NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic — the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data. Death certificates are still coming in and the count could rise. But officials expect a ...

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The nuns' daily email update was overtaken by news of infections. Ambulances blared into the driveways of their convents. Prayers for the sick went unanswered, prayers for the dead grew monotonous and, their cloistered world suddenly caving in, some of the sisters' ...

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — Former NFL player Phillip Adams fatally shot five people, including a prominent doctor, his wife and their two grandchildren before killing himself early Thursday. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told a news conference that investigators had not yet determined a ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nathan Long and Lili Chin have struck out so far in their four-month search to find an affordable home in the Los Angeles area — a cold streak that threatens to mess up their anniversary plans. The housing market has been a pillar of economic strength during the ...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Islamic leaders are using social media, virtual town halls and face-to-face discussions to spread the word that it's acceptable to be vaccinated for the coronavirus during daily fasting that happens during Ramadan, the most sacred month of the year for Muslims. During ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden put on a modest White House ceremony Thursday to announce a half-dozen executive actions to combat what he called an "epidemic and an international embarrassment" of gun violence in America. But he said much more is needed. And while Biden had proposed ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Caitlyn Jenner has been an Olympic hero, a reality TV personality and a transgender rights activist. Her next step could be candidate for California governor. The 71-year-old longtime Republican has been consulting with GOP advisers as she considers joining the field of ...

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama handed the online retail giant a decisive victory when they voted against forming a union and cut off a path that labor activists had hoped would lead to similar efforts throughout the company and beyond. After months of aggressive ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden released a $1.5 trillion wish list for his first federal budget Friday, asking for substantial gains for Democratic priorities including education, health care, housing and environmental protection. The request by the White House budget office for an ...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An aide who accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping her at his official residence told a newspaper in her first public interview it was a frightening physical encounter in which the Democrat slammed a door and said "I don't care" when she warned someone might see ...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The defense attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer on trial in the death of George Floyd tried Wednesday to show that Floyd yelled "I ate too many drugs" as three officers pinned him to the ground. Attorney Eric Nelson didn't get the clear confirmation he was ...

DALLAS (AP) — Wayne LaPierre, the embattled leader of the National Rifle Association, said Wednesday that he put the powerful gun-rights group into bankruptcy without first informing most of its board members and top officials. LaPierre took the witness stand in the NRA's high-stakes ...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that he is backing Terry McAuliffe in the race to succeed him, handing his predecessor one of the contest's most coveted endorsements. Northam, who under Virginia law cannot seek a consecutive term in office, said ...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Ebele Azikiwe was in the sixth grade last year when February came and it was time to learn about Black history again. She was, by then, familiar with the curriculum: Rosa Parks, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a discussion on slavery. Just like the year before, she ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — After an unprecedented push to test and track COVID-19, public health workers are grappling with a worrisome side effect: a collapse in screening for sexually transmitted diseases that have been on the rise for years. Testing for diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea ...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Rep. Alcee Hastings, the fiercely liberal longtime Florida congressman who was dogged throughout his tenure by an impeachment that ended his fast-rising judicial career, died Tuesday. He was 84. Hastings' death was confirmed by his chief of staff, Lale M. ...

As Derek Chauvin's defense attorney attempted to shift blame from the former Minneapolis police officer in George Floyd's death, he questioned paramedics on delays in their efforts to resuscitate Floyd. But one paramedic told jurors that he thought Floyd was already dead when he checked for a ...

CHICAGO (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday urged Chicago union members to share their experience receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and act as "role models" for family and friends who may be reluctant even as Illinois prepares to open access to all adults. Harris visited a vaccination ...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — At Walt Disney World, the smiles won't have to be hidden for much longer. Starting Thursday, visitors to the theme park resort will be able to remove their masks temporarily for outdoor photos, the company said on its website. The change tweaks a requirement that all ...

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the few copies of the comic book that introduced Superman to the world has sold for a super-sized, record-setting price. The issue of Action Comics #1 went for $3.25 million in a private sale, ComicConnect.com, an online auction and consignment company, announced ...