Huge fire breaks out at Beirut port a month after explosion
BEIRUT — A huge fire broke out at Beirut’s port Thursday, raising new panic among residents still struggling with the traumatic effects of the catastrophic explosion at the same site last month. Some sought safety in closed bathrooms or threw open their windows to guard against shattering glass in case...
U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 884,000 seek jobless aid
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs are stuck at a historically high level six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. The latest figure released by the Labor Department Thursday still far exceeds the number...
Texas fugitive wanted in Georgia deputy shooting captured
DALTON, Ga. — A Texas fugitive who fled into the woods in Georgia after shooting at an officer who pulled him over has been captured, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted that Dalton Potter was in custody after authorities surrounded him late Wednesday following another shooting outside the...
California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When it comes to California wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Last weekend, a fire burning in California’s Sierra National Forest exploded in size, trapping hundreds of Labor Day holiday campers who could only be rescued...
South Carolina 3rd grade teacher, 28, dies from covid-19
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina third grade teacher who was last in her classroom less than two weeks ago has died from covid-19, officials at the Richland 2 School District said Wednesday. Demetria “Demi” Bannister, 28, was diagnosed with the virus on Friday and died Monday, school district spokeswoman...
Justice Department push into Trump defamation lawsuit could prompt dismissalVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s move to intervene in a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, even as experts were skeptical of the federal government’s effort to protect the president in a seemingly private dispute. The Justice Department’s action is “a normal application...
Democrats: Mail-order prescription drugs facing significant delays
WASHINGTON — Delivery of mail-order prescription drugs was delayed significantly this summer after the new postmaster general ordered major changes in U.S. Postal Service operations, according to a report released Wednesday by Senate Democrats. The report contradicts public claims by Louis DeJoy that the recent moves he imposed “should not...
New York gynecologist indicted on federal charges of sexually assaulting patientsVideo
NEW YORK — A former New York gynecologist accused of sexually abusing dozens of patients, including the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, was charged Wednesday with attacking girls and women for nearly two decades using the cover of medical examinations. Prosecutors described the doctor, Robert A. Hadden,...
VP Mike Pence stops in Westmoreland, rallies pro-life voters at Murrysville church
Anti-abortion activists from across the region gathered Wednesday at Cornerstone Ministries in Murrysville as Vice President Mike Pence addressed the kick-off of the Susan B. Anthony List’s campaign to engage pro-life voters in Pennsylvania. The visit to the large, nondenominational church marked Pence’s third appearance with the group. Long a...
Trump releases list of 20 new possible Supreme Court picksVideo
WASHINGTON — Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he’s pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to...
Utah police vow to work with probe of shooting of autistic boy
SALT LAKE CITY — A police department vowed to cooperate with multiple investigations of the shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy by officers in the Salt Lake City area. The Salt Lake City Police Department said the officers were called to a home Friday night in Glendale, Utah with a...
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge: Election Day could be election month without reform
Pennsylvania is one of seven states that don’t allow mail-in ballots to be processed and counted until Election Day. County and state officials say that could be disastrous in a year when the commonwealth is grappling with a pandemic and millions of people are expected to vote by mail. Former...
Official claims pressure to alter Homeland Security intel to play down threats from Russia
WASHINGTON — An official at the Department of Homeland Security said in a whistle-blower complaint released Wednesday that he was pressured by agency leaders to suppress details in his intelligence reports that President Donald Trump might find objectionable, including intelligence on Russian interference in the election and the threat posed...
Bob Woodward book: Trump said of coronavirus, ‘I wanted to always play it down’Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump talked privately about the severity of the coronavirus threat even as he was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than the seasonal flu and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control, according to a new book by journalist Bob...
Apocalyptic-looking sky hovers over California, Oregon amid uncontrolled wildfiresVideo
Skies above California and Oregon have turned an apocalyptic fiery orange. Massive wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions have scorched more than 2.3 million acres across the Western U.S., leaving firefighters scrambling to contain them and residents evacuating the region. A search for “San Francisco sky” on Twitter...
NIH: Halted AstraZeneca vaccine study shows ‘no compromises’ on safety
AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its potential covid-19 vaccine while it investigates a volunteer’s illness shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the shots, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday. “This ought to be reassuring,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins...
U.S. withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — The United States will pull thousands of troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by November, the top American commander for the Middle East said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to get America out of “endless wars.” During a visit to...
Pennsylvania adds 931 new coronavirus cases, with large number stemming from Centre County
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 931 new positive coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with a large number stemming from Centre County, the home of Penn State’s main campus. Centre County added 184 new cases on Wednesday, with that one-day total accounting for more than 21 percent of the county’s total...
Fauci sticks with projection of vaccine in early 2021
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci says he’s sticking with his projection that a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine may be ready in early 2021. He says it’s possible it could be sooner, but “unlikely.” The White House adviser on the coronavirus told “CBS This Morning” that “the more likely scenario...
Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian lawmaker
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work...
Greece: Fire sweeps through refugee camp on virus lockdown
A major fire swept through a notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos early Wednesday, burning through container housing and leaving thousands of people in need of emergency shelter. Complicating matters, the Moria camp was under a coronavirus lockdown from an outbreak there when flames gutted much...
Richmond bans guns on public property during protests
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s capital city has adopted a law banning guns on public property during protests and other events. The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the ordinance, which is aimed at preventing violent confrontations during demonstrations against racial inequality that have continued to take place across...
GOP targets Democratic-run California in election gamble
LOS ANGELES — Republican candidates eager for a turnaround in heavily Democratic California are spotlighting what they see as a dire threat to families and communities — their own state’s policies. GOP contenders from the U.S. House to city councils are looking to make the November election a referendum on...
California wildfire explodes, burning across 25 miles in dayVideo
SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — A Northern California wildfire burning for more than three weeks roared to life after being stoked by high winds, spreading at a ferocious rate across an estimated 25 miles of mountainous terrain and parched foothills and destroying an untold number of homes. As thick smoke choked...
5-year-old suffered 2nd-degree burns while forced to sit on heater as punishment: Harrisburg police
A Harrisburg woman is facing assault charges after police said she forced her girlfriend’s 5-year-old son to sit on a water heater because “she was mad at him,” according to an affidavit of probable cause. According to the affidavit, the 5-year-old said his mother’s girlfriend Veronica Feight, 45, has kicked,...
