Senate reopens despite risks as House preps more coronavirus aid
WASHINGTON — The Senate reopened Monday in a Capitol largely shuttered by the coronavirus, but prospects for quick action on a new aid package are uncertain with a deepening debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. The 100 senators are convening for the first...
San Francisco police chief bans ‘thin blue line’ face masks
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s police chief said the city’s rank and file will wear neutral face coverings to defuse a controversy after officers sent to patrol a May Day protest wore masks adorned with the “thin blue line” flag. The police union ordered and distributed the masks emblazoned with...
Covid-19 vaccine hunt heats up globally, still no guaranteeVideo
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of people are rolling up their sleeves in countries across the world to be injected with experimental vaccines that might stop covid-19, spurring hope — maybe unrealistic — that an end to the pandemic may arrive sooner than anticipated. About 100 groups are pursuing vaccines with nearly...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker sees hopeful covid-19 trends; shutdown sparks protestVideo
BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that Massachusetts is seeing hopeful data about the state’s effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. “In the course of the past few days we have seen some positive downward trends,” Baker said. But the Republican warned the extension of the state’s...
In fight over Brazil leader’s coronavirus test, crisis loomsVideo
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he twice tested negative for the coronavirus but many, including a federal judge, are demanding he share the actual results. Still, the leader has refused. The surreal standoff is the latest flashpoint in a broader battle between a president who has...
Trump’s anti-China rhetoric aimed at boosting U.S. leverageVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is making ever louder pronouncements casting blame on China for the covid-19 pandemic, aiming to sidestep domestic criticism of the president’s own response, tarnish China’s global reputation and give the U.S. leverage on trade and other aspects of U.S.-China competition. President Donald Trump has vowed...
Ohio GOP lawmaker Nino Vitale refuses to wear a mask because faces are the ‘likeness of God’Video
At least the excuse Nino Vitale used for not wearing a mask was a little more interesting than what Vice President Mike Pence recently offered. Vitale, an Ohio state representative, said Monday he will not wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic because faces are the “likeness of God.” “This...
Mail-in ballot requests approach 1 million ahead of Pennsylvania’s June 2 primary
Nearly one million Pennsylvanians have opted to vote by mail in the June 2 primary, and state officials are hoping to provide the funding and framework to grow that record-setting number significantly higher before the deadline. “Did I mention that we’re encouraging everyone to vote by mail?” Secretary of State...
U.S. to rein in flood of virus blood tests after lax oversight
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators Monday pulled back a decision that allowed scores of coronavirus blood tests to hit the market without first providing proof they worked. The Food and Drug Administration said it took the action because some sellers have made false claims about the tests and their accuracy. Companies...
Coronavirus patients could be cash cows for nursing homes
LOS ANGELES — The nursing home industry has been devastated by the coronavirus, with outbreaks killing thousands of elderly residents and likely setting the stage for both increased regulations and huge legal liabilities. But the health crisis presents operators with a potential financial upside. Patients with covid-19 could be worth...
Smithfield Foods, Tyson plants cautiously reopen plants amid coronavirus fears
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening Monday after being shuttered for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 800 employees. As two departments opened at the Sioux Falls plant operated by Smithfield Foods, employees filed...
Billions projected to suffer nearly unlivable heat in 2070
KENSINGTON, Md. — In just 50 years, 2 billion to 3.5 billion people, mostly the poor who can’t afford air conditioning, will be living in a climate that historically has been too hot to handle, a new study said. With every 1.8 degree increase in global average annual temperature from...
White House disclaims projection showing surge in virus outbreakVideo
WASHINGTON — An internal projection created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the U.S. coronavirus outbreak vastly accelerating by June to more than 200,000 new cases and 3,000 deaths per day — far more than the country is currently experiencing. The White House disclaimed the projection, calling...
White House disclaims projection showing surge in virus outbreak by June
WASHINGTON — An internal projection created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the U.S. coronavirus outbreak vastly accelerating by June to more than 200,000 new cases and 2,500 deaths per day — far more than the country is currently experiencing. The White House disclaimed the projection, calling...
World leaders pledge billions for virus vaccine research; U.S., absent for now
BRUSSELS — World leaders, organizations and banks on Monday pledged 7.4 billion euros, or $8 billion, for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus, but warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time to beat the disease. The funds, pledged...
U.S.: Russia could try to covertly advise candidates in 2020
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security and FBI warned states earlier this year that Russia could look to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections by covertly advising political candidates and campaigns, according to a law enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press. The Feb. 3 document details tactics U.S....
‘Fowl’ play: Alabama police search for ‘aggressive chicken’
WALKER, Ala. — Police are searching for an “aggressive chicken” accused of engaging in fowl play at an Alabama bank. The Walker Police Department responded to a complaint about the brazen animal Friday, the agency said in a social media post over the weekend. Witnesses told police the chicken had...
Carnival Cruise Lines plans to sail again starting in AugustVideo
Carnival Cruise Lines said Monday that it plans to gradually resume cruising in North America in August, nearly five months after it halted operations because of the new coronavirus. Sailings will begin Aug. 1 with eight ships setting off from Galveston, Texas; Miami; and Port Canaveral, Fla. A majority of...
3 charged in killing of Michigan security guard over coronavirus mask
FLINT, Mich. — A woman, her adult son and husband have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard who refused to let her daughter enter a Family Dollar in Michigan because she wasn’t wearing a face mask to protect against transmission of the coronavirus. Calvin Munerlyn was...
Listen in on live oral arguments before Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — It’s a morning of firsts for the Supreme Court, the first time audio of the court’s arguments can be heard live by the world and the first arguments by telephone. The changes are a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made holding courtroom sessions unsafe, especially with...
Shootout leaves officer, hit-and-run suspect dead in Kansas
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A shootout in Kansas left both a police officer and a hit-and-run suspect dead, authorities said. Overland Park police Officer Mike Mosher died at a hospital Sunday evening, Police Chief Frank Donchez said. Mosher was off-duty but in uniform when he saw an apparent hit-and-run and...
Italy eases long lockdown, leaders push vaccine effortVideo
ROME — Millions of people were allowed to return to work in Italy on Monday as Europe’s longest lockdown started to ease, while countries from Iceland to India took a patchwork of steps to loosen coronavirus restrictions. Businesses including hairdressers in Greece and restaurants in Lebanon were opening their doors...
Senate set to reopen as virus risk divides CongressVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate will gavel in Monday as the coronavirus rages, returning to an uncertain agenda and deepening national debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. With the House staying away because of the health risks, and the 100 senators convening for the...
Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge calls protesters ‘self-absorbed and selfish’Video
Former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge, who also served as the Homeland Security secretary under President George W. Bush, said recently that armed protesters demonstrating against coronavirus lockdown orders are selfish and not heroes. Ridge, who fought in the Vietnam War and earned the Bronze Star for Valor, wrote...
In televised town hall, Trump pushes for economic reopeningVideo
WASHINGTON — Anxious for an economic recovery, President Donald Trump fielded Americans’ questions about decisions by some states to allow nonessential businesses to reopen while other states are on virtual lockdown due to the coronavirus. After more than a month of being cooped up at the White House, Trump returned...
