Kennedy’s vaccine advisory committee delays vote on hepatitis B shots for newborns
A federal vaccine advisory committee on Thursday voted to delay a decision on whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, meeting in Atlanta, voted to delay the decision until Friday after committee members voiced confusion about voting...
Don’t forget pets when preparing for winter’s cold. Here’s what experts recommend
As wintry weather settles in, it brings risks for pets as well as people. Pet owners can take steps to keep their animals warm and safe, including learning about the dangers of extreme temperatures, buying weather-resistant accessories, and stocking up on extra supplies in case of power outages or storms....
Asia flood death toll surpasses 1,500 as calls grow to fight deforestation
PADANG, Indonesia — Deaths from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in parts of Asia surged past 1,500 Thursday as rescue teams raced to reach survivors isolated by the disaster with hundreds of people still unaccounted for across the region. The tragedy of so much death and destruction was compounded...
Man accused of planting pipe bombs before Jan. 6 Capitol attack is charged with explosives offenses
WASHINGTON — The FBI on Thursday arrested a man accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack, an abrupt breakthrough in an investigation that for years flummoxed law enforcement and spawned conspiracy...
One Tech Tip: Up your Christmas shopping game with AI tools
Shopping assistant chatbots were a novelty a year ago. Now, they’re everywhere. After rolling out AI-powered assistants, online retailers and tech companies have been adding more artificial intelligence features to make online shopping easier and more convenient. The latest crop of AI-powered shopping services and tools made their debut in...
Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the U.S. proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published Thursday that any deal is still some ways off. President Donald Trump has set in motion the most intense diplomatic push to stop the...
Hearing in Luigi Mangione’s state murder case sheds new light on his arrest
NEW YORK — Minutes after police approached Luigi Mangione in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, he told an officer he didn’t want to talk, according to video and testimony at a court hearing Thursday for the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Although some video and accounts of police interactions...
Admiral says there was no ‘kill them all’ order in boat attack, but video alarms lawmakersVideo
WASHINGTON — A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that...
Decades-old palm trees in Rio de Janeiro flower for the 1st — and only — time
RIO DE JANEIRO — Towering talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives, decades after famed Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx introduced them in the 1960s. Towards the end of its life — which can span between 40...
Vocal Jeffrey Epstein accuser is urging judges to unseal his court records
NEW YORK — One of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell ‘s most vocal accusers urged judges on Wednesday to grant the Justice Department’s request to unseal records from their federal sex trafficking cases, saying “only transparency is likely to lead to justice.” Annie Farmer weighed in through her lawyer, Sigrid...
Pentagon knew boat attack left survivors but still launched a follow-on strike
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike, according to two people familiar with the matter. The rationale for the second strike was that it was needed...
Gov. Josh Shapiro says Kamala Harris’ descriptions of him were false and intended to sell books
Gov. Josh Shapiro lashed out over former Vice President Kamala Harris’ portrayal of his interview to become her 2024 running mate, calling Harris’ retellings “complete and utter (expletive)” intended to sell books and “cover her (expletive),” according to The Atlantic. Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s first-term Democratic governor now seen as a likely...
Trump targets Minnesota’s Somali community with harsh words, policies
MINNEAPOLIS — Recent statements by President Donald Trump and top administration officials disparaging Minnesota’s large Somali community have focused renewed attention on the immigrants from the war-torn east African country and their descendants. Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somalis in the U.S. because “they contribute nothing.” The...
Pa. Amazon warehouse worker sues company, saying she was fired for being pregnant
A Dauphin County woman who worked at the Amazon warehouse in Carlisle is suing the company for discrimination, saying she was illegally fired for being pregnant. Malissa Saintus-Trammel, of Hummelstown, says the online shopping giant forced her to take unpaid leave due to her pregnancy when she didn’t require accommodations....
A dozen former FDA leaders lambaste claims by the agency’s current vaccine chief
WASHINGTON — A dozen prior leaders of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — appointed by Republicans and Democrats alike — issued a scathing denunciation of new FDA assertions casting doubt on vaccine safety. The former officials say the agency’s plans to revamp how life-saving vaccines for flu, covid-19 and...
Resurfaced Hegseth video intensifies clash over Democrats’ message on illegal military orders
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and other Democratic lawmakers under fire from the Trump administration for publishing a video saying service members are obligated to refuse illegal orders are further questioning the blowback in response to a 2016 video featuring current Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. In the unearthed April 2016 video,...
Trump proposal would weaken vehicle mileage rules that limit air pollution
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a proposal to weaken vehicle mileage rules for the auto industry, loosening regulatory pressure on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The plan, if finalized next year, would significantly reduce fuel economy requirements, which set rules on how far...
Pentagon watchdog finds Hegseth’s use of Signal posed risk to U.S. personnel
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the...
Massive power outage hits Cuba’s western region after transmission line fails
HAVANA — A blackout hit Havana and the rest of the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people without power on an island struggling with chronic outages blamed on a crumbling electric grid. Lázaro Guerra, general director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said the massive...
Israel receives remains of possible hostage and plans to reopen Gaza crossing into Egypt
JERUSALEM — Israel received remains of what could be one of the last hostages in Gaza on Wednesday and said it will begin allowing Palestinians to leave the war-torn territory through a border crossing with Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an attack by militants earlier in the day...
Billionaire spacewalker is back before the Senate seeking NASA’s top job
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Billionaire spacewalker Jared Isaacman urged senators on Wednesday to take swift action on his bid to lead NASA, after being yanked and then renominated by President Donald Trump. Isaacman appeared before the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in Washington eight months after his first nomination hearing....
What to know about the hepatitis B shot — and why Trump officials are targeting it
NEW YORK — A federal vaccine advisory committee this week is expected to discuss whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine — the first shot found to prevent cancer. Federal health recommendations now suggest that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection in their first day of...
Hong Kong high-rise fire death toll rises to 159 as authorities arrest 6 over failed fire alarms
HONG KONG — The death toll of Hong Kong’s high-rise apartment blaze rose to 159 on Wednesday, as authorities arrested six people on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex. The youngest person who died in the fire was a 1-year-old, police said. The...
Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what he called a “weaponized” justice system. Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said on social media without...
Republican victory in Tennessee special election fails to dispel 2026 midterm concerns
Republicans held onto a reliably conservative U.S. House district in Tennessee’s special election, but only after a late burst of national spending and high-profile campaigning helped them secure a margin less than half of last year’s race. Even with that victory, the outcome contributed to a gloomy outlook for the...
