Cory Booker endorses Biden, says he’ll ‘restore honor’ to officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Booker announced on Twitter early Monday that Biden will “restore honor to the Oval Office and tackle our most pressing challenges.” Booker ended his own presidential bid in January, pledging to...
Firefighter, woman killed when fire roars through log cabin in Central Pa.
BOILING SPRINGS — A fast-moving fire roared through a log cabin in Pennsylvania early Monday, killing a woman and a firefighter and injuring the woman’s husband, state police said. The fire in Boiling Springs was reported around 1:30 a.m., state police said. The cabin was fully engulfed in flames when...
Florida theme parks keep eye on virus as spring break nears
ORLANDO, Fla. — As Florida’s busy spring break season kicked off this month, coronavirus czar Vice President Mike Pence addressed something that’s been on the mind of tens of thousands of families preparing to travel to theme parks: Is it safe? Over the weekend, Pence stressed it is safe for...
15 horses killed when fire erupts at training facility
BETHEL — Fifteen horses were killed when a fire destroyed a barn at a horse training facility in southeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. Employees were able to rescue seven other horses from the flames, which erupted around 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Crane Thoroughbreds in Bethel. Firefighters soon arrived on scene and...
SpaceX’s 20th station shipment arrives with candy, science
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering the company’s 20th batch of gear and treats. The Dragon capsule reached the orbiting lab after launching late Friday night. NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir used the station’s robot arm to...
Dueling Afghan leaders both declare themselves president
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday, throwing plans for negotiations with the Taliban into chaos and creating a dilemma for the United States as it figures out how to move its peace deal with the Taliban forward. The U.S.-Taliban...
Officials set to receive thousands in California from ship hit by virusVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal and state officials in California were preparing Monday to receive thousands of people from a cruise ship that has been idling off the coast of San Francisco with at least 21 people aboard infected with the coronavirus. Fences were being installed at an 11-acre site at...
Saudi Arabia cuts off travel over virus as markets tumble
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia closed off air and sea travel to nine countries affected by the new coronavirus Monday as Mideast stock markets tumbled over fears about the widening outbreak’s effect on the global economy. The state oil giant Saudi Aramco led the financial losses, dropping by...
Sudan’s PM says he survived assassination attempt in capital
CAIRO — Sudan’s prime minister said he survived an assassination attempt Monday after an explosion went off near his convoy in the capital of Khartoum. Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime economist, tweeted he was “safe and in good shape” following the explosion. Sudanese state TV said Hamdok had been heading to...
Don’t travel on cruise ships due to coronavirus risk, State Department urges
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — U.S. citizens should avoid traveling on cruise ships because of the risks of coronavirus, the State Department said in an advisory Sunday. The extraordinary statement came on the day a cruise ship due to dock at Port Everglades after a Caribbean tour was held off Fort...
North Korea fires weapons after threatening ‘momentous’ action
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired three unidentified projectiles off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, two days after the North threatened to take “momentous” action to protest outside condemnation over its earlier live-fire exercises. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected...
Ted Cruz staying at home after exposure to man with coronavirus
WASHINGTON — GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday he will remain at his home in Texas after learning that he shook hands and briefly chatted with a man in suburban Washington who has tested positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, Maryland reported two new cases on Sunday, raising to five the total...
California public venues, schools close to stop coronavirus spreadVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — A cruise ship with at least 21 cases of the new coronavirus is headed to the port of Oakland, California, but will remain in international waters for at least another day as officials worked on plans to transport American passengers to military bases around the United States...
Lawmakers pass bill allowing Confederate monument removals
RICHMOND, Va. — Some of Virginia’s scores of Confederate monuments could soon be removed under legislation state lawmakers approved Sunday. The Democratic-led House and Senate passed measures that would undo an existing state law that protects the monuments and instead lets local governments decide their fate. The bill’s passage marks...
Targets of crackdown on Uighurs in China fear government’s reach in U.S.
WASHINGTON — The photo of his father was barely recognizable. The old man looked unusually pale and tired, and his customary beard was shaved off. The son who received the photo over WhatsApp was immediately suspicious. He hadn’t heard from his family in western China for two years while he...
Police: Officer shot, killed man after report of stabbing
TOBYHANNA — Authorities say a police officer shot and killed a man after a woman was reported stabbed in eastern Pennsylvania during the weekend. State police say the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department was dispatched to a Coolbaugh Township home shortly before 1:30 p.m. Saturday when a woman said she...
Trump to skip St. Patrick’s Day Hill luncheon, blames Pelosi
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Irish eyes at the U.S. Capitol will not smile on President Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s Day. Trump is skipping an annual bipartisan luncheon with House and Senate lawmakers celebrating the ties that bind the U.S. and Ireland, a White House spokesman said. Trump blamed...
Official: White House didn’t want to tell seniors not to fly
NEW YORK — The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention submitted the plan as...
Protest and celebration mark Women’s Day, despite threats
NEW YORK — From the streets of Manila to a school in East London, people around the world marked International Women’s Day on Sunday with calls to end exploitation and increase equality. But tensions marred some celebrations, with police arresting demonstrators at a rally in Kyrgyzstan and separatists detonating a...
Anxiety grips companies across the world as virus spreads
WASHINGTON — Since breaking out of China, the coronavirus has breached the walls of the Vatican. It’s struck the Iranian holy city of Qom and contaminated a nursing home in Seattle. And around the world, it’s carrying not just sickness and death but also the anxiety and paralysis that can...
Travel chaos erupts as Italy quarantines north to halt coronavirus
ROME — Italy announced a sweeping quarantine Sunday for its northern regions, igniting travel chaos as it restricted the movements of 16 million people — more than one quarter of its population — in a bid to halt the relentless march of the new coronavirus across Europe. Confusion reigned from...
Behind the scenes, scientists prep for coronavirus vaccine test
WASHINGTON — A team of scientists jostled for a view of the lab dish, staring impatiently for the first clue that an experimental vaccine against the new coronavirus just might work. After weeks of round-the-clock research at the National Institutes of Health, it was time for a key test. If...
Royal farewell: Harry, Meghan on final duty before new life
LONDON — It’s definitely a farewell. But will it be fond? Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will fulfill their final royal commitment when they appear Monday at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London. It’s the last time they will be seen at...
Sen. Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden for president
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden on Sunday and said she would “do everything in my power” to help elect him, becoming the latest dropout from the Democratic race for president to line up behind the former vice president in his battle with Bernie Sanders for the nomination. The...
2 more presumptive coronavirus cases confirmed in Pa.; now 4 total
HARRISBURG — The governor of Pennsylvania has announced two more presumptive cases of the new coronavirus, making a total of four in the commonwealth so far. Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement Saturday evening that both individuals “are from Montgomery County, have mild symptoms, are in isolation at home...
