Alabama to require face masks as coronavirus surges in stateVideo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama will begin requiring face masks in public as health officials try to quell a surge of new coronavirus cases that is filling up hospitals, Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday. In an announcement made a day after the state reported a pandemic-high of 40 deaths in a...
Trump’s former doctor wins House GOP nomination in Texas
AUSTIN — President Donald Trump’s former White House physician and onetime pick to head the Department of Veterans Affairs won the Republican nomination for a U.S. House seat in Texas in an election that unfolded amid an alarming spread of the coronavirus. Ronny Jackson, a retired Navy rear admiral, defeated...
Coronavirus data is funneled away from CDC, sparking worriesVideo
NEW YORK — Hospital data related to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States will now be collected by a private technology firm, rather than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a move the Trump administration says will speed up reporting but one that concerns some public health...
Masks and gowns in short supply, leaving hospital workers exposed
American health care workers still face dangerous shortages of personal protective equipment as the uncontrolled spread of covid-19 fills hospitals across the nation and threatens patients and workers in long-term care facilities. Dayna James, an emergency department nurse in Miami, said some days she’s had to clean patient rooms with...
NYPD chief, cops hurt as protesters clash on Brooklyn BridgeVideo
NEW YORK — Several New York City police officers were attacked and injured Wednesday as pro-police and anti-police protesters clashed on the Brooklyn Bridge. At least four officers were hurt, including Chief of Department Terence Monahan, and 37 people were arrested, police said. Information on charges was not immediately available....
Missouri Gov. Parson: Trump ‘focused’ on situation with St. Louis couple
O’FALLON, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said President Donald Trump is focused on and concerned about the possibility that a white St. Louis couple could face criminal charges for displaying guns as they defended their home during a racial injustice protest. Parson told reporters that he had just been...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg released from hospital
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Wednesday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from a hospital after being treated for a possible infection. A court spokeswoman said in an emailed statement that Ginsburg was “home and doing well.” Ginsburg had gone to a hospital in Washington on Monday evening...
23 AGs sue Betsy DeVos over student loan forgiveness policy
Democratic attorneys general in more than 20 states sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday, seeking to repeal her overhaul of a student loan forgiveness program. Congress voted to strike down her policy, which makes it more difficult to get federal student loans erased, but President Donald Trump saved it...
Massachusetts mayor steps in to save Pittsburgh couple’s wedding that was missing officiantVideo
MASHPEE, Mass. — A couple gathered with family for a Cape Cod wedding found themselves without an officiant minutes before being wed, until a Massachusetts mayor wrangled special permission to perform the ceremony. Carlo DeMaria, the mayor of Everett, Mass., was on vacation Saturday near the venue in West Yarmouth,...
New peak of 71K U.S. overdose deaths in 2019 dashes hopes
Nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the covid-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher. Preliminary numbers released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the trend is driven by fentanyl...
New poll shows Biden leading Trump by 13 points in Pennsylvania
A new poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 13 points in Pennsylvania for November’s election. The Monmouth University poll of registered Pennsylvania voters shows Biden, the Democratic candidate, is supported by 53% while the incumbent Trump is favored by 40%. “Even taking into account any polling error from...
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says he has tested positive for covid-19Video
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus and that he is isolating at home, making him the first U.S. governor to report testing positive. Stitt, 48, said he mostly feels fine, although he started feeling “a little achy” Tuesday and...
Philadelphia schools: Most kids in class 2 days per week this fall
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia school district announced Wednesday that it plans to resume limited in-person instruction in the fall, with most students in class just two days per week and learning remotely the other three. District officials also warned that it’s “highly likely” that evolving COVID-19 conditions will require individual...
Virus resurgence forces countries to reimpose restrictions
PROMACHONAS, Greece — Countries around the world are reimposing lockdowns and implementing new health checks at their borders in an effort to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus before it spins even further out of control. Starting Wednesday, all travelers arriving in Greece from a land border with Bulgaria were...
Pennsylvania reports 994 new covid-19 cases, 26 new deaths
Pennsylvania added 994 new covid-19 cases to its total Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. The increase of nearly 1,000 cases represents the second straight day the number was above 900. That last time that happened was in mid-May. On Tuesday, 929 cases were reported. There were 139,819 tests...
‘I’m not a bad guy’: Police video captures distraught George FloydVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Body-camera footage made public Wednesday from two Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s arrest captured a panicked and fearful Floyd pleading with the officers in the minutes before his death, saying “I’m not a bad guy!” as they tried to wrestle him into a squad car. “I’m...
Walmart to require customers to wear masks at all its stores
Walmart will require customers to wear face coverings at all of its stores, including Sam’s Club locations, beginning Monday. The move makes it the largest retailer to introduce such a policy that has otherwise proven difficult to enforce without state and federal requirements. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company said that about...
Police charge suspect in slaying of 8-year-old Atlanta girl
ATLANTA — A teen suspect has been charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the shooting that killed an 8-year-old Atlanta girl near the site of an earlier police shooting, police said Wednesday. Police issued warrants a day earlier for 19-year-old Julian Conley in the slaying of Secoriea Turner,...
McConnell: GOP virus proposal for schools, others out soon
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’ll begin to roll out details of the new covid-19 relief package to senators as soon as next week and suggested it will include new funding for school reopenings, some unemployment benefits and money for health care providers. Expected to hit $1...
Trump trades arenas for Rose Garden in attack on Biden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump transformed an event that was supposed to highlight his China policy into an impromptu campaign rally, delivering an expansive and often meandering broadside against Democratic rival Joe Biden on trade, policing and his son’s business practices, among other topics. The Republican president traded the arena-style...
Russian prankster gets through by phone to Polish presidentVideo
WARSAW, Poland — A Russian prankster posing as the U.N. secretary-general, managed to get through to Poland’s reelected president, Andrzej Duda, on the telephone, rendering him speechless following questions about Ukraine, Russia and the outcome of Sunday’s election. The prankster, Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Vovan, posted a recording of the...
Thai man forced to psychiatric hospital over T-shirt motto
BANGKOK — A man who posted a photo online showing himself wearing a shirt with a motto questioning the traditional reverence for Thailand’s monarchy has been admitted against his will to a psychiatric hospital, drawing concern from human rights activists. The legal basis for putting 45-year-old Tiwakorn Vithiton into the...
Lockdowns reimposed in India as virus cases near 1 million
NEW DELHI — As India’s confirmed coronavirus cases approach 1 million, lockdowns are being reimposed in parts of the country as local governments try to shield the health system from being overwhelmed. India on Wednesday reported nearly 30,000 new cases and 582 more deaths, raising its totals to more than...
Statue of Black protester replaces toppled U.K. slave traderVideo
LONDON — An artist has erected a statue of a Black Lives Matter protester atop the plinth in the English city of Bristol formerly occupied by a statue of a slave trader. Marc Quinn created the life-size resin and steel likeness of Jen Reid, a protester photographed standing on the...
French tourism gets boost with reopening of Disneyland ParisVideo
PARIS — The French tourist industry received a further boost Wednesday with the partial reopening of Disneyland Paris and the opening up of the top floor of the Eiffel Tower. Disneyland Paris, Europe’s most frequented theme park resort, is partially reopening to the public, four months after it closed as...
