the state in the coming days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the building in Surfside is “tottering” and “structurally unsound” and demolishing it is the prudent thing to do.
Rocky Path Ahead as Chicago Set to Get Elected School Board
After decades of organizing by parents, activists and unions, Chicago is on the verge of having a fully elected school board for the first time in its history.
Liberty: Lots of Travelers Expected on Freer Fourth of July
AAA forecasts that more than 47 million people will travel by car or plane this weekend in the U.S., a return to 2019 levels and 40% higher than last year. That includes 3.5 million airline passengers.
US Hiring Accelerated in June as Workers Earned Higher Pay
Friday’s report from the Labor Department was the latest evidence that the reopening of the economy is propelling a powerful rebound from the pandemic recession. Restaurant traffic across the country is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, and more people are shopping, traveling and attending sports and entertainment events.
US Hands Bagram Airfield to Afghans After Nearly 20 Years
The withdrawal from Bagram Airfield is the clearest indication that the last of the 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops have left Afghanistan or are nearing a departure, months ahead of President Joe Biden’s promise that they would be gone by Sept. 11.
DC Statehood Facing Long Odds in the Senate
Plus: The cases for and against Washington, D.C., becoming the nation’s 51st state on “Chicago Tonight”
The nation’s capital has a larger population than Wyoming or Vermont, and its estimated 712,000 residents pay federal taxes, vote for president and serve in the armed forces, but they have no voting representation in Congress.
Trump Organization, CFO Indicted on Tax Fraud Charges
Plus: We discuss what’s ahead for the Trump Organization with a former assistant U.S. attorney and a former federal prosecutor on “Chicago Tonight”
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.
Will One Dose of a Two-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine Protect Me?
The short answer: Yes, but not nearly as much as if you had both doses. Experts recommend getting fully vaccinated, especially with the emergence of worrisome coronavirus mutations such as the delta variant first identified in India.
Delta Variant Exploits Low Vaccine Rates, Easing of Rules
The latest alarming coronavirus variant is exploiting low global vaccination rates and a rush to ease pandemic restrictions, adding new urgency to the drive to get more shots in arms and slow its supercharged spread.
Rumsfeld, a Cunning Leader Who Oversaw a Ruinous Iraq War
Calling Donald H. Rumsfeld energetic was like calling the Pacific wide. When others would rest, he would run. While others sat, he stood. But try as he might, at the pinnacle of his career as defense secretary he could not outmaneuver the ruinous politics of the Iraq war.
Bill Cosby’s Sex Assault Conviction Overturned by Court
Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and opened the way for his immediate release from prison Wednesday, ruling that the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby.
Man Ticketed in Suburban Chicago Dog Park for Tree Treatment
A man who said he sprayed trees in a Naperville park to protect them after an anxious dog chewed off the bark has been ticketed by authorities.
Charges Expected Thursday for Trump’s Company, Top Executive
Donald Trump’s company and his longtime finance chief are expected to be charged Thursday with tax-related crimes stemming from a New York investigation into the former president’s business dealings, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Roads, Bridges, Jobs: Biden Selling Big Infrastructure Deal
Plus: Local members of Congress talk infrastructure and more on “Chicago Tonight”
President Joe Biden declared there is an urgent need for a “generational investment” in the nation’s infrastructure, as he looked to sell voters Tuesday on the economic benefits of the $973 billion bipartisan package that still faces an uncertain future in Congress.
United Orders 270 Jets to Replace Old Ones, Plan for Growth
United said Tuesday that it will buy 200 Boeing Max jets and 70 planes from Europe’s Airbus so that it can replace many of its smallest planes and some of its oldest and have room to grow its fleet.
Cosmic Gulp: Astronomers See Black Hole Swallow Neutron Star
Talk about a heavy snack. For the first time, astronomers have witnessed a black hole swallowing a neutron star, the most dense object in the universe — all in a split-second gulp.
Congressional Leaders Urge FCC to Perform Equity Audit
Congressional leaders and a media advocacy group are urging the Federal Communications Commission to examine how policy decisions and programs have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color.
‘Excruciating’: Florida Collapse Search Stretches to Day 6
The slow work of sifting through the remnants of a collapsed Florida condo building stretched into a sixth day Tuesday, as families desperate for progress endured a wrenching wait for answers.
Biden Working to Get Infrastructure Package Back on Track
President Joe Biden is hoping to get the bipartisan infrastructure deal on track by highlighting its expected economic benefits, stressing its $973 billion would include the largest investment in transportation in nearly a century and millions of jobs would be created.
WHO: Delta Variant is ‘Most Transmissible’ Identified So Far
The head of the World Health Organization said the COVID-19 delta variant, first seen in India, is “the most transmissible of the variants identified so far,” and warned it is now spreading in at least 85 countries.
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