U.S. citizenship test adds more questions, draws criticism
PHOENIX — An updated U.S. citizenship test will require applicants to answer more questions than before and could slow down the number of tests held each day, experts said. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency on Friday announced the updated test now has 128 civics items to study and...
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak tests positive for covid-19
CARSON CITY, Nev.— Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday said he has tested positive for covid-19 as the virus surges to record levels in the state and across the U.S. The 66-year-old Democrat is the fifth governor to report testing positive for the coronavirus this year. Three governors, two Republicans...
Oregon, New Mexico order lockdowns as other states resist
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The governors of Oregon and New Mexico ordered near-lockdowns Friday in the most aggressive response yet to the latest wave of coronavirus infections shattering records across the U.S., even as many of their counterparts in other states show little appetite for reimposing the hard-line restrictions of last...
Tropical Storm Iota forms, could follow Eta’s deadly path
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Just as the remnants of Eta finally blew out to sea on Friday, another storm formed that could follow its path of death and destruction into Central America this weekend, and Tropical Storm Theta was moving closer to Europe. Hurricane experts were closely watching the Caribbean,...
Donald Trump wins battleground state of North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump has won the presidential battleground state of North Carolina over Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Trump campaigned aggressively in North Carolina with in-person rallies at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, including gatherings in Fayetteville, Winston-Salem and Greenville. Biden had largely kept off the physical...
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announces 14-day statewide ‘freeze’
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Friday announced a statewide two-week “freeze” which will limit restaurants and bars to take-out only and close gyms, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities during that period. The freeze will be in effect from Nov. 18 through Dec. 2 and aims to limit...
Tight spot: Trump loss complicates Pence’s political future
WASHINGTON — For Mike Pence, a second term for President Donald Trump would have been a 2024 ticket to Republican frontrunner status. But with Trump’s loss — after Pence spent the last four years as his most loyal soldier and the past year doggedly campaigning on his behalf — the...
Trump, stewing over election, to deliver remarks on covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first public remarks Friday since his defeat by President-elect Joe Biden, as he seeks to highlight positive developments in the race for a vaccine for the resurgent coronavirus, even as he refuses to concede the election. Trump is set to...
As virus cases surge, elected officials resist restrictions
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — With the coronavirus coming back with a vengeance across the country and the U.S. facing a long, dark winter, governors and other elected officials are showing little appetite for imposing the kind of lockdowns and large-scale business closings seen last spring. Many also continue to resist issuing...
West Virginia tightens mask mandate, delays winter sports
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced Friday that facial coverings will be required at all times in businesses and other indoor spaces starting at midnight. The Republican governor said businesses will need to post signs notifying entrants of the mask requirement under his executive order. “It’s just...
Democrats keep winning the popular vote. That worries them.
Democrats won the popular vote in this year’s presidential election yet again, marking seven out of eight straight presidential elections that the party has reached that milestone. And, for some Democrats, that’s worrisome. President-elect Joe Biden has so far won 50.8% of the vote compared to the 47.4% who voted...
Federal court rejects effort to block late-arriving Pennsylvania ballots
PHILADELPHIA — A federal appeals court in Philadelphia on Friday rejected an effort led by a Republican congressional candidate to block about 9,300 ballots that arrived after Election Day. The three-judge panel, led by Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Brooks Smith, noted the “unprecedented challenges” facing the nation this year, especially...
Pennsylvania continues to set coronavirus records with 5,531 new cases
Pennsylvania on Friday continued to set records with 5,531 new cases of coronavirus. That is the fourth consecutive day of record-high daily cases. The state’s seven-day average has marched upward for a dozen consecutive days to 4,348 cases. Similarly, the seven-day case total has been accelerating and is now 30,437....
2 workers dead, 1 person missing in Connecticut veterans hospital blast
WEST HAVEN, Conn. — An apparent steam pipe explosion Friday in a maintenance building at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Connecticut killed a VA employee and a contractor and left a third person missing, officials said. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said patient care was not affected by the blast on...
Texas AG whistleblowers sue for wrongful firing, retaliation
DALLAS — Four former deputies to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are suing him for wrongful firing and retaliating against them for reporting him to the FBI for alleged bribery and abuse of office. Their lawsuit adds to the deepening legal and political peril for the high-profile Republican, who is...
Georgia starts hand recount of presidential race
ATLANTA — Georgia’s manual recount began Friday morning as election workers reviewed the first of nearly 5 million ballots to confirm the outcome of the presidential race. The recount started at 9 a.m. and will last until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, resulting in a new, official count in the race where...
Dutch govt bans New Year’s Eve fireworks to help hospitals
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A year overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic will not go out with the usual bang in the Netherlands after the Dutch government announced Friday it is banning the sale and use of most fireworks. New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands is traditionally celebrated with fireworks, with...
Vatican calling: Pope congratulates Joe Biden on election
It’s not exactly divine intervention, but even the pope considers the U.S. presidential race over. President-elect Joe Biden, a lifelong Roman Catholic, spoke to Pope Francis on Thursday, despite President Donald Trump refusing to concede. Trump claims — without evidence — that the election was stolen from him through massive...
Polish bishops defend John Paul II after McCarrick report
WARSAW, Poland — Polish bishops defended St. John Paul II on Friday against evidence that he rejected reports that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick slept with his seminarians, seeking to salvage a papal legacy that has been badly tarnished by his inaction on clergy sexual abuse. The head of the Polish bishops...
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake hits remote corner of Nevada
MINA, Nev. — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck a remote corner of Nevada early Friday, shaking the desert and a nearby town, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake struck at 1:13 a.m. and was centered about 21 miles southeast of Mina, a town of about 155, at a...
11 killed as India, Pakistan trade fire in disputed Kashmir
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani and Indian troops clashed in disputed Kashmir, leaving 11 people dead, including three Indian soldiers, and wounding more than 30 others on both sides, officials said Friday. The fighting came amid increasing tension between the South Asian neighbors. In a statement, Pakistani military and government officials...
Drones light up Seoul sky, urge virus vigilance
SEOUL, South Korea — With masked spectators watching from below, hundreds of drones lit up the night sky in South Korea’s capital on Friday in a synchronized display to encourage citizens to remain vigilant against the coronavirus. More than 300 drones flew in the performance above Olympic Park in southern...
Germany criticizes new Russian sanctions over Navalny case
BERLIN — The German government on Friday criticized an announcement by Russia’s foreign minister that Moscow is imposing sanctions against German and French officials in response to EU measures taken over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny, a corruption investigator and longtime foe of Russian President Vladimir...
World covid roundup: Greek PM vows virus vaccinations will be freeVideo
ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s prime minister says the government will provide the coronavirus vaccine, when it becomes available, to all Greeks free of charge. Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the comments while chairing a ministerial meeting about the government’s vaccination strategy for covid-19. Greece has seen a resurgence of the virus’s spread...
Measles cases reach 23-year high, with infections hitting 870,000
Measles cases reached the highest level in 23 years in 2019, and health authorities warned that many countries aren’t vaccinating enough people amid the covid-19 pandemic. The global total for confirmed measles infections rose to 869,770 last year, the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
