Author: The Associated Press

Three Congressmen who Joined Trump in Minnesota Test Clear

MINNEAPOLIS-Three Minnesota congressmen who flew on Air Force One with President Donald Trump shortly before he tested positive for the coronavirus have tested negative. Other politicians who came close to Trump during his visit to Minnesota also moved quickly to get tested, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer, Jim Hagedorn and Pete Stauber flew with Trump…

Trump Has COVID-19, Going to Military Hospital

WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Donald Trump will spend a “few days” at a military hospital after contracting COVID-19. Trump departed the White House by helicopter late Friday for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a White House official said. The official said the visit was precautionary and that Trump would work from the hospital’s presidential suite,…

Joe Biden and Wife Jill Test Negative for Coronavirus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden has tested negative for the coronavirus, his primary care doctor confirmed on Friday. The Democratic presidential nominee and his wife were tested earlier in the day after news of President Donald Trump’s infection was announced. Dr. Kevin O’Connor released the negative results in a statement issued by the Biden campaign. Biden was on the debate…

US Extends Ban on Cruise Ships Through October

WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are extending the U.S. ban on cruise ships through the end of October amid reports of recent outbreaks of the new coronavirus on ships overseas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that it was extending a no-sail order on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers. The CDC…

Trump Says He Has ‘Mild Symptoms’ After Testing Positive for COVID-19

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, and a White House official says the president is experiencing “mild symptoms” of COVID-19. Trump’s positive test comes just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks came down with the virus after…

UMinn Expects to Cut 98 Athletes, Including 41 Women

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota plans to have 98 fewer athletes on its non-revenue teams next school year. According to data obtained by the Star Tribune, the athletics department is trimming 41 female players from women’s athletics in addition to the 57 men cut by the elimination of men’s track and field, tennis, and gymnastics. Besides eliminating the three…

Us Hiring Slows for 3rd Month in Sign of Struggling Economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added 661,000 jobs in September, the third straight month of slower hiring and evidence from the final jobs report before the presidential election that the economic recovery has weakened. With September’s hiring gain, the economy has recovered only slightly more than half the 22 million jobs that were wiped out by the viral pandemic. The…

Timeline of Trump’s Activities in Week Coronavirus Hit Home

WASHINGTON (AP) — With just a month to go until the election, President Donald Trump had a busy schedule during the week the coronavirus hit home with him. Trump tweeted early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus. MONDAY — Trump surveys a truck produced by Lordstown Motors on the White House South…

Trump Cancels Wisconsin Rally Amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump canceled a planned appearance in western Wisconsin amid calls from the city’s mayor and the state’s governor, both Democrats, that he not hold a rally due to a surge in coronavirus cases. The director of the La Crosse airport said the event was canceled due to a lease issue, not concerns over the…

Vikings Back at Practice After Precautionary Virus Pause

(AP) – The Minnesota Vikings reopened their headquarters for team activities on Thursday, following another morning of zero positive COVID-19 test results four days after playing a Tennessee Titans team that experienced the NFL’s first outbreak. The Vikings announced their resumption of practice shortly after the league postponed Tennessee’s home game on Sunday against Pittsburgh. The Titans, who were hoping…

Us Layoffs Remain Elevated as 837,000 Seek Jobless Aid

WASHINGTON (AP) –The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer. The Labor Department’s report, released Thursday, suggests that companies are still cutting a historically high number of jobs, though the weekly numbers have become less reliable as states have…

Marcus Closes 17 Theaters It Had Reopened Amid Coronavirus

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marcus Theatres has temporarily closed 17 of the 72 cinemas it reopened this summer, citing a decline in audience demand and the limited number of new movie releases. The coronavirus pandemic led to the closure of movie theaters across Wisconsin in mid-March. The Milwaukee-based Marcus began reopening many of its theaters in August after test runs at…

Wisconsin Sets COVID-19 Deaths Record as Hospitals Fill Up

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin has hit a new record for COVID-19 deaths as the disease continues to surge unchecked across the state. Health officials reported 27 deaths on Wednesday. They reported 2,319 new cases, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 122,274. A total of 1,327 people have died. Wisconsin hospital officials report they’re close to being…

The Latest: Virus Patients Filling Hospitals in Wisconsin

(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) MILWAUKEE (AP) — COVID-19 patients are filling Wisconsin hospitals, forcing doctors to transfer patients to other facilities and build waiting lists as the disease surges across the state. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that hospitals in Green Bay, Wausau, and the Fox Valley are being overwhelmed. Officials at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay say their facility is…

Nfl: Steelers and Titans Will Play Monday or Tuesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Pittsburgh-Tennessee NFL game will be played either Monday or Tuesday due to positive coronavirus test results among the Titans. The NFL announced the switch on Wednesday. The previous day the NFL said that three Titans and five other team personnel had tested positive for COVID-19. The Titans have closed their facility at least through Friday…

Trump Returns to Minnesota for Post-Debate Rally, Fundraiser

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Fresh off the first presidential debate, President Donald Trump is returning to the battleground state of Minnesota. Trump will address a rally at Duluth International Airport on Wednesday night. Doors open at 5 p.m. The campaign has pushed the start time back to 8 p.m. from the originally announced 5 p.m. Trump will also attend a fundraiser earlier…

Watch Live: Trump, Biden Push Into Crucial First 2020 Campaign Face-Off

CLEVELAND (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden prepared to face off Tuesday night in their crucial first debate of the 2020 campaign. It’s the most pivotal opportunity yet for the candidates to outline starkly different visions for a country facing multiple crises in an election year like no other. The nation is in the midst of…

Biden Releases 2019 Taxes as Pre-Debate Contrast With Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden paid nearly $288,000 in federal income taxes last year, according to returns he released just hours before his debate with President Donald Trump. The move Tuesday came after a New York Times report that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he ran for president, and 2017,…

Evers, Wisconsin Health Officials Say State in ‘Crisis’

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers urged people throughout Wisconsin on Tuesday to “get on the same team” by taking steps to slow the spread of COVID-19, with cases statewide at their highest numbers since the pandemic started. “We are in crisis right now,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Wisconsin’s chief medical officer. On Tuesday, Wisconsin recorded its highest single-day…

Records: Failed UW President Search Costs About $216,000

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A failed search for a person to lead the University of Wisconsin System has cost taxpayers about $216,000, a cost unlikely to be recouped because of contract language with the company hired to help find the next president. According to records obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal, the UW paid about $214,000 to Storbeck Search and Associates….

Trump, Biden Prepare to Debate at a Time of Mounting Crises

CLEVELAND (AP) — The first debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden looms as a milestone in an American election year like no other. It’s a potential pivot point for a race that has remained stubbornly unchanged in the face of historic tumult. But with partisan feelings hardened over the most polarizing of presidents, comparatively few undecided voters remain….

The Latest: Titans, Vikings Suspend In-Person Activities

(AP) – The NFL says the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings are suspending in-person activities after the Titans had three players test positive for the coronavirus, along with five other personnel. The league said Tuesday that both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the players’ union, including their infectious disease experts, on tracing contacts, more testing, and monitoring…

Worldwide Grief: Death Toll From Coronavirus Tops 1 Million

NEW DELHI (AP) — The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 1 million. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, comes nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders’ resolve, pitted science against politics, and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. The virus has also spread untold…

US to Ship Millions of Tests in Push to Reopen K-12 Schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to announce the shipment of millions of rapid coronavirus tests to states this week. He plans to urge governors to use them to reopen schools. An administration official tells the Associated Press the federal government aims to ship 100 million tests to states over the next several weeks. The move to dramatically…

Court: Separate Locker Room Violated Transgender Boy’s Right

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a suburban school district violated the rights of a transgender student who identified as male when it kept him from using the boys’ locker room. The parents of the boy identified as N.H. sued the Anoka-Hennepin School District last year, claiming the district violated his rights to…

2020 Watch: How Much Do Debates Matter This Year?

NEW YORK (AP) — Presidential politics move fast. What we’re watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign: Days to the general election: 36 Days to first debate: 1 The race is tightening in some states, but Joe Biden is maintaining a remarkably stable lead over President Donald Trump in most polls five weeks before Election Day. Still,…

WATCH LIVE: Ginsburg is First Woman to Lie in State at US Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP)-Commemorations are set to begin Friday honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. Capitol, the first woman in American history to lie in state at the domed building. Presidential nominee Joe Biden arrived at Capitol and running-mate Kamala Harris is attending. The service will cap days of commemorations of her extraordinary life. The justice…

Minnesota Governor Activates National Guard for Pence Visit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s governor has called in the National Guard to help provide security and keep the peace as Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump visit the Twin Cities. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said 100 Guard soldiers were mobilized at the request of the city of Minneapolis. Pence and President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter planned to meet with…

Wisconsin Hits Second-Highest Daily Total of COVID-19 Cases

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s daily count of COVID-19 cases has hit its second-highest total to date, while the seven-day average topped 1,900 for the first time. The state Department of Health Services reported Thursday that Wisconsin has seen more than 108,000 positive cases of the coronavirus and 1,265 deaths. The 2,392 new cases reported Thursday was second only to…

2 Republicans Challenge Minnesota Plan for Late Mail Ballots

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Republican state representative and a GOP activist are challenging an agreement to accept mail-in ballots in Minnesota that arrive up to a week after the November election. The lawsuit adds to the nationwide legal fight over voting rules before the presidential election. Rep. Eric Lucero and Ramsey County activist James Carson, who both participate…

Records: Mail Delivery Lags Behind Targets as Election Nears

(AP) – Data obtained by The Associated Press shows Postal Service districts across the nation are missing the agency’s own standards for on-time delivery as millions of Americans prepare to vote by mail. The lag times are especially pronounced in key regions of some battleground states, where delivery times are below the national average. That raises the possibility that scores…

Several Hundred Demonstrate in St. Paul for Breonna Taylor

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Several hundred demonstrators rallied at the state Capitol in St. Paul before marching onto an interstate to protest a grand jury’s decision not to indict Louisville, Kentucky police officers in Breonna Taylor’s death. Protesters denounced what they said was a criminal justice system that has failed to hold the officers accountable for the death of…

Wisconsin Legislature Appeals Absentee Ballot Ruling

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature has appealed a federal court ruling that allows for absentee ballots to be counted up to six days after the Nov. 3 presidential election in the battleground state. The appeal filed Wednesday was expected after Monday’s highly anticipated court ruling in favor of Democrats and their allies. The judge even put his…

Ruth Ginsburg’s Flag-Draped Casket Arrives at Supreme Court

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) — The casket of late Justice Ruth Ginsburg has arrived at the Supreme Court for a private ceremony with the eight remaining justices, family, and colleagues. Ginsburg’s flag-draped casket arrived at the court at 9:30 a.m. and was carried into the court’s Great Hall past her former law clerks who lined the steps and…

Senate GOP Lines up With Trump to Quickly Fill Court Seat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are swiftly falling in line behind President Donald Trump’s push to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court. One of the last hold outs, GOP Sen. Mitt Romney, said Tuesday he supports holding a vote. Trump is set to announce his nominee Saturday. Appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett is…

‘Unfathomable’: Us Death Toll From Coronavirus Hits 200,000

(AP) – The death toll in the U.S. from the coronavirus has topped 200,000, a figure unimaginable eight months ago when the scourge first reached the world’s richest nation. That’s according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, based on figures from state health authorities. The real number of dead is thought to be much higher, in part because…

Evers Extends Wisconsin Mask Mandate Until Nov. 21

(courtesy: WI Dept of Health Services via AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Faced with soaring coronavirus cases across Wisconsin, particularly on college campuses, Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday extended a statewide mask mandate until Nov. 21. The order, which has been in effect since August, was scheduled to expire on Monday. Evers extended the order even as his authority to…

Wisconsin Health Officials Recommend Against Usual Trick-or-Treating

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State health officials are recommending against trick-or-treating as usual this Halloween because of the coronavirus pandemic. Going house-to-house and having in-person contact is not a good idea, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. If individual communities decide to go ahead with traditional trick-or-treating, health officials recommend leaving individual treat bags on the porch for…

Federal Judge Extends Deadline for Wisconsin Ballots

MADISON, Wis.-A federal judge has ruled that absentee ballots in battleground Wisconsin can be counted up to six days after the Nov. 3 presidential election as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. Unless it’s overturned, Monday’s ruling means that the outcome of the presidential race in Wisconsin might not be known for days after polls close. Under current…

Minnesota Couple Killed When Motorcycle Rear-Ended by Pickup Truck

CLOVER TOWNSHIP, Minn. (AP) — Two people are dead after a teenage driver crashed into the back of their motorcycle in Pine County. The Minnesota State Patrol said 66-year-old Jerry McDowell and 61-year-old Sharon McDowell, of Pine City, died at the scene of the crash on Highway 48 in Clover Township Sunday afternoon. The patrol says the couple slowed down…

Biden Headed to Manitowoc for Second Wisconsin Visit

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden plans to campaign Monday in northeast Wisconsin for his second visit to the battleground state this month. Biden’s campaign announced Sunday that the Democratic presidential nominee would be campaigning in Manitowoc, a city of about 32,000 that’s on the shores of Lake Michigan about 80 miles north of Milwaukee. Biden did…

Canada Extends U.S. Border Restrictions to Oct. 21

TORONTO (AP) — Canada is extending the agreement to keep the U.S. border closed to non-essential travel to Oct. 21 during the coronavirus pandemic. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Friday they will continue to base the decision on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe. The restrictions were announced on March 18 and have been extended…