Japanese space tourist says he would love longer flight
MOSCOW — A Japanese space tourist said Wednesday that he felt his 12-day mission to the International Space Station was too short and he would love to stay a week more. Fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa, his producer Yozo Hirano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin blasted off to the station in...
U.S. opens probe into Tesla letting drivers play video games
ATHENS, Ohio — The U.S. has opened a formal investigation into a report that Tesla vehicles allow people to play video games on a center touch screen while they are driving. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers about 580,000 electric cars and SUVs from model years...
Philadelphia police officer, resident shot, 2 others hurt in crash
PHILADELPHIA — A police officer was in stable condition Wednesday and two other officers were hurt in a crash after a shooting that left a resident injured and the suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The officer had responded to a report of an armed robbery on Tuesday...
Secret Service: Nearly $100B stolen in pandemic relief funds
Nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from covid-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday. The estimate is based on Secret Service cases and data from the Labor Department and the Small...
Brawl breaks out inside Miami airport; 2 chargedVideo
MIAMI — Two travelers are facing charges following a brawl with police at Miami International Airport, authorities said. Mayfrer Serranopaca, 30, of Kissimmee, Fla., and Alberto Yanez Suarez, 32, of Odessa, Texas, were arrested in Concourse H after Monday evening’s fight, according to Miami-Dade police reports. They were each charged...
Harvard professor Charles Lieber found guilty of hiding ties to China
BOSTON — A Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program was found guilty on all counts Tuesday. Charles Lieber, 62, the former chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns, two...
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry denies Jan. 6 panel’s request for interview
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania on Tuesday rebuffed a request for him to sit down for an interview and turn over documents to the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection, joining other allies of former President Donald Trump in trying to stonewall the committee....
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...
