UN chief: ‘Epochal’ crisis as world powers meet remotelyVideo
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the U.N.’s first-ever virtual meeting of global leaders Tuesday that the world is facing an “epochal” health crisis, the biggest economic calamity and job losses since the Great Depression, threats to human rights and worries of a new Cold War between the U.S....
Trump calls Swedish lawmaker in thanks for Nobel nomination
STOCKHOLM — A Swedish lawmaker who nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East says he got a phone call of thanks from the American leader. Magnus Jacobsson, a member of Sweden’s Parliament for the Christian Democrats, wrote Tuesday on...
Pennsylvania launches new coronavirus exposure notification app
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s new coronavirus exposure notification app became available in app stores Tuesday and could soon be compatible with those of three neighboring states, including New York. The release of the app, named COVID AlertPa, is part of Pennsylvania’s effort to more quickly break chains of transmission by using...
Dog trapped in 30-foot hole lured to safety with beef jerky
MORGANTON, N.C. — A group of mountain bikers on a North Carolina trail spotted a dog trapped 30 feet down in a sinkhole — and it took a salty snack and some straps to lift him to safety. The group was riding the Sinkhole Trail at Pisgah National Forest, about...
In battleground states, Catholics are a pivotal swing vote
For decades, Roman Catholic voters have been a pivotal swing vote in U.S. presidential elections, with a majority backing the winner — whether Republican or Democrat — nearly every time. How they vote in the battleground states this year could well decide the outcome, and the rival campaigns are targeting...
U.K.’s Boris Johnson slams brakes on reopening as covid cases surgeVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson slammed the brakes Tuesday on the country’s return to offices and a normal social life, saying the U.K. was at a “perilous turning point” in its fight against coronavirus. Saying that Britain had to act now or face a huge second wave of...
Professor put on leave for comments about Trump supporters
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A university professor who told her students in West Virginia that she hopes people who attend political rallies without masks get the coronavirus and die has been placed on administrative leave. The video posted on social media last week identifies the professor as Jennifer Mosher, who teaches...
National park sign vandalized with racist message, bear skin
WALLAND, Tenn. — The National Park Service is trying to identify who mounted a cardboard sign with a racist message and hung a black bear skin over an entrance sign at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors reported seeing the bear skin and sign on Saturday morning on a welcome...
Beta weakens to tropical depression, stalls over Texas coastVideo
HOUSTON — Beta weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday as it parked itself over the Texas coast, raising concerns of extensive flooding in Houston and areas farther inland. Beta made landfall late Monday as a tropical storm just north of Port O’Connor, Texas, and has the distinction of being the...
DA seeking Trump’s taxes cites ‘mountain’ of allegations
NEW YORK — The Manhattan district attorney’s office told a federal appeals court Monday that its quest to gain access to President Donald Trump’s tax returns is supported by “a mountainous record” of public allegations of misconduct. The president and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. have been battling for...
Florida Gov. DeSantis proposes law to quash ‘disorderly assemblies’
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida leaders plan to crack down on people involved in what Gov. Ron DeSantis called “disorderly assemblies,” including making it a felony to block a road or topple monuments. DeSantis proposed a tough new law on Monday in reaction to demonstrations that erupted nationwide after the death...
Sen. Toomey mum on Trump’s rush to replace Justice Ginsburg; Casey balks at GOP hypocrisy
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has not said whether it’s critical to let the American people have the chance to “weigh in and select a new president” before filling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That’s what Toomey, a Lehigh Valley Republican, described as...
Federal judge: Postal Service must process election mail on time
NEW YORK — For the second time in a week, a federal judge said a nationwide order is necessary to ensure mail for November’s election is delivered on time, and he is threatening to demand weekly updates on efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to process election mail. On Monday,...
Louisville police cancel vacations; prepare for Breonna Taylor decision
LOUISVILLE — Louisville, Ky., police said Monday that they had canceled vacations and were setting up barricades in preparation for the state attorney general’s announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor’s shooting death. A statement from the department said all requests for vacation and days off were...
Michigan official: Toilet display mocking mail-in voting is a crime
MASON, Mich. — A Michigan resident’s apparent joke showing disdain for voting by mail is no laughing matter for one election official. The resident put a toilet on the lawn with a sign that says, “Place mail in ballots here.” Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County, filed a...
Toomey silent on whether Senate should consider court pick
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, who endorsed waiting eight months until after the 2016 election to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, has not said whether he will support Senate consideration of a nominee in the weeks before November’s election. Toomey, of Lehigh Valley, remained silent Monday. President...
Trump to make court pick by Saturday, before Ginsburg burial
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he expects to announce his pick for the Supreme Court by week’s end, before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is buried, launching a monumental Senate confirmation fight ahead of the November election. Trump said he is planning to name his pick by Friday or...
Voting victories for Democrats in Pa. might have closed the door on more election reform
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. HARRISBURG — With less than seven weeks to go, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has significantly altered how the state’s election...
$20,000 acrylic case installed around Jefferson marker
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A $20,000 acrylic case now protects Thomas Jefferson’s original headstone on the University of Missouri campus, a response to vandalism concerns amid an ongoing dispute about whether the university should honor the third president who also was a slave owner. The clear case was installed Saturday over...
CDC says it mistakenly posted that coronavirus is airborne
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed an update on its website that stated coronavirus commonly spreads through the air, saying the post was shared by mistake. “A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency’s official website,” the organization wrote...
Pennsylvania Lottery officials warn players about new phone scam
Lottery officials are warning Pennsylvanians of a phone scam that claims commonwealth contestants have won a prize — they just have to pre-pay taxes or processing costs, though the cash never comes. The Pennsylvania Lottery issued a release on Monday morning advising residents that they have received notifications of a...
Colleges become reservoirs of covid-19 threatening to spill over
College administrators and government officials summoned students back to campus. Now, they are presiding over viral reservoirs poised to release a flood of infected undergraduates at Thanksgiving — if they make it that far. Schools have turned into de facto sanitariums: covid-19 infections are sweeping student populations, though health departments...
AG Barr announces $100M more to combat human trafficking
ATLANTA — U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr says the federal government is awarding more than $100 million in grants to target human trafficking. The money will go to task forces combatting human trafficking, to victim services and victim housing. Barr made the announcement Monday in Atlanta with presidential adviser Ivanka...
Pennsylvania sees 2-day increase of 967 in coronavirus cases
In the past two days, there were 967 new coronavirus cases added in the state, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Monday. On Sunday, the state added 733 new cases, while on Monday it added 234. All but 21 of those cases are confirmed. From Sept. 14-20, the state reported...
UK experts issue stark warning on exponential virus cases
Britain’s top medical advisers warned the public Monday they must make further sacrifices to control the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic, saying new coronavirus infections could increase tenfold to almost 50,000 a day next month if nothing is done now to stem the tide. In a briefing televised live...
