Indiana attorney general defends governor’s mask order power
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s attorney general’s office vigorously defended Gov. Eric Holcomb’s emergency powers in response to a restaurant’s lawsuit challenging his order that masks must be worn inside restaurants to stem the spread of the coronavirus. That defense of Holcomb’s action comes even though Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, who...
Senate confirms Katherine Tai as Biden’s top trade envoy
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai as the top U.S. trade envoy in an overwhelming bipartisan vote on Wednesday . She will be the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold the position. Tai is considered a problem-solving pragmatist, and her nomination by President Joe Biden...
St. Patrick’s Day to be largely virtual in NYC for 2nd year
NEW YORK — A largely virtual St. Patrick’s Day was planned for New York City on Wednesday, one year after the annual parade celebrating Irish heritage was canceled because of the pandemic. Although the city’s usual huge parade with floats and marching bands was canceled, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined...
Child border crossings are surging, straining U.S. facilities
WASHINGTON (AP) — A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive, with the head of Homeland Security acknowledging the depth of the problem but insisting it’s under control and saying he won’t revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children. The...
The Washington Post publishes correction on Trump call with Georgia investigatorVideo
The Washington Post published a correction of a story in December about a phone call with then President Donald Trump and Georgia elections official Frances Watson after a recording surfaced that proved he did not use the precise phrase “find the fraud.” The newspaper admitted it wrongly attributed multiple quotes...
CDC: Nearly everyone is returning for 2nd covid-19 shotVideo
More than 95% of the people who have received the first dose of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine regimen have returned on time for their second, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The public health agency saw the statistics, which it compiled between Dec. 14 and Feb. 14,...
2 people dead in Southern California fireworks explosionVideo
ONTARIO, Calif. — Two people were killed when a large fireworks stash exploded Tuesday in inland Southern California, setting off a series of blasts that shattered windows across the residential neighborhood and sent up a huge plume of smoke, authorities said. Authorities — including the FBI — are investigating the...
Massage parlor shootings leave 8 dead, many of Asian descentVideo
ATLANTA — A series of shootings over nearly an hour at three Atlanta-area massage parlors left eight people dead and raised fears that the attack was yet another hate crime against Asian Americans. Police arrested a 21-year-old Georgia man and said the motive wasn’t immediately known, though many of the...
Virginia governor restores voting rights to 69,000 ex-felons
RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he has restored voting rights to more than 69,000 former felons who have completed their prison sentences but are still on probation. Northam’s move mirrors a proposed constitutional amendment recently approved by the General Assembly that would automatically restore voting rights...
Utah campaign against porn marches on with phone filter plan
SALT LAKE CITY — Conservative lawmakers in Utah have fired another salvo in their longtime campaign against online porn with a new requirement that all cellphones and tablets sold in the state automatically block pornography in a plan that critics call a significant intrusion on free speech. Supporters and critics...
Moderna begins testing its covid-19 vaccine in children as young as 6 monthsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it has begun delivering experimental doses of its covid-19 vaccine to children as part of a study to determine whether it is safe and effective in those as young as 6 months. The trial aims to enroll about 6,750 volunteers in the United States and Canada. The...
Lobbyist named in $60M Ohio bribery investigation found dead
COLUMBUS — A powerful Ohio lobbyist who spent decades at the center of most of the state’s significant policy battles was found dead in Florida as he faced charges in a sweeping federal bribery investigation, authorities said Tuesday. Neil Clark, 67, was found dead Monday by a bicyclist in an...
U.S.: Putin approved operations to help Trump against Biden
WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election, according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes...
Man suspected of killing 4 in fight over stimulus check
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man suspected of killing three adults and a child told police he fatally shot the four victims after he and his girlfriend argued because he wanted a share of her federal covid-19 relief money, according to a court document and one of the girlfriend’s relatives. Malik...
Alaska GOP wants Sen. Murkowski to stop identifying as Republican
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Republican Party has censured U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for voting to convict former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial and now doesn’t want her to identity as a GOP candidate in next year’s election, a member of the party’s State Central Committee said Tuesday....
In Pennsylvania, Biden to highlight aid to small businesses
WASHINGTON — After opening his presidency by playing down expectations for combating the pandemic, President Joe Biden and his top messengers are touring the country to raise hopes over his $1.9 trillion relief package. The president — as well as his vice president and his wife — is promising that...
FBI says Pennsylvania woman filmed inside Capitol on Jan. 6
SCRANTON — A Pennsylvania woman allegedly cheered on rioters as they stormed into the U.S. Capitol in early January and was photographed in a trashed conference room inside the building, the FBI said in a newly unsealed affidavit. Annie C. Howell of Swoyersville was charged earlier this month with trespassing,...
Schools weighing whether to seat students closer together
BOSTON — U.S. guidelines that say students should be kept 6 feet apart in schools are receiving new scrutiny from federal health experts, state governments and education officials working to return as many children as possible to the classroom. Even as more teachers receive vaccinations, the distancing guidelines have remained...
Russia threatens to block Twitter in a month
MOSCOW — Russian authorities said Tuesday they would block Twitter in a month if it doesn’t take steps to remove banned content, a move that escalates the Russian government’s drawn-out standoff with social media platforms that have played a major role in amplifying dissent in Russia. Russia’s state communications watchdog,...
Assistant principal accused in Florida homecoming court vote fraud
An assistant principal at an elementary school is accused of accessing the school district’s internal system to cast fraudulent votes for her daughter who was elected homecoming queen at her high school, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. On Monday, agents arrested Laura Rose Carroll, 50, and her 17-year-old...
Homeland Security chief defends handling of border surge; attempted crossings on pace to hit 20-year peak
WASHINGTON — Faced with a rising number of migrants at the southwest border and criticism from all sides, the Biden administration’s head of Homeland Security insisted Tuesday that the situation is under control as he defended a policy of allowing children crossing by themselves to remain in the country. Homeland...
Naked Cowboy gets hero’s welcome a week after arrest
Attendees at Bike Week in Daytona Beach gave a hero’s welcome to a Times Square performer known as the Naked Cowboy after he returned to the motorcycle festival almost a week after his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence and violating a panhandling ordinance. “He’s out!...
Baby bottle craze sweeps Gulf Arab states, sparks backlash
Cafes across several Gulf Arab states started selling coffee and other cold drinks in baby bottles this month, kicking off a new trend that has elicited excitement, confusion — and backlash. The fad began at Einstein Cafe, a slick dessert chain with branches across the region, from Dubai to Kuwait...
Voter outreach led to big drop in rejected mail ballots
The coronavirus pandemic triggered an unprecedented surge in mailed ballots last year, raising concerns that a flood of first-time absentee voters would lead to another record: more ballots tossed out for missing deadlines, signatures or other reasons. Those fears never materialized. An analysis by The Associated Press found that the...
Advocates seek Biden push on gun bills, but prospects iffy
WASHINGTON — After President Joe Biden’s giant covid-19 relief bill passed Congress, he made a prime-time address to the nation and presided over a Rose Garden ceremony. But there wasn’t so much as a statement from the White House after the House passed legislation that would require background checks for...
