INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Promising a “middle class miracle,” President Donald Trump on Wednesday was in full salesman mode as he tried to build momentum behind his plan to overhaul the nation’s tax code and revive his moribund legislative agenda. Hours after the White House and congressional Republicans released a framework for sweeping changes to the … Continue reading
Author Archives: dempseygriffin
Study: More women, minorities being hired as TV directors
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The hiring of ethnic minorities and women as first-time TV series directors is up sharply, according to a Directors Guild of America study released Wednesday. They’re part of record growth and diversity in the “pipeline” of incoming directors, the study of the 2016-17 TV season found. The percentage of minority first-time … Continue reading
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft burns up in skies over Saturn
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Cassini spacecraft disintegrated in the skies above Saturn early Friday in a final, fateful blaze of cosmic glory, following a remarkable journey of 20 years. Confirmation of Cassini’s expected demise came about 7:55 a.m. EDT. That’s when radio signals from the spacecraft — its last scientific gifts to Earth … Continue reading
Trump demands ESPN apologize for anchor’s tweets
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on ESPN to apologize days after one of the sports network’s anchors called him a “white supremacist” and “bigot.” ESPN said Thursday it had accepted the apology of its “SportsCenter” host Jemele Hill for her tweets about Trump Monday. Hill said Thursday she was sorry for causing … Continue reading
Improvised bomb injures 22 on London subway train
LONDON (AP) — A homemade bomb exploded on a packed London subway train during rush hour on Friday, leaving 22 people injured, police and health officials said. None of the injured is thought to be seriously hurt. Police say the explosion was a terrorist attack, the fifth in Britain this year. Britain’s domestic spy agency … Continue reading
The Latest: More than 80 percent in Florida have power back
MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local): 8:05 a.m. More than 80 percent of Floridians have gotten their power restored after Hurricane Irma roared through the state. State emergency managers reported Friday that 1.92 million homes and businesses still don’t have electricity. Tens of thousands of customers in southwest Florida and … Continue reading
Lewis, Moss, Urlacher among first-year nominees for HOF
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Star linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher and game-breaking wide receiver Randy Moss are among 11 first-year eligible players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also part of the 108 early nominees who are eligible for the first time, having been retired for five years when the class is chosen … Continue reading
Study prompts call to examine flu vaccine and miscarriage
NEW YORK (AP) — A puzzling study of U.S. pregnancies found that women who had miscarriages between 2010 and 2012 were more likely to have had back-to-back annual flu shots that included protection against swine flu. Vaccine experts think the results may reflect the older age and other miscarriage risks for the women, and not … Continue reading
TV correspondents face danger they told others to avoid
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a paradox of hurricane coverage: people on television spend days warning the public to get out of harm’s way, then station their correspondents squarely in the middle of howling wind and rain and hope they don’t get hurt. That was the case throughout Sunday’s gripping coverage of Hurricane Irma’s assault … Continue reading
Tough path for GOP on immigration _ and Trump made it harder
NEW YORK (AP) — On immigration, there were few easy answers for the Republican Party’s most vulnerable members. And President Donald Trump just made things harder. Endangered Republicans from California to Colorado and Nevada to New Jersey have struggled in recent days to defend their president’s decision to end the program that offered deportation protections … Continue reading
Police shoot armed man at Miami airport amid Irma evacuation
Police shot a man who wielded a knife and tried to get into a Miami airport terminal from a runway, prompting the closure of a busy concourse as travelers tried to leave Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma, authorities said. Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said late Thursday that the unidentified suspect entered a restricted area … Continue reading
UN probe says Syrian government launched April sarin attack
GENEVA (AP) — U.N.-mandated investigators said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air force conducted a sarin-gas attack in the spring that killed at least 83 civilians and sparked a retaliatory U.S. strike. The investigators also appealed to the U.S.-led coalition to better protect civilians as it strikes at Islamic State militants in the east. … Continue reading
Even intrepid Keys residents ready to evacuate ahead of Irma
KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Residents of the Florida Keys are known for riding out hurricanes, but with Irma’s potentially catastrophic wind and rain set to crash through the low-lying island chain this weekend, not many seem willing to risk it this time. Throughout Florida, officials and residents are making preparations, but forecasts indicate the … Continue reading
Redskins beat Buccaneers 13-10 to finish preseason
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Ready or not, here come the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With every starter, and many key reserves, sitting out on both sides, the Redskins dominated statistically for much of a preseason finale in which neither team was able to get the ball into the end zone until Josh Harvey-Clemons … Continue reading
Trump’s hiring, budget raises questions about US Harvey help
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s hiring and budget plans are raising questions about whether he can deliver the “better-than-ever” recovery he’s promised after Hurricane Harvey devastated a swath of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Trump has proposed vast budget cuts and leaving some leadership positions unfilled at agencies involved in disaster management. His Republican allies … Continue reading
Harvey swamps evacuee shelter on Texas, Louisiana border
HOUSTON (AP) — A sodden Texas coastal community was becoming increasingly isolated Wednesday, as Harvey-fed rains flooded most major roadways leading out of the city and swamped a shelter for those displaced by the storm that ravaged the Houston area. Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy Marcus McLellan said he wasn’t sure where the 100 or so … Continue reading