Virus accelerates across Latin America, India, PakistanVideo
NEW DELHI — The coronavirus pandemic accelerated across Latin America, Russia and the Indian subcontinent on Friday even as curves flattened and reopening was underway in much of Europe, Asia and the United States. Many governments say they have to shift their focus to saving jobs that are vanishing as...
Pakistan plane with 98 on board crashes near Karachi
KARACHI, Pakistan — A passenger plane with 98 people on board crashed in a crowded neighborhood on the edge of the international airport near Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Friday after what appeared to be an engine failure during landing. Mayor Wasim Akhtar said at least five or six...
Missouri governor not only allows graduation, but keynotes
O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — In a year when many states are prohibiting in-person graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is not only allowing them, but also spoke at one. The Republican governor had a special connection to the indoor ceremony Thursday night at Sparta High School...
Flood raises fears of pollution at Michigan toxic waste site
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — It took seven years to settle on a plan for cleansing two rivers and floodplains polluted with dioxins from a Dow Chemical Co. plant in central Michigan. The work itself has lasted nearly twice as long, with plenty still to do. Now, scientists and activists fear...
‘1-4-3 Day’ returns Friday to honor Fred Rogers’ legacy
Friday is 1-4-3 Day, a statewide celebration of Fred Rogers’ message of love and kindness. To Mr. Rogers, the number 143 was a code — one number for “I,” four for “love,” and three for “you.” Gov. Tom Wolf declared the first 1-4-3 Day last year, and the tradition returns...
Trump declares emergency for flooded Michigan communities
MIDLAND, Mich. — Many Central Michigan residents remained cut off from their homes Thursday even as floodwaters receded, with senior citizens among the scores of displaced people staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads. President Donald Trump, who was in Michigan to visit...
Coroner: Smoke inhalation killed 34 in California boat fire
LOS ANGELES — Coroner’s reports for the 34 victims who died in a scuba boat fire off the Southern California coast last year show they died of carbon monoxide poisoning before they were burned, authorities said Thursday. All thirty-three scuba divers and one crew member died in the Sept. 2...
Man who filmed Arbery shooting video charged in his slaying
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Georgia man whose cellphone video of Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal shooting helped reignite the case was charged with murder Thursday, making him the third person arrested more than two months after the slaying. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 50-year-old William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. was arrested on...
‘Hundreds of millions’ in fraudulent unemployment benefits paid
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Impostors have used the stolen information of tens of thousands of people in Washington to fraudulently receive hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits, the head of the state’s Employment Security Department said Thursday. Commissioner Suzi LeVine said that the state is currently working with federal...
US begins crackdown on unvetted coronavirus antibody blood tests
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators are moving ahead with a crackdown on scores of antibody tests for the coronavirus that have not yet been shown to work. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday published a list of more than two dozen test makers that have failed to file applications to...
Divided Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as national intelligence chief
WASHINGTON — A sharply divided Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence on Thursday, with Democrats refusing to support the nomination over fears that he will politicize the intelligence community’s work under President Donald Trump. All Democrats opposed Ratcliffe, making him the first DNI to be installed on...
FBI says Texas naval base shooting is ‘terrorism-related’
A shooting at a Texas naval air station that wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead is being investigated as “terrorism-related,” the FBI said Thursday. The shooting began around 6:15 a.m. Thursday at Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi. The shooter tried to speed through a gate at the base in...
Experts: Low traffic numbers expected for Memorial Day weekend
Vehicular traffic is down nearly 40 percent on Pennsylvania highways since the onset of the pandemic in March, leading traffic experts to say that on this Memorial Day weekend, normally high-volume traffic will be down. “As of April 29, which is the most recent date for which we have verified...
Texas mayor says women can’t lead prayer at council meetings
WYLIE, Texas — The mayor of a small Dallas suburb told a fellow City Council member in an email that women shouldn’t be allowed to lead prayer at public meetings because it goes against the Bible. Wylie Mayor Eric Hogue quoted two New Testament scriptures in the email sent to...
Forecasters predict busy 2020 Atlantic hurricane season
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — With forecasters predicting another intense Atlantic hurricane season with as many as 13 to 19 named storms, disaster preparedness experts say it’s critically important for people in evacuation zones to plan to stay with friends or family, rather than end up in shelters during the coronavirus...
Judge grants sanctions against DOJ over citizenship question
A federal judge on Thursday agreed to impose financial sanctions against the Trump administration for failing to produce hundreds of documents during litigation over whether a citizenship question could be added to the 2020 census. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said in a ruling that the Trump administration’s failure to...
Police: Metro Phoenix retail complex shooter felt ‘bullied’
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A gunman who opened fire at a suburban Phoenix restaurant and retail complex, injuring three people, wanted to target shoppers in retaliation for bullying he had suffered, authorities said Thursday. “He said that he went to Westgate to target victims. He wanted to gain some respect, and...
Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works closing some stores in U.S.
About 250 Victoria’s Secret stores and around 50 Bath & Body Works stores will be closing for good in the United States and Canada, according to news from the chain’s parent company L Brands. USA Today reports a quarterly earnings report by the parent company says sales have declined 37%...
Pa. reports 102 additional covid-19 deaths; Gov. Wolf to move more counties from red phase to yellow
The nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases reported by state health officials on Thursday pushed Pennsylvania’s running case count past 65,000 as the state also added 102 new virus-related deaths. The covid-19 death toll across the state now stands at 4,869. All of the deaths have been adults, according to Secretary...
As coronavirus deaths near 100K, Trump should lower flags, Pelosi, Schumer say
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer urged President Donald Trump to lower flags at all public buildings when the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 reaches 100,000. The Democratic leaders made their request Thursday in a letter to the White House saying the move would...
U.S. says it’s pulling out of Open Skies surveillance treaty
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration notified international partners on Thursday that it is pulling out of a treaty that permits 30-plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other’s territory — overflights set up decades ago to promote trust and avert conflict. The administration says it wants out of...
Furloughs becoming layoffs at Trump resort in South Florida
DORAL, Fla. — Some furloughs at a Trump golf resort in South Florida are becoming permanent layoffs. A notice that the Trump National Doral Miami filed with the State of Florida last week says it is permanently laying off 250 workers out of 560 employees who were furloughed in March....
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen released from prison
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was released from federal prison Thursday to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Cohen had been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New...
Man, woman found shot dead in Philadelphia home
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a woman and a man have been found shot to death in a northeast Philadelphia home. Police called to the Bridesburg home shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday found a 37-year-old woman with three gunshot wounds. A 43-year-old man was found in the hallway with a gunshot...
Pa. again extends gun permit licenses that have expired
State officials on Thursday granted another extension for residents whose gun permits have expired during the coronavirus pandemic. The extension applies to permits that expired on or after March 19, according to state police. The initial license to carry extension was set to expire May 30, and Gov. Tom Wolf...
