By Candice ChoiAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP)  Don’t even think of putting the mask away anytime soon. Despite the expected arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in just a few weeks, it could take several months – probably well into 2021 – before things get back to something close to normal in the U.S. and Americans can […]

By Paul J. Weber And Sarah RankinAssociated Press Overwhelmed hospitals are converting chapels, cafeterias, waiting rooms, hallways, even a parking garage into patient treatment areas. Staff members are desperately calling around to other medical centers in search of open beds. Fatigue and frustration are setting in among front-line workers. Conditions inside the nation's hospitals are […]

By Deb RiechmannAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP)  The presidential race was hovering in limbo in 2000 when outgoing President Bill Clinton decided to let then-Gov. George W. Bush read the ultra-secret daily brief of the nation’s most sensitive intelligence. Clinton was a Democrat and his vice president, Al Gore, was running against Republican Bush. Gore had […]

By Andrew SelskyAssociated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP)  In a first in the nation, Oregon has rejected charging drug users with criminal offenses, with voters passing a ballot measure that decriminalizes possession of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other hard drugs. “Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York regulators have proposed quality control standards and a licensing program for hemp-derived CBD products that have gained widespread popularity in products such as tinctures, salves and lotions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. The state Department of Health proposed the regulations in accordance with legislation passed earlier this year establishing a […]

By Bernard Condon & Matt SedenskyAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) The U.S. Justice Department vastly expanded an inquiry Wednesday that could determine whether New York is undercounting coronavirus deaths among nursing home residents, demanding detailed data from hundreds of private facilities. The demand ratchets up pressure on Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo after months of bipartisan […]

By MARTIN CRUTSINGERAP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) A Federal Reserve survey of business conditions around the country found that the U.S. economy grew at a “slight to modest” pace in September and early October, but also documented many areas of economic activity hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic. The Fed report made public Wednesday said that […]

By Ken Sweet And Alexandra OlsonAP Business Writers CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) JPMorgan Chase said Thursday it will extend billions in loans to Black and Latino homebuyers and small business owners in an expanded effort toward fixing what the bank calls “systemic racism” in the country's economic system. The New York bank said it is committing […]

By David Eggert And Ed WhiteAssociated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) Agents foiled a stunning plot to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges in an alleged scheme that involved months of planning and even rehearsals to snatch her from her vacation home. Six men were charged in federal court with […]

WASHINGTON (AP)  They've been fighting in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania over the cutoff date for counting mailed ballots, and in North Carolina over witness requirements. Ohio is grappling with drop boxes for ballots as Texas faces a court challenge over extra days of early voting. Measuring the anxiety over the November election is as simple as […]