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...
Poll: More than half of Republicans say Joe Biden won because of a ‘rigged’ electionVideo
Over half of Republicans claim President Donald Trump won the presidential election “rightfully,” but it was taken from him because of voter fraud that aided President-elect Joe Biden, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday. The poll, taken Friday through Tuesday showed that 52% of Republicans said Trump...
Report finds Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghans
A shocking Australian military report into war crimes has found evidence that elite Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and civilians. Australian Defence Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell said Thursday the shameful record included alleged instances in which new patrol members would shoot a prisoner in order to...
Coronavirus death toll surges past 250,000 in U.S.Video
The still-raging coronavirus pandemic reached another grim milestone Wednesday, with the U.S. death toll surging past 250,000. The quarter-million milestone, confirmed by Johns Hopkins University, is higher than the number of American military deaths in every conflict since the Korean War as well as those recorded during the U.S. Civil...
Georgia’s hand recount of presidential race nears endVideo
ATLANTA — Election officials across Georgia were expected to complete a hand tally of the presidential race Wednesday night, which would allow state officials to begin the process of certifying the election results, a top elections official said. The hand recount of about 5 million votes stems from an audit...
S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham facing ethics complaint over Georgia ballots question
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Three attorneys have filed an ethics complaint against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, accusing the South Carolina Republican of pressuring a Georgia elections official to toss out legally cast absentee votes in the presidential race. In a complaint filed Wednesday with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, Claire...
Video shows car driving at Florida deputy in teens’ fatal shootingVideo
COCOA, Fla. — Video released by a Florida sheriff’s office shows two deputies pulling their weapons and one firing at a car as it drives at him in a shooting that killed two Black teenagers. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office released the video Tuesday after the teenagers’ families and their...
Ahead of holidays, Tennessee spurns mask mandate requests
NASHVILLE — As health experts ring alarm bells at surging virus case numbers, Tennessee is just one of 14 states poised to head into the holiday season without a statewide mask mandate. Gov. Bill Lee also has vowed he will not impose business restrictions nor issue guidance on how families...
State House Republicans vote for election procedures study
HARRISBURG — Republicans in the state House on Wednesday pushed forward on party lines a proposal for a review of election procedures in Pennsylvania, although its author insisted he accepts voting results and is not trying to overturn them. GOP members of the State Government Committee all voted for the...
New York City schools to close again as city fights coronavirusVideo
NEW YORK — New York City is shuttering schools to try to stop the renewed spread of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday in a painful about-face for one of the first big U.S. school systems to bring students back to classrooms this fall. The nation’s largest public...
Europe has half of world’s 4M new virus cases but sees hope
GENEVA — Europe made up almost half of the world’s 4 million new coronavirus cases last week but recorded a nearly 10% fall in infections compared to the week before, thanks in part to strict government lockdown measures that have fanned some discontent, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday. In...
Judge orders U.S. to stop expelling children who cross border
HOUSTON — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop expelling immigrant children who cross the southern border alone, halting a policy that has resulted in thousands of rapid deportations of minors during the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction sought by...
Trump pursues recount of 2 liberal Wisconsin counties
MADISON, Wis. — President Donald Trump filed Wednesday for a recount of Wisconsin’s two largest Democratic counties, paying the required $3 million cost and alleging that they were the sites of the “worst irregularities” although no evidence of illegal activity has been presented. The recounts in Milwaukee and Dane counties...
Pa. high court takes up Trump challenge to 8K Philly votes
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will take up challenges to more than 8,000 ballots in Philadelphia filed by President Donald Trump’s campaign, among the lawsuits launched by the Republican and his allies amid President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state. The high court’s five-member...
6 Western Pa. counties set new highs as Pa. reports record new coronavirus cases
Six counties in southwestern Pennsylvania experienced their highest single-day coronavirus case totals, as the state set another record for most new cases in a single day on Wednesday. Pennsylvania added 6,339 new positive cases, raising the state’s total to 281,852. The previous high of 5,900 was set Tuesday. Allegheny, Armstrong,...
