Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. The Board of Health voted Thursday to rescind the mandate, according to the...
2 plead guilty in ‘We Build The Wall’ fraudulent fundraiser
NEW YORK — The co-founder of the “We Build The Wall” project aimed at raising money for a border wall pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in a case that once included former President Donald Trump’s adviser Steve Bannon. Brian Kolfage admitted to pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars while promising...
Economist: Gov. Abbott’s border inspections cost Texas $4.2 billion and 36,000 jobs
DALLAS — Long wait lines for trucks at the border after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered increased inspections cost Texas more than $4.2 billion in goods and services and the equivalent of 36,000 jobs, a report from Texas economist Ray Perryman said. The border standoff essentially ended last Friday after nine...
Live TV debate exposes Democrats’ differences in Senate race
HARRISBURG — The first live-televised prime-time debate between leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat exposed differences between the rivals Thursday, as they seized opportunities to attack each other. John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor who has led polls and fundraising, took the brunt of...
Police in Minnesota say man killed 4 relatives, self
DULUTH, Minn. — A man killed his aunt and uncle, two young cousins and their dog before killing himself at their Minnesota home, police said Thursday. Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said at a news conference that Brandon Taylor Cole-Skogstad, 29, killed his relatives in their beds sometime Tuesday night,...
6 victims who died in I-81 snow squall pileup identified
The six victims of last month’s deadly crash in a massive vehicle pile-up during a snow squall on Interstate 81 have been identified. Killed in the crash on March 28 in Schuylkill County were: Terri Stull, 56, and Douglas Teeter, 57, of Lexington, Mass.; Rita Matos, 40, and Edward Ramos,...
Disney self-government in peril after Florida House voteVideo
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the ” Don’t...
Kentucky abortion law blocked in win for clinics
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state’s two remaining clinics said they couldn’t meet its requirements. The two Louisville clinics had gone to court immediately after the law took effect, asking that the measure be put on hold...
Florida passes congressional map over Black lawmaker protest
Florida’s Legislature approved a congressional map Thursday pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over the strong objections of Black and Democratic lawmakers who say it will diminish the state’s Black representation in the U.S. House and benefit Republicans. Democratic lawmakers chanted and shouted as the final vote tally was taken...
Bill regulating medication abortions heads to Tenn. governor
Tennessee would become the latest state to impose harsh penalties on doctors who violate new, strict regulations dictating the dispensing of abortion pills under a proposal headed toward Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The proposal mirrors similar proposals introduced in Republican-controlled states seeking to clamp down medication abortion access. It’s...
Pair trade barbs in GOP Pennsylvania lieutenant governor’s race sideshow
A Republican seeking his party’s nomination for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor in next month’s primary threatened one of his eight opponents that he plans to confront him in person over a Facebook post raising questions about his background because it merely mentioned his wife. The back-and-forth between two candidates in a...
JD Vance paid $70K by colleges he bashes as Senate candidate
Before Republican JD Vance began targeting universities as the enemy of the conservative movement, the Donald Trump-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio leveraged a network of higher education institutions across the country to promote his book — and he made money doing it. In the two years after the 2016...
Rates for measles, other vaccinations dip for kindergartners
A smaller portion of U.S. children got routine vaccinations required for kindergarten during the pandemic, government researchers said Thursday, raising concerns that measles and other preventable diseases could increase. Rates were close to 94% for measles, whooping cough and chickenpox vaccinations for the 2020-21 school year. That was down 1%...
Janet Yellen says new $500M is ‘only the beginning’ of Ukraine aid
The United States is providing an additional $500 million in financial assistance to Ukraine to help the beleaguered country sustain salaries, pensions and other government programs while it fends off Russia’s invasion. “We plan to deploy this direct aid to Ukraine as soon as possible, to be used on the...
Bird flu drives free-range hens indoors to protect poultry
Is it OK for free-range chickens to not range freely? That’s a question free-range egg producers have been pondering lately as they try to be open about their product while also protecting chickens from a highly infectious bird flu that has killed roughly 28 million poultry across the country. The...
U.S. to welcome Ukraine refugees but no longer through Mexico
The Biden administration is making it easier for refugees fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine to come to the United States from Europe while trying to shut down an informal route through northern Mexico that has emerged in recent weeks. A program announced Thursday will streamline refugee applications for Ukrainians and...
Biden announces heavy artillery, other weapons for Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million in military aid to help Ukraine fight back in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against the Russian invasion, but he also warned that Congress will need to approve even more assistance if the U.S. is to keep up its...
Many say Biden not tough enough on Russia: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — Many Americans still question whether President Joe Biden is showing enough strength in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, even as most approve of steps the U.S. is already taking and few want U.S. troops to get involved in the conflict. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center...
Trump-backed hopeful, 2 others booted off Tennessee GOP ballot
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Republican officials have removed three congressional hopefuls from the GOP primary ballot, including one candidate backed by former President Donald Trump. The late Tuesday night decision by the Tennessee Republican Party was a long awaited result of months of debate over Morgan Ortagus, Trump’s former State Department...
Feeling ‘right,’ ‘safe,’ people greet cannabis sales in NJ
Michael Barrows wore his Grateful Dead T-shirt and Jerry Garcia face mask for opening day of recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey on Thursday, one of dozens of people who lined up before dawn to join the celebratory scene. “It’s pretty amazing, exciting and if I get pulled over on...
Gaza violence intensifies as Jerusalem clashes resume
Israel’s air force and Palestinian militants traded fire across the Gaza frontier early Thursday as clashes erupted again at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, worsening an escalation that has been eerily similar to the lead-up to last year’s Israel-Gaza war. The Gaza violence, fueled by the unrest between Israeli police...
13 Nassar victims seeking $130M from FBI over bungled probe
Thirteen sexual assault victims of Larry Nassar are seeking $10 million each from the FBI, claiming a bungled investigation by agents led to more abuse by the sports doctor, lawyers said Thursday. It’s an effort to make the government responsible for assaults that occurred after July 2015. The Justice Department’s...
Biden drug control plan stresses harm reduction, treatment
President Joe Biden is sending his administration’s first national drug control strategy to Congress as the U.S. overdose death toll hit a new record of nearly 107,000 during the past 12 months. The strategy, released Thursday, is the first national plan to prioritize what’s known as harm reduction, said White...
Florida Legislature votes to strip Disney self-government
The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the ” Don’t Say Gay...
Michigan lawmaker’s forceful speech rebuts ‘grooming’ attackVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Republican Sen. Lana Theis opened a Michigan Senate session with an invocation by claiming children are being attacked by “forces” that want to indoctrinate them with ideas their parents do not support. Three Democrats walked out of last week’s meeting to protest her apparent reference to how...
