Penn scientists made a universal flu vaccine using mRNA, and they plan to test it in humans
For years, scientists have tried, and failed, to make a one-and-done vaccine that would provide at least partial protection against all types of the flu. A University of Pennsylvania scientist now thinks he has cracked the case, using the same technology that was the basis for the Pfizer and Moderna...
Indonesia releases bombmaker in Bali attacks on parole
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A bombmaker in the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people was released from an Indonesian prison on parole Wednesday after serving half his 20-year sentence, despite the opposition of Australia’s prime minister, who described him as “abhorrent.” Umar Patek was a leading member of the al-Qaida-linked...
Zelenskyy and ‘spirit of Ukraine’ named Time person of year
LONDON — Time magazine on Wednesday named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy its person of the year, awarding him the accolade “for proving that courage can be as contagious as fear.” Editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said the choice of Zelenskyy — alongside “the spirit of Ukraine” — was “the most clear-cut in...
Extinctions, shrinking habitat spur ‘rewilding’ in cities
DETROIT — In a bustling metro area of 4.3 million people, Yale University wildlife biologist Nyeema Harris ventures into isolated thickets to study Detroit’s most elusive residents — coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks among them. Harris and colleagues have placed trail cameras in woodsy sections of 25 city parks for...
Database spotlights those who died at Pearl Harbor
JOHNSTOWN — The stories of the more than 2,300 American service members who died at Pearl Harbor, including Cambria County Military Hall of Fame member Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Lipple, from Ashville, have been chronicled by Stories Behind the Stars. The nonprofit is working to compile brief bios...
USS Arizona survivor: Honor those killed at Pearl Harbor
HONOLULU — USS Arizona sailor Lou Conter lived through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor even though his battleship exploded and sank after being pierced by aerial bombs. That makes the 101-year-old somewhat of a celebrity, especially on the anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, assault. Many call him and...
Justices take up elections case that could reshape voting
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is taking up a case with the potential to fundamentally reshape elections for Congress and the presidency. The justices are hearing arguments Wednesday over the power of state courts to strike down congressional districts drawn by the legislature because they violate state constitutions. Republicans from...
China eases anti-covid measures following protests
BEIJING — China rolled back rules on isolating people with covid-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places Wednesday in a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign. The move adds...
Congress set to rescind covid-19 vaccine mandate for troops
WASHINGTON — The covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military would be rescinded under the annual defense bill heading for a vote this week in Congress, ending a directive that helped ensure the vast majority of troops were vaccinated but also raised concerns that it harmed recruitment and...
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock beats Herschel Walker in Georgia runoffVideo
ATLANTA — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Georgia runoff election Tuesday, ensuring Democrats an outright majority in the Senate for the rest of President Joe Biden’s current term and capping an underwhelming midterm cycle for the GOP in the last major vote of the...
U.S. court dismisses suit against Saudi prince in killing
WASHINGTON — A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, bowing to the Biden administration’s insistence that the prince was legally immune in the case. District of Columbia U.S. District Judge John D. Bates...
Amid outcry, San Francisco pauses on ‘killer police robots’
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco supervisors voted Tuesday to put the brakes on a controversial policy that would have let police use robots for deadly force, reversing course just days after their approval of the plan generated fierce pushback and warnings about the militarization and automation of policing. The Board...
Florida beach erosion uncovers wooden ship from 1800sVideo
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — Severe beach erosion from two late-season hurricanes has helped uncover what appears to be a wooden ship dating from the 1800s which had been buried under the sand on Florida’s East Coast for up to two centuries, impervious to cars that drove daily on the...
North Carolina county’s power cut by shooting could be restored sooner than expectedVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Duke Energy said it expects to be able to restore power by Wednesday night to a county where electric substations were attacked by gunfire. Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said the company expects to have power back Wednesday just before midnight in Moore County. The company had...
Trump Organization convicted in executive tax dodge schemeVideo
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s company was convicted of tax fraud on Tuesday in a case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, a significant repudiation of financial practices at the former president’s business. The guilty verdict came on the second day of deliberations following a trial in which the Trump...
Fight over officer testimony roils Proud Boys sedition case
A legal fight has erupted over a Washington D.C. police officer who was communicating with Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack that could shape the outcome of the upcoming trial of Tarrio and other far-right extremists. Metropolitan Police Lt. Shane Lamond’s...
Big Tech, free speech advocates join to oppose journalism bill
WASHINGTON — Top social media companies and free speech advocates, groups that usually take opposing views over tech policy, are coming together to oppose a measure that would allow journalism organizations to jointly negotiate with tech companies. The groups are opposing any inclusion in the fiscal 2023 Pentagon policy bill...
DOJ subpoenas state election officials, including Allegheny County, for Trump documents
MADISON, Wis. —Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed local election officials in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania, asking for communications with or involving former President Donald Trump, his 2020 campaign aides and a list of allies involved in his efforts to try to overturn the results of the election. The...
Biden’s efforts to protect abortion access hit roadblocks
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is still actively searching for ways to safeguard abortion access for millions of women, even as it bumps up against a complex web of strict new state laws enacted in the months after the Supreme Court stripped the constitutional right. Looking to seize on momentum...
Jan. 6 heroes honored for defending Capitol from Trump mob
WASHINGTON — Law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 were honored Tuesday with Congressional Gold Medals, praised as “heroes” for securing democracy when they fought off a brutal and bloody attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened an emotional ceremony,...
Jan. 6 committee to issue criminal referrals, chairman says
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will make criminal referrals to the Justice Department as it wraps up its probe and looks to publish a final report by the end of the year, the panel’s chairman said Tuesday. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.,...
Ukraine leader defiant as drone strikes hit Russia again
KYIV, Ukraine — Drones struck inside Russia’s border with Ukraine Tuesday in the second day of attacks exposing the vulnerability of some of Moscow’s most important military sites, observers said. Ukrainian officials did not formally confirm carrying out drone strikes inside Russia, and they have maintained ambiguity over previous high-profile...
Shapiro taps longtime aides to top jobs in governor’s office
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro is tapping longtime aides to take top positions in his office weeks before he is sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 48th governor, as he prepares to leave the attorney general’s office for a sprawling administration that runs the nation’s fifth-most populous state. Shapiro said in...
EU, Western Balkans boost partnership amid Ukraine war
TIRANA, Albania — For the six Western Balkans countries aspiring to join the European Union, gaining full membership in the 27-nation club remains a distant goal. But Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are getting more concrete signs that they have a future place in the EU as...
Gov. Tom Wolf leaves office with few regrets, no grudges
As Gov. Tom Wolf prepares to leave office, there is one thing that drove him into the governorship that awaits him when he gets home: his beloved 2006 Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep, a stick shift, of course, that Wolf’s daughters joke he bought during his midlife crisis, starred in his...
