News category, Page 1295

SAN FRANCISCO — In a year that has already brought apocalyptic skies and smothering smoke to the West Coast, California set a grim new record Sunday when officials announced that the wildfires of 2020 have now scorched a record 4 million acres — in a fire season that is far...

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 weekly newsletter. This article is a collaboration with The Appeal. HARRISBURG — Since 2017, Pennsylvania State Police has seized $608,000 in cash...

SAN FRANCISCO — Red flag warnings of extreme fire danger subsided, but warm and dry weather continued to challenge firefighters battling more than two dozen blazes across California on Saturday as the state approaches an astonishing milestone: 4 million acres burned by wildfires this year. The state is about 20,000...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — President Donald Trump’s startling COVID-19 diagnosis serves as a cruel reminder of the pervasive spread of the coronavirus and shows how tenuous of a grip the nation has on the crisis, health experts said. With U.S. infections rising for several weeks, Trump was one of about...

NEW YORK — Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation’s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling the agency’s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus, according to two former health officials. The...

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has tweeted that he’s checked himself into a hospital, hours after confirming he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Christie says that after consulting with his doctors Saturday, he went to Morristown Medical Center on Saturday afternoon. Christie says he is experiencing mild symptoms...

RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Before clicking the Instagram video, the sight intrigued most. Sarah Palafox, a Black woman, held an iPhone while standing in front of mariachis. When users turned on the volume, they heard a woman belting out a heartbreak interpretation of Jenni Rivera’s “Que Me Vas A Dar”...

ORLANDO, Fla. — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said he misspoke Saturday when he said on national television that he had tested positive for covid-19. The Republican from Florida tweeted: “I misspoke this morning in my FoxNews interview. I was tested yesterday for COVID and tested NEGATIVE.” During an interview Saturday...

WASHINGTON — Republicans on Saturday sought to call off legislative work in the Senate until Oct. 19 as the coronavirus reached into their ranks. But they vowed that hearings for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee would push ahead as planned. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the confirmation hearings...

BETHESDA, Md. — President Donald Trump went through a “very concerning” period Friday and faces a “critical” next two days in his fight against COVID-19 at a military hospital, his chief of staff said Saturday — in contrast to a rosier assessment moments earlier by Trump doctors, who took pains...

BETHESDA, Md. — President Donald Trump’s doctor says he is doing “very well” as he spends the weekend at a military hospital for treatment of covid-19. Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley said Trump has been fever-free for 24 hours as he updated the nation on the president’s condition from the...

President Donald Trump, diagnosed with covid-19, might dispute the comparison — but it’s been 60 years since a presidential candidate was waylaid by health issues during a campaign. The closest analogy is 1960, when then-Vice President Richard Nixon was facing off against John F. Kennedy, said William A. Galston, a...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The police officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor described seeing only “shadowy mass” and said he didn’t recall firing the 16 bullets later matched to his gun. As she lay bleeding, Taylor’s boyfriend called his mother before dialing 911. And neighbors roused by the gunfire at Taylor’s...

President Donald Trump’s former adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Twitter Friday night she has covid-19 — and her daughter said she’s been “coughing all around the house.” It’s not that bad, Kellyanne Conway said. “Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19,” she tweeted. “My symptoms are mild (light cough), and I’m...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A space station cargo ship rocketed into orbit Friday carrying a 360-degree camera for spacewalking, radish seeds for growing and a smorgasbord of fancy meats and cheeses for feasting. Northrop Grumman launched its capsule to the International Space Station from the Virginia coast, providing a nighttime...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Democrat Joe Biden offered sympathy to President Donald Trump over his coronavirus diagnosis on Friday while casting the moment as a reminder of the worldwide health crisis that has hit the United States particularly hard. Shortly after the White House announced Trump would spend “a few...

WASHINGTON — Standing apart on the debate stage, President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden looked out at an odd sight — one section of the room dutifully in masks, the other section flagrantly without. The mostly bare-faced contingent was made up of Trump’s VIP guests, who had...

An election year already defined by a cascade of national crises descended further into chaos Friday, with President Donald Trump quarantined at a military hospital with the coronavirus after consistently playing down the threat. Democratic challenger Joe Biden took down his attack ads and pressed a bipartisan message in battleground...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will spend a “few days” at a military hospital after contracting covid-19, the White House said Friday, as the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans spread to the highest reaches of the U.S. government. Trump “remains fatigued,” his doctor said. Trump was to...

Agricultural officials in Washington state said Friday they are trying to find and destroy a nest of Asian giant hornets believed to be near a small town amid concerns the hornets could kill honey bees crucial for pollinating raspberry and blueberry crops. Evidence of six of the hornets, sometimes called...

With consumers increasingly using cashless ways to buy things, the European Central Bank on Friday took a step closer to issuing a digital version of the euro currency shared by 19 countries, saying it had to be ready to launch digital money if a changing world requires it. The central...

The former mayor of Scranton was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison on charges that he shook down businesses for bribes and campaign contributions. Bill Courtright resigned last year as mayor of the city of 78,000 and pleaded guilty to bribery, extortion and conspiracy. Prosecutors said Courtright took...

Pennsylvania on Friday added 1,161 new coronavirus cases to bring the total reported cases to 161,284. Of the new cases, 1,084 are confirmed and 77 are probable, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state’s seven-day average is now above 1,000 cases per day for the first time since...