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White House to spend $10 billion to bolster vaccine effort

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House announced Thursday that it is dedicating another $10 billion to try to drive up vaccination rates in low-income, minority and rural enclaves throughout the country. The effort, which is funded through the $1.9 trillion…

Here's what foreign brands have to say about Xinjiang

HONG KONG (AP) — Nike. The Gap. Uniqlo. Major clothing and footwear brands are under attack in China after Europe, the U.S. and other countries sanctioned Chinese officials this week over alleged human rights abuses. The companies, under pressure from…

Migrants stuck in Spain's Canary Islands say camps are unfit

SAN CRISTOBAL DE LA LAGUNA, Spain (AP) — While Spain has criticized Europe for not sharing responsibilities on migration, the country is finding itself under fire from migrants, local officials and human rights groups on the Canary Islands, where thousands…

Stuck ship in Egypt's Suez Canal imperils shipping worldwide

At least 150 vessels are waiting to use the Suez Canal after a skyscraper-sized cargo ship wedged across the vital waterway. That's according to canal service provider Leth Agencies. It says the backup Thursday affected ships both needing to travel into the Mediterranean and the Red Seas. The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday in the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. It remains unclear when the obstruction will be cleared. That's further imperiled global shipping, which relies on the canal. 

Weaned on Hollywood endings, Americans now face a messy one

Americans love tidy endings to their stories, but the coronavirus pandemic isn't offering them that. The lack of knowledge of when the pandemic will be over runs counter to the ways Americans have grown accustomed to consuming stories for four generations through movies, advertising and other popular culture. Some scholars say that experiencing an ending to a traumatic and lengthy event like the virus era is pivotal. They say the ability to section off our lives into manageable stories helps add meaning, and in some cases can help people make enough sense of something to move on. 

Few Black women coaches lead Power Five basketball programs

Dawn Staley and Joni Taylor embraced before and after the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship, savoring an historic moment in women’s college basketball. It took 41 years for two Black women coaches to meet for the first time in the tournament championship of a Power Five conference. A reason for that long wait may be that over the last five years there have been 16 and this past season just 13 Black women were head coaches at Power Five schools. Of those 13, seven resided in the Southeastern Conference. Taylor, who led Georgia to the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament, says you can't dream what you can't see. 

Transfers boost Sampson's Cougars, others into NCAA Sweet 16

Houston's Kelvin Sampson has gotten a lift from transfers in guiding the Cougars back to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The second-seeded Cougars have multiple transfer starters, including Associated Press third-team All-American Quentin Grimes from Kansas. That group has helped the Cougars extend the best sustained run since the “Phi Slama Jama” days of the 1980s. Sampson says teams that don't take on transfers in today's game are behind. Transfers are also playing key roles for several top teams. That list includes No. 1 overall tournament seed Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Arkansas. 

Colorado shooting suspect to make 1st court appearance

Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil to remember the 10 people gunned down at a supermarket in a Colorado college town. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old man suspected of carrying out the rampage prepared to make his first court appearance Thursday. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa has been jailed for investigation of murder since he was arrested inside the King Soopers supermarket in Boulder on Monday and treated at a hospital for a leg wound. He was to hear the pending charges he faces and his rights as a defendant, and he would not be asked for a plea until later in the judicial process.

Padres star Tatis feels better, expected back in lineup soon

Fernando Tatis Jr. is feeling a lot better, a huge relief to the star San Diego shortstop, his team and his many fans. A day after Tatis walked off the field during an exhibition game in a worrisome scene, the Padres said the discomfort in his left shoulder had improved. In fact, the flashy 22-year-old wanted to play Wednesday night against San Francisco in Scottsdale, Arizona. No way, said manager Jayce Tingler. The manager said after Tuesday’s game that Tatis has been dealing with a minor shoulder issue for a few years.  Tingler said he doesn’t know when Tatis first encountered the shoulder trouble.

China attacks foreign clothing, shoe brands over Xinjiang

BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is lashing out at H&M and other clothing and footwear brands as it retaliates for Western sanctions on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. The attacks began when…

Mitchell scores 27, Jazz rout short-handed Nets 118-88

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and the Utah Jazz routed the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 118-88 on Wednesday night. Bojan Bogdanovic made 4 of 6 3-point attempts and scored 18 for the Jazz, who have won four of five. Alize Johnson, who was signed to a 10-day contract on Monday, had a career-high 23 points and 15 rebounds. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot added 12 for Brooklyn. The Nets James Harden was sidelined with a sore neck.

San Francisco school board's latest crisis: Racist tweets

The vice president of San Francisco's school board is under fire for tweets she wrote in 2016 that said Asian Americans use “white supremacist” thinking to get ahead and are not concerned for Black students. The tweets are at the center of a new crisis facing the scandal-plagued Board of Education, which has been sued, criticized and mocked over the past few months. More than 1,000 callers tuned in to a board meeting Tuesday to call for the ouster of Alison Collins. She apologized, but some of the city's top leaders are among those calling for her to step down.

Mexico beats US 1-0 in men's Olympic soccer qualifying

Uriel Antuna scored following a sloppy giveaway by Sebastian Soto in the 45th minute, and Mexico beat the United States 1-0 at Guadalajara in qualifying for the men’s Olympic soccer tournament. Both teams already were assured of advancing from Group A. The United States finished Group B in second place at 2-1 and is likely to play Honduras, unless Canada beats the Catrachos in Thursday’s finale of Group B. Semifinal winners from the North and Central American and Caribbean region get the final two places in the 16-nation field for the Olympics.

A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post

The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation's assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote was 52-48, mostly along party lines. Levine had been serving as Pennsylvania’s top health official since 2017, and emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. She is expected to oversee Health and Human Services offices and programs across the U.S. Transgender-rights activists have hailed Levine’s appointment as a historic breakthrough. Few trans people have ever held high-level offices at the federal or state level.

Nixon's overtime bank shot sends Texas A&M past Iowa State

Jordan Nixon banked in a short jump shot at the buzzer in overtime, giving her a career-high 35 points and lifting Texas A&M to an 84-82 victory over Iowa State in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Nixon scored seven of A&M’s nine points in OT, pushing the Aggies into the Sweet 16 for the third straight time. She also led the rally in the fourth quarter, scoring the last four points of regulation.  

Hong Kong vaccination drive struggles to gain public trust

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's sudden suspension of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is another blow to a vaccination program already struggling against a wall of public distrust. Hong Kong on Wednesday suspended use of the…

Torch relay for Tokyo Olympics kicks off its 121-day journey

The torch relay for the postponed Tokyo Olympics has begun its 121-day journey across Japan and is headed toward the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 23. The first runner with the torch was 2011 Women's World Cup-winning player Azusa Iwashimizu. The opening ceremony for the start of the relay was closed to the public but was televised live. Organizers say they will stop or reroute the relay if crowding becomes a problem. The relay is a test for the upcoming Olympics with fear among the public that the event could spread the coronavirus.

Jaguars sign QB Beathard, setting up potential Minshew trade

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard signed a two-tear contract with Jacksonville. He gives the Jaguars an experienced backup if they trade Gardner Minshew. Responding to a question about Minshew potentially being on the block last week, coach Urban Meyer said “at this point, no.” Signing Beathard could change that. A person familiar with negotiations says the deal is worth $5 million. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Beathard started 12 games over four years in San Francisco. Jacksonville is expected to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft. 

MLB steps up ball monitoring to suppress foreign substances

Major League Baseball is increasing its monitoring of baseballs in an attempt to suppress any use of foreign substances by pitchers. Mike Hill, newly hired as executive vice president of baseball operations and disciplinarian, wrote that team leaders may be held responsible for violations by staff. In a two-page memo to owners, Hill outlined three new enforcement components that include gameday compliance monitors and electronics compliance officers, submission of random baseballs by umpires and equipment authenticators and a review of MLB Statcast data comparing games to pitchers' career norms.

A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post

The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation's assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote was 52-48, mostly along party lines. Levine had been serving as Pennsylvania’s top health official since 2017, and emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. She is expected to oversee Health and Human Services offices and programs across the U.S. Transgender-rights activists have hailed Levine’s appointment as a historic breakthrough. Few trans people have ever held high-level offices at the federal or state level.

Lower cap leads to more cuts than usual in NFL

If it seemed as if NFL teams have been shedding contracts nearly as fast as signing them in recent weeks that’s because it’s almost true. With a shrinking salary cap in a sport with few contracts that are fully guaranteed, teams have spent the weeks leading up to free agency and the first few days of the new league year getting out of deals signed in recent years when there was more money available to spend. Teams have released players with a combined total of approximately $600 million left on the deals they originally signed between the Super Bowl and the end of the first week of the league year.

The Latest: NHL's Bruins resume practice, scheduled to play

The Boston Bruins are resuming practice for the first time since five players were placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and are still scheduled to host the New York Islanders on Thursday. The development comes after David Krejci, David Pastrnak and Craig Smith were cleared after spending five days in the protocol. Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly remain on the list for a seventh consecutive day. Minnesota forward Zach Parise entered the protocol, becoming the Wild’s 16th player this season to be listed. Parise’s addition increases the total to 162 players who have spent at least one day in the protocol since the season began.