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...
Court blocks small number of ballots in Pennsylvania over ID
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania judge sided with President Donald Trump’s campaign Thursday and ordered counties not to count a small number of mail-in or absentee ballots for which the voter didn’t submit valid identification within six days after the Nov. 3 election. The injunction issued by Commonwealth Court Judge Mary...
Top officials: Nov. 3 election most secure in U.S. history
WASHINGTON — A coalition of federal and state officials said Thursday that they have no evidence that votes were compromised or altered in last week’s presidential election, rejecting unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud advanced by President Donald Trump and many of his supporters. The statement from cybersecurity experts, which trumpeted...
North Dakota nurses don’t back positive asymptomatic colleagues working
BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Nurses Association said it does not support a move to allow health care workers who have tested positive for covid-19 but do not have symptoms to remain on the job. Gov. Doug Burgum supports the idea as part of an effort to ease stress...
McEnany wears 2 hats as White House press secretary, campaign adviserVideo
WASHINGTON — A White House press secretary who refers questions to the White House? Kayleigh McEnany is wearing two hats, one as a Trump 2020 campaign adviser and the other as the White House press secretary, charged with articulating the administration’s policies and positions to the press and the public....
Don Young, Alaska’s sole member the U.S. House, tests positive for covid
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Rep. Don Young announced Thursday that he has tested positive for covid-19, a day after winning his 25th term in the U.S. House. The 87-year-old representative made the announcement on Twitter. “I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska and ask for...
Justice Department: ‘Poor judgment’ used in Jeffrey Epstein plea deal, but finds no misconduct
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department report has found former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta exercised “poor judgment” in handling an investigation into wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was a top federal prosecutor in Florida. The report, obtained by The Associated Press, is a culmination of an investigation by the Justice...
Senate likely to vote on controversial Fed pick Judy Shelton next week
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s unorthodox choice for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Judy Shelton, could be voted on by the Senate next week, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office said Thursday. The willingness of the Senate GOP leadership to bring Shelton’s nomination to the floor indicates that they likely...
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...
Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski positive for coronavirus
Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski has tested positive for the coronavirus. Lewandowski recently traveled to Pennsylvania to assist Trump’s efforts to contest the state’s election results. He said Thursday he believes he was infected in Philadelphia and he’s not experiencing any symptoms. Lewandowski appeared with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani at an...
Belarus rights group counts 900 cases against opposition
KYIV, Ukraine — A human rights group said Thursday that authorities in Belarus have brought more than 900 criminal cases carrying potential yearslong prison sentences against opposition figures and protesters in connection with the country’s challenged presidential election and the anti-government demonstrations that followed. The tally released by the Viasna...
Serious covid-19 outbreak threatens hundreds at Pa. prison for medically vulnerable
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A serious coronavirus outbreak is unfolding inside the Pennsylvania prison facility for medically vulnerable inmates diagnosed with cancer or...
States ramp up for biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history
With a covid-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who’s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return...
‘Erratic’ passenger on Philadelphia-bound flight taken to hospital
PHILADELPHIA — The cabin crew took “precautionary measures” after a passenger exhibited “erratic behavor” on an American Airlines jetliner headed to Philadelphia from Orlando, Fla., the airline said. Flight 2392 was approaching Philadelphia International Airport when the crew became aware of a passenger “exhibiting erratic behavior and making alarming comments,”...
Pennsylvania sees another record day, adds 5,488 new coronavirus cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported 5,488 new positive cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the first time the state has seen over 5,000 new cases in a day. The state has seen several days with record number of cases this week. There were 4,711 new cases on Wednesday and 4,361 on...
Sculpture restoration work draws laughs, memories in Spain
MADRID — Restoration work on a sculpture in northern Spain has resurrected memories of a restored Christ fresco in another Spanish city eight years ago that drew ridicule as well as tourists. The latest incident concerns a relief sculpture on the exterior of an ornate office building in the city...
Tunnel plan near Stonehenge gets U.K. government consentVideo
LONDON — The British government went against the recommendations of planning officials Thursday when it approved controversial plans for a road tunnel to be built near the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge in southern England. The project, which is aimed at trying to ease traffic along a stretch of road widely...
Dems, GOP take different approaches on Georgia Senate blitz
ATLANTA — Jon Ossoff took the stage in Columbus and looked out over a parking lot filled with cars, with supporters blaring their horns in approval as he declared that “change has come to Georgia.” Hours earlier, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler stepped to a microphone in suburban Atlanta and addressed...
Support for marijuana grows: see the latest states to legalize
As voters in more U.S. states this month legalized recreational marijuana use, longtime pot-friendly Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of other drugs — including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said he thinks Pennsylvania should be a leader in drug reform,...
Anti-mask protest disrupts Utah school district meeting
PROVO, Utah — School district officials in northern Utah have said a public meeting in American Fork was disrupted by protesters who characterized the use of masks and facial coverings in schools “child abuse.” Alpine School District Superintendent Assistant Kimberly Bird said the protesters were welcome to participate in the...
Peacekeeping force: 6 Americans, 2 others killed in Egypt helicopter crash
JERUSALEM — The international force that monitors the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement said Thursday that eight peacekeepers, including six Americans, were killed when one of its helicopters crashed during a routine mission in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. A ninth peacekeeper was badly injured. The Multinational Force and Observers said a French peacekeeper...
Appeals court clears Harvard of racial bias in admissions
BOSTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling clearing Harvard University of discrimination against Asian American applicants. Two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that accuses the Ivy League University of imposing a “racial penalty”...
Sen. Lindsey Graham giving $1M to help Georgia’s GOP senators
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was just reelected in South Carolina, says he’s donating $1 million of his campaign money to help two GOP senators win runoff races in neighboring Georgia. Graham told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on Thursday that Republicans need to counter a “tsunami...
Trump, stewing over election loss, silent as coronavirus surges
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has publicly disengaged from the battle against the coronavirus at a moment when the disease is tearing across the United States at an alarming pace. Trump, fresh off his reelection loss to President-elect Joe Biden, remains angry that an announcement about progress in developing a...
Military wary that shakeup could upend its apolitical nature
WASHINGTON — The words spoken by America’s top military officer carried a familiar ring, but in the midst of a chaotic week at the Pentagon, they were particularly poignant. “We are unique among militaries,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We do not take...
