Thanksgiving could be make-or-break in U.S. virus response
In Pennsylvania, if you’re having friends over to socialize, you’re supposed to wear a mask — and so are your friends. That’s the rule, but Barb Chestnut has no intention of following it. “No one is going to tell me what I can or not do in my own home”...
New York City’s first African American mayor, David Dinkins, dies
NEW YORK — David Dinkins, who broke barriers as New York City’s first African American mayor but was doomed to a single term by a soaring murder rate, stubborn unemployment and his mishandling of a riot in Brooklyn, has died. He was 93. Dinkins died Monday, the New York City...
Uganda death toll up to 45 after opposition leader’s arrest
KAMPALA, Uganda — The death toll from last week’s protests over the arrest of Ugandan opposition presidential hopeful and musician Bobi Wine has risen to 45, police say, with more than 800 people arrested. Police spokesman Fred Enanga told reporters on Monday that “our hearts go to the families” of...
Lunar mission is latest milestone in China’s space ambitions
WENCHANG, China — China’s latest trip to the moon is another milestone in the Asian powerhouse’s slow but steady ascent to the stars. China became the third country to put a person into orbit 17 years ago and the first to land on the far side of the moon in...
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo: Massive Orthodox wedding in Brooklyn ‘disrespectful’
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn synagogue should be investigated over reports that it hosted a secret wedding with thousands of unmasked guests earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “If that happened, it was a blatant disregard of the law,” Cuomo said during a briefing in New York...
Secret Service planning for Trump spending majority of his post-presidency in Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Secret Service is planning for a stepped-up presence in Palm Beach County starting on Jan. 20 — when President Donald Trump adds “former” to his title and begins spending much more time at his Mar-a-Lago Club. Former presidents and former first ladies get Secret Service...
After criticism, Sen. Dianne Feinstein to step down as top Judiciary Democrat
WASHINGTON — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Monday she will step down from her role as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, giving up the powerful spot after public criticism of her bipartisan outreach and her handling of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings. Feinstein, 87,...
U.S. agency ascertains Biden as winner, lets transition beginVideo
WASHINGTON — The General Services Administration ascertained Monday that President-elect Joe Biden is the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election, clearing the way for the start of the transition from President Donald Trump’s administration and allowing Biden to coordinate with federal agencies on plans for taking over on Jan....
West Virginia hits new coronavirus records as leaders resist new measures
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has again smashed a weekly record for confirmed cases of the coronavirus as Thanksgiving approaches. Health officials said there were 5,153 confirmed cases of the virus statewide last week, up 11.4% from the old record of 4,623 positive cases set the previous week. In the...
China lashes out at U.S. withdrawal from open skies treaty
BEIJING — China on Monday lashed out at Washington over its withdrawal from the “Open Skies Treaty” with Russia, saying the move undermined military trust and transparency and imperiled future attempts at arms control. The treaty, to which China is not a signatory, had allowed each country overflight rights to...
Millions stick to Thanksgiving travel plans despite warningsVideo
About 1 million Americans a day packed airports and planes over the weekend even as coronavirus deaths surged across the U.S. and public health experts begged people to stay home and avoid big Thanksgiving gatherings. And the crowds are only expected to grow. Next Sunday is likely to be the...
Georgia counties set to start recount requested by TrumpVideo
ATLANTA — After the Trump campaign requested a recount of the presidential ballots in Georgia, county election workers have just over a week to complete the new tally, a top elections official said Monday. The election results certified last week by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger showed Democrat Joe Biden...
Michigan certifies Biden win despite Trump’s GOP overturesVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan election officials on Monday certified Democrat Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in the state amid President Donald Trump’s brazen attempts to subvert the results of the election. The Board of State Canvassers, which has two Republicans and two Democrats, confirmed the results on a 3-0 vote with...
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine warns of rising covid-19 hospitalizations
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of people hospitalized in Ohio because of the coronavirus is growing rapidly and raising the possibility that elective procedures could be postponed, hospital officials and Gov. Mike DeWine warned on Monday. More than 4,300 people are currently in the hospital with covid-19 related symptoms, a...
Biden taps ex-Fed chair Janet Yellen to lead TreasuryVideo
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has chosen former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to serve as treasury secretary, a pivotal role in which she would help shape and direct his economic policies, according to a person familiar with the transition plans. Yellen, who is widely admired in the financial world,...
New York state sues Buffalo diocese over priest misconduct
BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and two former church leaders, alleging they covered up allegations of sexual misconduct and misused charitable assets by supporting predatory priests who were allowed to retire or go on leave. The lawsuit...
Reports: Israeli PM flew to Saudi Arabia, met crown prince
JERUSALEM — Israeli media reported Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials. The reported meeting was the latest move by the Trump Administration to...
World Health Organization official urges China visit to study coronavirus origin
GENEVA — The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization says it’s “extremely important” for its international team to visit China to look into the origins of the coronavirus, saying the U.N. health agency has been reassured such a trip will happen “as soon as possible.” Dr. Michael Ryan...
White House still planning holiday parties, despite warnings
WASHINGTON — Public health officials are sounding alarms and urging Americans not to travel and limit gatherings this holiday season amid a new surge in coronavirus cases. But that isn’t stopping the White House from planning a host of festivities, including holiday parties, which kicked off Monday with the arrival...
Suspect arrested in fatal stabbings at California church
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbings of two people and the wounding of three others at a church in California’s Silicon Valley that was being used as a homeless shelter, police said Monday. “We have one suspect in custody for last...
Gun-toting congresswoman-elect may carry Glock at Capitol
WASHINGTON — A firearms-toting congresswoman-elect who owns a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, has already asked Capitol Police about carrying her weapon on Capitol grounds, her office has acknowledged. If she does so, she apparently won’t be alone. The practice is allowed for lawmakers, with some limitations, under decades-old congressional...
Biden signals shift from Trump with national security picks
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden is moving to fill out his national security team with a raft of appointments to top positions that signal his intent to repudiate the Trump administration’s “America First” doctrine. The six picks announced on Monday, almost all of them alumni of the Obama administration, represent...
Pennsylvania adds nearly 12,000 new covid cases in 2 days
Since Saturday, Pennsylvania has added 11,837 new cases of coronavirus, the state’s Department of Health said Monday. On Sunday 7,075 cases were added, while Monday saw an addition of 4,762 cases. The statewide total stands at 314,401. The seven-day average of new cases rose to a record 6,398 cases; over...
Feds charge 15 alleged Philly mobsters with racketeering, drug dealing and extortion
The Philadelphia mob has limped along on life support for the past decade, its former leaders, Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi and Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, out of the picture after high-profile federal prosecutions. But reports of La Cosa Nostra’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to a federal grand jury...
EU, U.K. still have ‘fundamental’ differences in trade talks
BRUSSELS — With the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in quarantine, trade talks with the United Kingdom continued by videoconference this week, though the optimism expressed last week seemed to have faded. Barnier stressed on Monday that negotiators were running out of time to make a Jan. 1 deadline...
