Trump loyalists get top Pentagon jobs after Esper firing
WASHINGTON — A day after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, three staunch loyalists to the president were named to top defense jobs. Among them was a former Fox News commentator who failed to get through Senate confirmation because of offensive remarks he made, including about Islam. The...
United States has 1 million new coronavirus cases in NovemberVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States has surpassed 1 million new confirmed coronavirus cases in just the first 10 days of November, with more than 100,000 infections each day becoming the norm in a surge that shows no signs of slowing. The 1 million milestone came as governors across the nation...
Relative of 8 slaying victims in Piketon, Ohio files wrongful death lawsuit
COLUMBUS — A man who lost several relatives in the killings of eight people in southern Ohio four years ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the suspects, saying he wants to be sure none of them receive financial gain from the crime. Tony Rhoden Sr. is seeking unspecified...
Biden vows to ‘get right to work’ despite Trump resistanceVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — Vowing “to get right to work,” President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday shrugged off President Donald Trump’s fierce refusal to accept the election outcome as “inconsequential,” even as Democrats elsewhere warned that the Republican president’s actions were dangerous. Raising unsupported claims of voter fraud, Trump has blocked the...
CDC issues warnings, guidelines about ThanksgivingVideo
ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Thanksgiving coronavirus guidelines on Monday and Tuesday, warning against travel and recommending much smaller gatherings during the annual American tradition. Thanksgiving travel is typically the nation’s busiest transportation day of the year. “Staying home is the best way to...
Cal Cunningham concedes to U.S. Sen. Tillis in North Carolina
RALEIGH — Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded to incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina on Tuesday, saying “the voters have spoken” and it was clear Tillis had won. With Cunningham’s concession, all eyes turned to Georgia, where two U.S. Senate runoff races in January are likely to determine...
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brushes aside results showing Trump lostVideo
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is brushing aside results of last week’s presidential election showing that President Donald Trump lost his bid for a second term. Pompeo told reporters with a grin on Tuesday that the “transition” to a second Trump term would be “smooth,” but later said...
Pa. medical marijuana advisory board nixes new qualifying conditions as industry booms
Medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is more popular than ever, this month surpassing $1 billion in all-time sales from dispensaries to patients. The state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board noted the landmark at its quarterly meeting Tuesday before debating whether to add new medical conditions to the list of reasons Pennsylvanians can...
Guatemala calls off search at site of massive landslide
GUATEMALA CITY — The Guatemalan government on Tuesday called off the search for victims of a massive landslide set off by the rains of Hurricane Eta that was believed to have entombed more than 100 people. Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator said it was suspending the search for bodies due...
Republican wins back U.S. House seat in Southern California
LOS ANGELES — Republican Michelle Steel defeated first-term Rep. Harley Rouda on Tuesday in a Southern California district, only the second time in more than two decades that a GOP candidate in the state has defeated an incumbent Democrat. Rouda captured Orange County’s 48th District in 2018 from longtime Republican...
Bride and groom from New York drown on Caribbean honeymoon
A newly married couple from New York drowned on their honeymoon at a Caribbean resort, family members said. Corporate attorney Mohammad Malik, 35, and his bride, Dr. Noor Shah, 29, were swimming near their Turks and Caicos Islands resort on Oct. 28 when they were pulled under by strong riptides,...
Mental health workers to take lead in some NYC 911 calls
NEW YORK — Mental health workers will replace police officers in responding to some 911 calls under a pilot program announced Tuesday by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The program, to be rolled out next year in two neighborhoods, will give mental health professionals the lead role when...
Senior Pentagon official resigns as Trump remakes leadership
WASHINGTON — A senior Defense Department official resigned on Tuesday, opening the way for a longtime ally of President Donald Trump to take on a key leadership role a day after Pentagon chief Mark Esper was fired. James Anderson, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, had been in...
Census Bureau denies fake data allegations by census workers
The U.S. Census Bureau denied any attempts to systemically falsify information during the 2020 head count used to determine the allocation of congressional seats and federal spending, even as more census takers told The Associated Press they were pressured to do so. The Census Bureau statement was issued Monday night...
U.S. Supreme Court seems likely to leave health care law in place
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to leave in place the bulk of the Affordable Care Act, including key protections for pre-existing health conditions and subsidized insurance premiums that affect tens of millions of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, among the conservative justices, appeared...
U.S.: WHO not sharing enough info about China virus probe
GENEVA — A senior U.S. government official complained Tuesday that the World Health Organization has not shared enough information about its planned mission to China to investigate the animal origins of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, Garrett Grisby of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services griped that the criteria...
Oklahoma state senator charged with manslaughter in crash
CHANDLER, Okla. — An Oklahoma state senator from Tulsa was charged with first-degree manslaughter after authorities say she was speeding and driving recklessly when her vehicle skidded off a rain-slickened road and crashed into a man’s disabled vehicle, killing him. Democratic Sen. Alison Ikley-Freeman, 29, who was seriously injured in...
Man accused in Toronto van attack pleads not guilty
TORONTO — A man who allegedly used a van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto pleaded not guilty guilty Tuesday and his lawyer said he will argue he is not criminally responsible because of his state of mind at the time. Alek Minassian faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and...
Pennsylvania breaks record again for most new covid-19 cases
Pennsylvania broke a record again for most new reported covid-19 cases Tuesday with 4,361 cases. The new case record was previously 4,035 cases set by Saturday’s figures. Prior to November, daily case numbers in the state had never reached 3,000 new cases. So far this month, there have been two...
Allegheny College will require all employees to take a 2-week furlough
MEADVILLE — Allegheny College employees will be furloughed for two weeks to help ease the financial strains of the covid-19 pandemic. The college, like colleges and universities nationwide, has had revenues drop and expenses rise during the pandemic. Schools have compressed academic semesters, reduced housing costs for students living on...
EU to buy up to 300 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
BRUSSELS — The European Commission will sign a deal to secure up to 300 million doses of the experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive arm, said the commission will authorize the deal on Wednesday after “working tirelessly to...
Trump’s name spotted in Johnson’s Biden congratulations
LONDON — Keen-eyed political observers on Tuesday noticed an unusual feature in a tweet from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulating U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on his election victory: the ghost of an alternative message congratulating Donald Trump. The words “Trump” and “second term” could be seen faintly in the...
GOP unveils $1.4T spending bill amid post-election turmoil
WASHINGTON — Republicans controlling the Senate unveiled a government-wide, $1.4 trillion spending bill Tuesday, a mostly bipartisan measure that faces uncertain odds during this period of post-election tumult in Washington. The GOP-drafted measure contains funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall and other provisions opposed by Democrats, but top leaders...
Hawaii island group aims to reduce feral rabbit population
HILO, Hawaii — A Hawaii island group has launched an effort to reduce the number of feral rabbits, which the campaigners say are wreaking havoc on yards and burrowing under homes. The Big Island Invasive Species Committee has asked for reports from residents who have seen the wild bunnies, The...
Pa. woman charged in hit-and-run crash with Amish buggy
TITUSVILLE — A Spartansburg woman has been charged for a Sparta Township hit-and-run crash with a horse-drawn Amish buggy that seriously injured a young couple and their two children. Lindsay Nicole Raines, 35, was arraigned Monday morning before Magisterial District Judge Amy Nicols in Titusville on multiple counts including four...
