‘Bigger than any one of us’: Biden, Sanders take on pandemic
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders sought in Sunday’s Democratic debate to cast themselves as best-positioned to lead the nation through a global pandemic, with Biden pledging to deploy the military to help with recovery efforts and Sanders using the crisis to pitch his long-sought...
CDC recommends no gatherings of 50 or more for 8 weeks
WASHINGTON — In the most extreme effort yet to slow the march of coronavirus in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that events of 50 people or more not be held for about two months. For the next eight weeks, organizers should cancel or postpone...
New York City schools to close Monday to fight coronavirus
NEW YORK — New York City will close the nation’s largest public school system on Monday, sending over 1.1 million children home in hopes of curbing the spread of coronavirus, the city’s mayor announced Sunday, calling it a “very troubling moment” as he suggested ominously that more restrictions were inevitable....
PennDOT asks Homeland Security to extend Real ID deadline amid coronavirus pandemic
PennDOT is asking federal officials to extend the Oct. 1 Real ID enforcement deadline in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to extend the Oct. 1 Real ID enforcement deadline as facilities close due to the coronavirus. To control...
U.S. moves nearer to shutdown amid coronavirus fears
CHICAGO — Officials across the country curtailed elements of American life to fight the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday, with governors closing restaurants, bars, and schools and a government expert saying a 14-day national shutdown may be needed. At the same time, long airport lines for virus screenings raised doubts that...
Government official: Coronavirus vaccine trial starts Monday
WASHINGTON — A clinical trial evaluating a vaccine designed to protect against the new coronavirus will begin Monday, according to a government official. The first participant in the trial will receive the experimental vaccine on Monday, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the trial has not...
Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz chosen to form new Israeli government
JERUSALEM — Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz will be given the first opportunity to form a new government after an inconclusive national election this month, the country’s president said Sunday, raising questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future. The decision by President Reuven Rivlin was announced by his office...
Election-year spread of misinformation challenges local news
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When a Republican running for Congress in the Chicago suburbs tweeted that her Democratic opponent’s town hall events were invite-only, they debunked it. When Illinois’ Democratic governor said a pension change would save the state as much as $25 billion, they rated that mostly false, too. The...
Courts slow opening of public lands to oil, gas drilling
WASHINGTON — Soon after President Trump took office, the rush to open millions of acres of federal land to oil and gas drilling was on. Under pressure from industry, the number of acres offered for lease shot up, the time it took to process a permit application dropped and lease...
Trump calls on Americans to cease hoarding food, suppliesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Americans to cease hoarding groceries and other supplies, while one of the nation’s most senior public health officials called on the nation to act with more urgency to safeguard their health as the coronavirus outbreak continued to spread across the United...
Trump considering ‘full’ pardon for ex-adviser Michael FlynnVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday he is considering a full pardon for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about dealings with Russia’s ambassador before Trump took office. Flynn attempted to withdraw the guilty plea in January, saying federal prosecutors...
Trump defends U.S. over airport crowding amid coronavirus fears
CHICAGO — Harsh criticism rained on the Trump administration Sunday from state and local officials over long lines of returning international passengers at some U.S. airports that could have turned them into coronavirus carriers as they tried to get home. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both...
Governors say Tuesday’s presidential primaries will go on
WASHINGTON — The governors of Illinois and Ohio on Sunday confirmed their states’ presidential primaries will continue as scheduled on Tuesday, even amidst the coronavirus outbreak. “We’re going to go ahead,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who has moved aggressively to close schools and other institutions to limit spread...
Not exactly gloating, stockpiling ‘preppers’ have a moment
TOLEDO, Ohio — Curt La Haise has put up with plenty of razzing from friends over the years who have called him paranoid for stockpiling an eight-month supply of food in his basement and having enough fuel to power his generator for almost an entire winter. They’re not laughing anymore...
Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders to debate against backdrop of global pandemic
WASHINGTON — When the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates return to the debate stage Sunday night, they will find that their party, the political stakes and the world look much different from when they last met less than three weeks ago. The fast-moving coronavirus was something of an afterthought in...
Allegheny County records 4th coronavirus case; 1 person hospitalized
A fourth case of coronavirus has been recorded in Allegheny County, the county’s Department of Health announced Sunday afternoon. The revelation came about an hour after the state Health Department announced a third case in the county. The two latest patients are adults, both in their 60s, according to a...
Gov. Mike DeWine orders all Ohio bars, restaurants to close
COLUMBUS, Ohio — All bars and restaurants in Ohio will be closed as of 9 p.m. Sunday until further notice, said Gov. Mike DeWine, who is taking a tough stance on trying to stem the coronavirus saying “if we don’t take these actions now, it’ll be too late.” DeWine said...
Coronavirus in Pennsylvania: King of Prussia Mall closes; prison quarantine; 66 cases
One of the nation’s largest malls, in suburban Philadelphia, has closed amid a call from Pennsylvania’s governor for nonessential businesses to close to help stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as the number of cases in the commonwealth increased to at least 66. The security office of the King...
Coronavirus worldwide: Pentagon restricts access; France closes Eiffel Tower; Italy sees 20% surge in cases
Pentagon officials have laid out new restrictions for access to the building, saying people who have been overseas should stay away for two weeks and others should expect more screening questions from officers posted at the entrances. Senior defense officials said in a conference call with reporters that personnel who...
Apple store in Shadyside among those nationwide closed over coronavirus fearsVideo
Would-be shoppers at the Apple store on Walnut Street in Shadyside were greeted by a closure notice, part of the tech giant’s decision to close all stores outside of China for two weeks in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Stores, for now, are scheduled to reopen March 27. “Apple has...
9 things to know about coronavirus spreading, testing and symptoms
The medical impact of the new coronavirus is coming into sharper focus as it continues its spread in what is now officially recognized as a pandemic. Its true fatality rate isn’t yet known, but it seems 10 times higher than the flu, which kills hundreds of thousands around the world...
Turkey-Russia patrols start amid protests on Syrian highwayVideo
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish and Russian troops began joint patrols Sunday on a key highway in northwestern Syria, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said, while both the Russian government and Syrian opposition activists said the patrols were shortened because of protests. Patrols on the highway known as the M4, which runs east-west...
Philippines isolates Manila to fight coronavirus outbreak
MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of police officers and army troops started sealing the Philippines’ densely populated capital on Sunday at the start of one of Southeast Asia’s most drastic containment moves against the new coronavirus. Under monthlong restrictions imposed in the entire Manila metropolis — home to more than 12...
Americans at U.S. airports return to long lines, hourslong waits for screenings
Weary travelers returning to the U.S. amid coronavirus-related travel restrictions were greeted by long lines and hourslong waits for required medical screenings at airports. Posts on social media indicated passengers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport waited upward of four hours in winding lines, eliciting criticism from elected Illinois officials. Gov....
Latest on coronavirus: U.S. death total rises to 62; some Pa. liquor stores to close; student lunchesVideo
By Sunday afternoon, at least five more people in the United States had died in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. The number of deaths rose to 62, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. In all, 6,065 deaths have been reported and more than 163,000 confirmed infections, according to...
