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...
Evidence of virus’ effect on US economy grows more ominous
WASHINGTON — Evidence of the coronavirus' devastating impact on the U.S. economy has been steadily emerging, and the signs have grown ominous.
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...
Feds under pressure to publicly track nursing home outbreaks
NEW YORK — Federal health officials are coming under increasing pressure to start publicly tracking coronavirus infections and deaths in nursing homes...
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 ...
‘Hold your nose and vote:’ Progressives weigh backing Biden
CHICAGO — When Bernie Sanders didn't win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, Silvia Machado and Patrick Gibbons voted for Green Party cand...
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...
US relief checks begin arriving as economic damage piles up
WASHINGTON — Government relief checks began arriving in Americans’ bank accounts as the economic damage to the U.S. from the coronavirus piled up Wedn...
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...
Pentagon: $10B cloud contract that snubbed Amazon was legal
WASHINGTON — A government watchdog agency said Wednesday the Pentagon's process for awarding a highly lucrative cloud computing contract to Microsoft ...
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...
Iran parliament: Virus deaths nearly double reported figures
TEHRAN, Iran — The death toll in Iran from the coronavirus pandemic is likely nearly double the officially reported figures, due to undercounting and ...
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...