Large Chinese mitten crab crawls into German woman’s home
BERLIN — Police in southern Germany say a woman got a shock while airing out her home when a 10-inch Chinese mitten crab scurried in from the terrace through the open door. Freiburg police said Thursday that they received a call reporting the unwanted home invader in the nearby town...
Trump 270 path narrows, Wisconsin mirrors swing state plight
MEDFORD, Wis. — President Donald Trump’s once-comfortable advantage in the pivotal region of Wisconsin around the blue-collar hub of Green Bay has dwindled. In suburban Milwaukee, long a Republican-dominated area, it has thinned as well. And his supporters are far from confident he can find thousands of new voters in...
U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 840,000 seek jobless aid
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to a still-high 840,000, evidence that job cuts remain elevated seven months into the pandemic recession. The latest sign of a flagging recovery comes two days after President Donald Trump cut off talks over a new rescue...
Trump vows not to participate in virtual debate with Biden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump vowed Thursday not to participate in next week’s debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden after organizers announced it will take place virtually because of the president’s diagnosis of covid-19. “I’m not going to do a virtual debate” with Biden, Trump told Fox News, moments after...
Second debate with Biden going virtual amid Trump’s covid-19
WASHINGTON — The second presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will take place virtually amid the fallout from the president’s diagnosis of covid-19. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates debates made the announcement Thursday morning, a week before the two were scheduled to face on...
Takeaways from the vice presidential debate between Harris and PenceVideo
SALT LAKE CITY — For 90 minutes, the understudies had their moment. Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris faced each other behind plexiglass partitions in a low-key debate that was peevish but generally polite. Their clash probably won’t have much effect on who wins the White House,...
Hurricane Delta again strengthening, could hit in Louisiana as Category 2 stormVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Hurricane Delta started strengthening again Wednesday night as it heads for into the warm waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico. For now it’s still a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 90 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. advisory. It’s...
Postal employee accused of dumping 1,800 pieces of mail
NEWARK, N.J. — A postal employee in New Jersey dumped more than 1,800 pieces of mail, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Nicholas Beauchene, 26, of Kearny, faced arraignment later in the day on charges of delay, secretion or detention of mail and obstruction of mail. It was not known if he...
Pence, Harris face off on covid-19 in VP debate
SALT LAKE CITY — Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans Wednesday night, while his Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris, condemned “the greatest failure of any presidential administration” during a largely civil debate dominated by the coronavirus. With...
Top White House security official contracted covid-19 in September
WASHINGTON — A top White House security official, Crede Bailey, is gravely ill with covid-19 and has been hospitalized since September, according to four people familiar with his condition. The White House has not publicly disclosed Bailey’s illness. He became sick before the Sept. 26 Rose Garden event President Donald...
Marine Gen. Gary Thomas has covid after Pentagon meeting
WASHINGTON — The assistant commandant of the Marine Corps has tested positive for the coronavirus, days after he and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were in a Pentagon meeting with a Coast Guard leader who was infected with the virus. The Marine Corps said Wednesday that Gen. Gary...
‘A blessing in disguise’: Trump hails experimental treatment for his coronavirus recoveryVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday credited an experimental drug treatment with helping his recovery from covid-19 and suggested his diagnosis could be a “blessing in disguise” in the nation’s battle against the pandemic. But there is no way for the president or his doctors to know whether the...
Facebook braces for contested election, voter intimidation
OAKLAND, Calif. — Facebook said it’s readied new safeguards for the 2020 U.S. elections that have it better prepared to deal with candidates who prematurely declare victory or contest official results and the possibility of voter intimidation by alleged — and potentially armed — “poll watchers.” In the former case,...
Now a covid-19 hot spot, White House struggles to workVideo
WASHINGTON — In a tableau befitting a surreal election season, there may be more raccoons around the White House than actual staff now — and a contagious president sneaking into the West Wing. With the iconic white-columned building now a coronavirus hot zone, and a pack of hungry raccoons near...
Man pleads not guilty in death of former Pittsburgh resident over mask confrontation in New YorkVideo
WEST SENECA, N.Y. — A New York bar patron accused of giving a fatal shove to an 80-year-old man during a confrontation about the need to wear a mask has pleaded not guilty to criminally negligent homicide. Donald Lewinski, 65, entered a plea of not guilty at a court on...
Pennsylvania reports 2nd-highest new coronavirus case total since May
Pennsylvania added more than 1,300 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, its second-highest daily total since May. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there were 1,309 positive cases of covid-19, bringing the state total to 166,552. Besides the two-day total of 2,251 reported on Oct. 3, it’s the highest daily total...
Wisconsin activates field hospital as covid-19 keeps surging
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin health officials announced Wednesday that a field hospital is opening in the coming days at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee as a surge in COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals. Wisconsin has become a hot spot for the disease over the last month, ranking third nationwide...
Ex-cop Chauvin charged in George Floyd’s death freed on $1 million bond
MINNEAPOLIS — The former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd posted bail on Wednesday and was released from prison. According to court documents, Derek Chauvin posted $1 million bond, and the Department of Corrections confirmed he was no longer in custody at the state’s...
N.C. city apologizes for deaths at 1979 anti-KKK rally
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A city council in North Carolina has approved a resolution which apologizes for the shooting deaths of five demonstrators at a 1979 rally against the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party. The Greensboro City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday night to approve the resolution, which says...
Protests greet move to impose new virus shutdowns in NYC
NEW YORK — A New York City neighborhood erupted in protests after Gov. Andrew Cuomo moved to shut down schools and businesses and restrict capacity at houses of worship in areas where coronavirus cases are spiking. Many areas that stand to be affected are home to large enclaves of Orthodox...
Belgium’s 1st transgender vice premier target of verbal barb
BRUSSELS — Belgium’s first transgender politician to reach the higher echelons of government has come under stinging attack from the country’s extreme right, only days after she was appointed. The new Belgian government sworn in Saturday includes Green Vice Premier Petra De Sutter, a professor specializing in gynecology and fertility...
Google, Oracle meet in copyright clash at Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices discussed restaurant menus, computer keyboards, songs and even the periodic table Wednesday in trying to resolve a copyright dispute between tech giants Google and Oracle. The justices were hearing arguments Wednesday in a dispute that is worth billions and important to the future of...
Clorox develops device for classrooms to detect ‘illness indicators’Video
The Clorox Co. said today it has developed an experimental device to be used in school classrooms that can detect “illness indicators” in real time. “Each year, schools face the challenge of preventing one cough or sneeze from turning into a cold or flu outbreak. For schools that have decided...
In about-face, Trump seeks to salvage parts of virus aid
WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday tried to salvage its favorite items lost in the rubble of COVID-19 relief talks that President Donald Trump blew up, with his administration pressing for $1,200 stimulus checks and a new wave of aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the...
Appeals court: Trump must turn over taxes to prosecutor
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s accountant must turn over his tax records to a New York state prosecutor, an appeals court ruled Wednesday in a decision that likely sets up a second trip to the U.S. Supreme Court over the issue. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in...
