News category, Page 1193

Gov. Tom Wolf will nominate his deputy chief of staff to lead the state Department of Health, taking the place of Dr. Rachel Levine, who was tapped earlier this week by President Joe Biden as his assistant secretary of health. Alison Beam, 34, will take over as Acting Secretary of...

The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with covid-19 reportedly dropped dramatically Friday, according to the state Department of Health, although no reason was given. The newly reported number of people hospitalized with coronavirus in the state was 4,169 — almost 600 fewer than was reported the day before. At the same...

DES MOINES, Iowa — The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has grown to nearly $1 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing after more than four months without a winner thanks to bad luck, poor odds and reduced play partially blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. It’s only the third...

WASHINGTON — Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army’s elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation’s first Black secretary of defense. The 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member; Avril...

Opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump on the charge of incitement of insurrection for the Capitol riot will begin the week of Feb. 8. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed to delay the...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has from the start said his coronavirus policy decisions would be driven by data shared with the public to provide maximum transparency. But with the state starting to emerge from its worst surge, his administration won’t disclose key information that will help determine...

WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Congress has easily passed legislation required to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as President Joe Biden’s secretary of defense, brushing aside concerns that his retirement occurred inside the seven-year window that safeguards civilian leadership of the military. It would be the first measure to be signed...

TOKYO — IOC President Thomas Bach and local organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event appears threatened again....

BEIJING —Shanghai has imposed lockdowns on two of China’s best-known hospitals after they were linked to new coronavirus cases. Outpatient services have been suspended and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and Renji Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, have been cordoned off, along with some surrounding...

DETROIT — A Michigan man carrying a hockey stick during the U.S. Capitol riot struck police officers who were outdoors trying to protect the building, the FBI said Thursday. Michael Foy of Wixom was charged with five crimes, including assault and obstruction of law enforcement, for his alleged role in...

HOUSTON — A Houston area health department doctor accused by prosecutors of stealing nine doses of coronavirus vaccine from a damaged vial and administering them to family and friends insists he did nothing wrong and was only trying to ensure the vaccine was not wasted, his attorney said Thursday. Authorities...

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar implored lawmakers in Harrisburg to “stop perpetuating lies” about the Nov. 3 election as members of a House Committee relentlessly grilled her Thursday in what they billed as the first of 14 hearings on the matter. Although President Biden’s victory of more than 80,000...

NASHVILLE — Federal prosecutors said a Tennessee man who carried flexible plastic handcuffs around the U.S. Capitol during the recent raid by Trump supporters is a danger to his community and a serious flight risk, and are asking that he be detained until trial. In a court filing ahead of...

WASHINGTON — Seven Senate Democrats filed an ethics complaint Thursday against Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, accusing them of peddling lies about election fraud, prompting a riot on Jan. 6, then escalating the crisis when a mob stormed the Capitol hoping to avert Donald Trump’s electoral defeat by persisting...

COLUMBUS — Ohio will use $50 million in federal pandemic aid dollars to buy 2 million at-home rapid coronavirus tests to help local health departments respond faster to testing needs, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday. The governor also said the state’s 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. pandemic curfew, due to...

LIMA, Ohio — An Orthodox priest in Ohio said he was suspended for attending President Donald Trump’s rally near the White House three weeks ago before a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Father Mark Hodges said he was told by a church leader that he was “guilty by...

WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Congress easily passed legislation Thursday required to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as President Joe Biden’s secretary of defense, brushing aside concerns that his retirement occurred inside the seven-year window that safeguards civilian leadership of the military. It would be the first measure to be signed...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has moved quickly to remove a number of senior officials aligned with former President Donald Trump from the Voice of America and the agency that oversees all U.S.-funded international broadcasting. The actions address fears that the U.S. Agency for Global Media was being turned into...

HELENA, Mont. — A Montana appliance store owner and supporter of former President Donald Trump was charged Thursday in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote. Videos taken inside the Capitol and social media posts led to the arrest of Henry...

NORRISTOWN — Police are investigating after gunshots were apparently fired through the front window of a Democratic Party office in a suburban Philadelphia county, officials said. No one was reported injured. The city of Norristown said the executive director of the Montgomery County Democratic Party discovered the bullet holes in...