Schumer: Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8
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...
It’s a secret: California keeps key virus data from public
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...
Congress poised for quick action on Biden’s Pentagon nominee
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...
Amid cancellation talk, Tokyo Olympics ‘focused on hosting’
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....
Shanghai locks down 2 major hospitals over cases
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...
FBI: Michigan man with hockey stick assaulted Capitol cops during riot
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...
Dr. Fauci feeling free to ‘let the science speak’Video
Dr. Anthony Fauci looks as if he got his groove back. Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, came out of his shell Thursday during a press conference, his first under the Biden administration. “I can tell you, I take no pleasure at all in being...
5 killed in blaze at Indian producer of covid-19 vaccineVideo
PUNE, India — At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the covid-19 vaccine. Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of...
Texas doctor accused of taking damaged vial of covid-19 vaccine for family, friends
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...
Pa. Secretary of State Boockvar implores state lawmakers to ‘stop the lies’ about the election
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...
Attorneys: Tennessee man in Capitol riot danger to community
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...
In ethics complaint, Senate Democrats say Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley ‘lent legitimacy to the mob’s cause’
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...
McConnell seeks to push impeachment trial to FebruaryVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to push back the start of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial by a week or more to give the former president time to review the case. House Democrats who voted to impeach Trump last week for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riots...
Fauci unleashed: Doc takes ‘liberating’ turn at center stageVideo
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci is back. In truth, the nation’s leading infectious-diseases expert never really went away. But after enduring nearly a year of darts and undermining comments from former President Donald Trump, Fauci now speaks with the authority of the White House again. He called it “liberating” Thursday...
Ohio to spend $50 million on 2M home coronavirus tests
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...
Priest punished for going to Trump rally before Capitol riot
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...
Congress poised for quick action on Biden’s Pentagon nominee Lloyd Austin
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...
Biden signs burst of coronavirus orders, vows ‘Help is on the way’Video
WASHINGTON — With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that America’s war on covid-19 is under new command, promising an anxious nation progress to reduce infections and lift the siege it has endured for nearly a year. At the same time, he tried to manage...
Biden cleans house at Voice of America after revolt over Trump changes
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...
Montana appliance store owner charged in U.S. Capitol breach
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...
Police in Pa. investigate shots fired into Democratic Party office
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...
Pennsylvania tops 20,000 covid deaths
Pennsylvania on Thursday added 260 coronavirus deaths, bringing its total number of deaths to 20,128 since the pandemic began in March. The state becomes the seventh to top 20,000 deaths. California has the most covid deaths (34,433), followed by New York (33,415), Texas (32,844), Florida (24,965), New Jersey (20,664) and...
Dog spends days outside Turkish hospital waiting for owner
A devoted dog has spent days waiting outside a hospital in northern Turkey where her sick owner was receiving treatment. The pet, Boncuk, which means bead, followed the ambulance that transported her owner, Cemal Senturk, to hospital in the Black Sea city of Trabzon on Jan. 14. She then made...
As covid crisis deepens, opioid crisis continues in the background
As President Joe Biden settles into office amid the coronavirus pandemic, nonprofits and organizations battling drug addiction are urging the new administration not to lose sight of the national opioid crisis that predates covid-19 and has not slowed. “At the same time the coronavirus death toll grows, there is another...
Judge denies request to delay cop’s trial in Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge said he won’t reconsider his decision to hold a March trial for the former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for several minutes even though the Black man said he couldn’t breathe, according to a ruling made public Thursday. Hennepin County Judge...
