South Carolina 3rd grade teacher, 28, dies from covid-19
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina third grade teacher who was last in her classroom less than two weeks ago has died from covid-19, officials at the Richland 2 School District said Wednesday. Demetria “Demi” Bannister, 28, was diagnosed with the virus on Friday and died Monday, school district spokeswoman...
Justice Department push into Trump defamation lawsuit could prompt dismissalVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s move to intervene in a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, even as experts were skeptical of the federal government’s effort to protect the president in a seemingly private dispute. The Justice Department’s action is “a normal application...
Democrats: Mail-order prescription drugs facing significant delays
WASHINGTON — Delivery of mail-order prescription drugs was delayed significantly this summer after the new postmaster general ordered major changes in U.S. Postal Service operations, according to a report released Wednesday by Senate Democrats. The report contradicts public claims by Louis DeJoy that the recent moves he imposed “should not...
New York gynecologist indicted on federal charges of sexually assaulting patientsVideo
NEW YORK — A former New York gynecologist accused of sexually abusing dozens of patients, including the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, was charged Wednesday with attacking girls and women for nearly two decades using the cover of medical examinations. Prosecutors described the doctor, Robert A. Hadden,...
VP Mike Pence stops in Westmoreland, rallies pro-life voters at Murrysville church
Anti-abortion activists from across the region gathered Wednesday at Cornerstone Ministries in Murrysville as Vice President Mike Pence addressed the kick-off of the Susan B. Anthony List’s campaign to engage pro-life voters in Pennsylvania. The visit to the large, nondenominational church marked Pence’s third appearance with the group. Long a...
Trump releases list of 20 new possible Supreme Court picksVideo
WASHINGTON — Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he’s pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to...
Utah police vow to work with probe of shooting of autistic boy
SALT LAKE CITY — A police department vowed to cooperate with multiple investigations of the shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy by officers in the Salt Lake City area. The Salt Lake City Police Department said the officers were called to a home Friday night in Glendale, Utah with a...
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge: Election Day could be election month without reform
Pennsylvania is one of seven states that don’t allow mail-in ballots to be processed and counted until Election Day. County and state officials say that could be disastrous in a year when the commonwealth is grappling with a pandemic and millions of people are expected to vote by mail. Former...
Official claims pressure to alter Homeland Security intel to play down threats from Russia
WASHINGTON — An official at the Department of Homeland Security said in a whistle-blower complaint released Wednesday that he was pressured by agency leaders to suppress details in his intelligence reports that President Donald Trump might find objectionable, including intelligence on Russian interference in the election and the threat posed...
Bob Woodward book: Trump said of coronavirus, ‘I wanted to always play it down’Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump talked privately about the severity of the coronavirus threat even as he was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than the seasonal flu and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control, according to a new book by journalist Bob...
Apocalyptic-looking sky hovers over California, Oregon amid uncontrolled wildfiresVideo
Skies above California and Oregon have turned an apocalyptic fiery orange. Massive wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions have scorched more than 2.3 million acres across the Western U.S., leaving firefighters scrambling to contain them and residents evacuating the region. A search for “San Francisco sky” on Twitter...
NIH: Halted AstraZeneca vaccine study shows ‘no compromises’ on safety
AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its potential covid-19 vaccine while it investigates a volunteer’s illness shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the shots, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday. “This ought to be reassuring,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins...
U.S. withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — The United States will pull thousands of troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by November, the top American commander for the Middle East said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to get America out of “endless wars.” During a visit to...
Pennsylvania adds 931 new coronavirus cases, with large number stemming from Centre County
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 931 new positive coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with a large number stemming from Centre County, the home of Penn State’s main campus. Centre County added 184 new cases on Wednesday, with that one-day total accounting for more than 21 percent of the county’s total...
Fauci sticks with projection of vaccine in early 2021
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci says he’s sticking with his projection that a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine may be ready in early 2021. He says it’s possible it could be sooner, but “unlikely.” The White House adviser on the coronavirus told “CBS This Morning” that “the more likely scenario...
Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian lawmaker
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work...
Greece: Fire sweeps through refugee camp on virus lockdown
A major fire swept through a notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos early Wednesday, burning through container housing and leaving thousands of people in need of emergency shelter. Complicating matters, the Moria camp was under a coronavirus lockdown from an outbreak there when flames gutted much...
Richmond bans guns on public property during protests
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s capital city has adopted a law banning guns on public property during protests and other events. The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the ordinance, which is aimed at preventing violent confrontations during demonstrations against racial inequality that have continued to take place across...
GOP targets Democratic-run California in election gamble
LOS ANGELES — Republican candidates eager for a turnaround in heavily Democratic California are spotlighting what they see as a dire threat to families and communities — their own state’s policies. GOP contenders from the U.S. House to city councils are looking to make the November election a referendum on...
California wildfire explodes, burning across 25 miles in dayVideo
SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — A Northern California wildfire burning for more than three weeks roared to life after being stoked by high winds, spreading at a ferocious rate across an estimated 25 miles of mountainous terrain and parched foothills and destroying an untold number of homes. As thick smoke choked...
5-year-old suffered 2nd-degree burns while forced to sit on heater as punishment: Harrisburg police
A Harrisburg woman is facing assault charges after police said she forced her girlfriend’s 5-year-old son to sit on a water heater because “she was mad at him,” according to an affidavit of probable cause. According to the affidavit, the 5-year-old said his mother’s girlfriend Veronica Feight, 45, has kicked,...
Trump plans to announce new troop reductions in Iraq
WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to announce further U.S. troop reductions in Iraq on Wednesday, an administration official said late Tuesday night. It was not immediately clear how many military personnel would be affected and when their withdrawal might begin. About 5,200 U.S. troops remain in the country. After sending...
5 questions that will help decide the presidential race in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — When a major Democratic political group presented a chart last week projecting each party’s path to victory in the presidential race, Pennsylvania sat dead center: the state most likely to decide the winner, and one of the most competitive. It’s so closely balanced it’s impossible to name just...
Report: Sturgis Rally linked to more than 265,000 cases of covid-19 costing $12 billionVideo
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally might be rolling into the record books as the largest known coronavirus super-spreader event in the United States to date. A new study that analyzed cellphone pings for rally attendees and the covid-19 case numbers in the communities they returned to estimates that more than 265,000...
Federal judge rejects lawsuit seeking Texas voting changes during pandemic
AUSTIN — A federal judge in San Antonio dismissed a lawsuit seeking greater accommodations for voter safety during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed by civil rights groups and two voters, sought a court order requiring face masks at polls and other changes to alleviate crowding, including more polling locations,...
