White House weighs new panel to map post-virus economic recoveryVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House is considering whether to create a working group focused on reviving the U.S. economy after the coronavirus pandemic eases, and whether the panel should include representatives from the private sector. The discussions are in their early stages, according to three people familiar with the matter....
Applications for mail-in ballots surge as lockdown continues
Applications for mail-in ballots are surging across Pennsylvania, even as President Trump repeatedly condemns mail-in voting as a scheme that could hamper GOP chances to prevail at the polls. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, the number of applications for mail-in ballots increased from 179,172 on April 1 to...
General says coronavirus may affect more Navy shipsVideo
WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders anticipate that the coronavirus may strike more Navy ships at sea after an outbreak aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific infected more than 400 sailors, a top general said Thursday. Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said one member of...
Biden woos skeptical Sanders supporters with new proposals
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled plans to expand eligibility for Medicare and forgive college debt for millions of Americans, as the former vice president begins courting progressives who lost their leader when Bernie Sanders left the presidential race. Biden’s swift move to shore up his left flank underscores...
‘You can’t relax’: New York coronavirus deaths up, but hospital trends hopeful
NEW YORK — New York state posted a record-breaking increase in coronavirus deaths for a third consecutive day even as a surge of patients in overwhelmed hospitals slowed, while isolation-weary residents were warned Thursday the crisis was far from over. The number of deaths rose by 799 to more than...
Smithfield temporarily shuts pork plant after 80-plus employees contract coronavirus
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota will temporarily close for cleaning after more than 80 employees were confirmed to have the coronavirus, the company announced Thursday. Smithfield Foods plans to suspend operations in a large section of the Sioux Falls plant on Saturday,...
U.K.’s Boris Johnson out of intensive care as condition improves
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s condition has improved and he has been moved out of intensive care where he was treated for three days with COVID-19, his office said Thursday. In a statement, a spokesman at 10, Downing Street said Johnson “has been moved this evening from intensive...
Trudeau: Canada’s first wave of covid-19 cases won’t end until summer
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday Canadians will need to stay at home and practice physical distancing for months as the first wave of covid-19 cases in the country won’t end until the summer and Canada won’t return to normal until there is a vaccine — which...
Point of order: Congress weighs how to govern from afar
WASHINGTON — “Congress” literally means to gather together. But the coronavirus pandemic and election year politics are forcing lawmakers to consider ways of governing from afar, some for the first time in U.S. history. The virus’ continuing spread is raising doubts among lawmakers and aides that the House will reconvene...
16.8M Americans thrown out of work as economic toll rises
NEW YORK — A staggering 16.8 million Americans have been thrown onto the unemployment rolls in just three weeks, underscoring the terrifying speed with which the coronavirus outbreak has brought world economies to their knees. Meanwhile, world leaders and health officials fervently warned that the hard-won gains against the scourge...
Virus-hit Wuhan cautiously revives amid thicket of controls
WUHAN, China — Released from their apartments after a 2 1/2-month quarantine, residents of the city where the coronavirus pandemic began are cautiously returning to shopping and strolling in the streets. But they say they still go out little and keep their children home while waiting for schools to reopen....
U.S. economy unlikely to recover as rapidly as it collapsedVideo
BALTIMORE — President Donald Trump has been telling voters that the U.S. economy will leap back to life “like a rocket,” stronger than ever after its bout with the coronavirus. But there is a reason economics is called the “dismal science.” There are emerging signs that any recovery will fail...
Democrats stall Trump’s $250B business virus aid package
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Thursday stalled President Donald Trump’s request for $250 billion to supplement a “paycheck protection” program for businesses crippled by the coronavirus outbreak, demanding protections for minority-owned businesses and money for health care providers and state and local governments. They sidetracked a request by Majority Leader...
Tie game: Ancient bit of string shows Neanderthal handiwork
NEW YORK — It looked like a white splotch on the underside of a Neanderthal stone tool. But a microscope showed it was a bunch of fibers twisted around each other. Further examination revealed it was the first direct evidence that Neanderthals could make string, and the oldest known direct...
Bar owner pulls down cash from walls to pay workers
For the past 15 years, patrons have contributed dollar bills to decorate the walls and ceiling of The Sand Bar in Tybee Island, Ga. But now, with the coronavirus pandemic having shut down the bar, owner Jennifer Knox knew there was a better use for that cash. CNN reports Knox...
‘Smart toilet’ reads your backside print, analyzes waste for disease
A toilet that does double duty could be on its way to your home. Researchers at Stanford University announced they have developed a system that can monitor your health by examining your waste — be it No. 1 or 2. In a release, Dr. Sanjiv “Sam” Gambhir and his team...
Tornado or virus? Coronavirus pandemic means tough sheltering decisions
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As each day brings the United States closer to peak severe weather season, Tornado Alley residents are facing a difficult question: Is it better to take on a twister outside a community shelter or to face the possibility of contracting the new coronavirus inside one? So far,...
Missouri dad charged with accidentally shooting 8-year-old
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri man has been charged with accidentally shooting his 8-year-old child after giving a lesson on gun safety as he put a pistol away. Phillip Lumas Sr., 45, of Jefferson City was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree domestic assault and misdemeanor second-degree endangering the welfare...
Astronauts leave virus-plagued planet for space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Three astronauts flew to the International Space Station on Thursday, departing the virus-plagued planet with little fanfare and no family members at the launch site to bid them farewell. NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russians Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner arrived at the orbiting lab in their...
U.S. expels nearly 10,000 to Mexico under new border rules
A U.S. Border Patrol agent wouldn’t let Jackeline Reyes explain why she and her 15-year-old daughter fled Honduras and needed asylum, pointing to the coronavirus. It was just days after the Trump administration quietly empowered itself to shut down the nation’s asylum system. “The agent told us about the virus...
Feds loosen virus rules to let essential workers return
WASHINGTON — In a first, small step toward reopening the country, the Trump administration issued new guidelines to make it easier for essential workers who have been exposed to covid-19 to get back to work if they do not have symptoms of the coronavirus. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the...
Fire at Moscow retirement home kills 4, leaves 16 injured
MOSCOW — A fire in a retirement home in Moscow killed four people and injured 16 others but firefighters managed to rescue 50 people from the burning building, emergency officials said Thursday. The fire broke out Wednesday night in the basement of the building and quickly spread to the ground...
Half billion more people face poverty over virus, report saysVideo
LONDON — Around half a billion people could be pushed into poverty as a result of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic unless richer countries take “urgent action” to help developing nations, a leading aid organization warned Thursday. In the run-up to three key international economic meetings next week,...
Biden vs. Trump: General election battle is now set
The stage is set for November. Barring unforeseen disaster, Joe Biden will represent the Democratic Party against President Donald Trump this fall, the former vice president’s place on the general election ballot cemented by Bernie Sanders’ decision to end his campaign. Biden likely won’t secure the number of delegates needed...
Warnings multiply against Easter holiday travel, gatheringsVideo
BERLIN — As the Easter holiday approaches, world leaders and health officials are fervently warning that the hard-won gains in the fight against the coronavirus must not be jeopardized by relaxing social distancing. A spike in deaths in Britain and New York and surges of reported new infections in Japan...
