Biden to double free covid tests, add N95s, to fight omicron
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home covid-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus...
Iowa man arrested after hundreds of pigs die from neglect
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — An Iowa man has been arrested after hundreds of pigs died at his farm last month when they went without adequate food and were kept in conditions so cold that some of their ears froze off. Black Hawk County sheriff’s deputies arrested the 38-year-old man Monday...
Polish church says it’s wrong to ask if abuse victim is gay
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Catholic bishops have strongly criticized a local diocese for asking a court to determine whether a man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest is gay, and whether the sexual contact may have consequently been pleasurable for him. The victim, Janusz Szymik, who...
Train derails in India’s West Bengal state; at least 5 dead
NEW DELHI — At least five people died and more than 45 were injured when a train derailed Thursday in India’s West Bengal state, officials said. Twelve coaches of the train went off the rails and three capsized. Images from the scene showed passengers stuck in twisted metal and debris...
GOP leader McCarthy says he won’t cooperate with 1/6 panel
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is refusing a request by the House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection to submit to an interview and turn over records pertaining to the deadly riot. The panel is seeking first-hand details from members of Congress on then-President Donald Trump’s actions on...
‘Don’t panic.’ How parents with kids too young to vaccinate can navigate omicron
As waves of the coronavirus battered the United States, parents of young kids could comfort themselves with the knowledge that covid-19 tends to have milder effects in children and that most — but not all — kids who get infected are fine. But even though it’s low-risk, many parents don’t...
Reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend testifying before grand jury in FloridaVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — An ex-girlfriend of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz appeared Wednesday at the federal courthouse in downtown Orlando, reportedly in order to testify before a grand jury that is weighing potential sex trafficking charges against him. Reports by CNN and NBC News indicated the grand jury has been meeting...
Ohio Justices toss GOP Statehouse maps, order fix in 10 days
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court declared newly drawn legislative maps invalid on Wednesday and ordered the GOP-created boundaries to be fixed within 10 days. The court’s rejection of maps that would have retained Republican supermajorities in both chambers is a victory for Democratic and voting rights groups who had...
Jan. 6 panel requests interview from GOP leader Kevin McCarthyVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection requested an interview and records from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday, as it continues to seek first-hand details from members of Congress on former President Donald Trump’s actions on the day hundreds of his supporters brutally beat police,...
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds pushes GOP to get ‘louder’ on false Trump claimsVideo
PIERRE, S.D. — U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota has been telling people for the last year that the 2020 election was fair, but this week he did something few other Republicans have dared — tell a national audience that. Now he wishes more Republicans would join him. Rounds,...
Food Podcast: Heat or eat? The impossible choice families are making in the Three Rivers regionVideo
In this episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union on the TribLIVE Podcast Network, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank addresses the impact cold weather is having on food insecurity. While the Food Bank hasn’t seen a large uptick in people needing food assistance, the Food Bank’s...
Pa. House approves proposed congressional map as court challenges loom
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House has advanced a new congressional map that...
Soaring covid-19 cases renew U.S. debate over mask mandates
Officials across the U.S. are again weighing how and whether to impose mask mandates as covid-19 infections soar and the American public grows ever wearier of pandemic-related restrictions. Much of the debate centers around the nation’s schools, some of which have closed due to infection-related staffing issues. In a variety...
Army ups bonuses for recruits to $50K, as covid takes toll
The U.S. Army, for the first time, is offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to highly skilled recruits who join for six years, The Associated Press has learned, as the service struggles to lure soldiers into certain critical jobs amid the continuing pandemic. Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, head of...
Omicron wave prompts media to rethink which data to report
NEW YORK — For two years, coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations have been widely used barometers of the pandemic’s march across the world. But the omicron wave is making a mess of the usual statistics, forcing news organizations to rethink the way they report such figures. “It’s just a data...
Germany: 65 children freed from abusers as part of probe
BERLIN — Authorities in Germany say they have rescued 65 children from their abusers over the past two years as part of an investigating into a large-scale sexual abuse network. Police in Cologne said at a news conference Wednesday that the victims ranged from three months to 17 years. Investigators...
U.S. hits North Korean officials with sanctions after missile test
The Biden administration on Wednesday slapped sanctions on five North Korean officials in its first response to Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile test. The Treasury Department announced it was imposing penalties on the officials over their roles in obtaining equipment and technology for the North’s missile programs. In addition, the State...
Kids’ low covid-19 vaccination rates called a ‘gut punch’
Suspicion, misinformation, complacency and delays because of the holidays and bad weather have combined to produce alarmingly low covid-19 vaccination rates in U.S. children ages 5 to 11, authorities say. As of Tuesday, just over 17% were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots for the age group became...
Giuffre’s Prince Andrew suit goes ahead despite Epstein deal
A judge gave the green light Wednesday to a lawsuit against Prince Andrew by an American woman who says he sexually abused her when she was 17. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan wrote in an opinion that Andrew’s lawyers failed to successfully challenge the constitutionality of the lawsuit Virginia...
Anti-vaccine protesters try to storm Bulgarian parliament
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Protesters opposing covid-19 restrictions in Bulgaria clashed Wednesday with police as they tried to storm the Parliament in the capital of Sofia. A heavy police presence prevented protesters from entering the building and some were detained. Several people, including police officers, were injured during the clashes. Eventually,...
Biden is sending more covid tests to schools to keep them open
The Biden administration is increasing federal support for covid-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House announced Wednesday that a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests will be made available to schools starting...
Car bomb hits outside Mogadishu airport in Somalia; 8 killed
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A car bomb exploded Wednesday outside the international airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, killing at least eight people and wounding nine others, a local doctor said. The al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was targeting “white officials” passing by. Dr. Abdulkadir Adam with...
NATO, Russia in high-level talks as Ukraine tensions simmer
BRUSSELS — Senior NATO and Russian officials were meeting Wednesday to try to bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences over the future of Ukraine, amid deep skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security proposals for easing tensions are genuine. The talks come during a week of high-stakes diplomacy and a U.S.-led effort...
Edmunds: Shopping for a car this year will not be the same
2021 was an unusual year for the automotive industry. While customer demand for new cars rebounded from the economic uncertainty of 2020, automakers found themselves unable to meet that demand because of semiconductor chip shortages and supply chain problems. So what should car shoppers expect for 2022? Much of the...
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tests positive for covid-19
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tested positive for covid-19 on Tuesday, his office announced. Justice had a sudden onset of symptoms, then was administered a PCR test that was positive for the coronavirus. A test by a state laboratory confirmed the initial result and an additional test...
