Homeland Security chief defends handling of border surge; attempted crossings on pace to hit 20-year peak
WASHINGTON — Faced with a rising number of migrants at the southwest border and criticism from all sides, the Biden administration’s head of Homeland Security insisted Tuesday that the situation is under control as he defended a policy of allowing children crossing by themselves to remain in the country. Homeland...
Naked Cowboy gets hero’s welcome a week after arrest
Attendees at Bike Week in Daytona Beach gave a hero’s welcome to a Times Square performer known as the Naked Cowboy after he returned to the motorcycle festival almost a week after his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence and violating a panhandling ordinance. “He’s out!...
Baby bottle craze sweeps Gulf Arab states, sparks backlash
Cafes across several Gulf Arab states started selling coffee and other cold drinks in baby bottles this month, kicking off a new trend that has elicited excitement, confusion — and backlash. The fad began at Einstein Cafe, a slick dessert chain with branches across the region, from Dubai to Kuwait...
Voter outreach led to big drop in rejected mail ballots
The coronavirus pandemic triggered an unprecedented surge in mailed ballots last year, raising concerns that a flood of first-time absentee voters would lead to another record: more ballots tossed out for missing deadlines, signatures or other reasons. Those fears never materialized. An analysis by The Associated Press found that the...
Advocates seek Biden push on gun bills, but prospects iffy
WASHINGTON — After President Joe Biden’s giant covid-19 relief bill passed Congress, he made a prime-time address to the nation and presided over a Rose Garden ceremony. But there wasn’t so much as a statement from the White House after the House passed legislation that would require background checks for...
Pa. lawmaker wants license plate stickers reinstated, saying state loses millions without them
Some Pennsylvania lawmakers don’t want new bridge tolls to help fund PennDOT projects, but one lawmaker thinks some old technology could help the funding woes — license plate registration stickers. PennDOT stopped issuing the registration expiration stickers in January 2017 to save money. The department estimated the move would save...
Family of boy killed by alligator at Disney World urges organ donation
OMAHA, Neb. — A Nebraska couple whose 2-year-old son died tragically at Walt Disney World nearly five years ago wants more families to consider donating their children’s organs if their child is ever facing death. Matt and Melissa Graves created the Lane Thomas Foundation after their son was killed by...
Israeli experts announce discovery of new Dead Sea scrolls
JERUSALEM — Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday announced the discovery of dozens of new Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago. The fragments of parchment bear lines of Greek text from the...
‘I don’t need the vaccine’: GOP worries threaten virus fight
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — In this rural swath of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, former President Donald Trump remains deeply admired, with lawn signs and campaign flags still dotting the landscape. The vaccines aimed at taming the coronavirus, however, aren’t so popular. Laura Biggs, a 56-year-old who has already recovered from the...
Look out, Labs: French bulldogs now 2nd most popular U.S. dog
Could the French bulldog become America’s favorite purebred pooch? After riding a rocket ship to popularity over the last quarter-century, Frenchies came in second only to Labrador retrievers — the leaders for 30 straight years — in the American Kennel Club’s latest rankings, set to be released Wednesday. They reflect...
5 things to know about the expanded Child Tax Credit
While hefty stimulus payments have been the focus of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, parents can expect to see even more money over the course of the next year. The plan expands the Child Tax Credit to ensure more parents get more cash and get it sooner than they...
Conor Lamb, Democrats’ 2018 Trump Country hero, faces hard political path
HARRISBURG — In 2018, Conor Lamb wasn’t just a candidate — he was a symbol. Barely a year into Donald Trump’s presidency, Democrats were desperate to show they could reconnect with the white, working-class voters who had turned against them. By eking out victory in a congressional district stretching across...
Denver’s airport reopens after powerful winter stormVideo
DENVER — Denver’s airport reopened Monday after a powerful late winter snowstorm dumped over 3 feet of heavy, wet snow on parts of Colorado and Wyoming, shutting down roads, closing state legislatures in both states and interfering with covid-19 vaccinations. The 27 inches that had fallen by the end of...
Florida man charged with spitting at Disney guard who asked for mask
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man spat on a security officer at Walt Disney World after she asked him to put on a mask, according to an arrest report released Monday. Kelly McKin, 51, of North Palm Beach, Fla., is facing a charge of battery on a uniformed security officer...
Brazil’s Bolsonaro eyes 4th health minister as covid rages
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s health minister Eduardo Pazuello said on Monday that President Jair Bolsonaro is planning to replace him amid the worst throes of covid-19 in the country yet and after a series of errors decried by public health experts. One of the candidates to replace him, a renowned...
Deb Haaland confirmed at Interior, 1st Native American Cabinet head
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, making her the first Native American to lead a Cabinet department and the first to lead the federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for nearly two centuries. Haaland was confirmed by...
Woman in Uber driver attack to be returned to San FranciscoVideo
LAS VEGAS — A woman arrested in Las Vegas several days after an attack on an Uber driver in San Francisco that was widely viewed on social media agreed Monday to be transferred in custody to California to face criminal charges. Malaysia King’s court appearance in Las Vegas came hours...
Pa. House spends $445,000 for 2 meeting rooms, but conservatives said it was needed
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives spent nearly $500,000 to allow it to do more of what government does a lot: hold meetings. That money was used to renovate two old courtrooms that had been sitting vacant for over a decade and transform them into large meeting rooms to accommodate more...
‘Amityville Horror’ killer Ronald Defeo Jr. dies in prison at age 69
NEW YORK — Convicted “Amityville Horror” killer Ronald DeFeo Jr., who in 1974 shot and killed his parents and four younger siblings inside their Long Island home in a grisly case that inspired a book and a movie, has died in prison, officials said. He was 69. DeFeo was serving...
White supremacists’ fake bomb threats net 3 years in prison
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A former Old Dominion University student who joined up with white supremacists in a swatting conspiracy that targeted a Black church, his own university and a Cabinet officer, among others, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison Monday. The 33-month sentence for John William Kirby...
Capitol Police to begin moving back fence surrounding complex
WASHINGTON — Congress is not facing the sort of threats that warrant the security fencing that has encompassed the Capitol complex since pro-Trump insurrectionists breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to Capitol Police, which will lead to imminent changes, but not complete removal, of the barrier. Capitol Police told...
3 die when car hits 9 people in San Diego; driver in custodyVideo
SAN DIEGO — A driver plowed through a crowd on a sidewalk under an overpass with homeless tents on a rainy Monday morning in downtown San Diego, killing three people and injuring six others, including two who are hospitalized in critical condition, police said. The driver — whom authorities identified...
U.S. air travel rises to highest levels yet since pandemic hit
Across the United States, air travel is recovering more quickly from the depths of the pandemic, and it is showing up in longer airport security lines and busier traffic on airline websites. The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1.3 million people both Friday and Sunday, setting a new high...
Pa. lawmakers launch new push for child sex abuse lawsuit window
Pennsylvania lawmakers on Monday launched a rarely used emergency process to amend the state constitution, advancing a proposal that would give victims of child sexual abuse a two-year window to file otherwise outdated civil lawsuits. The House Judiciary Committee voted for the amendment, drafted because the Department of State under...
Extent of covid-19 vaccine waste remains largely unknown
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As millions continue to wait their turn for the covid-19 vaccine, small but steady amounts of the precious doses have gone to waste across the country. It’s a heartbreaking reality that experts acknowledged was always likely to occur. Thousands of shots have been wasted in Tennessee, Florida,...
