NASA nails trickiest job on newly launched space telescope
NASA aced the most complicated, critical job on its newly launched space telescope Tuesday: unrolling and stretching a sunshade the size of a tennis court. Ground controllers cheered and bumped fists once the fifth and final layer of the sunshield was tightly secured. It took just 1 1/2 days to...
High court won’t say whether justices have received booster
The Supreme Court is refusing to say whether the nine justices have received covid-19 vaccination booster shots, with the omicron variant surging and in-person arguments over vaccines scheduled at the court on Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late November broadened its recommendation and said that all...
Florida passenger train line kills 5th person in a month
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Brightline higher-speed train fatally struck a pedestrian who walked into its path Tuesday, the fifth death involving the railroad since it recently resumed operations after being shutdown because of the pandemic. Boynton Beach police said the pedestrian was struck about 7:50 a.m. Spokeswoman Stephanie Slater...
In locked down Chinese city, some complain food hard to get
BEIJING — Residents of the Chinese city of Xi’an are straining under a strict coronavirus lockdown, with some complaining of difficulties finding food, despite assurances from authorities that they are able to provide necessities for the 13 million people largely confined to their homes. Stringent measures to stem outbreaks are...
U.S. flight cancellations ease a bit but still running high
Clearing weather over much of the eastern United States raised hopes that air-travel disruptions will ease after a dreadful start to the new year. By late Tuesday morning on the East Coast, airlines had scrubbed more than 1,200 flights for the day. That’s a very high number but not compared...
Prosecutor drops groping charge against former N.Y. Gov. Cuomo
ALBANY, N.Y. — Albany’s top prosecutor said Tuesday he is dropping a criminal charge accusing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of fondling an aide. Albany County District Attorney David Soares’ decision comes three days before the Democratic ex-governor was due to answer the misdemeanor charge in court. “While we...
Stranded drivers endure frigid night on impassable highwayVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Hundreds of motorists waited desperately for help Tuesday after a winter storm snarled traffic in Virginia and left some drivers stranded for nearly 24 hours in freezing temperatures along an impassable stretch of interstate south of the nation’s capital. Problems began Monday morning when a truck jackknifed...
Florida man accused of orchestrating $4.2M covid relief fraud scheme
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida man tried to obtain more than $4.2 million in covid-19 relief funds by filing false loan applications, federal prosecutors said. Valesky Barosy, 27, made his first appearance last week in Fort Lauderdale federal court, according to court records. He’s charged with five counts...
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recovering from covid-19, campaign says
AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tested positive for covid-19 on Dec. 27 and experienced mild symptoms, his campaign announced Monday. Patrick began testing negative starting on New Year’s Day and is completing his time in quarantine at his Houston home, said Allen Blakemore, senior adviser to Patrick’s campaign. “His...
Explainer: What’s next after resignation of Sudan’s PM?
CAIRO — Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s resignation has plunged the country’s already fragile democratic transition into further turmoil. Hamdok told the country in a national address Sunday that he was stepping down after he failed to build a political consensus following an October military coup that rattled the transition....
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes guilty of fraud and conspiracyVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A jury found fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes guilty of fraud for turning her blood-testing startup Theranos into a sophisticated sham — one that duped billionaires and other unwitting investors into backing a seemingly revolutionary company whose medical technology never worked as Holmes promised. The...
‘Flurona’: First verified case of a rare double infection of covid-19 and influenza reported in Israel
A newly documented threat dubbed “Flurona,” is the simultaneous infection of the coronavirus and influenza, and Israeli health officials have documented the world’s first verified case, reports say. According to The Daily Beast, the new threat presented in a young unvaccinated pregnant woman, who was unaware she had either disease,...
More beaches reopen after Southern California sewage spill
LONG BEACH, Calif. — More Southern California beaches have been reopening after a large sewage spill shut off large segment of the coastline before New Year’s Day. Orange County’s health care agency on Monday lifted closures for Seal Beach and Sunset Beach once testing showed the water quality was acceptable,...
Trump endorses Hungary’s Viktor Orban ahead of tight electionVideo
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Hungary’s right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, offering his “complete support” for the controversial leader who is facing a close parliamentary election this spring. Orban, a champion of what he calls “illiberal democracy,” is accused by critics of dismantling...
Trump, Ivanka, Don Jr. subpoenaed in New York AG’s investigationVideo
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office confirmed Monday that it has subpoenaed former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., demanding their testimony in an investigation into the family’s business practices. Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in a court filing...
Thousands of flights canceled, delayed at start of workweek
A winter storm hitting the mid-Atlantic combined with the pandemic to further frustrate air travelers whose return flights home from the holidays were canceled or delayed in the first few days of the new year. More than 2,600 U.S. flights and more than 4,100 worldwide were grounded as of midday...
FDA expands Pfizer boosters for more teens as omicron surges
The U.S. is expanding covid-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds...
School, work, travel can wait as snow blankets U.S. capitalVideo
WASHINGTON — A winter storm packing heavy snow blew into the nation’s capital Monday, closing government offices and schools and grounding the president’s helicopter as 6 to 11 inches of snow ringed the area around Washington. Snow spotters for the National Weather Service reported accumulations of 11.5 inches in the...
Biden pushed to speak out more as U.S. democracy concerns grow
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has gotten the same troubling questions from worried world leaders, ones that he never thought he would hear. “Is America going to be all right?” they ask. “What about democracy in America?” While Biden has tried to offer America’s allies assurances, he has only occasionally...
How will pandemic end? Omicron clouds forecasts for endgame
Pandemics do eventually end, even if omicron is complicating the question of when this one will. But it won’t be like flipping a light switch: The world will have to learn to coexist with a virus that’s not going away. The ultra-contagious omicron mutant is pushing cases to all-time highs...
Crews rescue 21 people on stuck tram cars in New Mexico
New Mexico search and rescue crews used ropes and helicopters Saturday to rescue 21 people who were stranded overnight in two tram cars after an iced-over cable caused the cars to get stuck high up in the Sandia Mountains overlooking Albuquerque. Lt. Robert Arguelles a Bernalillo County Fire Department spokesperson,...
In nation at war with itself, one town tries cup of civility
LOVETTSVILLE, Va. — When Maureen Donnelly Morris came from nearby Leesburg to open her café in Lovettsville, she got a warm welcome. Neighbors rallied to her aid. Divisions ripping at their town and their country were set aside. America’s thunderous rage felt distant. They sank posts for her parking signs....
Vomit-fumed ‘Bradford’ pear tree lands on Pa. noxious weeds list, with sales to be banned
As an urban landscaping option, a certain ornamental, flowering pear tree might be nice and compact — even with a bit of an odorous downside. After some unfortunate cross-breeding between varieties, however, it now finds itself in the crosshairs of Pennsylvania horticulture officials. Callery pear, scientifically known as Pyrus calleryana...
Twitter bans Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene account for covid-19 misinfo
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter on Sunday banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of its covid-19 misinformation policy, according to a statement from the company. The Georgia Republican’s account was permanently suspended under the “strike” system Twitter launched in March, which uses artificial intelligence to...
Fauci: CDC mulling covid test requirement for asymptomatic
WASHINGTON — As the covid-19 omicron variant surges across the United States, top federal health officials are looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus, the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers...
