Intel nominee John Ratcliffe faces skeptics, vows to resist Trump pressureVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee for national intelligence director sought at his confirmation hearing Tuesday to shed his reputation as a loyalist to the president, insisting to skeptical Democrats that he would carry out the job free of political influence or partisan bias. The comments from Rep. John Ratcliffe,...
Joe Biden to be endorsed by LGBTQ group on notable anniversary
NEW YORK — On May 6, 2012, Vice President Joe Biden declared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he supported the legalization of same-sex marriage — getting out ahead of his boss, Barack Obama, on one of the most volatile political issues of the day. The largest national LGBTQ rights...
Nancy Pelosi pushes new virus package as Mitch McConnell hits ‘pause’
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressed ahead Tuesday with the next coronavirus aid, a sweeping package that is expected to be unveiled soon even as the House stays closed while the Senate reopens in the pandemic. Key to any plan to reopen the economy, Democrats say, is robust testing....
Pennsylvania Game Commission will reopen shooting ranges in ‘yellow’ counties
The Pennsylvania Game Commission on Friday will reopen public rifle, shotgun, pistol and archery ranges in counties the state has moved into the “yellow” phase of coronavirus mitigation efforts. Ranges in red-phase counties, including Allegheny, Westmoreland and the rest of Southwestern Pennsylvania, will remain closed. The shooting ranges on state...
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott eases more rules, defends speed of reopeningVideo
AUSTIN — Texas kept charging ahead with reopening Tuesday as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott gave hair salons permission to return to business alongside restaurants and retailers, and defended the pace of rebooting one of the nation’s biggest states as experts warn that going too fast could result in new outbreaks....
West Virginia eases reopening plan to observe caseload
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has scaled back its plan to lift coronavirus restrictions to gauge how current reopenings will effect the state’s caseload, officials said Tuesday. Republican Gov. Jim Justice has announced that the third week of his plan will begin next Monday with the opening of physical therapy...
Workers want virus protections before casinos reopen
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Casino workers across the country want their employers to provide them with protective equipment and adopt tough new cleaning and social distancing policies before the gambling halls reopen during the coronavirus outbreak. Union leaders and workers from casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans and...
Nearly 1,400 Tyson workers at 3 Iowa plants get coronavirusVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Nearly 1,400 workers at three Tyson Foods pork processing plants in Iowa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the state reported Tuesday, as deaths surged to a new daily high and a testing backlog persisted. The Iowa Department of Public Health revealed for the first time...
Disney’s second-quarter profit sinks on pandemic woes
NEW YORK — Disney reported a steep decline in profit as many segments of its media and entertainment offerings have ground to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic. Its second quarter profit dropped 91% to $475 million. Overall, the company said costs related to covid-19 cut Disney’s pretax profit by...
President Donald Trump visits mask factory in Arizona as coronavirus spreads
PHOENIX — Making himself Exhibit A, President Donald Trump visted an Arizona face mask factory Tuesday, using the trip to demonstrate his determination to see the country reopen even as the coronavirus remains a dire threat. At the same time, the White House said it hopes to wind down its...
Court overturns Quincy Jones’ win in Michael Jackson lawsuit
LOS ANGELES — A California appeals court on Tuesday overturned most of a 2017 jury verdict awarding Quincy Jones $9.4 million in royalties and fees from the Michael Jackson estate over the use of Jones-produced Jackson hits in the concert film “This Is It” and two Cirque du Soleil shows....
Trump pick to oversee rescue spending pledges impartiality
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s choice to oversee a significant chunk of the $2 trillion economic rescue law is pledging to conduct audits and investigations “with fairness and impartiality.” Brian Miller, a lawyer in the White House counsel’s office, told the Senate Banking Committee during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleads for debate on reopening America as coronavirus model doubles deaths
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made an emotional plea for America to debate the rush to reopen states as the daily New York state coronavirus death toll stayed steady at 230. Pointing to a shocking new model that projects a doubling of the death toll, Cuomo said...
Trump officials ignored coronavirus warnings, ousted scientist says in complaint
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration failed to prepare for the onslaught of the coronavirus, then sought a quick fix by trying to rush an unproven drug to patients, a senior government scientist alleged in a whistleblower complaint Tuesday. Dr. Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development...
Prosecutor: Grand jury to weigh charges in Georgia shooting
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia prosecutor said Tuesday that he wants a grand jury to consider criminal charges in the death of a man shot after a pursuit by armed men who later told police they suspected him of being a burglar. Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was killed Feb. 23 in...
States with few coronavirus cases get large share of relief aid
Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Wyoming are not epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet these four states scored big this spring when Congress pumped out direct federal aid, while the two hardest-hit states, New York and New Jersey, got comparatively little given the vast numbers of cases and deaths they have...
Pennsylvania Sens. Casey, Toomey tackle coronavirus from different angles
Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, are tackling the coronavirus from distinctly different angles as Congress struggles to respond to the pandemic that has claimed more than 70,000 lives in the United States. Casey said he will introduce a bill this week creating a GI Bill-type benefit...
Ocean City set to reopen beaches, boardwalk Mother’s Day weekend
The boardwalk and beach in Ocean City, Md., will reopen Saturday, WBAL-TV reported. People will not be required to wear masks, but city council is urging beachgoers to continue to practice social distancing. Restaurants will still be open for carry-out only, and hotels are open only for essential workers, WBAL...
Pennsylvania birth control case part of historic livestream of U.S. Supreme Court arguments
Lawyers from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office will be on deck Wednesday as the U.S. Supreme Court continues streaming oral arguments live for the first time in history. The case, Trump v. Pennsylvania, centers on the Trump administration and the Little Sisters of the Poor seeking to uphold a rule...
Barack Obama will headline televised prime-time commencement
NEW YORK — Former President Barack Obama will deliver a televised prime-time commencement address for the high school Class of 2020 during an hour-long event that will also feature LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai and Ben Platt, among others. ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC will simultaneously air the special May 16...
Where’s my check? Answers to common relief payment questionsVideo
The U.S. government has distributed about 130 million economic impact payments to taxpayers in less than 30 days. The IRS anticipates sending more than 150 million payments as part of a massive coronavirus rescue package. The distribution has had some hiccups, including an overwhelmed website, payments to deceased taxpayers and...
Jim Bakker seeks suit dismissal; ex-governor is his lawyerVideo
O’FALLON, Mo. — Missouri-based TV pastor Jim Bakker is asking a judge to dismiss a state lawsuit accusing him of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure the coronavirus, and the lawyer representing Bakker is former Gov. Jay Nixon. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued Bakker and Morningside...
U.S. senators seek probe of veterans homes after virus deathsVideo
A group of U.S. senators is seeking an investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ oversight of homes for aging veterans amid a spate of coronavirus deaths at the state-run centers. In a letter sent Tuesday, the senators asked the head of the Government Accountability Office to look into the...
Biden pressed to choose a black woman as his running mate
DETROIT — After a devastating start to the Democratic primary, Joe Biden’s campaign was revived when black voters in South Carolina and throughout the South overwhelmingly sided with him. Now that he’s the presumptive Democratic nominee, black voters and leaders are pressing for him to pick a black woman as...
Here come covid-19 tracing apps – and privacy trade-offs
As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into private lives —...
