Kamala Harris cites challenges of ‘fragile’ world in Navy speech
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Vice President Kamala Harris focused on the challenges of the pandemic, climate change and cybersecurity threats during her keynote speech to graduates at the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday, the first by a woman at the 175-year-old institution. Harris, the nation’s first female vice president and the...
Tanker’s impossible voyage signals new sanction evasion ploy
The Cyprus-flagged oil tanker Berlina was drifting near the Caribbean island of Dominica earlier this year when the safety signals it is required to transmit showed it stopping in its tracks and in two minutes turning around 180 degrees. It was an amazingly quick pivot since the 274-meter (nearly 900-foot)...
GOP blocks probe of deadly Jan. 6 riot at Capitol; Toomey misses vote
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Friday blocked creation of a bipartisan panel to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, displaying continuing party loyalty to former President Donald Trump and firm determination to shift the political focus away from the violent insurrection by his GOP supporters. The Senate...
As vaccinations inch upward, Pennsylvania’s covid cases continue lower
Pennsylvania continues to see a steady drop in cases of covid-19, with resulting deaths and hospitalizations following that downward trend. As vaccinations continue, the coronavirus appears to be spreading at a slower rate even as more people gather in public without protective masks or social distancing. The state on Friday...
Florida boy, 14, held without bond in 13-year-old’s death
ST. JOHNS, Fla. — A judge on Friday ordered a 14-year-old Florida boy held without bond on a first-degree murder charge in the death of a 13-year-old classmate. Aiden Fucci will be tried in adult court and faces a possible life sentence in the stabbing death of Tristyn Bailey earlier...
Boat accident on Nigerian river kills 60, more feared dead
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian authorities confirmed that at least 60 people have died in a boat accident on the Niger River and that 83 missing passengers are also feared dead. The boat with more than 160 passengers, including many children and women, sank after hitting an object and breaking up...
Ex-Speaker Ryan to GOP: Reject Trump, ‘2nd-rate imitations’
Emerging from two years of relative silence, former House Speaker Paul Ryan has joined the fight against Donald Trump, urging fellow conservatives to reject the former president’s divisive politics and those Republican leaders who emulate him. Ryan made his remarks during a Thursday evening address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential...
Russia: Ex-officers convicted of planting drugs on reporter
MOSCOW — Five former Russian police officers were convicted Friday on charges of fabricating evidence in the 2019 drug arrest of a prominent investigative journalist. Ivan Golunov of the independent Meduza online news outlet was arrested in Moscow on drug-dealing charges that he rejected as a sham. The journalist argued...
Senate hits snag on vote for Jan. 6 Capitol riot commission
WASHINGTON — The Senate pushed action into Friday on a bill to create an independent commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters. Republicans still plan to block the measure using the filibuster, but snags on another, unrelated bill forced delays that prevented...
Spain criticized for unequally priced ‘equality stamps’
MADRID — Spain’s postal service is feeling a backlash from its attempt to highlight racial inequality. State-owned Correos España this week issued a set of four stamps in different skin-colored tones. The darker the stamp, the lower the price. The lightest color costs 1.60 euros ($1.95). The darkest one costs...
WHO chief concedes ‘slow’ response to Congo sex abuse claims
LONDON — The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged the U.N. health agency’s response to sexual abuse allegations involving employees who worked in Congo during an Ebola outbreak was “slow,” following an Associated Press investigation that found senior WHO management knew of multiple cases of misconduct. As WHO’s highest...
Busier summer expected at Jersey Shore in Year 2 of covid-19
BELMAR, N.J. — The second summer of covid-19 at the Jersey Shore is likely to look much different than last year’s: Many virus restrictions have been lifted, nightclubs and dance floors will be packed again, and restaurants and bars can serve full crowds indoors. Shore towns report brisk beach badge...
West Virginia to offer cash, pickup trucks as vaccine prize
CHARLESTON — West Virginia will step up its prizes for vaccines, enrolling all residents who have received a coronavirus shot into a lottery for the chance to win a college scholarship, an F-150 pickup truck or cash rewards. Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced the plan for the new incentives Thursday,...
Report: Tennessee woman drove through vaccination tent to protest
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee woman accused of driving through a covid-19 vaccine distribution tent as a form of protest has been charged with seven counts of felony reckless endangerment, according to a police report. Virginia Christine Lewis Brown, 36, was arrested after a Blount County deputy witnessed her driving...
Firetruck crashes into Philly building, leaving 5 injuredVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Four firefighters and one civilian were injured Thursday when a Philadelphia Fire Department firetruck crashed into a building after a collision with another vehicle. The firetruck had left a nearby fire station and had its lights and siren on as firefighters headed to a report of a house...
Idaho lieutenant governor bans mask mandates while governor awayVideo
BOISE — With the governor out of the state, Idaho’s lieutenant governor issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in schools and public buildings, saying the face-covering directives threatened people’s freedom. Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is acting governor while Gov. Brad Little is at the Republican Governors Association...
GOP offers $928B on infrastructure, funded with covid aidVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican senators outlined a $928 billion infrastructure proposal Thursday that would tap unused coronavirus aid, a counteroffer to President Joe Biden’s more sweeping plan as the two sides struggle to negotiate a bipartisan compromise and remain far apart on how to pay for the massive spending. The Republican...
U.S. tells Russia it won’t rejoin Open Skies arms control pact
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration informed Russia on Thursday that it will not rejoin a key arms control pact, even as the two sides prepare for a summit next month between their leaders. U.S. officials said Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told the Russians that the administration had decided...
U.N. rights chief: Israeli strikes in Gaza may be war crimes
GENEVA — The top U.N. human rights body on Thursday passed a resolution aimed to intensify scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, after the U.N. rights chief said Israeli forces may have committed war crimes and faulted the militant group Hamas for violations of international law in their 11-day war...
States tap federal aid to shore up empty unemployment funds
Businesses could be spared billions of dollars of higher taxes in coming years — potentially freeing up money to spend on employees or invest in their operations — as a result of federal coronavirus aid flowing to the states. Governors and lawmakers in more than half the states are planning...
Unearthing history: Tulsa massacre victims search resumes
OKLAHOMA CITY — As the U.S. marks 100 years since one of its most shameful historical chapters, researchers, including descendants of Black victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre, are preparing to resume a search for remains believed to have been hastily buried in mass graves. Although many details about the...
Official: San Jose shooter said he hated work years before killing 9
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A gunman who killed nine people at a California rail yard appeared to target some of the victims, a sheriff told The Associated Press on Thursday, while a Biden administration official said he spoke of hating his workplace when customs officers detained him after a 2016...
Pennsylvania will lift mask mandate by June 28 at latest
Pennsylvania’s mask mandate will be lifted no later than June 28, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Thursday. Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month set a benchmark for the state: 70% of adults fully vaccinated. Beam said if the state reaches that threshold before June 28, the mask mandate...
Warren County hunting preserve quarantined after CWD found; new management area coming
A Northwestern Pennsylvania hunting preserve is being quarantined for five years after a white-tailed deer there was found to have chronic wasting disease, according to state officials. Officials said Wednesday they plan to create a new chronic wasting disease management area there. The boundaries of the area will be announced...
GOP set to block Jan. 6 commission, stoking Senate filibuster fight
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are ready to deploy the filibuster to block a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, shattering hopes for a bipartisan probe of the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and reviving pressure on Democrats to do away with the procedural tactic that critics say has lost...
