Biden picks geneticist as science adviser, puts in Cabinet
President-elect Joe Biden announced Friday that he has chosen a pioneer in mapping the human genome — the so-called “book of life” — to be his chief science adviser and is elevating the top science job to a Cabinet position. Biden nominated Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute...
Vaccines to stimulus checks: Here’s what’s in Biden plan
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden is proposing a $1.9 trillion plan to expand coronavirus vaccinations, help individuals and jump-start the economy. The plan, which would require congressional approval, is packed with proposals on health care, education, labor and cybersecurity. On Friday, he outlined a five-step approach to getting the...
Mormon leaders condemn ‘lawless behavior’ at U.S. Capitol
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints condemned “lawless behavior” and the violence of rioters who broke into the U.S. Capitol in a statement Friday that marked the faith’s first public comments since the Jan. 6 attack by pro-Trump loyalists. Top leaders from the Utah-based...
NRA declares bankruptcy, plans to incorporate in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — The National Rifle Association announced Friday it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will to incorporate the nation’s most politically influential gun-rights group in Texas instead of New York, where a state lawsuit is trying to put the organization out of business. The announcement came months after...
Official: No ‘direct evidence’ of plot to kill at Capitol
PHOENIX — Federal prosecutors said there was “strong evidence” the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week aimed to “capture and assassinate elected officials,” but the head of the investigation cautioned Friday that the probe is still in its early stages and there was no “direct evidence” of...
MTA: New York City bus driver refuses drug test after careening off bridge
NEW YORK — A bus dramatically plunged off a bridge in New York City late Thursday, leaving its front half hanging over a highway ramp, its fall broken only by the road below. The 55-year-old driver broke his jaw in the crash and refused to submit to a drug and...
Giant Eagle, Rite Aid tapped as covid vaccine providers
Giant Eagle pharmacies will be part of the effort to get more covid-19 vaccine to the public as more and more doses become available, Pennsylvania health officials announced this week. TopCo Associates, which runs Giant Eagle’s pharmacies, was tapped by the Department of Health, along with Rite Aid, to provide...
Mike Pence calls Kamala Harris to offer congratulations
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence has called his soon-to-be successor Kamala Harris to offer his congratulations, according to two people familiar with the conversation. It’s the first known contact between the elected members of the outgoing and incoming administrations. President Donald Trump has not reached out to President-elect Joe...
Global coronavirus death toll hits 2 millionVideo
MEXICO CITY — The global death toll from covid-19 topped 2 million Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine rollout so immense but so uneven that in some countries there is real hope of vanquishing the outbreak, while in other, less-developed parts of the world, it seems a far-off dream....
Trump to leave Washington on morning of Biden’s inauguration
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will leave Washington next Wednesday morning, just before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, to begin his post-presidential life in Florida. He will be sent off with a departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, according to a person familiar with the planning who spoke on condition of...
Pennsylvania reports 6,047 new covid cases, 215 deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday reported a slightly lower 6,047 additional cases of covid-19 compared to the previous three days, which were each above 7,000. After seeing two days in January that added more than 10,000 cases each, the state has had daily case reports below 8,000 for six consecutive days, according...
$500K in Bitcoin sent from France to U.S. far-right groups
PARIS — A French computer programmer transferred more than $500,000 in Bitcoin to far-right activists just before his death last month, including some involved in last week’s riot in Washington, researchers said Friday. Chainalysis, a firm that investigates Bitcoin transactions, found that the majority of the 22 transactions on Dec....
Defense Department calling governors for more Guard troops for D.C.
WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials are scrambling to call governors and asking whether they have any more National Guard troops they can send to Washington to help protect the Capitol and the city. A defense official familiar with the discussions said law enforcement leaders and other authorities have now determined...
Federal watchdogs open probe of response to Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — Federal watchdogs launched a sweeping review of how the FBI, the Pentagon and other law enforcement agencies responded to the riot at the U.S. Capitol, including whether there were failures in information sharing and other preparations that left the historic symbol of democracy vulnerable to assault by a...
Russia follows U.S. in withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty
MOSCOW — Russia said on Friday that it will withdraw from an international treaty allowing surveillance flights over military facilities after the U.S. exit from the pact, compounding the challenges faced by the incoming administration of president-elect Joe Biden. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the U.S. withdrawal...
Pentagon says U.S. has dropped to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has met its goal of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500 by Friday, a drawdown that may have violated a last-minute congressional prohibition. The reduction could complicate matters for the incoming Biden administration, which must determine how to handle a Trump...
Pfizer temporarily reduces European deliveries of vaccine
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer confirmed Friday it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its covid-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity to 2 billion doses per year. “This temporary reduction will affect all European countries,” a spokeswoman for Pfizer Denmark said in a statement to The...
Woman fatally shot as she pursues man who stole cellphone
CLEVELAND — A man who stole a woman’s cellphone after she set it on the counter at a Cleveland convenience store fatally shot her when she chased after him, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday in the Glenville neighborhood. Andrea Randle, 32, was shopping in the store...
At least 34 dead as Indonesia quake topples homes, buildings
MAMUJU, Indonesia — A strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia’s Sulawesi island just after midnight Friday, toppling homes and buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least 34 people. More than 600 people were injured during the magnitude 6.2 quake, which sent people fleeing their homes in the darkness. Authorities were still...
Former Italian leader Berlusconi released from hospital
MILAN — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was released Friday from a hospital in the French Riviera city-state of Monaco where he underwent medical tests for heart problems, his press office said. The 84-year-old three-time premier said in a message to supporters that his health was good and that he...
Arkansas man accused of beating officer with U.S. flagpole at Capitol
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An Arkansas man was accused Thursday of beating a police officer with a pole flying a U.S. flag during the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents. In an arrest affidavit filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, an FBI agent said...
Prosecutor: Capitol rioter aimed ‘to take hostages’
FORT WORTH, Texas — A retired Air Force officer who was part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week carried plastic zip-tie handcuffs because he intended “to take hostages,” a prosecutor said Thursday in a Texas court. “He means to take hostages. He means to kidnap, restrain,...
Report: Trump continues to consult Steve Bannon about 2020 election results
President Donald Trump has connected with former campaign adviser Steve Bannon seeking guidance on how to overturn the election results of 2020, according to a report from Bloomberg News. Trump has spoken to Bannon over the phone recently, though it is not known how many times, according to the report...
North Korea holds huge military parade as Kim vows nuclear might
North Korea rolled out developmental ballistic missiles designed to be launched from submarines and other military hardware in a parade that punctuated leader Kim Jong Un’s defiant calls to expand his nuclear weapons program. State media said Kim took center stage in a parade Thursday night celebrating a major ruling...
Cleveland school therapist charged in Capitol Hill riots
CLEVELAND — A Cleveland school occupational therapist who resigned after the riots at the U.S. Capitol was charged Thursday with taking part in the breach. Christine Priola, 49, was arrested at her home and charged with entering a restricted building, violent entry and unlawful activities on Capitol grounds, said FBI...
