With a month until split, Brexit trade deal hangs in balance
LONDON — The British government told businesses Tuesday to make sure they are ready for big changes when the U.K. makes its final Brexit break from the European Union in exactly a month. But with negotiations on a free-trade deal with the bloc stuck, firms say they still don’t know...
European regulator to decide Dec. 29 on 1st virus vaccine
BERLIN — The European Medicines Agency will convene a meeting Dec. 29 to decide if there is enough data about the safety and efficacy of the covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved, the regulator said Tuesday. The agency also said Tuesday it could decide...
Navy will decommission warship damaged in suspected arson
SAN DIEGO— The Navy said Monday that it will decommission a warship docked off San Diego after suspected arson this summer caused extensive damage, making it too expensive to restore. Fully repairing the USS Bonhomme Richard to warfighting capabilities would cost $2.5 billion to $3 billion and take five to...
Report: Dr. Atlas formally resigns as Trump’s special adviser on the coronavirus pandemic
President Donald Trump’s special adviser to the coronavirus pandemic has formally resigned. According to a resignation letter dated for Dec. 1 and obtained by Fox News, Dr. Scott Atlas said he “worked hard with a singular focus – to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic.” BREAKING—Trump’s pandemic advisor...
Pa. counties reported no major issues with Dominion voting machines, a target of Trump and his campaign
SpotlightPA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media. This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — In their latest attempt at sowing doubt in...
Wisconsin confirms Joe Biden as winner as a result of recount
MADISON, Wis. — Joe Biden’s victory in battleground Wisconsin was confirmed Monday following a partial recount that only added to his 20,600-vote margin over President Donald Trump, who has promised to file a lawsuit seeking to undo the results. Confirmation of the results by the Democratic chairwoman of the Wisconsin...
Dictionary companies choose same word of the year: pandemicVideo
NEW YORK — In the land of lexicography, out of the whole of the English language, 2020’s word of the year is a vocabulary of one. For the first time, two dictionary companies on Monday — Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com — declared the same word as their tops: pandemic. A third...
Former Lehigh University student admits poisoning roommate
EASTON — A former Lehigh University student on Monday admitted poisoning his roommate’s food and drink with a heavy metal substance. Yukai Yang, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Under terms of a plea agreement, the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office will withdraw other charges in two seperate cases against...
Georgia official announces investigations, defends electionVideo
ATLANTA — Georgia’s top elections official on Monday announced investigations into potential violations of election law even as he continued to defend the integrity of the state’s election against what he said are baseless attacks. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has repeatedly said there has been no evidence of systemic...
White House Christmas decor gives nod to 1st responders
WASHINGTON — First responders and frontline workers being challenged by the deadly coronavirus pandemic are highlighted in White House Christmas decorations that also give a special nod to Melania Trump’s redesigned Rose Garden. It’s the final Christmas in the White House for the Trump family, although the president continues to...
American tourist returns ancient artifact she stole from Rome with note: ‘I feel terrible’
“I saw it delivered in the morning. A bulky package, quite heavy, carefully packed.” So begins the story in the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. When the package was opened, staff at the National Roman Museum discovered a “large fragment of millenary marble.” A note was included with it: A woman...
Arizona certifies Biden’s narrow victory over Trump
PHOENIX —Arizona officials certified the state’s election results Monday, formalizing Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory over Donald Trump even as the Republican president’s attorneys continued making baseless claims of fraud in the state’s vote count. Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs certified the election results alongside Gov. Doug Ducey and...
Iowa board to certify 6-vote Republican win in U.S. House race
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa officials on Monday were expected to certify a Republican candidate as the winner by six votes of an open seat in the U.S. House, in what is shaping up to be the closest congressional election in decades. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks finished ahead of Democrat Rita...
Supreme Court casts doubt on Trump’s bid to exclude from census immigrants in U.S. illegallyVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plan to exclude millions of immigrants in the country illegally from the 2020 census count appeared to fizzle at the Supreme Court on Monday. Instead, the justices debated only whether the outgoing Trump administration could seek to exclude a small category of these immigrants, such...
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to leave telecom agency in January
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, says he is leaving the telecommunications regulator on Inauguration Day. President-elect Joe Biden will choose a new Democratic head for the agency. A new administration typically picks a new chairman. Pai has presided over a contentious FCC over the last four years....
Rhode Island hospitals reach covid capacity; Calif. enacts stricter restrictions
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s hospitals reached their covid-19 capacity on Monday, the same day the state’s two-week pause meant to control the rise in new coronavirus cases took effect. The state pushed an emergency alert to residents’ cell phones that read: “Hospitals at capacity due to COVID. Help the...
Pennsylvania adds 9,797 new covid cases in 2 days, 107 deaths
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 tally rose by nearly 9,800 more cases over the past two days, according to data Monday from the state’s Department of Health. Officials said 9,797 new cases were reported — 5,529 on Sunday, 4,268 on Monday. The statewide total stands at 361,464 cases. Of those cases, 5,178 were...
Yes, you can get covid twice; don’t be alarmed, scientists say
SAN DIEGO — Data from San Diego County suggests that few residents have gotten covid-19 twice so far, echoing findings from researchers across the globe. The Union-Tribune asked the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency for the number of people who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus twice,...
2020’s ‘insane’ hurricane season is officially over. Is it a sign of things to come?
MIAMI — It was clear way back in mid-September, when the National Hurricane Center had already exhausted its regular list of names and turned to the Greek alphabet, that 2020 would be a hurricane season for the record books. It definitely was that. The season, which formally ends every Nov....
6 dead in pandemic unrest at Sri Lanka prison
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Inmates unhappy about the coronavirus threat at an overcrowded prison near Sri Lanka’s capital have clashed with guards who opened fire, leaving six prisoners dead and 35 others injured, officials said Monday. Two guards were critically injured, they said. Pandemic-related unrest has been growing in the...
‘World’s loneliest elephant’ arrives safely in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The pachyderm dubbed the ” world’s loneliest elephant ” after languishing alone for years in a Pakistani zoo was greeted on his arrival in Cambodia on Monday by chanting Buddhist monks and was then sent on his way to a wildlife sanctuary. Like other travelers during...
Iran says Israel remotely killed military nuclear scientist
TEHRAN, Iran — A top Iranian security official on Monday accused Israel of using “electronic devices” to remotely kill a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the 2000s. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, made the comment at the funeral for...
Beware of covid-19 scams as vaccine approaches FDA approval
WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus vaccine inching toward approval in the U.S. is desperately anticipated by weary Americans longing for a path back to normal life. But criminals are waiting, too, ready to use that desperation to their advantage, federal investigators say. Homeland Security investigators are working with Pfizer, Moderna...
Congress returns with virus aid, federal funding unresolved
WASHINGTON — After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill’s main players are returning for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal-making on a challenging menu of year-end business. Covid-19 relief, a $1.4 trillion catchall spending package, and defense policy — and a final burst of...
Moderna asking U.S., European regulators to OK its virus shotsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it would ask U.S. and European regulators Monday to allow emergency use of its covid-19 vaccine as new study results confirm the shots offer strong protection — ramping up the race to begin limited vaccinations as the coronavirus rampage worsens. Multiple vaccine candidates must succeed for the...
