Where are the ‘continuity of government’ vaccine doses coming from? No one wants to say
WASHINGTON — Where is the supply of covid-19 vaccines coming from for senior officials across government? No one will say. Days after the White House confirmed that senior officials would receive covid-19 vaccines to help ensure continuity of government, it remains unclear from where those vaccine doses will originate. The...
38 states, including Pennsylvania, file anti-trust lawsuit against Google
DENVER — A group of 38 states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers. The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington,...
Pennsylvania reports 224 new coronavirus deaths, adds 9,966 cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 224 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The death toll for the state stands at 13,392. There have been 1,967 deaths already this month. Of the 224 deaths newly reported, 220 are from December, three are from November and one is from July....
Putin denies involvement in poisoning of Kremlin foe Navalny
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected allegations that the Kremlin was behind the poisoning of his top political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and accused U.S. intelligence agencies of fomenting the claims even as he held out hope for better ties with Washington. Putin also voiced hope...
Shooting becomes homicide probe for Erie police after 13-year-old shot several times dies
An Erie police investigation into the shooting of a 13-year-old boy in what the city’s police chief said appears to have been a targeted attack on Dec. 5 has turned into a homicide probe. Chief Dan Spizarny said Thursday morning that investigators have been told that the boy, identified by...
U.S. jobless claims rise to 885,000 amid resurgence of virus
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again last week to 885,000 as a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens the economy’s recovery from its springtime collapse. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of applications increased from 862,000 the previous week. It showed that nine...
French President Macron tests positive for covidVideo
PARIS — France’s Elysee Palace says President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the coronavirus. It says the president took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared.” The brief statement didn’t say what symptoms Macron experienced, but he would isolate for seven days and continue to work. It...
Russia can’t use its name or flag at next 2 Olympics
GENEVA — Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years after a ruling Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Lausanne-based court halved the four-year ban proposed last year...
Reputed mobster admits assaulting ‘Real Housewives’ hubby
NEWARK, N.J. — A reputed mobster admitted assaulting the then-boyfriend and now husband of a former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member in exchange for a deeply discounted lavish wedding reception. John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, N.J., pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of committing a violent...
Close but not yet: Deal near on covid economic aid bill
WASHINGTON — Congressional negotiators on the long-delayed $900 billion covid-19 economic relief package worked through a handful of remaining holdups Thursday as they labored to seal a final agreement for more help to businesses and the unemployed and new stimulus payments to most Americans. Top congressional leaders also finally acknowledged...
U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman meets with Taliban on peace talks
KABUL, Afghanistan — The top U.S. general held unannounced talks with Taliban peace negotiators in the Persian Gulf to urge a reduction in violence across Afghanistan, even as senior American officials in Kabul warned that stepped-up Taliban attacks endanger the militant group’s nascent peace negotiations with the Afghan government. Army...
He came to Baltimore from rural Pennsylvania to buy drugs. Now he’s dead and a 13-year-old boy is charged with murder
BALTIMORE — A Pennsylvania man who police said was gunned down by a 13-year-old boy in Southwest Baltimore struggled with addiction and was in the city to buy heroin to bring back home, the man’s family said. Chad Michael Jordan, 40, of Jefferson, Pa., was shot and killed Friday after...
Alaska health care worker hospitalized after receiving covid-19 vaccine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Juneau health care worker was hospitalized and treated for a serious allergic reaction after receiving the covid-19 vaccine Tuesday, hospital and health officials said Wednesday. The worker felt flush and took an antihistamine around 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. She felt...
‘If not one thing, it’s another’: Storm rolls into Northeast
NEW YORK — A major snowstorm rolled into the Northeast on Wednesday at a key moment in the coronavirus pandemic, days after the start of the U.S. vaccination campaign and in the thick of a virus surge that has throngs of people seeking tests per day. Snow was falling from...
Chicago mayor apologizes to woman for wrongful police raid
CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologized Wednesday to a social worker whose home was wrongly raided by police officers who did not allow the woman to put on any clothes before handcuffing her. A civilian review board is investigating the 2019 incident at Anjanette Young’s home of which Chicago’s...
Texas oilman’s Ansel Adams photo gets $988,000 at auction
DALLAS — A West Texas oilman’s mural-sized print of an Ansel Adams photo has sold for nearly $1 million at an auction. Sotheby’s New York, the auction house, said Tuesday that “The Grand Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming” sold for $988,000, a record price for...
IS widow convicted in Charlie Hebdo, kosher market attacks
PARIS — The fugitive widow of an Islamic State gunman and a man described as his logistician were convicted Wednesday of terrorism charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison in the trial of 14 people linked to the January 2015 Paris attacks against the satirical Charlie Hebdo newspaper and...
As covid-19 surges, Pennsylvania colleges urged to delay students’ return
Citing “an alarming increase in covid-19 cases” and yet another surge expected to peak in January, Pennsylvania acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega on Wednesday urged colleges and universities to delay the start of their spring semester. Ortega also suggested colleges and universities use virtual instruction as much as possible....
U.S. plans new charges in 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department plans to unseal new charges in the coming days in connection with the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, according to a person familiar with the case. The bombing of Flight 103, whose victims included dozens...
U.S. angling to secure more of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say they’re actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and special adviser Dr. Moncef...
MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, has given $4.2 billion to charity in 4 months
For many in the U.S. the coronavirus pandemic has brought insurmountable hardship and loss, while others have seen their fortunes soar. CBS News reports that MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, is among those who have seen a substantial increase in their fortunes. Scott, however, has chosen...
Arizona ties, sets records for virus deaths, hospital usage
PHOENIX — Arizona on Wednesday tied a previous record of coronavirus deaths in one day during the current virus surge while its available hospital bed capacity dropped to a record-low since the start of the pandemic. As the state’s vaccination program began to ramp up, the state Department of Health...
Kenyan man charged with plotting 9/11-style attack on U.S.
NEW YORK — Federal authorities have unsealed an indictment charging a Kenyan man with trying to stage a 9/11-style attack on the United States on behalf of the terrorist organization al-Shabab. Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 30, who was arrested in the Philippines in 2019, was transferred to U.S. custody Tuesday on...
Pennsylvania reports over 10K coronavirus cases for 5th time in 7 days
Pennsylvania’s coronavirus case total grew by 10,049 on Wednesday, the fifth time in the past seven days with a total above 10,000. The new cases reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health bring the state’s total to 519,369. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania surpassed 500,000 cases, becoming the seventh state to reach...
Iran nuclear deal members urge Tehran return to compliance
BERLIN — World powers that are part of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran urged Tehran on Wednesday to roll back violations of the accord and return to full compliance during a virtual meeting in Vienna, a German official said. The meeting came as the signatories to the agreement...
