Ingested Articles

Brady expects to be ready for minicamp after knee surgery

Tom Brady expects to be ready for June minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. Speaking at a fundraiser for Bucs coach Bruce Arians’ foundation, the 43-year-old quarterback joked he didn’t know “if I can go this week.” He then added he is aiming to be back on the field relatively soon for the Super Bowl champions. Bucs players, along with those from half the league’s teams, have said they will not attend voluntary offseason workouts, which could begin Monday. Minicamps are mandatory for players fit to participate.

The Latest: MLB's Indians to boost attendance to 40% in May

The Cleveland Indians plan to increase attendance at upcoming games at Progressive Field from 30% to 40%. The team says the change will take effect on May 7, when the Indians host the Cincinnati Reds. The Indians are following Ohio Department of Health guidelines and reviewing capacity limits on a month-to-month basis. Fans are required to wear masks while in the ballpark _ unless they are actively eating or drinking _ and encouraged to abide by other health and safety protocols. Cleveland begins its longest homestand of the season on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

Ziggy Marley happy to be part of Earth Day concert

NEW YORK (AP) — The pandemic can't stop Ziggy Marley from celebrating the Earth. The son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley will be one of the highlights of Nat Geo’s Earth Day Eve 2021 streaming concert on…

Supreme Court rejects lingering 2020 election challenge case

The Supreme Court says it will not hear a case out of Pennsylvania related to the 2020 election, a dispute that had lingered while similar election challenges had already been rejected by the justices. The high court directed a lower court to dismiss the case as moot. The justices had in February, after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, rejected a handful of cases related to the 2020 election. In the case the court rejected Monday, however, the court had called for additional briefing that was not complete until the end of March. The case involved a federal court challenge to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision requiring election officials to receive and count mailed-in ballots that arrived up to three days after the election. 

Rejected Broadway posters on sale to help theater community

Letting the world see your failures is usually something most people try to avoid. Not for theatrical poster designer Frank Verlizzo — he hopes you’ll put his on your wall. Verlizzo is selling prints of his rejected posters for such shows as “Cabaret,” “Equus” and “Matilda.” All proceeds go to the aid organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The 16 posters included in the series — each goes for $399 with a frame — were either rejected, never pitched or part of a group of submissions Verlizzo made that left only one winner.

GOP Rep. Steve Stivers resigns to run Ohio commerce chamber

A former campaign chairman for House Republicans is resigning from office. Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio says he'll leave Congress next month to run his home state’s chamber of commerce. Stivers has been serving in the House since 2011 and had been viewed as a potential candidate to run for the seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. Instead, Stivers is leaving Congress effective May 16. Stivers said Monday he has focused his time in Washington on economic policies and that's why he's “looking forward to this new opportunity with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.”

Supreme Court asked to give access to secretive court's work

WASHINGTON (AP) — Civil liberties groups are asking the Supreme Court to give the public access to opinions of the secretive court that reviews bulk email collection, warrantless internet searches and other government surveillance programs. The groups say in an…

GOP targets ballot drop boxes in Georgia, Florida, elsewhere

Ballot drop boxes were enormously popular during the 2020 election. But they're drawing the attention of Republican lawmakers in Florida, Georgia and other Republican-controlled states who say security concerns warrant new restrictions. Under a new Georgia law, Atlanta voters looking to use a ballot drop box in next year’s gubernatorial election will have to seek out one of just eight spread out across Fulton County’s nearly 529 square miles. That’s down from the 38 drop boxes available last fall. It’s the result of a broad new law pushed by Georgia Republicans in response to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. While drop boxes were targeted a few times by vandals, few other problems were reported with them across the country. 

EU estimates 150,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's borders

The European Union is estimating that more than 150,000 Russian troops have already amassed for the biggest military buildup ever near Ukraine’s borders and that it will only take “a spark” to set off a confrontation. At the same time, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the condition of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny was “critical” and that the 27-nation group would hold the Kremlin accountable for his health and safety. Despite the worrisome developments, Borrell said that, “for the time being, there is no move in the field of more sanctions” to be slapped on Russia. 

Union accuses Amazon of illegally interfering with vote

The retail union that failed to organize Amazon workers at a Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse wants the results of a recent vote to be thrown out, saying that the company illegally interfered with the process. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said in a filing that Amazon threatened workers with layoffs and even the closing of the warehouse if they unionized. Many of the other allegations revolve around a mailbox that Amazon installed in the parking lot of the warehouse, which the union said created the false appearance that Amazon was conducting the election. Amazon said it did not threaten layoffs and said the mailbox was installed to make it easier for employees to vote and that only the U.S. Postal Service had access to it. 

Germany expects vaccine deliveries to ramp up in 2nd quarter

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's health minister on Monday welcomed the announcement by two pharmaeutical companies that they will deliver more coronavirus vaccines during the second quarter than previously predicted. The Germany company BioNTech, which developed the first widely approved vaccine…

Guard ready for NFL draft eager to explain blood clot issue

Trey Smith has no problem explaining his situation no matter how many times he has to detail his history of blood clots. The Tennessee guard wants to make sure no NFL coach or general manager has any unanswered questions about his availability to play before the upcoming draft. Smith says he'll explain it a million times if he has to because he knows it's something different. Smith wants to play in the NFL and played 42 games at Tennessee. He was two-time All-Southeastern Conference despite blood clots that first showed up in February 2018. 

A jab on the job: Companies, unions offer COVID-19 vaccines

A growing number of companies and labor unions are securing coronavirus vaccines for their workers. Amazon and some other large companies have hosted on-site inoculations, while smaller operations have helped book appointments for their workers. For the employers, the vaccines are a critical step toward restoring normalcy at a time when customer demand for their services is expected to skyrocket. For some workers, on-site injections can provide access they may not have had in their own communities amid persistent racial and socioeconomic gaps in vaccine distribution. Vaccination drives also allow companies to keep track of how many workers are vaccinated, although few employers are requiring the shots at this point.

Leo Carax's 'Annette' to open Cannes Film Festival

Leo Carax's “Annette,” starring Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver, will open the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 6, festival organizers said Monday. “Annette” is Carax's first English-language film and the French director's anticipated follow-up to his celebrated, surreal 2012…

US sends team to probe fatal Tesla crash with no driver

Federal safety regulators have sent a team to investigate the fatal crash of a Tesla near Houston in which local authorities say no one was behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it has sent a Special Crash Investigation team to Spring, Texas, to look into the fiery Saturday night crash that killed two men. Harris County Precinct Four Constable Mark Herman says investigators are “100% sure” that no one was driving the Tesla that ran off a residential road, hit a tree and burst into flames. But they’re still trying to determine whether the electric car was in full self-driving mode. 

Billions spent on coronavirus fight, but what happens next?

Congress has poured tens of billions of dollars into public health since last year, when the coronavirus pandemic was declared. While health officials who have juggled bare-bones budgets for years are grateful for the money, they worry it will soon dry up, just as it did after previous crises such as the Sept. 11 attacks and the SARS and Ebola outbreaks. The health commissioner of Columbus, Ohio, says health officials need funds they "can depend on year after year.” Meanwhile, health officials continue to cope with an exodus from the field amid political pressure and exhaustion that means 1 in 6 Americans lost their local health department leader.

Group urges UN to probe China for crimes against humanity

KASHGAR, China (AP) — A human rights group appealed to the United Nations on Monday to investigate allegations China's government is committing crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang region. Human Rights Watch cited reports of the mass detention of Muslims,…

Foxconn, Wisconsin reach new deal on scaled back facility

Foxconn Technology Group has reached a new deal with reduced tax breaks for its scaled back manufacturing facility in southeast Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers and the world’s largest electronics manufacturer announced the new deal on Monday. Details of the new agreement were not immediately released. A person with knowledge of the new contract who was not authorized to speak publicly about the deal said Monday that it will reduce the potential tax breaks by billions of dollars and still have potential tax breaks worth more than $10 million for the company. It was scheduled to be approved at a Tuesday meeting of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The original deal with nearly $4 billion in state and local tax incentives was struck in 2017 by then-Gov. Scott Walker.

Japan asks Myanmar junta to release arrested journalist

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's government said Monday it is asking Myanmar to release a Japanese journalist who was arrested by security forces in its largest city of Yangon the previous day. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that his…

Endangered venomous Mexican lizards hatch at zoo in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Two endangered Mexican beaded lizards have hatched at the Wroclaw Zoo in Poland, boosting the population of the venomous lizards. The zoo said the lizards, which are difficult to breed in captivity, hatched in late February…

Police: Stalker arrested at Taylor Swift's New York building

Police say a stalker who claims pop star Taylor Swift is communicating with him on social media was arrested on a trespassing charge after trying to break into the singer’s Manhattan apartment. A police spokesperson says 52-year-old Hanks Johnson was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday after a 911 caller reported he was inside Swift’s Tribeca building without permission. Johnson was charged with criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance after an arraignment Sunday night. It's not clear if he has an attorney who can comment. Swift has been plagued by stalkers over the years at her homes on both coasts.

Progress in Iran nuclear talks but resolution still far away

BERLIN (AP) — High-level talks in Vienna aimed at bringing the United States back into the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran are moving ahead with experts working on drafting proposals this week, but a solution remains “far away,” Russia's delegate…