Kelly Stafford, wife of Detroit Lions QB, recants after calling Michigan a ‘dictatorship’Video
Kelly Stafford apologized Thursday for lashing out over the fact the state she lives in has placed restrictions for trying tamp down covid-19 numbers. Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Stafford, ripped Michigan in a social media posting that went viral when she said she was “over living...
Biden wins Georgia, ending long losing streak for Democrats
ATLANTA — Joe Biden has won Georgia, scoring a rare win in a Southern state that hadn’t backed a Democrat for president in nearly 30 years. The Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner of Georgia and its 16 Electoral College votes on Thursday, after state election officials there said...
Ethics complaints target Georgia Sen. Loeffler after she solicited donations in U.S. CapitolVideo
ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., is facing a pair of ethics complaints after she solicited campaign contributions for her runoff campaign during an on-camera interview at the U.S. Capitol. The Democratic Party of Georgia and the American Democracy Legal Fund both filed complaints with the Senate ethics committee...
Pa. lawmakers to use remaining $1.3B in coronavirus aid to prop up state budget
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 newsletters. HARRISBURG — Despite the pleas of restaurant owners, service providers and other industries, Republican leaders in the House have put forth...
U.S. adult smoking rate looks unchanged, vaping rate higher
NEW YORK — The U.S. decline in cigarette smoking could be stalling while the adult vaping rate appears to be rising, according to a government report released Thursday. About 14% of U.S adults were cigarette smokers last year, the third year in a row the annual survey found that rate....
Trump’s election lawsuits plagued by elementary errorsVideo
When President Donald Trump sends lawyers to court, it seems he’s not sending his best. Fighting to challenge an election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden, Trump has launched a barrage of lawsuits across the country. Top Republicans have stood behind him and said they will wait for those cases...
President Trump invites Michigan GOP leaders to White House
DETROIT — President Donald Trump summoned Michigan’s Republican legislative leaders to the White House for a meeting Friday amid a longshot GOP push to overturn the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state. Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Trump invited Senate...
Isolated for months, island crew sees pandemic for 1st time
HONOLULU — Just as the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold, in February, four people set sail for one of the most remote places on Earth — a small camp on Kure Atoll, at the edge of the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. There, more than 1,400 miles from Honolulu, they...
Tyson suspends Iowa plant managers amid virus betting claim
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tyson Foods suspended top officials at its largest pork plant on Thursday and launched an investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would get infected during a widespread coronavirus outbreak. The company’s president and CEO, Dean Banks, said he was “extremely upset” about...
Anomalies found in data put census deadline in jeopardy
The director of the Census Bureau said Thursday that irregularities have been found during the numbers-crunching phase of the 2020 census, a development that jeopardizes the statistical agency’s ability to meet a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats. The Census Bureau already was facing...
CDC pleads with Americans to not travel for Thanksgiving
NEW YORK — With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. It was some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on...
Toomey, Casey propose bill to increase oversight, resources at nursing homesVideo
Bucking the stereotypical lack of bipartisan cooperation in federal politics, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey were exploring weaknesses in the country’s nursing homes long before the coronavirus pandemic, commissioning a June 2019 report examining their federal oversight. This week, they announced a bipartisan bill that aims to enhance...
Vaccine on the horizon, but immunization will take time, Pa. health secretary says
A covid-19 vaccine could be approved and available before the end of the year, but supply constrictions and phased rollouts mean immunizing the state will be a slow process stretching into next year, Pennsylvania’s top health official said Thursday. “A lot will depend on exactly how much vaccine we get,...
Astronaut: SpaceX Dragon beats shuttle, Soyuz for launching
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The most experienced astronaut on SpaceX’s newly launched crew said Thursday that riding a Dragon capsule to orbit is like being inside the actual mythical beast, and a lot more fun than NASA’s shuttles or Russian flights. As for the crew’s space rookie, he pulled more...
Medical associations urge scaled-back U.S. holiday
WASHINGTON — U.S. doctors, nurses and hospital officials joined forces Thursday to urge scaled-back holiday gatherings to help keep Americans and overburdened hospitals safe during the coronavirus surge. “In the strongest possible terms, we urge you to celebrate responsibly,” the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association...
Polish police criticized for using tear gas on protesters
WARSAW, Poland — Polish police came under criticism on Thursday for using tear gas and force on mostly female and young protesters during the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion. Political tensions have been extremely high in Poland since the constitutional court...
Illinois man, 81, uses antique walking stick to beat thieves
NILES, Ill. — An 81-year-old retired Marine from suburban Chicago used his grandfather’s antique Irish walking stick to chase off three burglars and deliver one a thump in the head for his trouble. Dan and Barbara Donovan told the Pioneer Press newspaper group that a man in a reflective vest...
Pa. records highest daily increase in coronavirus cases
Pennsylvania on Thursday eclipsed more than 7,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time. The state reported a record 7,126 additional covid-19 cases and 116 new deaths. That brings the totals since the pandemic struck the state in March to 288,978 cases and 9,581 deaths. In...
Huge Puerto Rico radio telescope to close in blow to science
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it will close the huge telescope at the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in a blow to scientists worldwide who depend on it to search for planets, asteroids and extraterrestrial life. The independent, federally funded agency said...
Brexit trade talks suspended because of covid-19 case
BRUSSELS — The Brexit trade negotiations have been suspended at a crucial stage because an EU negotiator has tested positive for the coronavirus, adding new uncertainty to the talks as a deadline looms. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that together with his U.K. counterpart, David Frost, “we have decided...
Trump summons Michigan GOP leaders for extraordinary meeting
DETROIT — President Donald Trump summoned Michigan’s Republican legislative leaders to the White House for an extraordinary meeting Friday amid a long shot GOP push to subvert the democratic process that handed the battleground state to Democrat Joe Biden. Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that...
WHO: Slight slowing of virus cases in Europe
LONDON — The World Health Organization’s Europe director says there is a “small signal” the latest resurgence of coronavirus cases in the region is slowing. There were 1.8 million coronavirus cases last week, a slight dip from more than 2 million cases the previous week. Dr. Hans Kluge says, “we...
Kansas man accused of illegal autopsies faces fraud charges
TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas man accused of performing illegal autopsies has been indicted on 10 counts of federal wire fraud and the government wants to recover more than $1 million in fees paid to him by clients. The indictment accuses Shawn Parcells, 41, of Leawood of falsely leading people...
Democrat concedes, GOP’s Garbarino to succeed King in New York district
NEW YORK — Democrat Jackie Gordon has conceded to Republican Andrew Garbarino in a closely watched battle to succeed a longtime Republican congressman in a swing district on Long Island’s South Shore. Garbarino, a four-term state assemblyman, battled to replace U.S. Rep. Peter King in New York’s 2nd Congressional District....
Wisconsin recount cleared to begin after partisan fight
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Elections Commission has agreed to issue an order to recount ballots in two heavily liberal counties at President Donald Trump’s request, but only after hours of contentious debate that may foreshadow the partisan battle ahead. Trump paid the $3 million required for the recount and...
