China economy better but vital consumer demand still feeble
BEIJING — Factory output rose in April as China’s virus-battered economy reopened but job losses depressed consumer spending, a key driver of growth, ...
Iraqi doctor’s fight with virus lays bare a battered system
BAGHDAD — Dr. Marwa al-Khafaji’s homecoming after 20 days in a hospital isolation ward was met by spite. Someone had barricaded her family home’s gate...
Surf’s up and so are new beach rules to prevent virus spread
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — They arrived at the beach by car, skateboard and on bare feet. They carried Frisbees, cameras and surfboards. They wore running...
Auto workers’ tenuous return a ray of hope in jobs crisis
DETROIT — Defying a wave of layoffs that has sent the U.S. job market into its worst catastrophe on record, at least one major industry is making a co...
Asian shares mixed as stocks meander on pandemic worries
TOKYO — Asian shares were mixed Friday as markets meandered on news about economies reopening, mixed with worries about the prolonged health risks fro...
Asia Today: China marks month without any confirmed deaths
BEIJING — China has gone a month without announcing any new deaths from the coronavirus and has fewer than 100 patients in treatment for COVID-19.
Keselowski draws pole for NASCAR’s return to Darlington
Brad Keselowski celebrated his first pole win of the season — and perhaps the most memorable of his career — from afar.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to partially reopen this weekend
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club will partially reopen to members this weekend as South Florida slowly reopens from th...
Graham to probe Russia investigation; won’t call Obama
WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Thursday his committee is opening a wide-ranging inquiry into the Russia investig...
Pelosi, GOP exchange barbs over new economic relief package
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out Thursday at Trump administration officials and congressional Republicans seeking to slow work on a ...
Senate votes to renew federal surveillance powers
WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed legislation that would extend a series of expired federal surveillance tools designed to help law enforcement offic...
Trump administration ease rules limiting truck driver hours
The Trump administration eased rules Thursday that limit working hours for truck drivers, and the changes brought immediate protests from labor and sa...
Trump says he’ll replenish stockpile for future pandemics
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he intends to prepare for future pandemics by replenishing the national stockpile and bring...
Newman eager to race again after violent Daytona accident
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Newman says he has no memories of his harrowing accident on the final lap of the Daytona 500. He doesn't remember being in the ...
Whistleblower: US still lacks virus plan; Americans at risk
WASHINGTON — Despite White House claims, the U.S. still lacks a comprehensive battle plan against the coronavirus in critical areas including masks, t...
Had enough of ‘Contagion’? Here are some warm blanket movies
When many were rushing to rewatch “Contagion,” the eerily prophetic 2011 Steven Soderbergh film about the outbreak of an easily transmitted virus, I w...
Stopped cold: ‘Frozen’ musical on Broadway not to reopen
NEW YORK — The big budget musical “Frozen” will not reopen when Broadway theaters restart, marking the first time an established show has been felled ...
US mortgage rates hover near all-time lows; 30-year at 3.28%
WASHINGTON — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates were mostly steady this week, hovering near all-time lows.
Karen Pence: ‘It’s OK to not be OK’ during pandemic
WASHINGTON — Karen Pence says it’s OK to not be OK during the coronavirus pandemic.
3 million more US layoffs intensify fears of lasting damage
WASHINGTON — Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak forced more companies to slash j...
In Pennsylvania, Dem governor aims to contain GOP revolt
HARRISBURG, Pa. — By many accounts, Gov. Tom Wolf has helped contain Pennsylvania's coronavirus outbreak and avoided the full-blown disasters seen els...
Wisconsin governor warns of ‘massive confusion’ after ruling
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers warned Thursday of “massive confusion” after the the state Supreme Court tossed out the Democrat's stay-at-h...
Cassandra Callender, forced to undergo chemo, dies at 22
HARTFORD, Conn. — Cassandra Callender, who was forced by Connecticut courts as a teenager to undergo chemotherapy for cancer, has died after a five-ye...
Next up: Women’s pole vaulters take turn in Garden Clash
The bar: Set high by the men's competition. Their mission: Raise it even higher.
The drive-in is giving indie films a box office boost
LOS ANGELES — Indie films and drive-in theaters don’t usually go together. Drive-ins need the big movies, the ones with superheroes and superstars, to...
Appeals court reinstates lawsuit over Trump’s hotel profits
RICHMOND, Va. — A lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel was revived Th...
What will Jersey Shore beaches be like in the Summer of Bug?
BELMAR, N.J. — Joanna Eichert longs for the summer days of years gone by at the Jersey Shore, which she recalls as “very crowded and very relaxing.”
Survey: Oil, manufacturing had best luck with pandemic loans
Almost 75% of small businesses applied for help from a federal loan program designed to keep workers employed during the coronavirus pandemic, but onl...
Buying the plunge: Individual investors remain optimistic
LOS ANGELES — The lure of snapping up stocks at bargain prices has been too strong to pass up for many people, even as uncertainty over the coronaviru...
Burr steps aside as Senate intelligence chair amid FBI probe
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., temporarily stepped aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday after the FBI served a ...