AP-Breaking
Panel: Lawmaker should be removed over Oregon Capitol breach
SALEM, Ore. (AP) Almost a half-year after a Republican legislator let violent, far-right protesters into the Oregon State Capitol, a committee of six lawmakers on Monday recommended he be the first member of the House to be expelled in its 160-year history.Rep. Paul Holvey, the committee chairman, said at the start of the video-conference hearing the protesters Rep. Mike Nearman let in had planned to occupy the Capitol. Some were armed.The panel s unanimous recommendation that Nearman be removed from the Legislature for disorderly behavior now goes to the full state House for consideration.Nearman was seen on security camera video opening a door to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police and sprayed officers with bear spray.It s impossible to overstate the seriousness of the reason we are here today, Holvey said. Rep. Nearman enabled armed, violent protesters to enter the Capitol, breaching the security of the Capitol, which was officially closed to the public, and also endangered the authorized staff and legislators inside the building.Some of the protesters had guns. Among those who gathered outside the Capitol in Salem that day were people espousing false QAnon conspiracy theories about Democrats kidnapping babies. They carried American flags and President Donald Trump banners. One carried a sign calling for the arrest of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, Holvey said.Nearman was unapologetic as he read a prepared statement to the committee.The fact is that I exited the building and members of the public entered into the Capitol building, a place they had a right to be a place the Legislative Assembly had no right to exclude them from, Nearman said. He said that on the advice of his attorney he would not answer questions.Hundreds of people provided written testimony to the House Special Committee On December 21, 2020, which is composed of three democrats and three Republicans.Some people who testified excoriated Nearman as a seditionist. Others praised him for letting people into the Capitol, saying people should be allowed to attend even though hearings are livestreamed on video.Mike Nearman s behavior ... was abhorrent and anti-democratic, David Alba said. Furthermore, by aiding and supporting extremists, he has placed people s lives in danger. He should be removed from office and he is not fit to represent my district.After video emerged in local news reports Friday showing Nearman choreographing how he would let protesters into the Capitol, pinpointing the door he would open for them and disclosing his cellphone number so protesters could text him, all of his House GOP colleagues on Monday strongly recommended he step down.But Nearman s supporters said they elected him and the House should not expel him. One supporter suggested those 22 GOP lawmakers be voted out of office.We see you compromising Republicans that whittle away at concepts of morality, liberty, and justice to take a knee to the woke mob, Casey Ocupe said in written testimony. May your Republican constituents take no mercy on you.On Monday, House Speaker Tina Kotek introduced a resolution that would have the House expel Nearman if two-thirds of its members vote in favor. She appointed the committee to consider the matter.Kotek credited riot police, who finally pushed out the protesters, with preventing a full-scale assault like the one by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. She said some were visibly injured and shaken.As we saw in January at the U.S. Capitol, the ramifications could have been dire if law enforcement had not stepped in so quickly, the Democrat said.Nearman has not responded to numerous requests from The Associated Press for comment. He told a conservative radio talk show that a video presentation he held on Dec. 16 was me setting up the 21st. He indicated that his actions were civil disobedience because he objected to the Capitol being closed to the public.Nearman also faces two misdemeanor criminal charges and has said he will seek a trial by jury.___Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https: twitter.com andrewselsky
Juarez leads Oklahoma past Florida State for fifth title
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Giselle Juarez re-emerged as the star pitcher Oklahoma needed to complement its high-powered offense, and now the Sooners are national champions again.Juarez threw her second consecutive complete game, and Oklahoma beat Florida State 5-1 on Thursday for its fifth Women s College World Series title.The Sooners lacked a dominant pitcher heading into the series but Juarez answered the call, allowing one run on two hits in the decisive Game 3. Oklahoma won Game 2 6-2 behind Juarez, who went 5-0 at the World Series and was named Most Outstanding Player. The left-hander allowed four runs in 31 1 3 innings.Juarez, a super senior, was a first-team NFCA All-American in 2019 but had surgery on her left arm last year and struggled to regain her form.The beginning of the season wasn t great for me, but I just kept grinding and trusting God s plan for myself. He had this moment planned for me, Juarez said.Much of the crowd stood when Juarez took the circle in the seventh inning. Fittingly, the final out was a popup into her glove.Honestly, I was kind of hoping it didn t go in the sun and that they would let me catch it, she said. But I mean, it felt so slow motion, and then just to look up after I caught it and see (Kinzie) Hansen running at me surreal, awesome moment.After Juarez secured the catch, teammates mobbed her and Boomer Sooner blared over the sound system as the crowd of 10,830 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium mostly Oklahoma fans celebrated the win just 25 miles from campus.It wasn t easy for the top-seeded Sooners they came out of the losers bracket after dropping a stunner to Odicci Alexander and unseeded James Madison in the tournament s opening game. But Oklahoma beat James Madison twice in the semifinal round, then recovered from a loss to Florida State in the championship series opener.Oklahoma (56-4) also won titles in 2000, 2013, 2016 and 2017, all under coach Patty Gasso. The Sooners set the Division I single-season record with 161 home runs this season.Jocelyn Alo hit four homers in the World Series, including the go-ahead blast in Game 2, on her way to All-Tournament honors. Her homer in Game 3 was her 34th of the season. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year extended her school single-season record.We knew that we wanted to set the tone pretty early, Gasso said. Jocelyn Alo is made differently. Made differently. When she puts her mind to something, she gets it done, whatever it is.Oklahoma left fielder Mackenzie Donihoo went 10-for-21 in the World Series and made several outstanding catches during the week to also earn All-Tournament honors.Florida State (49-13-1) was seeking its second national championship in the past three World Series under coach Lonni Alameda. The 10th-seeded Seminoles finished second in their conference during the regular season, lost in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and had to win twice at No. 7 seed LSU in super regionals. They lost their World Series opener before winning five straight to get to the brink of a national title.I m just so proud of the team to be here and everything we ve gone through this year to persevere and to be in this moment is what we dreamt of, Florida State center fielder Dani Morgan said. I m just proud of this team. We were able to get here and give everything we had.Florida State s Kathryn Sandercock gave up one hit in 3 1 3 innings of relief in the final game. She won three World Series games.Florida State freshman Kaley Mudge set the record for hits in a Women s College World Series with 14. She had 16 hits all season before arriving in Oklahoma City.I m just blessed to be here, honestly, Mudge said. Coming into the World Series, I did not think that I was going to break any records. I was just excited to put my feet on the clay here.Alo s homer got things started for Oklahoma on Thursday. Jayda Coleman poked one just over the fence in the second inning to give the Sooners a 2-0 lead and the early jolt they had been lacking for much of the week.Florida State got its only run in the third when Oklahoma s Tiare Jennings lost a popup in the sun, allowing Kalei Harding to score.Oklahoma responded quickly. With the bases loaded and two outs in the third, Jennings scored on a wild pitch by freshman reliever Emma Wilson. Coleman then hit a hard line drive off the left field wall to score two and give the Sooners a 5-1 lead.There could be more in store for the Sooners. Jennings and Jayda Coleman were NFCA first-team All-Americans as freshmen, and Jennings was named Freshman of the Year.For them to find out what it feels like and what it takes to win it the future is really, really bright for the Sooners, Gasso said.___Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: https: twitter.com CliffBruntAP___More AP college sports: https: apnews.com hub sports and https: twitter.com AP_Top25
Senators eye $579B in new infrastructure spending, $1T plan
WASHINGTON (AP) A bipartisan group of senators is eyeing an infrastructure deal with $579 billion in new spending as negotiators try to strike a nearly $1 trillion deal on President Joe Biden s top priority, according to those briefed on the plan.The 10 senators have been huddling behind closed doors, encouraged by Biden to keep working on the effort after he walked away from a Republican-only proposal this week unable to resolve differences. The senators are briefing their colleagues privately and cautioned changes could still be made.Our group comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation s infrastructure and energy technologies, the senators said in a joint statement.This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases, they added. We are discussing our approach with our respective colleagues, and the White House, and remain optimistic that this can lay the groundwork to garner broad support from both parties and meet America s infrastructure needs.The White House said Democratic senators briefed the administration on the emerging plan but questions remain.The President appreciates the Senators work to advance critical investments we need to create good jobs, prepare for our clean energy future, and compete in the global economy, said deputy press secretary Andrew Bates. Questions need to be addressed, particularly around the details of both policy and pay-fors, among other matters.The president and Congress have been straining to reach an agreement on his ideas for an infrastructure investment, stuck over the scope of the package of road, highway and other projects and how to pay for it. Lawmakers say the group s tentative agreement represents important progress in fashioning a bill that can pass such an evenly divided Congress this year, but they are also aware that it could easily unravel.At that size, the new package spread over five years would be more than the previous Republican-only effort of $330 billion in new spending in a $928 billion package, but still short of the $1.7 trillion over eight years Biden is seeking. It appears the group is running into the same problems that Biden and lead Republican negotiator Sen. Shelley Moore Capito confronted in agreeing on how to pay for it.Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a lead negotiator, would not disclose the final tab. Asked if the new spending was at $600 billion, he said the president said that was his goal. So I don t think anybody felt like they had to exceed his goal.Another member of the group, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said they are fairly close on a topline amount, but are still debating how to pay for it. One option is to include potential revenue from uncollected income taxes, he said.We still have to talk, Tester said.One Republican not in the group, Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, said he was told the package would provide nearly $1 trillion including $579 billion in new spending over the baseline for transportation projects.Braun also said parts of it would be paid for with untapped COVID-19 relief funds, which has been a nonstarter for the White House.They have come up with similar to what I think Capito was working on, but my understanding is it would be a little more money, he said.Biden tasked the senators to keep working as he set out for his first overseas trip after talks collapsed this week with Capito and the GOP senators.The president is seeking a sweeping investment in not just roads, highways and bridges but also broadband, electric vehicle charging stations and other aspects of what he views as the new economy, paid for with a hike in the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.Republicans prefer a more narrow focus on fixing existing transportation systems, with more modest investments elsewhere. They oppose any tax hikes to pay for the new spending.With the Senate narrowly split, 50-50, and most legislation requiring 60 votes to advance past a filibuster, Biden is seeking a bipartisan agreement to ensure passage. At the same time, he is also instructing Democrats who control the House and Senate to prepare to pass portions of the package on their own, under special budget rules that enable approval with 51 votes in the Senate.In the evenly-divided Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris serves as a tie-breaking vote.Meanwhile, a House panel advanced legislation early Thursday that serves as an important building block for that chamber s infrastructure efforts. The bill aims to boost federal spending on roads, bridges, transit and rail. The $547 billion package passed mostly along party lines by a vote of 38-26 and will likely be considered by the full House later this month.
Johnson starts strong in home-state Palmetto Championship
RIDGELAND, S.C. (AP) Dustin Johnson got off to a fast start Thursday at Congaree in his home-state Palmetto Championship, shooting a 6-under 65 that left him a shot behind leader Wes Roach.Johnson, the world s top-ranked player and a South Carolina native, hadn t played since missing the cut the last time he teed it up in the Palmetto State at the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island last month.Johnson appeared he might hold a share of the lead before Roach, a 32-year-old seeking his first PGA Tour victory, rolled in a 19-footer for a go-ahead birdie on the 16th hole.Still, Johnson had a smooth, bogey-free round in the field s first try at the Congaree Golf Club as the replacement tournament for the canceled RBC Canadian Open, called off a second straight season due to COVID-19 concerns.Roach, splitting time on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours this season, shot his lowest PGA Tour round since November 2019. He was a stroke in front of Johnson, Doc Redman, Chesson Hadley and South Africa s Erik van Rooyen.Roach eagled the par-5 fourth, holing out from 105 yards on the 633-yard hole.Johnson was headed in the wrong direction at the Ocean Course three weeks ago, missing a major cut for the second time in as many months. But if anyone doubted his readiness for next week s U.S. Open, Johnson easily brushed that aside with his stellar play over the firm fairways and curvy greens at the 4-year-old Tom Fazio course.At Congaree, he had four birdies in a seven-hole stretch, all on putts 10 feet or less including a two-putt birdie on the drivable, 370-yard third. Johnson chipped in from 82 feet away for his final birdie on No. 9 to tie Redman for the lead among the morning starters.Johnson was only thinking of a par save when he hit the shot and was overjoyed well, about as overjoyed as the cool, calm Johnson can get when it disappeared in the cup for his lowest round since shooting 65 in the second round of the Tournament of Champions last January.I felt like I ve been swinging well for a while now, just haven t really seen the results or seen the scores, Johnson said. Made a few putts, but yeah, I mean just playing solid. Finally put a round together.Redman was the first to reach 6 under with a run of four birdies over five holes on his back nine.Hadley s approach on his next-to-last hole, the eighth, was 2 feet from the cup for his tying birdie.Van Rooyen was at 7 under through 14 holes. He made bogey on the sixth hole to fall back.Van Rooyen followed up his successful U.S. Open qualifying in Ohio earlier this week with a strong showing at Congaree. He had missed his last four cuts including the PGA Championship. He spent the past three weeks thinking about his performance and working his game. van Rooyen like what he saw Thursday.I think I m just sort of going forward, he said.Brooks Koepka, playing for the first time since finishing second to Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship, opened with a 72 and was seven shots behind the leaders. Koepka is the only other top-10 player in this field, the last before the season s third major.Koepka s start wasn t a good sign: the last four times he began a tournament over-par, he went on to miss the cut.A short time after Johnson finished, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto from Gov. Henry McMaster on the club grounds.It s a special day for me and my family, Johnson said of the state s highest honor for a civilian. I ve always been a proud South Carolinian and I always will be.Johnson said he was boosted by the strong crowd following him, not just here but at the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head and the PGA Championship this season.I get a lot of support here in South Carolina, being a South Carolina native, he said. And, yeah, it s been great to play so much there.Hopefully, I can keep it rolling for the rest of the week, he said.___More AP golf: https: apnews.com hub golf and https: twitter.com AP_Sports
Democrats move to cover recall costs, speed up election date
LOS ANGELES (AP) Democratic leaders in the California Legislature announced Thursday the state would cover the estimated $215 million cost to stage an expected recall election that could oust Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, potentially allowing the contest to be held at an earlier date this year.The announcement came shortly after state analysts released the cost projection, based on figures submitted by the state s 58 counties that conduct elections.This funding will allow for an earlier recall election, Senate leader Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a joint statement, adding that the Legislature also would waive a 30-day review of those costs.No election date has been set at this point, and it wasn t immediately clear how the leaders announcement might influence that decision, which is part of a lengthy process managed by the Secretary of State.The election was widely expected to be held sometime in the fall, based on required financial reviews before the state authorizes the recall and sets the date.For example, the Finance Department has 30 days to review the cost estimate for the election. The agency issued the preliminary $215 million estimate Thursday, but its analysts have not started its formal review. It wasn t clear how long that might take.With the moves in the Legislature, it appears Democrats are eager to get the recall on the ballot as quickly as possible, with recent polling showing the embattled governor would survive the recall attempt after his popularity tumbled during the worst of the pandemic.John Burke, a spokesman for Republican candidate and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, said in a statement that Gavin Newsom s allies can schedule this election any time they like. Mayor Faulconer is ready and will win regardless.The preliminary cost projection came about a month after a coalition of county officials urged the Legislature to provide funding to cover those bills, warning that they otherwise would strain local budgets already stretched thin by the coronavirus pandemic.Without state financial help, those costs fall squarely on the shoulders of counties, creating a severe financial burden, the counties warned.The preliminary figures were provided by counties that estimated what it would cost for everything from printing and mailing ballots to providing face masks and gloves for election workers.Legislative leaders and the governor s office continue to negotiate a deal on the new budget, which must be in place by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.Projected election costs varied widely, from $49 million in Los Angeles County, home to about 10 million people, to about $36,000 in sparsely populated Modoc County, in the state s rural northeast corner.In Los Angeles, its projection to stage the recall was roughly half of the $96 million the county spent to run the November presidential election.State officials earlier announced a preliminary tally that found recall organizers had gathered more than enough petition signatures to qualify the recall for the ballot.Democrats supporting Newsom have called the election a waste of taxpayer money, noting that he will stand for re-election in 2022 if he beats back a recall attempt in the fall.Republicans who deride Newsom as a failure see the election costs as money well-spent in their effort to drive him from office.The recall took root last year, driven largely by public dismay with Newsom s long-running virus restrictions that shuttered schools and businesses.The list of Republican challengers who have signaled an intention to enter the race continues to grow, though no consensus front-runner has emerged. State Assemblyman Kevin Kiley this week became the latest to announce he is considering stepping in.Other Republicans in the race include businessman John Cox, who was defeated by Newsom in 2018, reality TV personality and 1976 Olympic decathlon champion Caitlyn Jenner, and former congressman Doug Ose.
Russell Wilson says he didn t request a trade from Seahawks
RENTON, Wash. (AP) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said Thursday that he did not request a trade this offseason and he believes conversations with coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have strengthened his relationship with the team.Wilson spoke for the first time since February, when a series of comments he made led to trade speculation and a growing furor surrounding his future in Seattle.Wilson repeated numerous times that winning is the ultimate cure for any dissatisfaction and that any rifts with the franchise have been mended for now.We re on the same page. We re here to do what we re meant to do and that s to win it at all, Wilson said. I m excited. I m excited about who we have, the guys we have, excited where we are. Coach Carroll and I s relationship couldn t be stronger on it. Like I said earlier, my focus is to win. Winning means everything to me.But clearly frustration had been building over the team s performance and that led to the offseason firestorm that started after Wilson watched Tom Brady win another Super Bowl title in February.When I m sitting at the Super Bowl and watching the Super Bowl, I should be (angry), right? Wilson said. At the end of the day you shouldn t be wanting to sit there and watch the game. You want to be there and play, especially when you ve played in it twice.Seattle won its only Super Bowl title eight years ago and it s been seven years since the Seahawks last won the NFC. The Seahawks haven t advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs in any season since, and last year they were ousted in the wild-card round at home by division rival Los Angeles -- the first home playoff loss of Wilson s career.Wilson s previous comments came after questions about whether the Seahawks were doing enough to put a winning product around him. He specifically mentioned his offensive line and being tired of constantly getting hit.The conjecture reached a boil when Wilson s agent, Mark Rodgers, commented to ESPN that Wilson had not requested a trade but listed the four teams Las Vegas, Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans for which he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause.There was a whole thing saying that I requested a trade and that s just not true. I didn t request a trade, so I think everything kind of started from there, Wilson said. And then, obviously, tons of teams were calling, and I think that the reality was that I didn t really want to go anywhere else. I wanted to play in Seattle. But if I had to go somewhere these are the teams I would go to, or consider.___More AP NFL: https: apnews.com NFL and https: twitter.com AP_NFL
Attorneys: Woman never saw a gun on man shot by task force
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The woman who was in a vehicle when members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force fatally shot the driver last week said she never saw a gun on the man or in the vehicle, her attorneys said Thursday.The statement from the woman s attorneys contradicts investigators claims that Winston Boogie Smith Jr., who was Black, displayed a handgun before officers on the task force opened fire on June 3 in a parking ramp in Minneapolis Uptown neighborhood. Authorities have also said evidence indicated Smith fired his gun, saying a handgun and spent cartridge cases were found inside the vehicle.The woman s attorneys, Christopher Nguyen and Racey Rodne, said their client never saw a gun on Winston Smith leading up to the shooting and she never saw a gun inside the vehicle at any time.The attorneys did not release the name of the woman, who was on a lunch date with Smith. They asked the public to respect her privacy and her desire to heal as she is recovering from this profound trauma. They did not elaborate on the nature of any physical injuries she received; authorities said the woman had suffered injuries from broken glass as a result of the shooting.The woman did not appear at a news conference with the lawyers. They did not elaborate on her experience or answer questions about what she heard during the confrontation.Smith, 32, of St. Paul, was killed as authorities were trying to arrest him on a weapons violation. The U.S. Marshals Service said he was wanted for allegedly being a felon in possession of a firearm and that Smith, who was in a parked vehicle, didn t comply and produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject.The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has said evidence indicates Smith fired his gun a handgun and spent cartridge cases were found inside the car. The Hennepin County medical examiner said Smith died of multiple gunshot wounds.The shooting of Smith happened in a city that has been on edge since the death of George Floyd just over a year ago, and the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by an officer in nearby Brooklyn Center in April.Smith s shootings sparked days of protests in the Uptown neighborhood as his family members and community members have demanded transparency. Authorities have said there is no body camera or squad camera footage of the shooting. In addition, the two task force members who fired at Smith one sheriff s deputy from Ramsey County and one from Hennepin County were working undercover so authorities say state law bars them from releasing their names.Nguyen and Rodne said they hope that commitments made by law enforcement to work toward more transparency and accountability since Floyd s death will will be borne out through their actions as we work to shine a light on why Winston Smith lost his life last Thursday while on a lunch date.Jeff Storms, an attorney for Smith s family, said the government has now heard the people s evidence and the people deserve to hear the government s evidence in the case.There is a lack of transparency by the lack of body cameras. We now ask for the government to come forward and show us what they have to support this narrative that they created... now contradicted here today.The BCA and Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The lack of body camera footage of the shooting has raised questions in Minnesota, as Smith s family members and activists continue to demand transparency. On Thursday, activists also called for the removal of Minnesota officers from federal task forces, and they said the BCA should not be investigating, alleging there is a conflict of interest when police investigate police.Angela Rose Myers, president of the Minneapolis NAACP, was among those demanding transparency and accountability.Just because a video didn t go viral of Winston Smith s murder, doesn t mean his life didn t matter, she said.Local officials say the deputies on the task force were assigned body cameras, but were told by the U.S. Marshals Service that they could not use them, despite an October change in Justice Department policy that would have allowed them to be used. The Ramsey County Sheriff s Office and the Hennepin County Sheriff s Office have said they will not participate in the task force until the cameras are allowed.This week, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco ordered Justice Department law enforcement officers to wear body cameras when making planned arrests or serving search warrants. The directive orders the heads of the Marshals Service, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to develop body-worn camera policies within 30 days.
US urges world to ensure HIV services for LGBTQ community
UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the world s nations Thursday to ensure equal access to HIV services to those most at risk of getting AIDS -- the LGBTQ community, drug users, sex workers, racial and ethnic minorities and women and girls.He warned in pre-recorded video remarks on the final day of a three-day high-level meeting on AIDS at the U.N. General Assembly that the goal of ending AIDS cannot be reached if we deny people s sexual and reproductive rights, or foster discrimination against the very people who are the most vulnerable to HIV.While remarkable progress has been made since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported the first cases of what later became known as AIDS 40 years ago this week, Blinken said that enduring inequities across and within countries and communities stand in the way of ending the epidemic.Over the last 40 years, he said, an estimated 32.7 million people have lost their lives to AIDS globally, including 700,000 people in the United States. Today, more than 38 million people are living with HIV including 1.2 million in the U.S., he said.Blinken warned that If the world s nations fail to close the social, economic, racial and gender gaps, which have all been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, then millions more people will acquire HIV, and millions more people now living with HIV will die.Today, we look to our fellow member states to work with the United States toward ensuring all people have equal access to quality HIV services, regardless of who they are or who they love, Blinken said.The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a declaration Tuesday calling for urgent action to end AIDS by 2030. It noted with alarm that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities and pushed access to AIDS medicines, treatments and diagnosis further off track.The declaration commits the assembly s 193 member nations to implement the 18-page document, including reducing annual new HIV infections to under 370,000 and annual AIDS-related deaths to under 250,000 by 2025. It also calls for progress toward eliminating all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination and for urgent work toward an HIV vaccine and a cure for AIDS.While the declaration focuses on tackling inequalities, it never mentions the LGBTQ community.It does reaffirm the right of every human being, without distinction of any kind, to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.The declaration also affirms that the availability, accessibility, acceptability, affordability and quality of HIV combination prevention, testing, treatment, care and support, health and social services, including sexual and reproductive health-care services, information and education, delivered free from stigma and discrimination, are essential elements to achieve the full realization of this right.And it commits all countries to reinforcing global, regional and national responses to HIV through stepped-up engagement with a broad range of organizations and initiatives including people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV.
D-backs fire hitting coaches after losing 30 of 35 games
PHOENIX (AP) Exasperated by a run of brutal baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks shook up their coaching staff in an effort to stabilize their season.D-backs manager Torey Lovullo fired hitting coach Darnell Coles and assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske on Thursday with the team struggling to score runs and mired in a 5-30 stretch dating back to May 4.I m not pinning it on one person or one group because we re all in this together, Lovullo said. But we ve seen 40 days of the type of offensive production that wasn t meeting our standards and obviously well below average. We ve seen that trend before and I felt like I needed to address that trend.The Diamondbacks named co-hitting coaches to replace the fired pair. Rick Short was promoted from Triple-A Reno and Drew Hedman was Arizona s run production coordinator.Arizona started the season 15-13 but now has a majors-worst 20-43 record. The D-backs have lost a franchise-record 19 straight road games.Arizona GM Mike Hazen said he still believes Lovullo is the right person to lead the team. The 55-year-old who led the Diamondbacks to the playoffs in 2017 is in his fifth season as manager, though he s in the final year of a two-year contract extension he signed in 2019.Ultimately, he and I are going to be judged the exact same way, the wins and losses, Hazen said. They re not in the position they need to be in right now. No matter what you thought of our season starting off and where you had us pegged, nobody had us pegged at this.That s the part we re all grinding through right now.The franchise has dealt with numerous injuries this season, but even after several key players returned, the losing continued.Arizona s veteran-led lineup which includes Ketel Marte, David Peralta, Nick Ahmed and Eduardo Escobar has struggled to produce, especially over the last month.The D-backs had two hits in a 4-0 loss to Oakland on Wednesday. They are batting .231 as a team and scored just 12 runs over their most recent six-game trip.I wanted to let those injured players return and see if those healthy players getting back into the fold would help this thing turn around, Lovullo said. But obviously that hasn t happened. That s what led me to this decision today.Though the team s hitting has been bad, the pitching has arguably been worse. Arizona came into Thursday with a majors-worst 4.97 ERA.The pitching staff has had even more injuries than the lineup. Four of the team s five starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner, Luke Weaver, Zac Gallen and Taylor Widener are currently on the injured list.Lovullo said questions about his job security were fair considering the team s performance. The Diamondbacks also had a rough 2020, finishing with the abbreviated season at 25-35.Me personally I hurt, I bleed, just like everyone else when we lose games, Lovullo said. I m carrying the workload and feelings of 26 players and 15-plus staff members, so that s what I signed up for, these tough days.The Diamondbacks were off Thursday and open a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.___More AP MLB: https: apnews.com hub MLB and https: twitter.com AP_Sports
New federal COVID-19 safety rules exempt most employers
NEW YORK (AP) The Biden administration has exempted most employers from long-awaited rules for protecting workers from the coronavirus, angering labor advocates who had spent more than a year lobbying for the protections.The Labor Department included only health care workers in its new emergency temporary standard published Thursday.The rules require employers to draw up a virus protection plan, and tighten requirements for recording and reporting COVID-19 cases among workers. They also require employers to provide workers with paid time off for COVID-19-related absences, including getting vaccinated and recovering from the shot s side effects.Rather than issue mandatory rules for other workplaces, the Biden administration released new nonbinding guidance that relaxed some recommendations. Most workplaces where people are fully vaccinated no longer need to provide any protection from the coronavirus, according to the guidance issued by Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the federal agency responsible for protecting workers. In separate order, Biden government also lifted a 25% cap of employer capacity inside federal buildings, though it kept in place flexible remote work policies.The decision comes as many stores and other companies are already relaxing mask and other protection policies in response to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it also represents a step back from President Joe Biden s earlier indications that he would reverse the Trump administration s refusal to issue mandatory protection rules for workers.The new standard represents a broken promise to the millions of American workers in grocery stores and meatpacking plants who have gotten sick and died on the frontlines of this pandemic, Marc Peronne, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents 1.3 million workers, said in a statement.Debbie Berkowitz, a former OSHA official who now works at the National Employment Law Project, said the new rules fail to protect many low-wage workers, such as slaughterhouse employees who work shoulder-to-shoulder on production lines.We are glad that OSHA is finally moving to protect health care workers, but disappointed that they failed to protect all other workers at risk, Berkowitz said.Biden raised expectations for an emergency standard covering all workplaces when he signed an executive order soon after taking office, giving OSHA until March 15 to issue the rules. But the Labor Department missed that deadline, and the landscape surrounding the pandemic shifted, with vaccination rates rising and the CDC relaxing its own guidance surrounding distancing and masking.Labor Secretary Marty Walsh cited the changed reality and the new CDC guidance in a House Education and Labor Committee hearing Tuesday, where he faced questions from Democratic lawmakers about why the standards would not cover workers outside health care.OSHA had no rules for workplaces to navigate disease outbreaks on the scale of a pandemic. While some state agencies issued temporary emergency standards, the Trump administration issued only guidance for how employers should protect workers.Labor advocates had hoped new federal standards would signal Biden s commitment to strengthening OSHA, which has been criticized for conducting few inspections and issuing fewer citations over COVID-related complaints.In statement, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, the Democratic chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, criticized the new standard as too little, too late for countless workers and families across the country.OSHA said the standard, which will be in place for six months, was justified for healthcare workers because the virus poses a grave danger to them. The agency noted nearly 500,000 health care workers have contracted the virus as of May 24 and more than 1,600 of those had died.Jonathan Snare, a former acting assistant secretary of OSHA during the George W. Bush administration, said the federal watchdog must prove that a situation poses grave danger when issuing emergency temporary standards. Snare, a partner at Philadelphia-based global law firm Morgan Lewis, said the Biden administration likely felt it could face legal challenges from other workplaces if it imposed stringent regulations as the pandemic starts to recede.Many employers, however, had hoped for a firm set of rules since the start of the pandemic, said Brian Kropp, chief of research of consulting firm Gartner s human resources practice. The latest nonbinding guidance adds more uncertainty, especially for companies grappling with when and how to bring employees back to offices, Kropp said.Only a small fraction of companies, for instance, plan to ask employees about their vaccination status before returning to work. That makes it hard for companies to decide whether they can drop safety standards for vaccinated employees, Kropp said. The new guidelines say employers should implement distancing and provide masks for unvaccinated workers, customers and visitors.What employers want is simplicity and clarity and hard-and-fast rules they can follow, Kropp said. It allows them to say they are just following rules, rather than having difficult conversations with employees about one set of activities versus another. It lets them pass the buck.___Associated Press Writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this story.