Congress sends Biden $2.5T debt limit hike, avoiding default
WASHINGTON — Congress averted a catastrophic debt default early Wednesday morning after Democratic majorities in both chambers voted to send a $2.5 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to President Joe Biden over lockstep Republican opposition. Capping a marathon day, the House gave final approval to the legislation early...
District of Columbia sues Proud Boys, Oath Keepers over Jan. 6Video
WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia has filed a civil lawsuit seeking harsh financial penalties against far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court, also names...
Powerful storm drenches Southern California with heavy rainVideo
LOS ANGELES — A powerful storm charged south through California on Tuesday, drenching the drought-stricken state with desperately needed rain but also triggering rescue efforts on a swollen river and mandatory evacuations due to the threat of mudslides in some areas scarred by wildfires. The National Weather Service reported remarkable...
Fireball from overturned tanker kills dozens in Haiti
CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti — A gasoline tanker overturned and exploded in northern Haiti, unleashing a fireball that swept through homes and businesses on its way to killing at least 60 people in the latest tragedy to befall the Caribbean nation. The blast occurred shortly after midnight in Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second largest...
Far too little vote fraud to tip election to Trump, AP finds
An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has found fewer than 475 — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election. Democrat Joe Biden won Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania...
Data indicate omicron is milder, better at evading vaccines
JOHANNESBURG — The omicron variant is offering more hints about what it may have in store as it spreads around the globe: A highly transmissible virus that may cause less severe disease, and one that can be slowed — but not stopped — by today’s vaccines. An analysis Tuesday of...
Cities wracked by opioids close to getting $26B settlement
McMINNVILLE, Ore. — The opioid epidemic blew into this picturesque Oregon town like a toxic wind, leaving overdoses, addiction, homelessness and wrecked families in its wake. In a humble, single-story brick building, three blocks from downtown McMinnville’s wine-tasting rooms and cafes, staffers and volunteers of a recovery center called Provoking...
Donald Trump Jr. led text-message chorus pleading for dad to end Jan. 6 riot: ‘He’s got to condemn this’
Donald Trump Jr. led a chorus of Trump insiders who pleaded with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to convince the former president to end the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. As the full House of Representatives prepares to vote Tuesday on referring Meadows for contempt...
UN nuclear chief: Limited Iran access giving ‘blurred image’
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that the restrictions faced by his inspectors in Iran threaten to give the world only a “very blurred image” of Tehran’s program as it enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Speaking in...
Covid toll nears 800,000 to close out year filled with death
MISSION, Kan. — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds. The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of covid-19 after nearly two weeks on a...
Air Force discharges 27 for refusal to get covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the covid-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate to get the shots. The Air Force gave its forces until Nov. 2 to get the vaccine,...
Pennsylvania Senate aims to bar school covid vaccine rule
HARRISBURG — The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate approved legislation Monday to prevent school children from being required to get a covid-19 vaccination to attend school, although it likely faces a veto by Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill passed on party lines, 28-21, and goes to the House of Representatives. Neither the...
Pfizer confirms covid pill’s results, potency versus omicron
WASHINGTON — Pfizer said Tuesday that its experimental pill to treat covid-19 appears effective against the omicron variant. The company also said full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill’s promising early results against the virus: The drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89% among high-risk adults...
Deadlines loom in drawing new Assembly, congressional maps in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state House committee cast a set of party-line votes Monday to prepare for an eventual deal on congressional redistricting, while the chairman of the five-person group drawing General Assembly maps announced a voting meeting in the coming days. Legislative Reapportionment Commission Chairman Mark Nordenberg said they...
Fireballs expected to blaze across the sky
The Geminid meteor shower — always a highlight of the meteor year — is expected to peak Monday night into Tuesday morning, with prime viewing opportunities arriving from 3 a.m. to dawn. “The Geminids are a reliable shower for those who watch around 2 a.m. local time from a dark-sky...
Supreme Court allows vaccine mandate for New York health care workers
WASHINGTON — A divided U.S. Supreme Court left in force New York’s requirement that health care workers be vaccinated against covid-19, refusing to order exemptions for 20 providers who say they object to the shot on religious grounds. The rebuff, which came with no explanation, follows a similar rejection in...
Dr. Oz is officially ending his show to focus on Pennsylvania Senate run
As expected, the long-running “Dr. Oz Show” will end in the wake of host Dr. Mehmet Oz’s announcement late last month that he’s running for U.S. Senate. The daily hourlong talk show, syndicated across the country by Sony Pictures Television, will end Jan. 14 after 13 seasons, Sony said in...
California brings back mask mandate as coronavirus cases rise
SACRAMENTO — California is bringing back a statewide indoor mask mandate. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced the new mandate will start Wednesday and last until Jan. 15. The order comes as the per capita rate of new coronavirus cases in California has jumped 47% in the past two weeks. “We...
Vehicle emission declines decreased deaths, study finds
Researchers say that thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars have been saved in the United States by recent reductions in emissions from vehicles. Harvard University researchers who study the environment and public health examined the impact of declines in emissions from vehicles over a decade. They found...
Navy: Sailor accused of igniting warship was ‘disgruntled’
SAN DIEGO — Navy prosecutors alleged Monday that a sailor charged with setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year was “disgruntled” after dropping out of Navy SEAL training, while his defense lawyers criticized the preliminary hearing as unfair. Prosecutor Cmdr. Rich Federico told the court that...
Biden visiting Kentucky to console tornado victims, give aidVideo
WASHINGTON — For the fifth time since taking office less than a year ago, President Joe Biden is taking on the grim task Wednesday of visiting an area ravaged by natural disaster to offer comfort and condolences. Biden was headed to Kentucky to survey damage and offer federal support for...
Derek Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd civil rights case
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty to violating George Floyd ‘s civil rights, according to a notice sent out Monday by the court’s electronic filing system. The federal docket entry shows a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for...
Philadelphia to require vaccine proof for indoor dining
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia will require proof of covid-19 vaccination to dine indoors at bars, restaurants, indoor sporting events and other food-related establishments starting Jan. 3, city and public health officials announced Monday. Public Health Director Cheryl Bettigole said Philadelphia has seen infection rates double in the last few weeks and...
Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozensVideo
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Residents of Kentucky counties where tornadoes killed dozens of people could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer, state officials warned Monday, as the toll of damage and deaths came into clearer focus in five states slammed by the swarm of...
Remains found after pre-execution tip from Mississippi man
PONTOTOC, Miss. — Authorities have uncovered the remains of a Mississippi woman following a tip from an inmate who revealed the location of her body prior to his execution on other crimes last month. On Sunday, police discovered what’s believed to be the body of Felicia Cox on land that...
