Ex-Navy SEAL who claims he killed Osama bin Laden tweets, then deletes, maskless selfie aboard flight
**This story contains explicit language** He went to war to fight for his country … but won’t wear a mask during a pandemic? Former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, who claims to have fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, tweeted a selfie Wednesday bragging about not wearing a mask...
Firefighters contain large blaze at Dallas-area factory
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — A massive daylong fire at a Dallas-area plastics factory Wednesday that sent a dense column of toxic black smoke over North Texas before fire crews could tame it has been contained, fire officials said. There were no reports of injuries from the midnight Tuesday blaze at...
California governor: Hundreds of wildfires blazing statewide
VACAVILLE, Calif. — Crews were battling wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate Wednesday as hundreds of wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week. Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed “this extraordinary weather we’re experiencing...
Pandemic fear: Church to apologize for funeral refusal
Noel Alexander had helped build Pine Hill Baptist Church in west-central Louisiana. He’d been its music minister, served on numerous committees and he and his wife kept the church’s books. After he died from covid-19 at age 79, his visitation and funeral were scheduled for the church he loved. But...
Senate, House races with all women a first in Equality State
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Women are all but guaranteed to claim a majority of Wyoming’s congressional delegation for the first time after voters picked four — two Republicans and two Democrats — to compete for U.S. Senate and House seats in November. It’s another milestone for women in the Equality State,...
U.N. crisis looms as U.S. readies demand for Iran sanctions
UNITED NATIONS — After a resounding defeat in the U.N. Security Council, the United States is poised to call for the United Nations to reimpose sanctions on Iran under a rarely used diplomatic maneuver — a move that is likely to further isolate the Trump administration and may set off...
Next January’s PA Farm Show to be held online
Among the visceral aspects of the annual PA Farm Show is being able to see and smell the cows, hogs and goats up close, taste the fresh food and run your hands over the equipment on display. Unfortunately, there won’t be quite the same opportunity for that at the 2021...
Iowa governor’s push to reopen schools descends into chaos
IOWA CITY, Iowa — An aggressive push by Iowa’s pro-Trump governor to reopen schools amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak has descended into chaos, with some districts and teachers rebelling and experts calling the scientific benchmarks used by the state arbitrary and unsafe. The clash in the Midwest has illustrated in...
Mexican students take college entrance exam amid pandemic
MEXICO CITY — Tens of thousands of prospective students hoping to get into Mexico’s largest public university on Wednesday began taking the notoriously competitive entrance exam for the National Autonomous University of Mexico, better known as the UNAM. Held each year, it’s the exam of a lifetime and and an...
Trump lashes out at Goodyear about its policy on MAGA wear
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged people to boycott tires from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., tweeting that the Ohio-based company had “announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS.” But the company didn’t announce such a specific ban, only said it had asked employees to refrain from workplace expressions...
Ex-FBI lawyer admits to false statement during Russia probe
WASHINGTON — A former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty Wednesday to altering a document related to the secret surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser during the Russia investigation. Kevin Clinesmith is the first current or former official to be charged in a special Justice Department review of the investigation into...
In-person Pennsylvania Farm Show canceled over virus worries
HARRISBURG — The massive annual Pennsylvania Farm Show was canceled as an in-person event on Wednesday because of the pandemic, ending the prospect of hundreds of thousands of people converging on the Harrisburg complex in January. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the Jan. 9-15 event will be conducted virtually instead,...
‘Music in the Streets’ returns to Irwin
Irwin’s “Music in the Streets” is returning to the borough’s downtown business district this week with performances by several singers. On Thursday, former “American Idol” contestant Aubrey Burchell will perform at The Lamp Theatre courtyard from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Gail, Kevin & Company will perform on Fourth Street from...
Pennsylvania adds 570 coronavirus cases to its total
The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 570 positive covid-19 cases and 24 deaths on Wednesday. The new cases bring the state’s total to 126,149. The health department added 24 deaths to its totals, with 21 from August, two from July and one from April. The state’s death total now sits...
Pharmacists can give childhood shots, U.S. officials say
NEW YORK — Pharmacists in all 50 states are now allowed to give childhood vaccinations under a new directive aimed at preventing future outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases. Alex Azar, the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, took the step using emergency powers he...
San Francisco blanketed in smoke as California fires rageVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people were under orders to evacuate in regions surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday as some 30 wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week. Smoke blanketed the city of San Francisco. “Throughout the state of California...
Sen. Casey casts Pennsylvania’s DNC roll call votes outside Biden’s childhood home
SCRANTON — Standing in front of Joe Biden’s childhood home late Tuesday night, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey reflected on the Scranton native’s local upbringing before nominating him to be the country’s next president. “Pennsylvania casts 34 votes for Sen. Bernie Sanders and 175 votes for the next president of the...
Democrats make it official, nominate Biden to take on TrumpVideo
NEW YORK — Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden as their 2020 presidential nominee Tuesday night, as party officials and activists from across the nation gave the former vice president their overwhelming support during his party’s all-virtual national convention. The moment marked a political high point for Biden, who had sought...
Mali’s president announces resignation as a result of armed mutinyVideo
BAMAKO, Mali — Mali’s president announced his resignation late Tuesday, just hours after armed soldiers seized him from his home in a dramatic power grab following months of anti-government protests demanding his ouster. The news of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators and alarm...
Washington officials trap male Asian giant hornet
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Officials in Washington state have trapped a male Asian giant hornet, the first male detected in the United States. The Washington state Department of Agriculture said the hornet was found in a trap near the town of Custer in northwestern Washington’s Whatcom County. That’s the same area...
West Virginia AG sues Walmart, CVS over opioid pill flood
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s attorney general sued Walmart and drugstore chain CVS on Tuesday, saying they failed to monitor and report suspicious orders of prescription painkillers to their retail pharmacies in a state ravaged by the opioid epidemic. Patrick Morrisey’s lawsuits allege violations of the state’s Consumer Credit and...
Notre Dame cancels classes for 2 weeks as a result of covid-19 spike
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame University on Tuesday canceled in-person undergraduate classes for two weeks after a spike of coronavirus cases that occurred since the semester began Aug. 10. University president the Rev. John Jenkins said there have been 147 confirmed cases of coronavirus on campus since the start...
AG Shapiro, Sen. Casey won’t back down on Postmaster General, even as changes scrappedVideo
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s announcement that he is suspending changes to the postal system until after the November election was met with skepticism by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. The announcement Tuesday afternoon came as Shapiro and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson were announcing a pair of multi-state federal...
Virginia senator: ‘I will be vindicated’ in Confederate monument caseVideo
NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia state senator charged with damaging a Confederate monument said Tuesday that she will beat the case against her. “It’s just an unnecessary nuisance, but you know what? I will be vindicated,” Sen. Louise Lucas, a Democrat, said in Richmond. Police in the city of Portsmouth...
Trump’s 2016 campaign chair communicated with Russian intelligence, bipartisan Senate panel findsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign eagerly capitalized on Russia’s efforts to meddle in the U.S. election four years ago, according to a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report that raises new concerns about connections between his top aides and Moscow. As Russian military intelligence officers were releasing hacked Democratic...
