Top health official says he was ousted over Trump-touted drugVideo
WASHINGTON — A top U.S. health official who was helping lead efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine said he was removed from his post because he insisted on limiting the use of a drug President Donald Trump has pushed as a COVID-19 treatment despite little clinical evidence it works. Rick...
U.S. to boost aid to Greenland in bid to counter Russia, China
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is poised to announce an expanded diplomatic presence in Greenland and a new assistance package for the vast island aimed at thwarting growing Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic. The announcement, expected Thursday, will come less than a year after President Donald Trump drew...
U.S. adds cameras at Mexico border despite drop in crossings
SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration has been quietly adding military surveillance cameras at the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the coronavirus pandemic, though fewer people appear to be crossing illegally. It’s the latest move as operations at the U.S.-Mexico border have become increasingly militarized and secretive. Documents obtained by...
Florida Rep. Donna Shalala failed to disclose stock sales in 2019 in violation of federal lawVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, the lone House Democrat on the committee set up to oversee $500 billion in taxpayer money being used for coronavirus-related payouts to large businesses, violated federal law when she failed to disclose stock sales while serving in Congress. Shalala, of Florida, told the Miami...
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman wants all the city’s casinos to open — then close if they’re infectedVideo
An argument from the mayor of Las Vegas about opening the city’s casinos has hit a fever pitch. Carolyn Goodman, who has been the Sin City mayor since 2011, has demanded that the businesses that want to open should be allowed to and called Nevada’s nonessential business shutdowns “total insanity”...
2 cats in New York become first U.S. pets to test positive for coronavirusVideo
NEW YORK — Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday. The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus...
Man driving truck stolen in Pennsylvania wounded in Florida shootout, sheriff says
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A man who was driving a stolen pickup truck was wounded Wednesday afternoon during a shootout with a deputy near a shopping center in Florida, authorities said. Deputies had been searching for a Toyota Tundra that was reported stolen in Pennsylvania this week when a...
Flight from Erie to Chicago with no passengers symbolic of travel decline
A United Airlines flight to Chicago that left Erie Wednesday morning with no passengers aboard is symbolic of the continuing decline in air travel. Air travel nationwide is down 96 percent from early March as the coronavirus pandemic prompts growing numbers of Americans to cancel travel plans. Flights at Erie...
Trump ‘disagrees strongly’ with Georgia’s plan to reopenVideo
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he “disagreed strongly” with the decision by Georgia’s Republican governor to reopen salons, gyms and other nonessential businesses later this week, saying, “It’s just too soon.” Trump’s comments at a daily White House briefing marked an abrupt shift in tone. Just last...
Trump administration offers plan to cover coronavirus care for uninsured
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced a plan Wednesday to start paying hospitals and doctors who care for uninsured patients with coronavirus, but Democratic lawmakers and health industry groups are likely to press for more. Under the approach detailed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, hospitals and doctors...
Pennsylvania boosting efforts to promote voting by mail
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is boosting its efforts to get voters to cast their primary election ballots by mail, saying it would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The administration sent 4.2 million postcards to primary voters and is mounting an awareness campaign on radio, television, social media, streaming...
New York City’s July 4 fireworks show will go on in ‘a different way’
NEW YORK — The coronavirus has sunk major New York City events from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to the 50th anniversary Pride march, but the famous July Fourth fireworks extravaganza will happen in some form, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. “One way or another, the show will go...
Trump tweets he’s ordered Navy to destroy Iranian gunboats
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has ordered the Navy to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian gunboats that harass U.S. ships, a directive that comes a week after the Navy reported a group of Iranian boats made “dangerous and harassing approaches” to American vessels in the...
Trump bars new immigration green cards, not temporary visas
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced what he described as a “temporary suspension of immigration into the United States.” But the executive order would bar only those seeking permanent residency, not temporary workers. Trump said Tuesday he would be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of green cards in...
CDC confirms weeks-earlier California deaths from coronavirus
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Health officials say two people died with the coronavirus in California weeks before the first reported death from the disease. Santa Clara County officials said Tuesday the people died at home Feb. 6 and Feb. 17. Before this, the first U.S. death from the virus had been...
As people stay home, Earth turns wilder and cleaner
An unplanned grand experiment is changing Earth. As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily. Smog stopped choking New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, and India’s getting views of sights not...
Officials: 7 coronavirus cases in Wisconsin may be related to in-person votingVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Health officials in Wisconsin said they have identified at least seven people who may have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election, the first such cases following in-person voting that was held despite widespread concern about the public health risks. The infections involve six...
Medical supplier: FEMA seized 400K masks, has them ‘sitting on a loading dock’
NEW YORK — A medical supply company in Delaware is questioning the legality of federal seizures of N95 respirator masks destined for medical workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. George Gianforcaro, owner of Indutex USA, told the New York Daily News the Federal Emergency Management Agency confiscated 400,000 masks in two...
Georgia businesses hesitant to embrace Gov. Brian Kemp’s call to reopenVideo
ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp’s call to reopen shuttered businesses in Georgia left many business owners wary and confused Tuesday as they considered how to protect themselves and their customers in a state where coronavirus deaths neared 800 and confirmed infections climbed toward 20,000. Kemp’s plan to kick-start the economy...
Senate approves $500B aid for small businesses dealing with coronavirus shutdownsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a deal to increase funding for a popular small business loan program that ran out of money last week as businesses scrambled for a lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic. The House is expected to pass the measure Thursday, giving members time to...
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick praises economic restart, says ‘there are more important things than living’Video
AUSTIN, Texas — A month after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick faced backlash for suggesting the economy reopen while older people fend for themselves amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Republican feels vindicated. “I’m sorry to say that I was right on this, and I’m thankful that we are now, Tucker, finally...
Nurses protest at White House over lack of protective gear during coronavirus pandemicVideo
Registered nurses protested Tuesday in front of the White House in Washington demanding the Trump administration provide more personal protective gear for health care workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. The nearly two dozen participants from National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the country, stood silently as...
Canadian police: Death toll rises to 23 victims in Nova Scotia rampage
TORONTO — Canadian police said Tuesday they believe there to be 23 victims after a gunman went on a rampage in rural communities across Nova Scotia over the weekend. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they have recovered remains from some of the locations of the fires. Earlier, authorities said...
AG William Barr says Justice Department may act against governors with strict virus limits
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights once the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr said. Blunt means to deal with the pandemic, such as stay-at-home...
Senate report says Kremlin support for Trump in 2016 is accurateVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to back Donald Trump’s campaign over that of rival Hillary Clinton was based on sound intelligence-gathering processes and analysis, the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a report released Tuesday. While reviewing intelligence agencies’ assessment of the Kremlin’s...
