Battered Caribbean prepares for hurricanes amid pandemic

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricanes. Earthquakes. COVID-19. Caribbean islands have rarely been so vulnerable as an unusually active hurricane season threatens a region still recovering from recent storms as it fights a worsening drought and a pandemic that has drained budgets and muddled preparations....

The Latest: UN urges $2.4 billion in aid for war-torn Yemen

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — UN urgently appeals for $2.4 billion to help Yemen cope...

Boston Marathon canceled for 1st time in 124-year history

BOSTON (AP) — Organizers canceled the Boston Marathon on Thursday for the first time in its history, bowing to the social distancing requirements of the coronavirus outbreak and ending a 124-year run that had persisted through two World Wars, a volcanic eruption and even another pandemic. The race, which...

Regulators approve PG&E bankruptcy plan despite safety fears

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California power regulators on Thursday unanimously approved Pacific Gas & Electric's $58 billion plan for getting out of a bankruptcy caused by a series of deadly wildfires, despite ongoing worries about the utility's ability to safely operate its crumbling electrical grid. The...

'Bummed out': SpaceX launch scrubbed because of bad weather

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts on a history-making flight into orbit was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown Wednesday because of thunderclouds and the risk of lightning. Liftoff was rescheduled for Saturday afternoon. The...

Governor orders probe of failed dams that caused flooding

West Bloomfield, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday demanded an investigation to determine what caused two dams in central Michigan to fail, leading to devastating floods in several communities and forcing about 11,000 people to evacuate their homes. Whitmer ordered the Michigan Department of...

PG&E's bankruptcy trial opens with attacks on voting process

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — An effort to block Pacific Gas and Electric's path out of bankruptcy kicked off Wednesday's trial on the plan in bankruptcy court as critics of the utility questioned whether the overwhelming vote in favor of the plan by wildfire victims was tainted by conflicts of interest and...

Bertha forms, hits South Carolina coast, dissipates in a day

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Bertha surprised the South Carolina coast Wednesday, forming, making landfall within two hours and was downgraded before sundown, bringing a poor beach day of rain and gusty winds, but no major problems. Forecasters expected the bad weather, but didn't predict it to...

Board suspends budget cuts for struggling Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances approved a revised fiscal plan on Wednesday that temporarily suspends all budget cuts and anticipates the island’s projected surplus could plunge by 65% as it warned the government is unable to pay...

Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall on South Carolina's coast shortly after forming