Biden eyes tougher vaccine rules without provoking backlash
WASHINGTON — When the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. first began to slow, President Joe Biden backed incentives like million-dollar cash lotteries if that’s what it took to get shots in arms. But as new coronavirus infections soar, he’s testing a tougher approach. In just the past two weeks,...
Biden made ‘Obamacare’ cheaper, now sign-up deadline is here
With the Obama health care law undergoing a revival under President Joe Biden, this Sunday is the deadline for consumers to take advantage of a special sign-up period for private coverage made more affordable by his covid-19 relief law. A strong close would bolster Biden’s case that Congress needs to...
Man kills 5, himself in UK’s first mass shooting in decade
Police investigating Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade — which left six dead, including the gunman — said Friday the motive was unclear but there were no immediate signs that the crime was an act of terrorism, or connected to right-wing groups. Police identified the shooter as...
Moderate Democrats demand quick passage of infrastructure bill
Moderate House Democrats say they would sink a crucial fiscal blueprint outlining $3.5 trillion in social and environment spending unless a separate infrastructure bill is approved first, a new complication for the divided party’s drive to enact President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. The centrists’ threat directly defies House Speaker Nancy...
27 people aboard Carnival cruise test positive for covid-19
Twenty-seven people aboard a Carnival cruise tested positive for covid-19 just before the ship made a stop in Belize City this week, according to the Belize Tourism Board. The positive cases were among 26 crew members and one passenger on the Carnival Vista, which is carrying over 1,400 crew and...
Census data sets up redistricting fight over growing suburbs
The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs, as new census data showed rapid growth around some of the nation’s largest cities and shrinking population in many rural counties. From Texas to Florida, some of the biggest gains reported Thursday came in states where...
U.S. sending 3,000 troops for partial Afghan embassy evacuation
WASHINGTON — Just weeks before the U.S. is scheduled to end its war in Afghanistan, the Biden administration is rushing 3,000 fresh troops to the Kabul airport to help with a partial evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. The move highlights the stunning speed of a Taliban takeover of much of...
Extra covid vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the covid-19 vaccine to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who are...
Supreme Court justice won’t block Indiana University vaccine mandate
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday refused to block a plan by Indiana University to require students and employees to get vaccinated against covid-19. Barrett’s action came in response to an emergency request from eight students, and it marked the first time the high court has...
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul failed to disclose wife’s stock in company behind covid treatment
WASHINGTON — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul waited more than a year to disclose that his wife purchased stock in a company that makes a covid-19 treatment, an investment made after Congress was briefed on the threat of the virus but before the public was largely aware of its danger. The...
Pa.’s political mapmakers finally have new census data. Now the hard work begins.
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — After months of delays, the Census Bureau on Thursday delivered...
Mormon leaders urge members to mask up, get covid-19 vaccine
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renewed its prior calls to members to get a covid-19 vaccine and to wear face masks in public gatherings Thursday. Church leaders said in a statement that available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective and...
Census shows U.S. is diversifying, white population shrinking
The United States became more diverse and more urban over the past decade, and the white population dropped for the first time on record, the Census Bureau said Thursday as it released a trove of demographic data that will be used to redraw the nation’s political maps. The new figures...
OxyContin-maker Purdue goes to judge to confirm settlement
NEW YORK — Purdue Pharma’s quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin and its other prescription opioid painkillers entered its final phase Thursday with the grudging support of many of those who have claims against the company. Nearly two years after seeking bankruptcy protection, the company...
Simone Biles to speak at Pa. Conference for Women
Olympic champion Simone Biles, considered by many to be the greatest gymnast of all time and a role model for mental health, has been booked to speak at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women in November. The theme is “Stronger. Wiser. Braver” and organizers say it speaks to how women like...
State prison guards union warns Wolf of legal action over vaccine mandate
HARRISBURG — The union that represents about 10,000 guards in Pennsylvania’s state prisons told Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday it plans legal action to stop his effort to force them to get covid-19 vaccines over the next month. The president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association sent a letter...
Senate panel interviews former U.S. attorney in Trump probe
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee met privately Wednesday with a former U.S. attorney in Georgia who resigned in January as then-President Donald Trump waged a pressure campaign on state and federal officials to overturn his presidential defeat — part of a larger probe into Trump’s actions after the November...
Warrants served to Texas Democrats, but holdout continues
AUSTIN, Texas — Officers of the Texas House of Representatives delivered civil arrest warrants for more than 50 absent Democrats on Wednesday as frustrated Republicans ratcheted up efforts to end a standoff over a sweeping elections bill that stretched into its 31st day. But after sergeants-at-arms finished making the rounds...
Census data kicks off effort to reshape U.S. House districts
Redistricting season officially kicks off with the release of detailed population data from the U.S. Census Bureau that will be used to redraw voting districts nationwide — potentially helping determine control of the U.S. House in the 2022 elections and providing an electoral edge for the next decade. The new...
#MeToo Take 2? Movement’s strength hailed amid Cuomo fallout
NEW YORK — Anita Hill educated a nation about workplace sexual harassment back in 1991 with calm, deliberate testimony against Clarence Thomas. And today, 30 years later, she speaks in the same measured tones, eschewing dramatic declarations — especially of victory — and sounding more like the soft-spoken academic she...
U.S. sends 3K troops to Kabul to evacuate some embassy staffVideo
WASHINGTON — With security rapidly deteriorating in Afghanistan, the United States is sending in an additional 3,000 troops to help evacuate some personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, officials said Thursday. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one Army and two Marine infantry battalions will enter Afghanistan within the next...
California surfer dad ‘enlightened by QAnon’ to kill his kids with a spear gun, feds sayVideo
LOS ANGELES — A California surfing school owner was charged Wednesday with killing his two young children with a spear gun in Mexico because he believed they would become monsters, authorities said. Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara is facing a federal charge of the foreign murder of U.S....
Judge rules Dominion case can proceed against Trump allies
WASHINGTON — A federal judge cleared the way Wednesday for a defamation case by Dominion Voting Systems to proceed against Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, allies of former President Donald Trump who had all falsely accused the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election. U.S. District Judge Carl...
Tennessee House GOP urges session to curb local covid powers
NASHVILLE — All 73 Tennessee House Republicans signaled their support on Wednesday for a special session to limit the authority of local officials to make rules aimed at preventing the spread of covid-19, as lawmakers fumed over mask requirements in a handful of school districts. House Speaker Cameron Sexton sent...
FDA set to clear 3rd covid-19 shot for immunocompromised patientsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. drug regulators are set to clear a third dose of covid-19 vaccines for people with weak immune systems as a new study showed the benefits of an extra shot in transplant patients. A third dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine significantly raised antibody levels against the coronavirus in...
