Iran again breaks its single-day record for virus deaths
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran recorded its worst day of new deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with 337 confirmed dead on Monday. The grim milestone represents a significant spike from the previous single-day death toll record of 279. The Health Ministry also announced 4,251 new infections, pushing the...
As virus flares globally, new strategies target hot spots
NEW YORK — After entire nations were shut down during the first surge of the coronavirus earlier this year, some countries and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. New York’s new round of virus shutdowns zeroes...
Report: Spy plane monitored protest where California National Guard head lives
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A peaceful protest in a sleepy and affluent suburb that’s home to the head of the California National Guard was among four demonstrations monitored by National Guard spy planes earlier this year, according to a newspaper report Sunday. The four planes took to the skies over several...
$462.8 million in bets made in Pennsylvania in September
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbook generated a record $462.8 million in bets in September but failed to bring in record taxable revenue. The commonwealth joins New Jersey and Nevada in surpassing $450 million in wagers in a single month, according to PlayPennsylvania. However, because of heavy promotion and some “unlucky...
Chief: Indiana police recruit fired for ties to neo-Nazis
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A police recruit in northwestern Indiana was fired less than 24 hours after the department was notified that the officer was involved in a neo-Nazi online chat forum. The Lafayette Police Department launched an investigation into Joseph Zacharek, who was hired in June, after being notified Friday...
Many homes likely lost in north-central Colorado firesVideo
BOULDER, Colo. — Nearly 3,000 people were forced to flee from a fast-moving fire in north-central Colorado and authorities believe a large number of homes were destroyed. The CalWood Fire started around noon Saturday near the Cal-Wood Education Center, which is about 17 miles from downtown Boulder. It was pushed...
Twitter blocks tweet of Trump coronavirus adviser who undermined importance of mask usage during pandemicVideo
Scott Atlas, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, was flagged by Twitter for a tweet that violated the social media site’s “misleading information” policy, a spokesperson confirmed Sunday to the New York Daily News. “Masks work? NO,” Atlas, one of President Donald Trump’s closest medical advisers, tweeted...
Michigan governor pushes back against Trump rally chantsVideo
DETROIT — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday that President Donald Trump is inciting “domestic terrorism” following “lock her up” chants at his rally in the state the night before. Whitmer told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the rhetoric is “incredibly disturbing” a little more than a week after authorities...
Trump, Biden go on offense in states they’re trying to flip
LAS VEGAS — President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden went on offense Sunday, as both campaigned in states they are trying to flip during the Nov. 3 election that is just over two weeks away. Trump began his day in Nevada, making a rare visit to church before...
Plan to retrieve Titanic radio spurs debate on human remains
NORFOLK, Va. — People have been diving to the Titanic’s wreck for 35 years. No one has found human remains, according to the company that owns the salvage rights. But the company’s plan to retrieve the ship’s iconic radio equipment has sparked a debate: Could the world’s most famous shipwreck...
Touch-and-go: U.S. spacecraft sampling asteroid for return
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.— After almost two years circling an ancient asteroid hundreds of millions of miles away, a NASA spacecraft this week will attempt to descend to the treacherous, boulder-packed surface and snatch a handful of rubble. The drama unfolds Tuesday as the U.S. takes its first crack at collecting...
Most U.S. clergy avoid hellfire threats over abortion politics
James Altman is a Roman Catholic priest in Wisconsin, little known outside his parish until a few weeks ago. Robert Jeffress is the high-profile pastor of a Baptist megachurch in Dallas. They have a message in common for members of their faiths: Voting for Democrats who support abortion rights is...
Millions more virus rapid tests but are results reported?
WASHINGTON — After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing, the U.S. can now screen several million people daily, thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests. But the boom comes with a new challenge: keeping track of the results. All U.S. testing sites are legally required to report their results,...
Along Mariner East pipelines, secrecy and a patchwork of emergency plans leave many at risk and in the dark
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/the Patriot-News and other news organizations across Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. Winding through green forested hills, the road to Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park in York County is nestled with brown-paneled trailers...
Scammers seize on U.S. election, but it’s not votes they want
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The email from a political action committee seemed harmless: If you support Joe Biden, it urged, click here to make sure you’re registered to vote. But Harvard University graduate student Maya James did not click. Instead, she Googled the name of the soliciting PAC. It didn’t exist...
Pence rallies Trump supporters in Reading: ‘Road to victory runs right through Pennsylvania’
READING — Vice President Mike Pence returned to the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania on Saturday, declaring President Donald Trump a champion of the “forgotten men and women of America” and blasting Joe Biden as a “Trojan Horse for the radical left.” “The road to victory runs right through Pennsylvania,”...
Organizers exhort women to vote for change at U.S. rallies
Thousands of mostly young women in masks rallied Saturday in the nation’s capital and other U.S. cities, exhorting voters to oppose President Donald Trump and his fellow Republican candidates in the Nov. 3 elections. The latest of rallies that began with a massive women’s march the day after Trump’s January...
Trump leans into fear tactics in bid to win Midwest states
MUSKEGON, Michigan — President Donald Trump leaned into fear tactics Saturday as he accused the left of trying to “erase American history, purge American values and destroy the American way of life” in a late reelection pitch to voters in Michigan. “The Democrat Party you once knew doesn’t exist,” Trump...
Pennsylvania reports 2nd-highest covid-19 case count
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 1,857 new coronavirus cases — a staggering 291-case jump from yesterday’s 1,566 — and the second-highest single-day total the state has ever reported. The all-time high for the Keystone State has stood since April 9, when 1,989 cases were reported. The state Department of Health reported...
SF Zoo cites child for finding lemur, police arrest suspect
SAN FRANCISCO — Police said Friday they arrested a man suspected of stealing a ring-tailed lemur from the San Francisco Zoo, where officials rewarded a 5-year-old boy who helped recapture the endangered primate with a lifetime membership. The theft of of Maki, an arthritic 21-year-old lemur, made the news Wednesday...
Trump changes course, approves California relief for 6 fires
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly reversed course and approved California’s application for disaster relief funds to clean up damage from six recent deadly and destructive blazes that have scorched the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. “Just got off the phone with President Trump who has approved...
White House rejects Putin response to U.S. arms control offer
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Russia on Friday rejected each other’s proposals for potentially salvaging the last remaining legal constraint on their strategic nuclear forces. President Vladimir Putin called for an unconditional extension of the soon-to-expire New START treaty, and the White House called that a “non-starter.” Adding an edginess...
GOP, Dems hope Supreme Court fight bolsters Senate prospects
WASHINGTON — For Republicans, the nomination fight over Amy Coney Barrett is a chance to seal conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades. For some GOP senators, it’s also a lifeline they hope will preserve their political careers and their party’s control of the chamber in November’s elections. The...
FBI probing if Russia involved in Hunter Biden email story
WASHINGTON — The FBI is investigating whether emails that were published by the New York Post related to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, are connected to a possible Russian influence operation to spread disinformation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The newspaper said in its story Wednesday that it...
Awash in red ink: U.S. posts record $3.1T 2020 budget deficit
WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3.1 trillion in the 2020 budget year, more than double the previous record, as the coronavirus pandemic shrank revenues and sent spending soaring. The Trump administration reported Friday that the deficit for the budget year that ended on Sept....
