Ex-Facebook manager alleges social network fed Capitol riotVideo
Facebook prematurely turned off safeguards designed to thwart misinformation and rabble rousing after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year’s elections in a moneymaking move that a company whistleblower alleges contributed to the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. The whistleblower, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen,...
3rd victim dies after angry co-worker’s rampage in Florida
DAVENPORT, Fla. — Authorities said Sunday a third victim has died following a violent attack where an angry electrician wielding a knife and baseball bat killed three co-workers and injured another at the Florida home they shared. Polk County Sheriff’s officials said electrician Shaun Runyon got into the argument with...
Covid-19 cases in Idaho children have ‘skyrocketed.’ That could affect hospitals, care
BOISE, Idaho — Adult intensive care unit beds at many Idaho hospitals are past capacity, a result of a covid-19 surge that caused crisis standards of care to be implemented statewide. What could complicate that already delicate situation is that infections among children have been soaring, meaning pediatric wards are...
Connecticut doctor turns in license after allegedly distributing false vaccine exemptions
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Durham doctor surrendered her medical license Friday morning amid accusations that she distributed fraudulent covid-19 vaccine and mask exemptions. After receiving an anonymous tip this summer, the Connecticut Department of Public Health had been investigating the physician, Dr. Sue McIntosh, for mailing exemption notes to anyone...
Fauci says U.S. is turning the corner on covid surgeVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is turning the corner on the most recent surge in covid-19 cases and more people need to get vaccinated to keep infections on a declining trend, infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci said. Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that while the full...
Russia hits record number of daily covid-19 deaths
MOSCOW — Russia on Sunday reported a record daily death toll from covid-19, the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high. The national coronavirus task force said 890 deaths were recorded over the past day, exceeding the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also...
Leaked records open a ‘Pandora’ box of financial secretsVideo
Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The...
Major oil spill off Southern California fouls beachesVideo
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — One of the largest oil spills in recent Southern California history fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. At least 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the waters off Orange County, according...
Bomb at Kabul mosque kills 5 civilians, Taliban says
KABUL, Afghanistan — At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast at the entrance to a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said, describing the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but...
Virus surge hits New England despite high vaccination rates
Despite having the highest vaccination rates in the country, there are constant reminders for most New England states of just how vicious the delta variant of covid-19 is. Hospitals across the region are seeing full intensive care units and staff shortages are starting to affect care. Public officials are pleading...
Alaska allows hospitals to ration care amid covid spike
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 medical facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nation’s worst covid-19 diagnosis rates in recent days, straining the state’s limited health care system. The declaration covers three facilities that had already announced...
No winner: Biggest Powerball jackpot in months grows larger
DES MOINES, Iowa — The biggest lottery prize in months grew larger after no ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball drawn on Saturday night. The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Monday is $670 million. Saturday night’s numbers were 28, 38, 42, 47 and 52. The Powerball...
Why Democrats’ climate goals may test their Latino appeal
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — At a recent house party near the U.S.-Mexico border, the conversation with Democratic congressional candidate Rochelle Garza flowed from schools and taxes to immigration and efforts to convert an old railway line into a hiking trail. One thing that didn’t come up that Friday night over Corona...
Women’s March targets Supreme Court, with abortion on line
WASHINGTON — The first Women’s March of the Biden administration headed straight for the steps of the Supreme Court on Saturday, part of nationwide protests that drew thousands to Washington to demand continued access to abortion in a year when conservative lawmakers and judges have put it in jeopardy. Demonstrators...
United Kingdom extends truck driver visa program as fuel crisis persists
LONDON — The British government has extended an emergency visa program for truck drivers as fuel shortages showed few signs of abating Saturday, particularly in London and the southeast of England. In an announcement late Friday, the Conservative government said temporary visas for nearly 5,000 foreign truck drivers it hopes...
‘Everybody is frustrated,’ Biden says as his agenda stalls
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Saturday acknowledged frustrations as Democrats strain to rescue a scaled-back version of his $3.5 trillion government-overhaul plan and salvage a related public works bill after frantic negotiations failed to produce a deal. “Everybody’s frustrated, it’s part of being in government, being frustrated,” Biden told reporters...
European-Japanese space mission gets 1st glimpse of Mercury
BERLIN — A joint European-Japanese spacecraft got its first glimpse of Mercury as it swung by the solar system’s innermost planet while on a mission to deliver two probes into orbit in 2025. The BepiColombo mission made the first of six flybys of Mercury at 7:34 p.m. Friday, using the...
3 valets struck, killed by vehicle eluding Houston police
HOUSTON — A driver fleeing from police in Houston struck and killed three valets before crashing in a ditch, authorities said. A patrol sergeant saw the driver doing doughnuts, or driving in circles and leaving tire tracks on the pavement, in a parking lot Friday night and tried to stop...
Alex Jones loses lawsuits over Sandy Hook ‘hoax’ conspiracy
A Texas judge has found Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones liable for damages in three defamation lawsuits brought by the parents of two children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre over his claims that the shooting was a hoax. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin, home...
Pharmacies face 1st trial over role in opioid crisis
CLEVELAND — So many prescription painkillers were dispensed in Lake County, Ohio, between 2012 and 2016 that the amount equaled 265 pills for every resident. Just to the south, the flood of prescription opioids during the same period equated to 400 pills for every resident of Trumbull County. Attorneys say...
Police report says Pa. governor candidate was sideswiped in fatal crash
HARRISBURG — A candidate for governor driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was sideswiped by a motorcyclist in a July nighttime crash that left the motorcyclist dead and the candidate traveling another 5 miles with the motorcycle lodged on his car, according to a new police report. The Pennsylvania State Police...
Powerball jackpot is biggest lottery prize in over 8 months
DES MOINES, Iowa — The biggest lottery prize in more than eight months will be up for grabs in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. The Powerball jackpot has slowly climbed to an estimated $635 million thanks to 39 consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner, a record streak for the game...
Mexico displays pre-Hispanic artifacts recovered from abroad
MEXICO CITY — Two Mexican museums have opened a massive show this week of 1,525 pre-Hispanic and historical artifacts, more than half of which were recovered from abroad. Mexico has long had a problem with collectors or traffickers taking artifacts out of the country, even though that has been illegal...
Deadline passes in GOP’s Pennsylvania election ‘investigation’ subpoena
HARRISBURG — The deadline passed Friday for Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to comply with a subpoena from a Republican-controlled state Senate committee pursuing what the GOP calls a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election, as a state court sorted through three legal challenges. Wolf’s administration and Senate Republicans remained...
U.S. hits 700,000 covid deaths just as cases begin to fall
MINNEAPOLIS — The United States reached its latest heartbreaking pandemic milestone Friday, eclipsing 700,000 deaths from covid-19 just as the surge from the delta variant is starting to slow down. It took 3 ½ months for the U.S. to go from 600,000 to 700,000 deaths, driven by the variant’s rampant...
