Rioters acted on Trump’s ‘order,’ Democrats insist in impeachment trialVideo
WASHINGTON — House prosecutors concluded two days of emotional arguments in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial late Thursday, insisting the Capitol invaders believed they were acting on “the president’s orders” to stop Joe Biden’s election, the deadly culmination of Trump’s pattern of spreading false and violent rhetoric that will continue to...
Driver who plunged off Wisconsin ramp thankful to be aliveVideo
MILWAUKEE — A driver who survived when his pickup truck plunged about 70 feet off a slippery interchange exit ramp in Wisconsin said he feels thankful to be alive. Richard Lee Oliver, in an interview that aired Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” said he was on his way to...
U.S. distances itself from Trump attempts to ban WeChat
A day after it put a hold on a proposed ban of TikTok, the Biden administration is distancing itself from attempts by former President Donald Trump to ban the Chinese messaging app WeChat. The Commerce Department is reviewing recent actions, such as the rules undermining TikTok and WeChat, to ensure...
Covid hospitalizations in Pennsylvania drop again
For the second day in a row, hospitalizations in Pennsylvania dropped by more than 100 patients. According to the state covid-19 dashboard, the number of residents hospitalized for the virus is 2,687, down 102 from Wednesday, which was down 101 from Tuesday. Hospitalizations in the state have been on a...
6 killed in 130-vehicle pileup on icy Texas interstate near Fort WorthVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — A massive crash involving more than 130 vehicles on an icy Texas interstate left six people dead and dozens injured Thursday amid a winter storm that dropped freezing rain, sleet and snow on parts of the U.S. At the scene of the crash on Interstate 35...
How a leading anti-Trump group ignored a crisis in its ranks
Last June, the Lincoln Project was on a high. Led by several prominent former Republican consultants, its slickly produced ads attacking President Donald Trump made it perhaps the best known of the so-called Never Trump organizations. The group tried to claim a higher moral ground in an effort to purge...
Congo officials confirm 2nd death from Ebola in the east
BENI, Congo — A second case and death of Ebola has been recorded in Congo’s North Kivu province, according to officials. The victim was a 60-year-old woman who died Wednesday in the health zone of Biena, according to provincial health minister Nzanzu Syalita. He said she had been to the...
3 years later, Parkland school shooting trial still in limbo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s been more than 1,000 days since a gunman with an AR-15 rifle burst into a Florida high school, killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. Yet, with Valentine’s Day on Sunday marking the three-year milestone, the trial of 22-year-old Nikolas Cruz is in limbo. One...
KKK member sentenced for driving into crowd of protesters
RICHMOND, Va. — An acknowledged member of the Ku Klux Klan was sentenced Tuesday to three years and eight months in prison on charges he drove his pickup truck through a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters near Virginia’s capital city. Harry Rogers, 37, of Hanover County, was convicted of...
Fauci: Virus shot categories to open up by April
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts by April it will be “open season” for vaccinations in the U.S., as supply boosts allow most people to get shots to protect against covid-19. Speaking to NBC’s “Today Show,” Fauci, who serves as science adviser to President joe Biden, says the rate of...
Norway deports truck driver for not using snow chains
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norwegian authorities deported a truck driver who was stopped by police twice within an hour for driving without mandatory snow chains near a city north of the Arctic Circle. The man, who has been banned from returning to Norway for two years, was “careless of the conditions,...
In first call with Xi, Biden looks to reset U.S.-China relationshipVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night for the first time since taking office, beginning the process of reshaping America’s approach in dealing with its most intense economic competitor and Pacific Rim strategic rival. Biden “shared his greetings and well wishes with the...
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley derided by critics for ‘ignoring’ impeachment testimonyVideo
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was criticized for his actions of indifference on Wednesday during the impeachment trial for Donald Trump. The freshman senator, who has sworn to be an impartial juror for the trial, appeared to be a spectator. Hawley was “sitting up in the gallery with his feet...
White House looks at domestic travel restrictions as virus variant surges in Florida
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering whether to impose domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida, fearful that coronavirus mutations are threatening to reverse hard-fought progress on the pandemic. Outbreaks of the new variants — including a highly contagious one first identified in the United Kingdom, as well as others...
Petroleum spills into San Francisco Bay at Chevron refineryVideo
RICHMOND, Calif. — Crews are working to clean up a petroleum spill in San Francisco Bay near the wharf at Chevron’s oil refinery in Richmond, authorities said Wednesday. The spill was discovered at 3 p.m. Tuesday when a sheen was observed on the water, according to joint statements from federal,...
Prominent Saudi women’s rights activist released from prison
One of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent political activists was released from prison Wednesday, her family said, after serving nearly three years on charges that sparked an international uproar over the kingdom’s human rights record. Loujain al-Hathloul, who pushed to end a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, was arrested...
Navy commanders address 2 racist incidents on West Coast
WASHINGTON — Senior U.S. Navy commanders met this week with sailors on ships on the West Coast after two recent racist incidents triggered one of the first military stand-downs to address extremism in the ranks. The meetings came after a noose was found on one ship, and hate speech was...
Pa. Attorney General Shapiro files memorandum in Trump impeachment
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro does not have a role in the ongoing impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, but he wanted to ensure U.S. senators sitting as jurors understand Pennsylvania’s role in the Nov. 3 election. Shapiro, a Democrat, who repeatedly defended the state’s election as free and...
Bill would allow firing of striking West Virginia teachers
CHARLESTON — A West Virginia lawmaker has renewed an attempt to punish teachers for striking in a state where work stoppages have occurred in two of the past three years. Senate Education Committee chairwoman Patricia Rucker, a Jefferson County Republican, introduced a bill Wednesday on the first day of the...
Procedures change for Leechburg food distribution following last weekend’s intense demand
An overwhelming response to a free food giveaway in Leechburg last Saturday has prompted the church that sponsored it to change how this coming Saturday’s distribution will be handled. People lined up in their cars hours before the event’s noon start time last Saturday, and all of the food boxes...
Tennessee governor: Transgender athletes will ‘destroy women’s sports’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday advocated for banning transgender girls from playing on middle and high school sports teams, saying transgender athletes will “destroy women’s sports.” “I do believe that transgenders participating in women’s sports will destroy women’s sports,” Lee, who is up for reelection...
Government investigating massive counterfeit N95 mask scam
Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. The foreign-made knockoffs are becoming increasingly difficult to spot and could put health care workers at grave risk for the coronavirus....
Report: TikTok sale pushed by Trump is shelved
The Biden administration has “indefinitely” shelved a proposed U.S. takeover of the popular video app TikTok, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Last year, the Trump administration brokered a deal that would have had U.S. corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in the Chinese-owned app on national-security...
Biden orders sanctions against Myanmar after military coup
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered new sanctions against the military regime in Myanmar, taking action after the military this month staged a coup in the Southeast Asian country and arrested de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior politicians. Biden said he was issuing an...
Russian Jehovah’s Witness sentenced to 7½ years in prison
MOSCOW — The Jehovah’s Witnesses say a member of the religious denomination that is banned in Russia has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison, the harshest punishment in scores of cases. The denomination’s European office said 63-year-old Alexander Ivashin was sentenced on Wednesday in the Krasnodar region of southern...
