Philippines reports 1st virus death outside of China
BEIJING — The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death of a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in another that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. The Philippine Department of...
Police: 2 dead, 2 wounded in shooting after Florida funeral
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Gunfire erupted after a funeral Saturday in Florida, killing a teenager and a man and leaving two other people wounded, police said. Riviera Beach police said in a statement that the shooting happened near the Victory City Church shortly after 2:30 p.m. They said a 15-year-old...
As Super Bowl crowds grow in Miami, advocates are monitoring treatment of homelessVideo
MIAMI — The deluge of visitors who accompany Super Bowl 54 can expect to be steered to the area’s most tempting amenities — South Beach, nightlife, upscale dining and luxe parties. The downtown waterfront has been lit up each night for visitors to Super Bowl Live, a fan event at...
A nearly all-white Iowa town asked itself: Why do we hate?Video
DUBUQUE, Iowa — Jason Greer will never forget what it was like to be a black teenager in Dubuque when it tried to bring about racial healing after several hate crimes in the 1990s. The experience scarred him for life. His father, Jerome Greer, had moved the family here from...
Chicago’s former top cop consulting local cannabis company
CHICAGO — A former head of the Chicago Police Department is advising a local cannabis company on security after more than $200,000 was stolen from it during a burglary last month. Danny Marks, the co-owner of MOCA Modern Cannabis, told the Chicago Tribune that he brought on former police Superintendent...
Iraqi blocs select new PM designate after weeks of jockeying
BAGHDAD — Former communications minister Mohammed Allawi was named prime minister-designate by rival Iraqi factions Saturday after weeks of political deadlock, three officials said. The choice comes as the country weathers troubled times including ongoing anti-government protests and the constant threat of being ensnared by festering U.S.-Iran tensions. The selection...
Brexit no detour for migrants hoping to cross Channel to UK
CALAIS, France — Migrants and refugees waiting by the French side of the English Channel say Brexit hasn’t derailed their determination to cross over to pursue better lives in Britain. Mingled alongside police officers in the French port of Calais, hundreds of people live in squalid conditions and watch for...
Hong Kong union calls strike to demand China border closure
HONG KONG — A union for Hong Kong hospital workers said its members will go on strike Monday to press a demand for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory to reject all travelers from the mainland in an effort to stem the spread of a new viral disease. The Hospital Authority Employees...
Polling: Americans dissatisfied with the state of the union
WASHINGTON — The turbulence of impeachment, a contentious presidential campaign and a global virus health threat confront President Donald Trump as he prepares to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night. But one thing about the Trump era has remained remarkably steady: public opinion on the president. Approval...
What to watch for in Pennsylvania governor’s budget proposal
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf’s sixth budget proposal to the Republican-controlled Legislature will come out Tuesday, and the Democrat is expected to seek more for public schools and emphasize the urgency of addressing student-loan debt and cleaning up lead and asbestos in schools. Many details of the plan, which...
Man, 19, gravely injured in Los Angeles high-rise fire dies
LOS ANGELES — A 19-year-old French citizen who was gravely injured when flames tore through a high-rise apartment tower this week died Friday evening at a hospital, authorities said. The Fire Department announced the death but provided no details. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office identified him as Jeremy Bru...
Police seek suspect who robbed Hempfield Walmart
An armed robber fled with an undetermined amount of money Friday night from the Walmart at Greengate Circle along Route 30 in Hempfield, state police at Greensburg said. The robber was wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and gloves and displayed a gun to the cashier at the store’s customer...
Virus rattles Chinese communities, canceling new year events
ALHAMBRA, Calif. — The rapid spread of a new virus from China has cast a pall across Chinese American communities, with people staying inside whenever possible, wearing medical masks when they must go out and canceling some celebrations for Lunar New Year, China’s biggest holiday. Those actions became the new...
Arkansas city agrees to tests of evidence on executed inmate
JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — A central Arkansas city council voted Friday to allow new tests on fingerprints and DNA evidence relating to the case of a man the state put to death in 2017. The Jacksonville City Council voted to allow the tests that Ledell Lee’s family contends could exonerate Lee...
Billionaire Bloomberg floods Democratic primary with cash
DES MOINES, Iowa — Billionaire Michael Bloomberg spent roughly $180 million in the month after his late entry into the Democratic presidential primary, a staggering sum that’s drastically more than all other leading contenders spent during much of the past year combined. Since his late entry into the race in...
A sideshow no more: Michael Bloomberg’s fast ascent unnerves rivals
EL PASO, Texas — This arid border town in the far western reaches of Texas hardly seems to scream Bloomberg Country. The billionaire former New York mayor has had a rocky history with minority constituents. His Spanish is bad enough to be the subject of frequent parody. The Wall Street...
Roberts says he won’t break a tie in Trump impeachment trial
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts was never going to be vote No. 51. Roberts said Friday that he had no intention of breaking a tie in President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, dispelling something of a mystery that had hung over the proceedings. The statement from Roberts came before...
Trump curbs immigrants from 6 nations in election-year push
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday that it was restricting immigrants from six additional countries that officials said failed to meet minimum security standards, as part of an election-year push to further clamp down immigration. Officials said immigrants from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania will face new...
Senate rejects witnesses in Trump trial, ensuring acquittal
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected the idea of witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial late Friday, all but ensuring his eventual acquittal. But senators considered pushing off final voting on his fate to next week. The vote on allowing new witnesses was defeated 51-49 on a near party-line vote....
Online political ads: cheap, efficient and ripe for misuse
Older men in Arkansas might see a close-up photo of President Trump pumping his fist in the air, along with a message asking them to donate $30 to his campaign for a Super Bowl commercial. Middle-aged women in California might see a photo of Trump pointing to a crowd, with...
Trump curbs immigration for 6 nations in election-year push
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday that it was curbing legal immigration from six additional countries that officials said did not meet security standards, as part of an election-year push to further restrict immigration. Officials said immigrants from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania will face new restrictions...
Trump shifts to authorize wider U.S. military use of landmines
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday canceled an Obama-era prohibition on the use of anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean peninsula. A White House statement said the new U.S. policy authorizes military commanders, “in exceptional circumstances,” to use landmines designed to reduce unintended harm to civilians. President Barack Obama...
As forests burn around the world, drinking water is at risk
Fabric curtains stretch across the huge Warragamba Dam to trap ash and sediment expected to wash off wildfire-scorched slopes and into the reservoir that holds 80% of untreated drinking water for the Greater Sydney area. In Australia’s national capital of Canberra, where a state of emergency was declared on Friday...
U.S. quarantines American evacuees from China in California
LOS ANGELES — U.S. health officials Friday issued a quarantine order for all 195 American evacuees from China. The evacuees will spend two weeks at a military base in California. They were flown on a charter flight earlier this week from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the...
Pennsylvania on track to expand overtime pay eligibility
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is on the brink of making Pennsylvania one of a handful of states to expand eligibility for overtime pay beyond federal thresholds, winning a final vote Friday from a state regulatory board. The Independent Regulatory Review Commission voted 3-2 to approve a regulation that...
