Duchess of Sussex reveals she had miscarriage in the summer
LONDON — The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she had a miscarriage in July, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others. Meghan described the miscarriage in an opinion piece in the New York Times on Wednesday, writing that “I knew, as I clutched...
Joe Biden to deliver a Thanksgiving address seeking U.S. unity
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden is slated to deliver a Thanksgiving address to the nation seeking to unify Americans in the face of the coronavirus pandemic as experts warn of a possible spike in cases resulting from the holiday. Biden’s transition team said the president-elect will “discuss the shared...
Congress braces for Joe Biden’s national coronavirus strategy
WASHINGTON — Congress is bracing for President-elect Joe Biden to move beyond the Trump administration’s state-by-state approach to the COVID-19 crisis and build out a national strategy to fight the pandemic and distribute the eventual vaccine. The incoming administration’s approach reflects Democrats’ belief that a more comprehensive plan, some of...
Mine explodes, damaging oil tanker off Saudi Arabia
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A mine in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia near Yemen exploded and damaged an oil tanker Wednesday, authorities said, the latest incident targeting the kingdom amid its long war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The blast happened early Wednesday and struck the...
Germany to compensate gay servicepeople for discrimination
BERLIN — Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would provide compensation to gay servicepeople who experienced discrimination in the military before a change of policy 20 years ago. The decision comes two months after Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer issued an apology for decades of discrimination. A study commissioned by...
On speakerphone in Gettysburg, Trump still falsely insists he won election
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump uttered one falsehood after another as he baselessly claimed that he won the 2020 election instead of President-elect Joe Biden as he phoned into an event organized by Pennsylvania Republicans in Gettysburg. Trump’s election lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, attended the event to continue his quixotic and...
Tens of thousands evacuated as India braces for cyclone
NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in low-lying areas of southern India and moved to evacuation shelters on Wednesday to escape a cyclone that was barreling toward the region’s coast. Cyclone Nivar is expected to bring heavy downpours after slamming ashore near Mamallapuram and Karaikal...
New York state may speed up, permanently expand vote-by-mail
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York may permanently expand voting by mail — something it tried on a wide scale for the first time this year — while also trying to reform its molasses-slow and opaque process for counting absentee ballots. A proposed constitutional amendment would do away with the rule...
Global push to end domestic violence, worse amid covid-19
PARIS — With domestic violence on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, activists are holding protests Wednesday from France to Turkey and world dignitaries are trying to find ways to protect millions of women killed or abused every year by their partners. The pope called for global action to mark...
Sunbeam recalls nearly 1 million Crock-Pot multi-cookers over lid issue
Sunbeam Products has recalled almost 1 million Crock-Pot 6-Quart Express Crock Multi-Cookers because an issue with the lid when used for pressure cooking can result in burns. “The recalled Crock-Pot multi-cooker can pressurize when the lid is not fully locked. This can cause the lid to suddenly detach while the...
With U.S. in covid panic, one senator saw stock opportunity
WASHINGTON — As the ravages of the novel coronavirus forced millions of people out of work, shuttered businesses and shrank the value of retirement accounts, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged to a three-year low. But for Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, the crisis last March signaled something else:...
Car hits gate outside German leader’s offices; minor damage
BERLIN — A car crashed into the front gate of the building housing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s offices on Wednesday morning, causing minor damage, authorities said. The driver was detained. Police were investigating the 10 a.m. (4 a.m. Pittsburgh time) crash at the German chancellery in Berlin. The car, a...
Pa.’s GOP congressmen mum on Biden-Harris transition as Sen. Toomey extends olive branch
Western Pennsylvania’s Republican congressmen, all ardent supporters of President Trump, are lying low in the wake of the administration’s decision to allow President-elect Joe Biden to formally begin the transition to power. U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler of Peters Township, Mike Kelly of Butler, John Joyce of Blair County and Glenn...
Trump skips turkey jokes, gives thanks for covid-19 vaccines
WASHINGTON — Nostalgia was in and jokes were out Tuesday as President Donald Trump offered a reprieve to a pair of meaty turkeys at the traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardon ceremony at the White House. The National Turkey Federation presented the White House with two birds, Corn and Cob. Corn was...
Pa. officials urge people with covid to cooperate with contact tracing
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in step with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will begin prioritizing covid-19 contact tracing and case investigation efforts as cases surge and fewer people cooperate with tracers and investigators. Pennsylvania’s positivity rate rose to 11% this week, with more than 34,700...
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company. In a virtual hearing with a...
Mysterious shiny monolith found in otherworldly Utah desert
SALT LAKE CITY — Deep in the Mars-like landscape of Utah’s red-rock desert lies a mystery: A gleaming metal monolith in one of the most remote parts of the state. The smooth, tall structure was found during a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep in southeastern Utah, officials said Monday. A...
55-year sentence affirmed for 15-year-old MS-13 gang killer
NEW YORK — An appeals court affirmed a 55-year prison term Tuesday for a member of the MS-13 gang who organized the killings of four teenagers in a Long Island park when he was 15 — but it also expressed regret that the end of parole for federal prisoners means...
Ohio governor says state’s first vaccine batch coming by Dec. 15
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio could see its first batches of a coronavirus vaccine by Dec. 15, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday, citing calls his office has had with federal officials. The Republican governor called the announcement good news even as covid-19 cases skyrocket in Ohio along with a record number...
New Mexico lawmakers propose $1,200 payment to unemployed
SANTA FE, N.M. — The state legislature is meeting for the second time this year to tackle the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and has introduced a bill to channel millions in federal funding into a one-time stimulus of $1,200 to economically stressed workers. The stimulus checks would go...
Court says North Dakota governor can’t fill dead candidate’s seat
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum does not have the authority to appoint someone to a state House seat won by a Republican candidate who died before the election, the North Dakota Supreme Court concluded. The court, in a unanimous ruling issued Tuesday, decided that Burgum “has not...
Financially distressed Pa. towns faring better than expected, while others in pain
Spotlight PA 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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A significant number of Pennsylvania municipalities are considering applying for a state program for the severely financially distressed, while...
Nevada Supreme Court approves Biden win over Trump in state
LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Supreme Court made Joe Biden’s win in the state official on Tuesday, approving the final canvass of the Nov. 3 election. The unanimous action by the seven nonpartisan justices sends to Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak results that will deliver six electoral votes from the Western...
Vatican butler convicted in Benedict XVI leaks case dies
ROME — Paolo Gabriele, the Vatican butler who was convicted of stealing and leaking Pope Benedict XVI’s private papers in 2012, has died. He was 54. Vatican News, the Holy See’s media portal, said Gabriele died Tuesday after a long, undisclosed illness. Gabriele’s case kicked off the first of two...
Pennsylvania adds 6,669 new covid-19 cases
Pennsylvania reported 6,669 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, according to the state’s Department of Health. There were also 81 new deaths reported, all of which were from November. Tuesday’s figures bring total cases and total deaths to 321,070 and 9,951, respectively. In the state, there are 3,897 covid-19 patients hospitalized, with...
