Florida Gov. DeSantis issues order banning ‘vaccine passports’
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof they have been vaccinated against covid-19 in order to get service. The Republican governor had previously announced his intent to issue an order banning so-called “vaccine passports.” His action also...
Man rams car into 2 Capitol police; 1 officer, driver killed
WASHINGTON — A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife. It was the second line-of-duty death this year for a department still struggling to heal from the Jan. 6...
Pennsylvania’s covid cases remain elevated
Pennsylvania on Friday reported more than 4,000 new cases of coronavirus — the seventh time in two weeks the state has eclipsed that threshold. The state added 4,656 newly reported cases, raising the total case count to 1,033,406. The seven-day average, at 4,034, has been above 4,000 cases for the...
Fully vaccinated can travel again, says new CDC guidance
NEW YORK — Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine...
Lieutenant: Kneeling on Floyd’s neck ‘totally unnecessary’
MINNEAPOLIS — Kneeling on George Floyd ‘s neck while he was handcuffed and in the prone position was “top-tier, deadly force” and “totally unnecessary,” the head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide division testified Friday. “If your knee is on a person’s neck, that can kill him,” said Lt. Richard...
In ghostly border video, dangers for migrant kids revealed
PHOENIX — A border wall. Smugglers. Small children being dropped into America in the darkness. A grainy video released Wednesday by authorities — its figures visible only in ghostly white outline, its stark storyline dramatic and obvious — captures, in mere seconds, the dangers for migrant children at the southern...
Officials: Elementary teacher solicited sex with 2-year-old
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Florida elementary school teacher is facing charges alleging he solicited online to have sex with a 2-year-old and traveled to meet the child. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Xavier Donte Alexander, 28, was arrested Thursday on felony...
Buy a piece of movie, TV history during Latrobe gallery saleVideo
“Mindhunter” fans can own a piece of the Netflix thriller series. Furniture, lamps, a typewriter, curtains and even a vacuum cleaner used in the show’s Pittsburgh-area filming are on sale at Spring Street Gallery in Latrobe. Those pieces are part of owner Adam Dunhoff’s vast collection of vintage and antique...
Republicans trod well-worn path to court to sue Biden
WASHINGTON — These are busy days for Republican state attorneys general, filing repeated lawsuits that claim President Joe Biden and his administration are overstepping their authority on immigration, climate change, the environment and taxes. Most of the action is in federal courts where former President Donald Trump was able to...
U.K. bans travel from 4 more nations over virus; 39 in all
LONDON — The British government is gearing up to ban international arrivals from four more countries — Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and the Philippines — amid concerns over new virus variants but opted against including France and other European nations that are facing a resurgence of the virus. The Department for...
Myanmar cuts wireless internet service amid coup protests
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s wireless broadband internet services were shut down on Friday by order of the military, local providers said, as protesters continued to defy the threat of lethal violence to oppose the junta’s takeover. A directive from the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Thursday instructed that “all...
AP-NORC poll: Majority in U.S. back easier voter registration
WASHINGTON — Democrats’ proposals to overhaul voting in the U.S. won solid — although not overwhelming — support from Americans in a new survey measuring the popularity of major pieces of the sweeping legislation in Congress. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found about half of Americans...
U.S., Iran say they’ll begin indirect talks on nuclear program
The United States and Iran said Friday that they would begin negotiations through intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into an accord limiting Iran’s nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal. The announcement marked the first major...
Train hits truck that slid onto track in Taiwan, killing 51
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A train barreled into an unmanned truck that had rolled onto the track Friday in Taiwan, leaving at least 51 people dead and dozens injured in the island’s deadliest rail disaster. Many passengers were crushed, while some survivors were forced to climb out of windows and walk...
Colorado latest to weigh ban on Native American mascots
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers are considering a proposal that would ban Native American mascots in public schools and colleges amid a nationwide push for racial justice that gained new momentum last year following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the NFL team in Washington changing its name. The measure, which...
Biden’s infrastructure bill will face uphill battle in Congress
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden this week passed the baton on his massive infrastructure plan to Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are already making demands on what the plan should include. It marks the start of what is likely to be a four-month grueling marathon to get the package through...
Eastern Caribbean dollar goes digital, a help for unbanked
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Eastern Caribbean has created its own form of digital currency meant to help speed transactions and serve people without bank accounts. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said its “DCash” is the first such blockchain-based currency introduced by any of the world’s currency unions, though...
Ohio to begin vaccinating students on college campuses
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an effort to outrun the coronavirus, Ohio will begin to ramp up vaccination numbers by meeting people where they are: college campuses, workplaces and churches. But requiring vaccinations remains off the table, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday. Beginning next week, the state will work with...
Explainer: Witnesses relive trauma, guilt over Floyd’s death
The first days of testimony at the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death have been dominated by witnesses to his arrest and countless videos that forced them to relive the trauma of it all over again. One man who shouted “You can’t win!” at...
Rider injured when ejected from Tennessee mountain coaster
GATLINBURG, Tenn. — A rider was ejected from a mountain coaster in Tennessee and hospitalized with head, wrist and ankle injuries, according to state officials. A report submitted by the owner to the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development says the incident occurred Monday on the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster...
Pressley, Warren push Biden to nix $50,000 in student debt
BOSTON — President Joe Biden should help those struggling under crushing student loan debt by immediately canceling up to $50,000 of debt for federal student loan borrowers, Democratic elected officials said Thursday. Biden can make the move by using existing authority granted to him under the Higher Education Act, said...
Mitch McConnell urges fellow Republicans to get covid-19 vaccines
LOUISVILLE, Ky — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his fellow Republicans to be vaccinated against covid-19 during a visit to a western Kentucky hospital Thursday. “As a Republican man, I wasn’t reluctant to get it when I was eligible and I would encourage everybody to do that,” he said....
Biden launches community corps to boost covid vaccinations
WASHINGTON — Seeking to overcome vaccine hesitancy, the Biden administration on Thursday stepped up its outreach efforts to skeptical Americans, launching a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote covid-19 shots in hard-hit communities. The administration’s “We Can Do This” campaign features television and social media ads, but...
U.S. allows 2 more over-the-counter covid-19 home tests
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have authorized two more over-the-counter covid-19 tests that can be used at home to get rapid results. The move by the Food and Drug Administration is expected to vastly expand the availability of cheap home tests that many experts have advocated since the early days...
George Floyd’s girlfriend recalls 1st time they met during Chauvin’s trial
MINNEAPOLIS — George Floyd’s girlfriend cried on the witness stand Thursday as she told the story of how they first met in 2017 at a Salvation Army shelter where Floyd was a security guard with “this great Southern voice, raspy.” She also recounted how they both struggled with opioid addiction....
