Supreme Court temporarily halts census in latest twist of 2020 count
The Supreme Court on Tuesday stopped the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident from continuing through the end of October. President Donald Trump’s administration had asked the nation’s high court to suspend a district court’s order permitting the 2020 census to continue through the end of the month. The...
Possible safety issue spurs pause of Eli Lilly’s covid-19 antibody study
Independent monitors have paused enrollment in a study testing the covid-19 antiviral drug remdesivir plus an experimental antibody therapy being developed by Eli Lilly that’s similar to a treatment President Trump recently received. Lilly confirmed Tuesday that the study had been paused “out of an abundance of caution” and said...
Despite coronavirus fears, Texas sends most voters to the pollsVideo
HOUSTON — Early voting began Tuesday with long lines in Texas, one of the few places in the U.S. not allowing widespread mail balloting during the pandemic, and Jill Biden rallied supporters across the red state that Democrats are no longer writing off. Texas is one of just five states...
WWII bomb explodes underwater in Poland, no injuriesVideo
WARSAW — A British World War II bomb exploded while being made safe underwater by navy demolition specialists Tuesday in northwestern Poland. No one was injured. The 5.4-ton Tallboy bomb was found in September 2019 beneath a waterway leading to the port of Szczecin during work to deepen the passage....
Mitch McConnell slates October revote on GOP covid relief plan
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he’s scheduling a procedural vote on a GOP covid-19 relief bill next week, saying aid to hard-hit businesses shouldn’t be held up by gridlock involving other aid proposals. The Kentucky Republican says the first item of Senate business when the chamber returns...
Apple unveils new iPhones for faster 5G wireless networks
Apple unveiled four new iPhones equipped with technology for use with faster new 5G wireless networks. There’s the iPhone 12, which Apple says is more durable, with a 6.1-inch display, the same as the iPhone 11 but lighter and thinner, for $799 and the iPhone 12 Mini with a 5.4-inch...
500 volunteers fighting fire on Africa’s tallest mountain
Tanzanian authorities say 500 volunteers have been trying to put out a fire on Africa’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. The flames can be seen from miles away. A Tanzania National Parks statement said the volunteers have managed to limit the fire’s spread. Spokesman Pascal Shelutete said the area still burning...
Pennsylvania continues trend of 1,000-plus new covid-19 cases
Pennsylvania reported 1,342 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health. Coronavirus-related deaths also increased, with 16 new deaths reported. Of the 16 deaths reported Tuesday, one is from October, nine are from September, three are from August, one is from July and two from June. Total...
Statisticians and census takers worry about count’s accuracy
The U.S. Census Bureau says it has counted 99.9% of the households in the U.S. during the 2020 census, but the nation’s largest statistical association, and even the bureau’s own census takers and partners, are raising questions about the quality of the data gathered for the nation’s once-a-decade head count....
NASA moon-landing tech hitches ride to space on Bezos rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company launched a New Shepard rocket for a seventh time from a remote corner of Texas on Tuesday, testing new lunar-landing technology for NASA that could help put astronauts back on the moon by 2024. The entire flight — barely skimming...
Cut cable shuts down Virginia’s online voter registration
RICHMOND, Va. — An accidentally severed fiber optic cable shut down Virginia’s online voter registration system Tuesday, the last day to register before the November general election, authorities said. The Virginia Department of Elections said in statement on Twitter that a “fiber cut” was affecting connectivity for multiple agencies, including...
Historic hotel moved through streets of South Florida city
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A historic hotel and boarding house had to be parked overnight on a South Florida street during a move because of delays with its relocation. Traffic had to be blocked off overnight Sunday on a street in West Palm Beach, and some light posts were...
FBI: Groups also discussed kidnapping Virginia governor
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Members of anti-government paramilitary groups discussed kidnapping Virginia’s governor during a June meeting in Ohio, an FBI agent testified Tuesday during a court hearing in Michigan. Special Agent Richard Trask also revealed more detail about investigators’ use of confidential informants, undercover agents and encrypted communication to...
Supreme Court nominee Barrett refuses to commit to recusal of election cases
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is vowing to bring no “agenda” to the court, batting back senators’ questions Tuesday on abortion, gun rights and the November election, insisting she would take a conservative approach to the law but decide cases as they come. “Judges can’t just wake...
Consumer prices rise 0.2% in September, used vehicles spike
SILVER SPRING, Md. — U.S. consumer prices rose slightly in September, led again by sharp increases in the index for used vehicles. The consumer price index rose 0.2% last month, after gaining 0.4% in August, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Prices for used cars and trucks rose 6.7% in September...
Bipartisan Christian group forms super PAC to oppose Trump
WASHINGTON — A group of prominent Christians from both sides of the aisle, including a past faith adviser to former President Barack Obama, is forming a political action committee designed to chip away at Christian support for President Donald Trump in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign. Dubbed Not...
Hong Kong orchestra quarantines after member contracts covid
HONG KONG — About 100 members of a Hong Kong orchestra are being quarantined after one of its members tested positive for the coronavirus. A bass clarinet player for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was infected, according to a Facebook post by fellow orchestra member Andrew Simon. Simon, the orchestra’s...
Uptick for retiree checks in 2021 amid coronavirus worries
WASHINGTON — Social Security recipients will get a modest 1.3% cost-of living-increase in 2021, but that might be small comfort amid worries about the coronavirus and its consequences for older people. The increase amounts to $20 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Tuesday by the...
Biden addresses idea of high court packing: ‘I’m not a fan’
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden says he is “not a fan” of adding seats to the Supreme Court, after weeks of avoiding questions about the proposal that’s been pushed by progressives and used by Republicans to attack him. “I’ve already spoken on — I’m not a fan of court packing, but...
Watch live: Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett hearing continuesVideo
The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett continues on Tuesday at 9 a.m. President Donald Trump nominated Barrett just two weeks ago to fill the seat of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18. Trump and Republicans want Barrett on the bench in time for...
Yemen: Officials say man kills 12 in family dispute
CAIRO — A Yemeni man killed at least a dozen people, including his wife and three children, in a family dispute in Yemen’s central province of Bayda, security officials said on Tuesday. The father of three was trying to settle an internal dispute with his wife who was staying at...
Greek man goes on trial for slaying of U.S. scientist on Crete
ATHENS, Greece — A 28-year-old man has gone on trial in Greece for the rape and murder last year of American scientist Suzanne Eaton, who was killed on the island of Crete while attending a conference. Eaton, 59, disappeared on July 2, 2019, near the port city of Chania. Her...
Europe eyes new restrictions as virus cases hit record highVideo
GENEVA — Governments across Europe ratcheted up restrictions Tuesday in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus as the continent recorded its highest weekly number of new infections since the start of the pandemic. The World Health Organization said there were more than 700,000 new covid-19 cases reported...
WWII jungle fighting unit approved for congressional medal
The soldiers spent months behind enemy lines, marching hundreds of miles through the tangled jungles and steep mountains of Burma as they battled hunger and disease between firefights with Japanese forces during their secret mission. In February 1944, the American jungle fighting unit nicknamed Merrill’s Marauders set out to capture...
2nd covid-19 vaccine trial paused over unexplained illness
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — A late-stage study of Johnson & Johnson’s covid-19 vaccine candidate has been paused while the company investigates whether a study participant’s “unexplained illness” is related to the shot. The company said in a statement Monday evening that illnesses, accidents and other so-called adverse events “are an...
