News

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the leading agencies in the government’s fight against COVID-19 is finally on the verge of getting a new commissioner. After nearly nine months of searching, President Joe Biden says he’s close to naming his choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers may have stepped up their hiring last month after a slowdown in August. But COVID-19′s fingerprints will likely still be found on the September jobs report being released Friday. Economists have forecast that employers added 488,000 jobs last month, according to data provider FactSet.

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks have followed Wall Street higher after U.S. lawmakers temporarily averted a possible government debt default while investors waited for American jobs numbers. Market benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced. Congress has temporarily set aside a dispute over debt to extend the

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA Associated Press NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) — A flood-hit riverside restaurant in Thailand has become an unlikely dining hotspot after fun-loving foodies began flocking to its waterlogged deck to eat amid the lapping tide. Now, instead of empty chairs and vacant tables, the Chaopraya Antique Café is as full as ever, offering an

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Opal Lee’s dream of seeing Juneteenth become a federal holiday was finally realized over the summer, but the energetic woman who spent years rallying people to join her push for the day commemorating the end of slavery is hardly letting up on a lifetime of

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Australia’s former prime minister has accused China of being a bully and expressed enthusiastic support for Taiwan while visiting the democratically ruled island. Speaking at a conference Friday, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for solidarity to help preserve Taiwan’s self-determination. He said, “Nothing is more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A powerful magnitude 5.9 earthquake has shaken the Tokyo area, injuring more than 30 people and halting trains and subways. It caused buildings to sway and hanging objects such as signs to swing violently. Trains were halted for safety inspections, and many elevators automatically stopped. Traffic disruptions

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A malfunction caused West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to become trapped in the elevator at the governor’s mansion. The Republican governor’s office says he was trapped for about 30 minutes after the malfunction. A statement says mansion staff, state police, and other state government personnel used a crowbar and other tools

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has blocked portions of the largest proposed residential housing development in San Diego County’s history. He acted Thursday after the state attorney general and others objected that it would be too prone to wildfires. That and a similar recent challenge in Northern California