Capitol has seen violence over 220 years, but not like this
In more than 220 years, the U.S. Capitol had seen nothing like it: a roiling mob, forcing its way past its majestic marble columns, disrupting the passage of power, desecrating the seat of the world’s greatest democracy. But this was far from the first time the Capitol has been scarred...
Former presidents Bush, Obama ‘appalled’ and sickened by mayhem at Capitol
Former President George W. Bush said he and his wife, Laura, are sickened and heartbroken over the “mayhem” in Washington, D.C., and have watched in “disbelief and dismay” as events unfolded. Bush said the “assault” on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and the disruption of a constitutionally mandated meeting to...
World leaders express shock at storming of U.S. Capitol
Leaders around the world condemned the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, expressing shock at the chaos unfolding in a country they once relied upon for global leadership. “Disgraceful scenes in US Congress,” tweeted Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, a staunch ally...
Trump supporters stage protests nationwide
From Oklahoma to Kansas to Utah, supporters of President Donald Trump staged protests nationwide Wednesday. In Oklahoma City, Okla., close to 1,000 Trump supporters gathered at the Oklahoma Capitol as a joint session of Congress convened in Washington to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden. Protesters held...
Pa. Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward defends election questions as U.S. Capitol stormed
State Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward on Wednesday refused to budge from her position questioning the integrity of Nov. 3 election in Pennsylvania, even as an angry crowd of Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol and Gov. Tom Wolf called out state Republicans for fomenting a “shameful lie.” Ward of...
Biden calls on protesters to ‘pull back,’ urges restoring decency
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden called Wednesday for the restoration of “just simple decency” as a mob incited by his predecessor stormed the U.S. Capitol and delayed Congress from certifying the results of November’s election in which Biden won the White House. Biden had planned to deliver a speech...
Woman shot inside Capitol during riot diesVideo
WASHINGTON — A woman who was shot inside the U.S. Capitol during the violent pro-Trump protest has died. That’s according to two officials familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The Metropolitan Police Department...
Trump to protesters: ‘We love you. You’re very special … but go home’
President Donald Trump issued a recorded statement via Twitter about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday telling protesters who stormed the U.S. Capitol to “go home.” And then he doubled down about two hours later. “I know you’re pain. I know you’re hurt,” Trump said in his statement. “We had an election that...
Photos: Protesters storm U.S. Capitol, disrupt approval of Biden’s win
Protesters backing President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in violent clashes with police that force a delay in the constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Trump had urged his supporters to come to Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s win....
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: Challenging Biden win threatens republic
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged fellow Republicans on Wednesday to abandon their effort to overrule President-elect Joe Biden’s election triumph, directly rebuking defeated President Donald Trump and asserting that the GOP drive threatened the country’s democratic foundations. “The voters, the courts and the states have all spoken,”...
Romney heckled in airport in another show of GOP divisions
SALT LAKE CITY — Supporters of President Donald Trump heckled Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah in an airport, illustrating divisions in the Republican Party between Trump loyalists and those ready to accept the results of the presidential election. Romney has been considered Trump’s sharpest GOP critic and is...
Justice Department says it’s been affected by Russian hack
The Justice Department disclosed on Wednesday that it was among the federal agencies harmed by a massive breach of government networks that U.S. officials have linked to Russia. The extent of the damage was unclear. The department said that 3% of its Microsoft Office 365 email accounts were potentially affected,...
For first time in 5 years, U.S. gas mileage down, emissions up
DETROIT — A new government report says gas mileage for new vehicles dropped and pollution increased in model year 2019 for the first time in five years. The mileage increase comes as Americans continue to buy SUVs and trucks, and shift away from more efficient vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency...
Biden introduces Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general
President-elect Joe Biden introduced Merrick Garland as his pick for attorney general on Thursday, turning to an experienced judge to help de-politicize the Justice Department and restore the rule of law after what he described as four years of lawlessness under President Donald Trump. Biden also described the pro-Trump mob...
Pro-Trump mob overruns U.S. Capitol in bid to overturn election; 4 dead
WASHINGTON — A violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House. The nation’s elected representatives...
Pence defies Trump, says he can’t reject electoral votes
WASHINGTON — Defying President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged Wednesday he does not have the power to throw out the electoral votes that will make Democrat Joe Biden the next president in two weeks, dashing Trump’s baseless hopes that Pence somehow could find a way to keep him...
Pennsylvania reports highest new covid case total in 2 weeks
Pennsylvania reported its highest total of new cases of coronavirus in two weeks on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 9,474 new positive cases of covid-19, raising the statewide total to 683,389. The state also added the most new deaths to its total since May. Wednesday’s addition of 368...
On the llam: ‘Very chill’ llama found wandering off highway
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — A passerby spotted a wandering llama in a field off an interstate in Massachusetts and with the help of an animal control officer, brought it to a farm for safekeeping. Patrick Boddy was driving in Newburyport when he spotted the male gray-and-white llama, stopped his truck and...
Former President Jimmy Carter not planning to attend Biden inauguration
For the first time since 1977, Jimmy Carter will not attend a presidential inauguration. A spokeswoman for the former president and Georgia native said Tuesday that neither Carter, 96, nor his 93-year-old wife, Rosalynn Carter, would be attending the Jan. 20 ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden. The Carters “have sent...
EU commission greenlights Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine
AMSTERDAM — The European Union’s executive commission gave the green light Wednesday to Moderna Inc.’s covid-19 vaccine, providing the 27-nation bloc with a second vaccine to use in the desperate battle to tame the virus rampaging across the continent. The European Commission granted conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine. The...
Europeans press Iran to back down on uranium enrichment
BERLIN — Germany, France and Britain pressed Iran on Wednesday to reverse a decision to start enriching uranium to levels beyond the limits of a 2015 nuclear agreement, a move they said “risks compromising” chances of diplomacy with the incoming U.S. administration. The foreign ministers of the three European nations...
Governors scramble to speed covid-19 vaccine effort after slow start
New York’s governor is threatening to fine hospitals that don’t use their allotment of COVID-19 vaccine fast enough. His South Carolina counterpart says health care workers have until Jan. 15 to get a shot or move to the back of the line. California’s governor wants to use dentists to vaccinate...
Julian Assange denied bail during U.S. extradition appeal
Julian Assange was denied bail by a U.K. judge Wednesday, two days after the court blocked the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the U.S. on mental-health grounds. The ruling means the 49-year-old will remain in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison, where he’s been for nearly two years. He will be held while...
NYC fisherman reels in corpse near Brooklyn pier
A fisherman in New York City caught more than he bargained for when he pulled a dead body out of the waves instead of the usual fish. The New York Post reports that Edmond Stringa, 69, of Queens was fishing Tuesday afternoon off of a pier in Brooklyn when he...
California orders surgery delays as coronavirus swamps hospitals
LOS ANGELES — Hospitals in California are so swamped by the coronavirus pandemic that the state has ordered those with room to accept patients from others that are out of intensive care beds. The public health order issued Tuesday night could result in patients being shipped to Northern California from...
