Kansas Democrats excited about ex-GOP lawmaker's Senate bid

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats are pinning their unusually high hopes for winning a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas for the first time in almost 90 years on a retired doctor and former Republican who vexed conservatives with her support for Medicaid expansion and abortion and LGBTQ rights. State Sen. Barbara...

El Salvador political stalemate a drag on pandemic response

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — For months, the strictest measures confronting the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America seemed to keep infections in check in El Salvador, but a gradual reopening combined with a political stalemate has seen infections increase nearly fourfold. Other countries have seen...

Missouri approves Medicaid expansion; Parson, Galloway win

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Voters on Tuesday made Missouri the 38th state to approve expanding Medicaid health care coverage to thousands more low-income adults. Support for the constitutional amendment means that as many as 250,000 more adults could choose to be covered by government health insurance beginning...

Can I get a job? Wife tries it all for nursing home reunion

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — One hundred and 14 days. That’s how long Mary Daniel went without seeing her husband after the coronavirus banned visitors from his nursing home, separating the couple for the first time since he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's seven years ago. When the...

Texas court says girl stays on life support, pending trial

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas appeals court ruled Friday that a hospital must keep a 17-month-old girl on life support pending a trial addressing the merits of the law doctors invoked to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. The case has been making its way through the courts since Nov. 10, when Cook...

Rising virus cases spark concern in Florida nursing homes

MIAMI (AP) — The coronavirus transformed Florida’s nursing homes into closely guarded fortresses beginning in March, with the state banning family visits, isolating infected residents in separate wings and now requiring staff be tested every two weeks. But the explosion of cases statewide is proving...

Obama blasts Trump, praises Biden in new 2020 campaign video

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama stepped up their attacks on President Donald Trump and defended their time in the White House in a new video showing their first in-person meeting since the coronavirus outbreak began. The 15-minute video,...

The Latest: Masks compulsory in Australia's 2nd biggest city

MELBOURNE, Australia — Wearing masks became compulsory in Australia’s second-largest city of Melbourne on Thursday as coronavirus hot spot Victoria state reported 403 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and five deaths. The daily infection tally for the state was down from a record 484 posted Wednesday....

The Latest: China eases restrictions on domestic tourism

BEIJING — China is further easing restrictions on domestic tourism after reporting no new local cases of COVID-19 in nine days. A directive from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism dated Tuesday said that tourist sites should allow 50 percent of their daily visitor capacity, up from 30 percent, and that...

Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s former White House physician, wins GOP nomination for Texas congressional seat

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s former White House physician, wins GOP nomination for Texas congressional seat.