U.S. slightly revises up its GDP estimate for Q4 to 7%
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy ended 2021 by expanding at a brisk 7% annual pace from October through December, the government reported Thursday in a slight upgrade from its earlier estimate. For all of 2021, the nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — jumped...
World reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron says France and its European allies did everything to try to head off the attack on Ukraine. He said that they will show “no weakness” in their response. Macron said in a televised address to the nation Thursday that Russia’s attack is a “turning...
Ukraine attack leaves Baltics wondering: Are we next?
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Viewed from Paris, London and Washington, the events unfolding in Ukraine may seem like a new Cold War taking shape in Europe. From the Baltic countries, it looks much worse. To Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians — particularly those old enough to have lived under Soviet control —...
Fear, calm among Ukrainians as Russian troops enter
KYIV, Ukraine — Although Ukrainians had been warned for weeks that war with Russia was imminent, when the attacks finally came Thursday many seemed not to know how to react. Civil defense sirens wailed in the air of the capital, Kyiv, in the gray and drizzly morning, but the city’s...
Explosions heard in Kyiv as Russia presses Ukraine assaultVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Explosions were heard early Friday in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as Russian forces pressed on with a full-scale invasion that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 Ukrainians in the first full day of fighting and could eventually rewrite the global post-Cold War security order....
Pennsylvania truck convoy protest fizzles out to a few vehiclesVideo
The Pennsylvania truck protest convoy largely fizzled out on Wednesday in spite of its organizer promising a spectacular run along the highways to Washington. The convoy organized by Scranton-area business Bob Bolus got off to a rocky start in the morning, when he reportedly had to tend to flat tires...
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo confirmed despite controversy
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo was confirmed to his position Wednesday, as Senate Republicans approved the nomination of the state’s top doctor over criticism that his opposition to coronavirus mandates is too aligned to the politics of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ladapo, who was appointed by DeSantis in September,...
Jake Corman’s campaign calls for probe into GOP gubernatorial opponent’s campaign finance filings
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman is calling for an investigation into suspected violations of the state’s campaign finance law by opponent and Senate colleague Doug Mastriano. In a letter sent on Wednesday to Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogel, Corman’s campaign counsel questions whether Mastriano complied with the law when...
AP-NORC poll: Most in U.S. oppose major role in Russia strife
WASHINGTON — There’s little support among Americans for a major U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a new poll, even as President Joe Biden imposes new sanctions and threatens a stronger response that could provoke retaliation from Moscow. Biden has acknowledged a growing likelihood that war in Eastern...
Prosecutors in charge of Trump criminal probe have resignedVideo
NEW YORK — The two prosecutors in charge of the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his business dealings suddenly resigned Wednesday, throwing the future of the probe into question just as pressure was building on Trump on several legal fronts. A spokesperson for District...
Prosecutors in charge of Trump criminal probe have resigned
NEW YORK — The two prosecutors in charge of the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his business dealings suddenly resigned Wednesday, throwing the future of the probe into question just as pressure was building on Trump on several legal fronts. A spokesperson for District...
U.S. vaccination drive is bottoming out as omicron subsides
A handwritten log kept by nurses tells the story of the losing battle to get more people vaccinated against covid-19 in this corner of Alabama: Just 14 people showed up at the Marion County Health Department for their initial shot during the first six weeks of the year. That was...
CDC: Some people should wait longer for 2nd covid shot
Some people getting Pfizer or Moderna covid-19 vaccines should consider waiting up to eight weeks between the first and second doses, instead of the three or four weeks previously recommended, U.S. health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday quietly changed its advice on spacing the...
Space Station ‘largely isolated’ from tensions over Ukraine
Tensions in eastern Ukraine and heightened Western fears of a Russian invasion should not have a significant impact on the International Space Station or U.S.-Russia cooperation in space, the former head of the National Space Council told The Associated Press. Scott Pace, who served as executive secretary of the space...
USPS gets final signoff to order new delivery vehicles
The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it cleared the final regulatory hurdle to placing orders for next-generation mail vehicles — and getting some of them on delivery routes next year — despite pushback from the Environmental Protection Agency. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said the completion of an evaluation required by...
Police union sues over Philadelphia ban on low-level stops
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a city law banning officers from pulling over drivers for low-level offenses, saying the law illegally preempts existing state laws on traffic violations. The lawsuit, filed in Common Pleas Court on Tuesday by...
Officials: More than 80 starving manatees in rehab across U.S.
More than 80 rescued Florida manatees are in rehabilitation centers across the U.S. as wildlife officials try to stem starvation deaths by the marine mammals because of poor water quality. The latest numbers were released Wednesday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...
Amsterdam Apple Store hostage-taker sought 200M-euro ransom
A gunman who held a hostage for hours in the Apple Store in Amsterdam demanded a ransom of 200 million euros (more than $226 million) in cryptocurrencies before he was run over by police as he chased his hostage out of the shop, police and prosecutors said Wednesday. The tense,...
Pennsylvania high court picks new map of U.S. House districts
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court broke a partisan deadlock Wednesday over a new map of congressional districts by selecting boundaries that broadly adhere to the outlines of current districts, even as the state loses one seat because of sluggish population growth. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision...
Abolition newspaper revived for nation grappling with racism
America’s first newspaper dedicated to ending slavery is being resurrected and reimagined more than two centuries later as the nation continues to grapple with its legacy of racism. The revived version of The Emancipator is a joint effort by Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe’s Opinion...
UN: Wildfires getting worse globally, governments unprepared
A warming planet and changes to land use patterns mean more wildfires will scorch large parts of the globe in coming decades, causing spikes in unhealthy smoke pollution and other problems that governments are ill prepared to confront, according to a U.N. report released Wednesday. The Western U.S., northern Siberia,...
Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against covid?
Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against covid-19? Experts say it’s not likely that the highly transmissible variant — or any other variant — will lead to herd immunity. “Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus,” says Dr. Don Milton at the University of...
Judge to rule if Michigan school shooter stays in adult jail
A 15-year-old boy charged with fatally shooting four fellow students at his Michigan high school also wrote of raping and killing a girl at the school, prosecutors said Tuesday during a hearing to decide if he remains in an adult jail. Text messages to a friend and items from a...
Trump praises Putin as ‘genius’ and ‘very savvy’ for invading Ukraine
Former President Trump praised Russian strongman Vladimir Putin as a “genius” for invading portions of Ukraine — and blasted President Biden for weakness. Showering praise on a top geopolitical rival of America, Trump said on Tuesday the “very savvy” Putin outsmarted Biden by recognizing two breakaway regions as independent nations....
Florida GOP ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill advances in House
TALLAHASSEE — Florida House Republicans on Tuesday advanced a bill to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people. The measure, dubbed by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, is now set for a final vote...
