McDonald’s says 25% of stores closed as 1Q sales fall
McDonald's says it has likely reached the trough of global restaurant closures due to COVID-19, with 25% still shuttered. But business has been slow t...
30 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit
WASHINGTON — More than 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is...
AP-NORC poll: Seeking virus data, people struggle with trust
WASHINGTON — When John Manley tested positive for COVID-19, his sister urged him to get on the malaria drug that she'd heard Fox News hosts plugging a...
Europe’s employment aid keeps jobs from vanishing -- for now
PARIS — Christian Etchebest's Parisian bistro is a shadow of its usual bustling self. Five lunch specials sit in neat paper bags on the bar awaiting t...
Joe Biden picks vetting team as he searches for running mate
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden announced Thursday the four co-chairs of his vice presidential vetting team, starting the search for his running mate in earnes...
Outsiders consider possibility of chaos in North Korea
TOKYO — North Korea’s collapse has been predicted — wrongly— for decades.
Trump erupts at campaign team as his poll numbers slide
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump erupted at his top political advisers last week when they presented him with worrisome polling data that showed hi...
Spoiler? Amash’s 3rd-party presidential bid raises concerns
WASHINGTON — Just as a jam-packed presidential field finally was whittled down to two, the first major third-party candidate is emerging to potentiall...
Many Japanese defy appeals to stay home to curb virus
TOKYO — Under Japan’s coronavirus state of emergency, people have been asked to stay home. Many are not. Some still have to commute to their jobs desp...
Asian shares rise on hopes for drug to treat coronavirus
TOKYO — Asian shares advanced on Thursday, riding a wave of optimism about a possible treatment for the coronavirus that set off a rally on Wall Stree...
Knowledge about North Korea’s Kim is limited, but crucial
TOKYO — New rumors about Kim Jong Un pour in daily. The North Korean leader is dead. Or he’s very ill. Or maybe he’s just recuperating in his luxury c...
Smallest businesses get a few hours at head of loan line
NEW YORK — The smallest companies seeking coronavirus relief loans were moving to the head of the line Wednesday after the Small Business Administrati...
A 1st: US study finds Gilead drug works against coronavirus
For the first time, a major study suggests that an experimental drug works against the new coronavirus, and U.S. government officials said Wednesday t...
McConnell open to state aid in next virus relief package
WASHINGTON — Shifting tone, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he is “open” to considering additional funds for state and local gov...
Drug proves effective against virus as economic damage rises
Scientists on Wednesday announced the first effective treatment against the coronavirus — an experimental drug that can speed the recovery of COVID-19...
New Navy carrier inquiry suggests tough scrutiny of admirals
WASHINGTON — The Navy is launching a wider investigation of the coronavirus crisis aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, suggesting clos...
Fed signals it will likely hold rates near zero for months
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it will keep its key short-term interest rate near zero for the foreseeable future as part of...
Medicare applications raise anxiety for seniors in pandemic
WASHINGTON — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.
Rep. Amash exploring 2020 run for Libertarian nomination
WASHINGTON — Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan said Tuesday that he is launching an exploratory committee for the 2020 Libertarian Party's presidential no...
Ford burns up billions of dollars in 1Q, posts $2B net loss
DETROIT — The coronavirus crisis is forcing Ford Motor Co. to burn through cash at an alarming rate, but its chief financial officer says there's enou...
Coast Guard, Ripley Entertainment criticized in boat crash
LIBERTY, Mo. — A duck boat sinking on a Missouri Lake that killed 17 people two summers ago likely would not have happened if the U.S. Coast Guard had...
Easing lockdowns makes day-to-day choices more complicated
Things were so much clearer when just about everything was locked down.
Gov’t OKs $50B in small biz loans, banks complain of snags
NEW YORK — The government says it has approved an additional $50 billion in loans to small businesses, although banks are complaining that a bottlenec...
Nearly 70 dead in ‘horrific’ outbreak at veterans’ home
Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a central Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to ...
Development bank to allocate $15 bln to tackle virus fallout
MOSCOW — The New Development Bank will allocate up to $15 billion for loans to help the so-called BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and Sou...
Report: Biden accuser spoke to neighbor of alleged assault
WASHINGTON — An associate of a former Senate aide to Joe Biden says the woman told her about her allegations of sexual assault against Biden — now the...
The US reopening is coming, but ‘normal’ is still a ways off
NEW YORK — Everyone wants to know: When, oh when, will it go back to normal?
Russian doctors, nurses face more risks as virus cases grow
MOSCOW — A patient who had routine surgery at a hospital in St. Petersburg suddenly developed a fever after an operation. Doctors insisted on testing ...
Federal inmates battle mixed messages on home confinement
WASHINGTON — She never thought her husband's punishment for selling drugs would be a death sentence. But as the new coronavirus rips through the U.S. ...
Asia shares mixed, eyeing economies reopening, central banks
TOKYO — Asian shares are mixed Tuesday as governments inch toward letting businesses reopen and central banks step in to provide cash to economies.