Pa. lawmakers urge officials to improve vaccine distribution for seniors
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday implored state officials to do better at getting covid-19 vaccines to seniors while the Health Department said the new approval of a third vaccine will help. “This is unacceptable,” state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna, said during a House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee...
Biden’s plan to distribute virus aid benefits Democratic-led states, some GOP governors say
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Biden administration’s plan to funnel more coronavirus aid into states with greater unemployment has irked governors with lower jobless rates. The $1.9 trillion relief bill working its way through Congress allocates extra money to larger, mostly Democratic-run states with higher unemployment rates, while rural Midwestern and...
Gov. Whitmer: Michigan will loosen capacity limits for businesses
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday announced the further loosening of Michigan’s coronavirus restrictions, easing capacity limits in restaurants and a host of other businesses while also allowing for larger indoor and outdoor gatherings. The revised state health department order will take effect Friday and last through April...
Feds oppose release of Arizona man who wore horns in Capitol riot
PHOENIX — Prosecutors in Washington are opposing the pretrial release of an Arizona man who stormed the U.S. Capitol nearly two months ago while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns. Prosecutors told a judge in a filing Monday that Jacob Chansley should remain jailed until...
Pa. lawmakers urge improvements in vaccine distribution for seniors
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday implored state officials to do better at getting covid-19 vaccines to seniors while the Health Department said the new approval of a third vaccine will help. “This is unacceptable,” state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna, said during a House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee...
Senate confirms Raimondo as Biden commerce secretary
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to confirm Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to serve as President Joe Biden’s commerce secretary and help guide the economy’s recovery during and after the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 84-15. Raimondo, 49, was the first woman elected governor of Rhode Island and...
Texas becomes biggest state to lift covid-19 mask mandate
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is lifting its mask mandate, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday, making it the largest state to end an order intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 42,000 Texans. The Republican governor has faced sharp criticism from his party over the...
Biden choice for consumer watchdog agency makes debut in nomination hearing
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — President Joe Biden’s nominee to run the federal consumer watchdog agency faced some hostile questioning from Republican Senators on Tuesday, but appeared to be likely to be confirmed with Democrats controlling a majority in the Senate. Rohit Chopra, currently a Democratic commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission,...
Senate Dems sorting final details of $1.9T virus relief bill
WASHINGTON — Democrats sorted through lingering disagreements over emergency jobless benefits and other issues Tuesday and prepared to commence Senate debate on a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan that would deliver a major victory to President Joe Biden. With Democrats having no margin for error in the evenly split 50-50...
Police: 13 killed when big rig hits SUV carrying 25 people in California
HOLTVILLE, Calif. — Thirteen people were killed Tuesday when an SUV carrying 25 people and a big rig collided on a Southern California highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said. Twelve people were found dead when first responders reached the highway, which winds through fields in the agricultural southeastern corner...
Gov. Wolf: Teachers, others can get Johnson & Johnson vaccine when it arrives
Educators in Pennsylvania will be able to receive the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available, and shipments should start arriving in the state this week, state officials said Tuesday. “We have an unusual opportunity with (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) because it’s a one-dose,” Gov. Tom Wolf...
Pa. reports 2,564 covid cases, 74 additional deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported 2,564 additional coronavirus cases and 74 additional deaths, according to the state Department of Health. Tuesday’s reported cases were designated 1,843 confirmed and 721 probable. Of the newly reported deaths, 69 are from February, three from January and one each in December and November. Health officials...
CNN’s Chris Cuomo says he ‘obviously’ can’t cover allegations against brother, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
NEW YORK — CNN host Chris Cuomo told viewers Monday that he “obviously” couldn’t cover the stories surrounding his older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual harassment by three women. The prime time host addressed the topic immediately at the start of his show,...
U.S. sets sanctions over Russia opposition leader’s poisoning
The Biden administration announced sanctions of Russian officials and businesses Tuesday for a nearly fatal nerve-agent attack upon opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent jailing. Senior administration officials did not immediately identify the Russian officials targeted. The Biden administration also announced sanctions under the U.S. Chemical and Biological Weapons...
Vatican defends pope Iraq trip as act of love
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is defending Pope Francis’ decision to go ahead with his trip to Iraq this weekend despite rising coronavirus infections there, saying Tuesday all health care precautions have been taken and that the trip is an “act of love for this land, for its people, and...
Vernon Jordan, activist, former Clinton adviser, has died
ATLANTA — Vernon Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, has died, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85. Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams, released the statement...
Official: Merck to help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Merck & Co. will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved coronavirus vaccine in an effort to expand supply more quickly, a Biden administration official confirmed Tuesday. The announcement comes as the White House looks to speed the production of the single-dose vaccine. Officials have said...
Censure of Sen. Toomey for Trump impeachment vote falls short
A sharply-split Republican State Committee in Pennsylvania voted Monday night to again express its displeasure with Sen. Pat Toomey’s vote last month to convict former President Donald Trump on an article of impeachment, but stopped short of voting to censure him. Committee members were given the choice of voting for...
Irish jockey apologizes for sitting on dead horse
DUBLIN — An amateur jockey from Ireland apologized on Tuesday after video of him sitting on a dead horse was posted on social media, following one of the country’s leading trainers being banned from entering runners in British races because of similar conduct. Rob James, a winner at the Cheltenham...
States easing coronavirus restrictions despite experts’ warningsVideo
MISSION, Kan. — With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery. Massachusetts...
Trump investigators seek info about CFO Weisselberg’s sons
New York prosecutors investigating Donald Trump and the Trump Organization Inc. have questioned witnesses about the two sons of the company’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Investigators with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office have asked about Barry Weisselberg’s role in...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo accuser blasts attempted apology, ‘predatory behavior’Video
NEW YORK — A former aide accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment condemned him Monday as a manipulative predator, as another woman said the governor had left her “shocked and embarrassed” after trying to kiss her at a 2019 wedding. The woman, Anna Ruch, became the third...
California serial killer who was spared execution is killed in prison
SACRAMENTO — A California serial killer known as the “I-5 Strangler” in the 1970s and 1980s has been killed in the prison where he was serving multiple life sentences, state correctional officials said Monday. A correctional officer doing rounds spotted Roger Reece Kibbe, 81, unresponsive in his cell at Mule...
Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as Biden’s education secretary
The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote....
Ohio to receive nearly 450K coronavirus vaccines this week
COLUMBUS — Ohio will receive nearly 450,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week thanks to the approval of a third vaccine, and the state is expanding eligible recipients to people 60 and over, pregnant women, day care workers, and police officers, among others, Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. The...
