Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules against victims’ rights measure voters supported
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Tuesday hammered a final nail into the coffin of a proposed victims’ rights constitutional amendment that has never gone into effect, even though state voters supported it by a large margin in a referendum more than two years ago. The justices ruled 6-1 that...
‘Another storm coming’: WHO warns of omicron surge in Europe
VIENNA — The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe urged governments on Tuesday to prepare for a “significant surge” in coronavirus cases across the continent due to the omicron variant, which is already dominant in several countries. “We can see another storm coming,” WHO Europe regional director Dr. Hans...
Leniency calls grow for trucker sentenced in Colorado crash
DENVER — An online petition has gathered millions of signatures calling for leniency for a 26-year-old truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison for vehicular homicide in an explosive accident at the base of a Colorado mountain highway that killed four people in 2019. More than 4.5...
Intel tells unvaccinated employees they face unpaid leave
PORTLAND, Ore. — Intel has told workers that unvaccinated people who don’t get an exemption for religious or medical reasons will be on unpaid leave beginning in April. The California-based semiconductor company told employees last month they had a Jan. 4 deadline to be vaccinated against covid-19 or seek an...
Anthony Fauci calls on Fox News to fire Jesse WattersVideo
Anthony Fauci is calling on Fox News to fire host Jesse Watters after the Philadelphia native told a crowd of conservatives to ambush Fauci in public and send the footage to his network. “The guy should be fired on the spot,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy...
U.S. seeks interest to build solar on public lands in West
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. officials moved Tuesday to open more than 140 square miles of public lands in western states to potential solar energy development, as part of the Biden administration’s effort to counter climate change by shifting away from fossil fuels. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday...
U.S. population growth at lowest rate in pandemic’s 1st year
U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nation’s founding during the first year of the pandemic as the coronavirus curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and killed hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents, according to figures released Tuesday. The United States grew by only 0.1%, with only an additional...
Young adults make up many of the long-haul covid patients at Chicago clinic
CHICAGO — When the coronavirus pandemic began, Patrick Malia was an energetic, 37-year-old father of two. In March 2020, coughing sent him to an Illinois emergency room. Two years later, the West Dundee, Illinois resident is still suffering from covid-19 symptoms he never could have imagined persisting so long after...
SpaceX launches Christmas presents, supplies to station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched Christmas gifts, goodies and supplies to the International Space Station on Tuesday and got a present in return: the company’s 100th successful rocket landing. The predawn liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center was barely visible in the fog and clouds, as the Falcon rocket...
Texas governor’s decision: Whether to pardon George Floyd
AUSTIN, Texas — Doling out pardons is a holiday tradition for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who around every Christmas grants them to a handful of ordinary citizens, typically for minor offenses committed years or decades ago. But one name stands out on his desk: George Floyd. Abbott has not said...
Putin blames West for tensions, demands security guarantees
MOSCOW — The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for “tensions that are building up in Europe.” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at a meeting with Russia’s top military brass came just...
Biden to pledge 500M free covid-19 tests to counter omicron
WASHINGTON — With the omicron variant on the march, President Joe Biden plans to announce 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals under strain and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts. In a speech scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Biden is announcing major changes to his...
Boston to require vaccination proof for restaurants, others
Workers and customers at restaurants, gyms and many other indoor businesses in Boston will be required to show proof of coronavirus vaccination starting in mid-January in an effort to curb a rise in new cases across the city and state, Mayor Michelle Wu said Monday. In addition, city employees will...
Sen. Joe Manchin outlines tax, policy changes he’d want in Biden billVideo
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday outlined possible changes to President Biden’s mammoth $2 trillion economic agenda that might draw his support, while lashing out out at White House staff and fellow Democrats for trying to bully him. Manchin’s interview on a radio station in his home state of West...
Jan. 6 committee seeks interview with Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection requested an interview and documents from Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania on Monday, marking the first time the committee publicly sought to sit down with a sitting member of Congress. The latest request launches a new phase...
Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73% of U.S. covid-19 cases
NEW YORK — Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States, accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in...
Police: Dad charged after 4-year-old shoots twin brother in Harrisburg home
A 4-year-old child shot his 4-year-old twin Sunday, prompting charges against the kids’ father after police said he left two guns unsecured inside their Harrisburg home. The wounded boy required life-saving surgery after being shot in the left arm and chest, according to court records. His condition is life-threatening. Police...
Man who joined Capitol melee gets nearly 4 years in prison
A man who joined a mob in one of the most violent attacks on police during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Monday to nearly four years in prison. Devlyn Thompson, 28, wrote an apology letter to the officer whom he assaulted during a melee...
Jury ends first day of deliberations in Kimberly Potter trialVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The suburban Minneapolis police officer who says she meant to use her Taser instead of her gun when she shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright made a “blunder of epic proportions” and did not have “a license to kill,” a prosecutor told jurors on Monday shortly before...
Pentagon issues rules aimed at stopping rise of extremism
WASHINGTON — Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after some current and former service members participated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, triggering a...
What are symptoms of the omicron coronavirus variant? Here’s what early data shows
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the omicron coronavirus variant, including whether it causes more severe covid-19 or the degree to which it evades vaccines’ defenses in real-world settings. But early data collected in London reveals the answer to a question we’re all asking: Does omicron cause different...
Hubble telescope’s bigger, more powerful successor to soar
The Hubble Space Telescope’s successor is a time-traveling wonder capable of peering back to within a hair’s breadth of the dawn of the universe. And it’s finally on the brink of flight. It will be the biggest and most powerful astronomical observatory ever to leave the planet, elaborate in its...
W.Va. judge temporarily blocks charter schools’ implementation
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A judge on Monday temporarily blocked public charter schools from being implemented in West Virginia. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey granted a preliminary injunction sought by parents in a lawsuit filed against Gov. Jim Justice and leaders of the House of Delegates and state Senate, news...
Trump sues N.Y. attorney general, seeking to end civil probeVideo
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump sued New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday, resorting to a familiar but seldom successful strategy as he seeks to end a yearslong civil investigation into his business practices that he alleges is purely political. In the lawsuit, filed in federal court...
Inflation squeezes holiday budgets for low-income shoppers
NEW YORK — Emarilis Velazquez is paying higher prices on everything from food to clothing. Her monthly grocery bill has ballooned from $650 to almost $850 in recent months. To save money, she looks for less expensive cuts of meat and has switched to a cheaper detergent. She also clips...
