CDC predicts seasonal outbreak of rare childhood paralysis linked to virus
Starting this month, the United States should expect an outbreak of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a form of childhood paralysis thought to be caused by a viral infection, government health officials said Tuesday. Though AFM remains uncommon, it spikes in even-numbered years, with 238 cases identified in 2018, the Centers...
Trump’s demand for U.S. cut of a TikTok deal is unprecedentedVideo
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s demand that the U.S. government get a cut from a potential Microsoft purchase of TikTok is the latest unprecedented scenario in an unprecedented situation. Microsoft is in talks to buy parts of TikTok, a forced sale after Trump threatened to ban the Chinese-owned video...
Pennsylvania reports 23 new covid-19 deaths, 854 new cases
After reporting no new covid-19 deaths in the state Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced 23 new deaths Tuesday. The new reported deaths are the highest in a seven-day span. In that time — July 29 through Tuesday — reported deaths were mostly below 20 each day. The state...
Massive Beirut blast kills more than 70, injures thousandsVideo
BEIRUT — A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 70 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said. It was not clear...
‘A line in the sand’: Both sides dig in on virus relief billVideo
WASHINGTON — Negotiators on a huge coronavirus relief bill reported slight progress after talks resumed in the Capitol, with issues like food for the poor and aid to schools struggling to reopen safely assuming a higher profile in the talks. Multiple obstacles remain, including an impasse on extending a $600-per-week...
Isaias, again a tropical storm, spawns wild inland weather
SOUTHPORT, N.C. — Tropical Storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain during an inland march up the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday after making landfall as a hurricane along the North Carolina coast, where it piled boats against the docks and caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people....
Wave of evictions expected as moratoriums end in many states
BALTIMORE — Kelyn Yanez used to clean homes during the day and wait tables at night in the Houston area before the coronavirus. But the mother of three lost both jobs in March because of the pandemic and now is facing eviction. The Honduran immigrant got help from a local...
3 men rescued from Pacific island after writing SOS in sandVideo
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS sign in the sand that was spotted from above, authorities say. The men had been missing in the Micronesia archipelago for nearly three days when their distress signal was spotted Sunday...
Tropic storm Isaias whips up eastern U.S., killing at least 6Video
WINDSOR, N.C. — At least six people were killed as Tropical Storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain Tuesday along the East Coast after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina, where it caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people. Two people died when Isaias spun off...
U.S. envoys drawing ire from Iceland to Britain
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — In Iceland, a nation so safe its president runs errands on a bicycle, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter has left locals aghast with his request to hire armed bodyguards. Gunter has also enraged lawmakers by casually and groundlessly hitching Iceland to President Donald Trump’s controversial “China virus”...
Colorado police apologize after girls handcuffed in stolen car mixupVideo
AURORA, Colo. — Police in suburban Denver have apologized after a group of Black girls was detained, and at least two handcuffed during a weekend investigation of a stolen car. Officers later determined that the vehicle they were seeking had the same license plate number but was from out-of-state. A...
House panel calls new postal chief Louis DeJoy to explain mail delays
WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee has invited the new postmaster general to appear at a September hearing to examine operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that are causing delays in mail deliveries across the country. The plan imposed by Louis DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser who took over the...
State unveils grant program for college reopening
Colleges and universities struggling to reopen will be able to tap a portion of $28 million in federal CARES Act grants, state officials set aside to help them underwrite public health and safety plans. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the availability of grants as colleges wrestle with last minute decisions on...
Trump criticizes Dr. Birx for her comments about coronavirus resurgenceVideo
President Donald Trump took aim at the coronavirus task force’s coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, on Monday, slamming her as “pathetic” for raising alarm about coronavirus resurgences sweeping across most parts of the country. In a tweet, Trump suggested Birx is only voicing concern about the new outbreaks because House Speaker...
Trump fires Tennessee Valley Authority chair, cites hiring of foreign workersVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he had fired the chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority, criticizing the federal-owned corporation for hiring foreign workers. Trump told reporters at the White House that he was formally removing chair Skip Thompson and another member of the board, and he threatened...
Hersheypark to close Tuesday because of Tropical Storm Isaias concerns
Hersheypark has announced it will close on Tuesday because of “heavy rain expected” from Tropical Storm Isaias. According to a note on the park’s website, the park will reopen on Wednesday. Weather update for Tuesday, August 4. Guests may modify an existing reservation here - pic.twitter.com/aHHAnIyXTI— Hersheypark (@Hersheypark) August...
Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in North CarolinaVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane made landfall just after 11 p.m. on Monday with maximum sustained wind of 85 mph. Coastal shops and restaurants closed early, power began to flicker at oceanfront hotels...
Prosecutor seeking Trump’s taxes cites probe of his business for possible fraudVideo
NEW YORK — A Manhattan prosecutor trying to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns told a judge Monday that he was justified in demanding them, citing public reports of “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.” Trump’s lawyers last month said the grand jury subpoena for the tax...
Captain, owners of New York illegal party cruise arrested
NEW YORK — A New York City party cruise with more than 170 people on board was met by police when it returned to shore over the weekend, leading to the arrest of the captain and two owners. The Saturday evening boat cruise violated social distancing orders, the New York...
Outbreak hits Norway cruise ship, could spread along coast
A Norwegian cruise ship line halted all trips and apologized Monday for procedural errors after a coronavirus outbreak on one ship infected at least 5 passengers and 36 crew. Health authorities fear the ship also could have spread the virus to dozens of towns and villages along Norway’s western coast....
Spain’s former king leaving country amid financial scandal
LISBON — Spain’s former monarch, Juan Carlos I, is leaving Spain to live in another, unspecified, country amid a financial scandal, according to a letter published on the royal family’s website Monday. The letter from Juan Carlos to his son, King Felipe VI, said: “I am informing you of my...
Virus relief bill remains up in air as negotiations resume
WASHINGTON — Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge covid-19 relief bill are set to resume Monday afternoon, but the path forward promises to be challenging and time is already growing short. Republicans are griping that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t drop her expansive wish list even as concerns are mounting...
For 1st time since March, Pennsylvania reports no new covid-19 deaths
For the first time since March 23, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced no new deaths from covid-19 on Monday. The news is a stark and welcome contrast to the state’s recent numbers, which has seen 560 coronavirus-related deaths since July 1. “Sometimes after weekends, you may see a small...
Sorry, boomers: millennials and younger are new U.S. majority
ORLANDO, Fla. — Sorry, boomers. Millennials and their younger siblings and children now make up a majority of the U.S. population. A new analysis by the Brookings Institution shows that 50.7% of U.S. residents were under age 40, as of July 2019. The Brookings’ analysis of population estimates released this...
U.S. Marines ID all 9 people killed in sea-tank sinking
SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Marine Corps has identified all nine people killed when a Marine landing craft sank in hundreds of feet of water off the Southern California coast. Only one of their bodies was found, despite an intense days-long search involving helicopters and boats ranging from inflatables to...
