Widespread internet outages hit northeast U.S.
Internet users across the northeast U.S. experienced widespread outages for several hours Tuesday, interrupting work and school because of an unspecified Verizon network issue. “An internet issue impacting the quality of our Fios service throughout the Northeast has been resolved,” said spokesman Rich Young in an emailed statement Tuesday afternoon....
1st private space crew paying $55M each to fly to station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first private space station crew was introduced Tuesday: Three men who are each paying $55 million to fly on a SpaceX rocket. They’ll be led by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the trip for next January....
Feds seek to boost pandemic student nutrition card benefits by 15%
The federal government plans to issue Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to eligible schools and students beginning in early spring, following President Joe Biden’s executive order last week boosting those benefits by 15%. Through P-EBT, eligible students receive temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on EBT cards used to purchase food....
President Biden to pause oil drilling on public lands
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to announce a wide-ranging moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on U.S. lands, as his administration moves quickly to reverse Trump administration policies on energy and the environment and address climate change. Two people with knowledge of Biden’s plans outlined the proposed...
Angry farmers storm India’s Red Fort in huge tractor rally
NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of protesting farmers drove long lines of tractors into India’s capital on Tuesday, breaking through police barricades, defying tear gas and storming the historic Red Fort as the nation celebrated Republic Day. They waved farm union and religious flags from the ramparts of the...
1 dead, at least 30 injured after tornado rips Alabama townVideo
FULTONDALE, Ala. — A teenager sheltering in his basement was killed and several family members were critically injured when a tornado blew a tree onto their Alabama home, police said Tuesday. Many others narrowly escaped with their lives. At least 30 people were injured as the twister carved a 10-mile...
Wisconsin lawmakers to vote on repealing governor’s mask mandate
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate planned to vote Tuesday on repealing Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate, while it remained unclear whether the Assembly would follow suit as required to undo the order. A joint resolution cosponsored by 29 Republicans in the Legislature was up for approval in...
Foot of snow blankets parts of Midwest, disrupts travel
OMAHA, Neb. — A major winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow on parts of Nebraska and Iowa, disrupting traffic and shuttering some schools, while blanketing other parts of the middle of the country with snow that continued to fall Tuesday. There were early closures of several coronavirus...
U.K. eyes quarantine hotels for travelers to curb variants
LONDON — Britain appears ready to order some travelers arriving from abroad to isolate in hotels at their own expense in an attempt to stop the import of new virus variants. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said there would be an announcement Tuesday on plans for tighter border measures. The BBC...
Italian premier resigns, setting off scramble for new allies
ROME — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte resigned Tuesday after a key coalition ally pulled his party’s support over Conte’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, setting the stage for consultations this week to determine if he can form a third government. Conte tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, who held...
Elderly woman killed, 5 others hurt in Portland car rampage
PORTLAND, Ore. — A motorist repeatedly drove into people along streets and sidewalks in Portland, Oregon, on Monday, killing an elderly woman who was dragged beneath the wheels. The man then tried to flee on foot but neighbors surrounded him until police arrived and wrestled him into custody. Five other...
McConnell backs off Senate filibuster fight with Schumer
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell backed off his demand that Senate Democrats preserve the procedural tool known as the filibuster, easing a standoff with new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as the two negotiated a power-sharing agreement in the closely divided chamber. McConnell said late Monday he had essentially...
As 2nd Trump impeachment trial draws near, Sen. Pat Toomey remains on the fence
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey remained uncommitted Monday on whether he would vote to convict former President Donald Trump even as the House prepared to deliver the impeachment charge to the Senate. Toomey, who has said he will not seek reelection in 2022, has been a harsh critic of Trump in...
Minnesota case marks 1st detection of Brazil covid variant
MINNEAPOLIS — A new Brazilian variant of the coronavirus has made its first known appearance in the United States in a person who recently returned to Minnesota after traveling to Brazil, state health officials announced Monday. The Brazil P.1 variant was found in a specimen from a patient who lives...
Covid-19 vaccine theft charge dismissed against Texas doctorVideo
HOUSTON — A judge on Monday dismissed a theft charge against a Houston area health department doctor who had been accused by prosecutors of stealing nine doses of coronavirus vaccine from a damaged vial and administering them to family and friends. Authorities had alleged that Hasan Gokal, who worked for...
Trump impeachment goes to Senate, testing his sway over GOPVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats marched the impeachment case against Donald Trump to the Senate Monday night for the start of his historic trial, but Republican senators were easing off their criticism of the former president and shunning calls to convict him over the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. It’s an...
Pa. Congressman Scott Perry acknowledges introducing Trump to Justice lawyer
PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from the Harrisburg area, acknowledged Monday that he introduced former President Donald Trump to a Department of Justice attorney sympathetic the president’s false election claims, and who later joined Trump in a plot to pressure Georgia officials to overturn the results in...
Janet Yellen wins Senate approval as 1st female treasury secretary
The Senate on Monday approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation’s 78th treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department’s 232-year history. Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve, was approved by the Senate on a 84-15 vote,...
Teen held in Indiana killings of 5, including pregnant womanVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis police arrested a 17-year-old boy Monday in the killings of five people, including a pregnant woman, who were shot to death inside a home in what the city’s mayor called a “devastating act of violence.” The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that the name...
Biden more bullish on vaccines, suggests 1.5M shots per dayVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday appeared to boost his goal for coronavirus vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, suggesting that the nation could soon be vaccinating 1.5 million Americans on average per day. Biden signaled his increasing bullishness on the pace of vaccinations after signing an...
Supreme Court set to decide in Feb. whether to hear Rep. Mike Kelly’s election case
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to announce in as soon as a month whether it will hear the election case of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who started his legal fight against the results of the presidential race within weeks after fellow Republican Donald Trump lost the White House to...
Department of Justice watchdog to probe if staff tried to alter election outcomeVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s inspector general has opened an investigation into whether department staff members sought to use the agency to alter the outcome of the 2020 election and overturn President Joe Biden’s victory. The department didn’t say what prompted Inspector General Michael Horowitz to open the inquiry, but...
AP source: Lawmakers threatened ahead of impeachment trialVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials are examining a number of threats aimed at members of Congress as the second trial of former President Donald Trump nears, including ominous chatter about killing legislators or attacking them outside of the U.S. Capitol, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The threats,...
Storm threatens Midwest with heavy snow, travel disruptions
OMAHA, Neb. — A major winter storm threatened to blanket parts of the middle of the country with more than a foot of snow Monday, promising to disrupt travel and even forcing the closure of some coronavirus testing sites. The National Weather Service forecast that the snow could stretch from...
Pets are back: Biden’s 2 dogs settle in at White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — The patter of paws is being heard in the White House again following the arrival of President Joe Biden’s dogs Champ and Major. The two German shepherds are the first pets to live at the executive mansion since the Obama administration. Major burst onto the national scene late...
