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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials have authorized two more over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that can be used at home to get rapid results. The move by the Food and Drug Administration is expected to vastly expand the availability of cheap…

The Boston Red Sox have postponed their opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park until Friday because of rain that was forecast to continue through the day. The Red Sox made the announcement at 9 a.m., about five hours before the scheduled first pitch. After playing last season without fans, the team had been cleared by the state to open Fenway Park for the first time since the pandemic began to about 4,500 fans — 12% of capacity. Opening day ceremonies scheduled for Thursday will also be held instead on Friday, which had been scheduled as an off-day in case of exactly this situation.

The Supreme Court has unanimously upheld federal regulators’ decision to ease ownership limits on local media, rejecting a claim that the change would hurt minority and female ownership. The court ruled Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission acted reasonably in 2017 when it modified rules that predated the internet. The old rules prohibited a single entity from owning a radio or TV station and a daily newspaper in the same media market. They also limited how many radio and TV stations one company could own in a single market and restricted the number of TV stations a company could operate in one media market.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With hopes rising for a powerful rebound in hiring this year, Friday's jobs report for March will provide crucial insight into whether those rosy expectations may prove true. The most optimistic economists are predicting that the government…

A federal judge has thrown out a rule allowing pork plants to speed up production lines because the U.S. Department of Agriculture didn’t properly consider the risks to workers before the rule was issued in 2019. Union officials praised Wednesday's ruling because they say faster line speeds at pork plants increase the risk of injuries for workers. The lawsuit was filed by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union along with local unions in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma and the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. The USDA says the agency is reviewing the ruling, and it remains “deeply committed to worker safety and a safe, reliable food supply.”

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Organizers of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest welcomed the news Thursday that up to 3,500 fans may be allowed to attend the popular music competition when it is staged in the Netherlands next month. The…

Federal prosecutors have offered a plea deal to two Brooklyn attorneys charged with firebombing an empty police vehicle last year amid demonstrations in New York City after the death of George Floyd. A judge Thursday gave lawyers Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman 90 days to accept the government’s offer or proceed to trial on charges including arson conspiracy that could land them in prison for nearly 50 years. Prosecutors and defense attorneys for both lawyers declined to comment on the plea negotiations. Authorities say Rahman was recorded hurling a Molotov cocktail into the vehicle. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturers expanded in March at the fastest pace in 37 years, a sign of strengthening demand as the pandemic wanes and government emergency aid flows through the economy. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group…

President Joe Biden tells ESPN it was a mistake for the Texas Rangers to allow full capacity at their ballpark for their first game. Speaking on the eve of opening day, Biden also says he supports discussions between Major League Baseball and the players’ union on moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta over concern about legislation adopted in Georgia restricting voting rights. Fans are set to return to major league stadiums on Thursday after they were kept out during the regular season last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Associated Press asked 357 Division I athletic directors a series of questions about the effects the potential changes to the way athletes are compensated in addition to scholarships would have on college sports. Among the most striking results was that 94% of the 99 who responded to the online survey said it would be somewhat more difficult or much more difficult to comply with Title IX if a school begins compensating athletes in revenue-generating men’s sports such as football and basketball.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending fell in February after several months of steady gains, likely because of unseasonably cold weather and winter storms in the south. The Commerce Department said Thursday that spending on building projects slipped 0.8% in…

Officials in an Ivy League town in upstate New York have voted to proceed with a hotly debated plan to revamp the police force as part of the nationwide reexamination of law enforcement after the killing of George Floyd. The Ithaca Common Council unanimously approved a series of reform recommendations Wednesday night that included reconstituting the city police force to add unarmed officers to handle nonviolent calls like petty thefts. The home of Cornell University is among hundreds of municipalities across New York directed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year to submit a police reform plan by Thursday or risk a loss of state funding.