Gov. Wolf: Teachers, others can get Johnson & Johnson vaccine when it arrives
Educators in Pennsylvania will be able to receive the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available, and shipments should start arriving in the state this week, state officials said Tuesday. “We have an unusual opportunity with (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) because it’s a one-dose,” Gov. Tom Wolf...
Pa. reports 2,564 covid cases, 74 additional deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported 2,564 additional coronavirus cases and 74 additional deaths, according to the state Department of Health. Tuesday’s reported cases were designated 1,843 confirmed and 721 probable. Of the newly reported deaths, 69 are from February, three from January and one each in December and November. Health officials...
CNN’s Chris Cuomo says he ‘obviously’ can’t cover allegations against brother, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
NEW YORK — CNN host Chris Cuomo told viewers Monday that he “obviously” couldn’t cover the stories surrounding his older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual harassment by three women. The prime time host addressed the topic immediately at the start of his show,...
U.S. sets sanctions over Russia opposition leader’s poisoning
The Biden administration announced sanctions of Russian officials and businesses Tuesday for a nearly fatal nerve-agent attack upon opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent jailing. Senior administration officials did not immediately identify the Russian officials targeted. The Biden administration also announced sanctions under the U.S. Chemical and Biological Weapons...
Vatican defends pope Iraq trip as act of love
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is defending Pope Francis’ decision to go ahead with his trip to Iraq this weekend despite rising coronavirus infections there, saying Tuesday all health care precautions have been taken and that the trip is an “act of love for this land, for its people, and...
Vernon Jordan, activist, former Clinton adviser, has died
ATLANTA — Vernon Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, has died, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85. Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams, released the statement...
Official: Merck to help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Merck & Co. will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved coronavirus vaccine in an effort to expand supply more quickly, a Biden administration official confirmed Tuesday. The announcement comes as the White House looks to speed the production of the single-dose vaccine. Officials have said...
Censure of Sen. Toomey for Trump impeachment vote falls short
A sharply-split Republican State Committee in Pennsylvania voted Monday night to again express its displeasure with Sen. Pat Toomey’s vote last month to convict former President Donald Trump on an article of impeachment, but stopped short of voting to censure him. Committee members were given the choice of voting for...
Irish jockey apologizes for sitting on dead horse
DUBLIN — An amateur jockey from Ireland apologized on Tuesday after video of him sitting on a dead horse was posted on social media, following one of the country’s leading trainers being banned from entering runners in British races because of similar conduct. Rob James, a winner at the Cheltenham...
States easing coronavirus restrictions despite experts’ warningsVideo
MISSION, Kan. — With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery. Massachusetts...
Trump investigators seek info about CFO Weisselberg’s sons
New York prosecutors investigating Donald Trump and the Trump Organization Inc. have questioned witnesses about the two sons of the company’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Investigators with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office have asked about Barry Weisselberg’s role in...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo accuser blasts attempted apology, ‘predatory behavior’Video
NEW YORK — A former aide accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment condemned him Monday as a manipulative predator, as another woman said the governor had left her “shocked and embarrassed” after trying to kiss her at a 2019 wedding. The woman, Anna Ruch, became the third...
California serial killer who was spared execution is killed in prison
SACRAMENTO — A California serial killer known as the “I-5 Strangler” in the 1970s and 1980s has been killed in the prison where he was serving multiple life sentences, state correctional officials said Monday. A correctional officer doing rounds spotted Roger Reece Kibbe, 81, unresponsive in his cell at Mule...
Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as Biden’s education secretary
The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote....
Ohio to receive nearly 450K coronavirus vaccines this week
COLUMBUS — Ohio will receive nearly 450,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week thanks to the approval of a third vaccine, and the state is expanding eligible recipients to people 60 and over, pregnant women, day care workers, and police officers, among others, Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. The...
Trumps were vaccinated in January before leaving White House, adviser says
Before leaving the White House on Jan. 20, then-President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump received their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine earlier in the month, a Trump adviser said Monday. The former first couple received their second shot while in Florida as private citizens. The adviser did...
Georgia House passes GOP bill rolling back voting accessVideo
ATLANTA — Republican lawmakers in Georgia muscled legislation through the state House on Monday that would roll back voting access, over the objection of Democrats and civil rights groups gathered at the Capitol to protest. The bill comes after record turnout led to Democratic wins in Georgia’s presidential election and...
15-year-old boy injured in Arkansas school shooting; classmate held
PINE BLUFF, Ark. — A 15-year-old boy shot and seriously injured a fellow student Monday morning at an Arkansas junior high school, and the suspect was detained in a juvenile detention facility, authorities said. The shooting happened in a hallway at Watson Chapel Junior High School as students were switching...
Biden tries to reset relationship with Mexican presidentVideo
WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden looks to dismantle the last administration’s hardline immigration agenda, he worked Monday to build a partnership with someone who found an unexpected understanding with Donald Trump: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Biden and López Obrador met for a virtual bilateral meeting, with immigration,...
Senate panel votes to advance Garland’s nomination to be AG
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to advance the nomination of Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general. The committee voted 15 to seven in favor of Garland’s nomination at a meeting on Monday afternoon. Garland, a federal appeals court judge who was snubbed by Republicans...
Thomas Saylor outlines plans to step down as Pa. chief justice in April
The chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said Monday he will relinquish that title to a colleague in a few months but stay on the court until his full retirement at year’s end. Chief Justice Thomas Saylor said the position of chief justice will be filled by Justice Max...
Coroner called after vehicle crashes into Gettysburg gift shop, starts firesVideo
A coroner was called to the scene of a crash in which a vehicle slammed into a Gettysburg gift shop and burst into flames, setting the building and a neighboring structure on fire, authorities said. Emergency dispatchers said the vehicle crashed into the Blue and Gray Gift Shop shortly before...
States easing virus restrictions despite experts’ warnings
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery....
WHO calls it ‘premature,’ ‘unrealistic’ that covid will end soon
GENEVA — A senior World Health Organization official said Monday it was “premature” and “unrealistic” to think the pandemic might be stopped by the end of the year, but that the recent arrival of effective vaccines could at least help dramatically reduce hospitalizations and death. The world’s singular focus right...
Minimum wage hike all but dead in big covid relief bill
WASHINGTON — Democrats’ hopes of including a minimum wage increase in their $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief bill seemed all but dead Monday as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the House-passed aid package. Four days after the chamber’s parliamentarian said Senate rules forbid inclusion of a straight-out...
