Portland asks U.S. to rescind deputization of city police
The mayor of Portland has asked U.S. officials to end the federal deputation of dozens of police officers in Oregon’s largest city as part of the response to ongoing protests in the city. Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement late Tuesday that he had “asked the U.S. Attorney’s office...
Pennsylvania reports 1,153 new coronavirus cases, 19 new deaths
Pennsylvania had its fifth day in September with more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,153 new cases, its third-highest day of the month, bringing the total to 158,967. The state also reported 19 new deaths on Wednesday, with one from July and...
Brazil president says Biden’s Amazon comments ‘disastrous’
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday attacked U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden for saying that the South American nation should suffer “significant economic consequences” if devastation of the Amazon rainforest continues. Biden said during Tuesday’s debate with President Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, that foreign...
5 takeaways from the presidential debate
So what did we learn from Tuesday night’s televised presidential debate? Not a whole lot. In a debate that figures to be remembered mostly for how much President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden insulted and talked over each other, what the candidates didn’t say and the opportunities...
U.S. says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer
The United States will detain shipments of palm oil and its products from a major producer in Malaysia after a wide range of labor abuse indicators were found, including physical and sexual violence and forced child labor, an official said Wednesday. The withhold release order against FGV Holdings Berhad goes...
Resorts to RV parks: Parents take school year on the road
NEW YORK — In RVs, rental homes and five-star resorts, families untethered by the constraints of physical classrooms for their kids have turned the new school year into an extended summer vacation, some lured by the ailing hotel industry catering to parents with remote learners through “roadschooling” amenities. With the...
Pompeo urges Vatican to condemn human rights abuses in China
ROME — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the Vatican on Wednesday to join the U.S. in denouncing violations of religious freedom in China, saying the Catholic Church should be at the forefront in the fight to insist on basic human rights there. Pompeo made the appeal at a...
Economy plunged 31.4% in spring but big rebound expected
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy plunged at a record rate in the spring but is poised to swing to a record increase in the quarter that just ended. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that the gross domestic product, the economy’s total output of goods and services, fell at a rate...
UN atomic watchdog inspects disputed Iranian nuclear site
BERLIN — The United Nations’ atomic watchdog agency said Wednesday its inspectors have been able to visit the second of two disputed sites where Iran is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material in the past. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in late...
Foreign observers take on ‘chaos,’ ‘rancor’ in U.S. debate
GENEVA — “Chaos, interruptions, personal attacks and insults,” one Chinese newspaper editor said of the U.S. presidential debate. An Australian counterpart said the debate was “swamped” by the “rancor engulfing America.” Denmark’s prime minister bemoaned the quarrelling and interruptions on display. The first debate pitting Republican President Donald Trump against...
Acquitted Cardinal Pell back in Rome amid Vatican scandal
ROME — Cardinal George Pell, the former Vatican finance czar who left in 2017 to face child sexual abuse charges in his native Australia, returned to Rome on Wednesday after his acquittal to find a Vatican mired in a corruption scandal. The 79-year-old Pell arrived at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci...
Presidential campaign whistle-stop train tours punctuate Pennsylvania, U.S. political history
It’s back to Pennsylvania. Joe Biden on Wednesday begins his post-debate campaign with a whistle-stop foray into Pennsylvania. The former vice president chose Pittsburgh to kick off his campaign in April 2019, with an event at the Teamsters Local 249 banquet hall in Lawrenceville. While train travel has fallen by...
Fact-checking the first presidential debate
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump unleashed a blizzard of falsehoods at the first of three debates with Joe Biden on Tuesday night in Cleveland — no surprise for a commander-in-chief who has set a new low for shading the truth and even lying in office. His distortions were almost as...
Key takeaways from 1st presidential debate between Trump, BidenVideo
Well that was ugly. After a series of world-shaking events, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden grappled face to face (sort of) in their first presidential debate Tuesday night — a scabrous spectacle that held out the prospect of dramatically upending their seemingly immovable contest. Or not. Typically,...
Chaotic first debate: Taunts overpower Trump, Biden visionsVideo
CLEVELAND (AP) — The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden deteriorated into bitter taunts and near chaos Tuesday night as Trump repeatedly interrupted his opponent with angry — and personal — jabs that sometimes overshadowed the sharply different visions each man has for a nation...
Glass fire grows nearly fourfold in a day, burning 80 homes in CaliforniaVideo
CALISTOGA, Calif. — At least 80 homes have been destroyed in Napa and Sonoma counties as the Glass fire continues to rampage through Northern California’s wine country. The blaze had burned 42,560 acres as of Tuesday — nearly quadrupling in size since Monday morning — and there is still no...
Biden to Trump during debate: ‘Will you shut up, man?’
It didn’t take long for tempers to flare during the first head-to-head debate for the 2020 debate of the general election between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden. From the opening moments of the debate, Trump pounced on Biden — whether it was his turn or not — as the...
How to survive ‘twindemic’ of flu and coronavirus
With flu season approaching and covid-19 still spreading, public health officials are warning of a “twindemic.” Local health experts are emphasizing increased vigilance this year. Flu shots Doctors generally recommend flu shots. This year, it’s more important than ever, said Dr. Amy Crawford-Faucher of the Allegheny Health Network, where she...
Debates 2020: Trump to woo suburban voters while Biden shows he’s more than ‘not Donald Trump’
President Trump told thousands of cheering supporters outside Pittsburgh International Airport that he’s looking forward to facing off with “Hidin’ Biden” on Tuesday. Speaking to a crowd outside a hangar in Moon Township, Trump mocked Democratic challenger Joe Biden for rarely being seen on the campaign trail without a face...
House Intelligence panel to subpoena DHS over whistleblower
WASHINGTON — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Tuesday he will subpoena the Department of Homeland Security after a department whistleblower wasn’t allowed access to documents and clearance he needs to testify. Brian Murphy said in a whistleblower complaint earlier this month that he was pressured by more senior...
Lake Michigan drownings surge to new high in 2020
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Drownings in Lake Michigan have reached record levels with at least 53 people dead so far this year, according to a water safety advocacy group. The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit that tracks Great Lakes drownings, said that compares with 48 drownings in 2019...
Joe Biden has a clear lead over Trump in all-important Pennsylvania, polls find
A new wave of polls shows Joe Biden is still winning Pennsylvania, the state that could decide the election, as some Pennsylvanians start voting and the campaign reaches its final stages with the first presidential debate Tuesday. And his lead appears substantial. Three new polls found Biden leading President Donald...
GOP senators praise Trump pick Amy Coney Barrett ahead of confirmation fightVideo
WASHINGTON — Key Republican senators praised President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, as the conservative judge met privately on Capitol Hill Tuesday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others in preparation for her fast-track confirmation before the Nov. 3 election. Joined by Vice President Mike Pence,...
Covid-19 cases rising among U.S. children as schools reopenVideo
After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears driven by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities. Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up...
Covid-19 cases rising among U.S. children as schools reopen
After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears driven by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities. Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up...