Ingested Articles

The United States is opening more distance between itself and much of the rest of the world in the race against the coronavirus. The U.S. has administered almost 200 million vaccine doses, even as other countries, rich and poor, struggle with stubbornly high infection rates and deaths. Nearly half of American adults have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 30% of adults in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated. But the picture is still relentlessly grim in parts of Europe and Asia as variants of the virus fuel an increase in new cases and the worldwide death toll closes in on 3 million.

Michael Jordan will present Kobe Bryant for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month. Members of a Hall class are asked to choose who they would like to accompany them to the stage and present them before their acceptance speech; when the inductee is being enshrined posthumously, as in Bryant’s case, family members are asked to make the decision on presenter. Jordan tearfully spoke for more than 11 minutes at the memorial for Bryant and his daughter Gianna in Los Angeles in February 2020.  

Major League Soccer embarks on the 2021 season with a new labor agreement in hand, the return of two big stars, a new team in Austin and lessons learned from an eventful 2020. There still won’t be full crowds in the stands in most places but there are reasons to be optimistic for the league’s 26th season as more Americans get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The season kicks off Friday night with San Jose at Houston and Minnesota at Seattle. Austin will play its inaugural game Saturday against LAFC.

ROME (AP) — The Venice Film Festival said Thursday it will give its lifetime achievement award this year to Oscar-winning director and actor Roberto Benigni. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is to be awarded at the 78th edition of…

Kenneth Gainwell had every intention of playing football with the Memphis Tigers, working throughout fall practice. The running back changed his mind six days before the season opener. The funeral for an uncle as the fourth member of his family to die of COVID-19 made opting out of the season the only decision for Gainwell in trying to keep his family safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Gainwell says it was a tough decision with how much he loves football but he had to do what was best for his family. Now he's rated the fourth-best running back by some for the upcoming NFL draft. 

BERLIN (AP) — Thousands of Berliners took to the streets, many banging pots and pans, to protest a ruling Thursday by Germany's highest court that a cap on rent prices implemented last year by Berlin's state government is unconstitutional and…

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of congressional Democrats introduced legislation Thursday to add four seats to the Supreme Court, a long-shot bid designed to counter the court’s rightward tilt during the Trump administration and criticized by Republicans as a potential…

The NCAA has hit the Southern California men's basketball program with two years’ probation because of a former assistant who violated NCAA ethical conduct rules when he accepted a bribe to steer players to a business management company. The Division I Committee on Infractions announced the penalties, which include a $5,000 fine and a 1% loss of the school’s basketball budget. Tony Bland, the former associate head coach under coach Andy Enfield, was fired in January 2018. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and received two years' probation.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A meeting aimed to improve fraught ties between NATO allies Greece and Turkey quickly descended into a tense exchange of accusations between the two neighbors' foreign ministers on Thursday. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias traveled to…

A bill in South Carolina that would greatly expand voting through no-excuse absentee ballots and eliminating witnesses for votes cast by mail got a hearing in the Republican dominated Legislature. But the subcommittee hearing was less than an hour long, forced to end without a vote because the House was going into session. Not all the supporters of the proposal got a chance to speak. The 10 people who did speak supported the bill. It allows people to register to vote and cast an in-person absentee ballot the same day and would allow college IDs with photos to be used as identification at the polls. 

Court documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Alaska wrongly denied benefits to same-sex spouses for years by claiming their unions were not recognized even after courts struck down gay marriage bans. The agency that determines eligibility for a yearly oil wealth check paid to nearly all Alaska residents denied the payout for same-sex spouses or dependents of military members stationed in other states for five years after a federal court invalidated Alaska’s ban on same-sex marriage in 2014. One spouse sued, and the state settled the lawsuit Wednesday. In the settlement, the state acknowledged it wrongly denied the benefits and said it wouldn't do it again.

Recent flooding in Hawaii caused widespread and obvious damage. But extreme rain events that are predicted to become more common with global warming do not only wreak havoc on land. The runoff from these increasingly severe storms is also threatening Hawaii’s coral reefs. The runoff problem is multifaceted, but one of the biggest issues is pollution from the state’s 88,000 cesspools, which regularly overflow into the ocean when there's heavy rain. And while increasing ocean temperatures can sicken and kill coral, scientists say the less well known threat of runoff could prove more serious for reefs in the Hawaiian Islands.

LaMarcus Aldridge has retired from the NBA after saying he experienced an irregular heartbeat during his final game with the Brooklyn Nets. The 35-year-old Aldridge posted a statement on social media saying the heart concerns he had during and after Brooklyn’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday was one of the “scariest things” he’s experienced. He says he feels better now after getting it checked out but decided to end his 15-year career. Aldridge says: “For 15 years I’ve put basketball first, and now, it is time to put my health and my family first." The seven-time All-Star signed with the Nets on March 28 and became their starting center. He previously played for San Antonio and Portland.

ORANGE FARM, South Africa (AP) — Young South Africans enthusiastically performed Zulu dancing and traditional African music as part of the lessons provided by the Jabulile Arts and Culture Society in the poor Orange Farm township, 45 kilometers (28 miles)…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in for meetings in the second half of May, the White House announced Thursday. It will be Biden's second opportunity to sit in person with a foreign counterpart…

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's top diplomat asked Thursday for stronger Western backing, saying “words of support aren't enough” amid escalating tensions in the country’s east and a Russian troop buildup across the border. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking…