Pennsylvania posts 4th highest single-day covid-related death report
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported another 8,984 coronavirus cases Wednesday. Despite the high number, it actually brought the state’s seven-day average of new cases down more than 18% from a week ago. A week ago, Pennsylvania’s seven-day average of new cases was 8,827. With Wednesday’s report, that average dropped...
Yemeni officials: Blast at Aden airport kills 25, wounds 110Video
SANAA, Yemen — A large explosion struck the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Wednesday, shortly after a plane carrying the newly formed cabinet landed there, security officials said. At least 25 people were killed and 110 wounded in the blast. Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Iran-backed...
British lawmakers approve post-Brexit trade deal with EU
Britain’s House of Commons voted resoundingly on Wednesday to approve a trade deal with the European Union, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the U.K.’s years-long Brexit journey. With just a day to spare, lawmakers voted 521-73 in favor of the agreement...
Principal Joe Clark who inspired film ‘Lean on Me’ has died
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Joe Louis Clark, the baseball bat and bullhorn-wielding principal whose unwavering commitment to his students and uncompromising disciplinary methods inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me,” died at his Florida home on Tuesday after a long battle with an unspecified illness, his family said. He was 82....
Joe and Jill Biden to appear on ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’
NEW YORK — Ryan Seacrest will have a special pair of guests alongside the music stars at this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration on ABC — the president-elect and the future first lady. President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden are scheduled to give “their last interview of the year”...
EU, China leaders meet to seal investment deal
BRUSSELS — Top European Union officials and Chinese President Xi Jinping will conclude a business investment deal Wednesday that will open big opportunities to European companies, but has the potential to irk the new American administration. Amid concerns about the human rights situation in China, the EU said the seven-year-long...
Nashville man’s girlfriend warned he was building bombs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — More than a year before Anthony Warner detonated a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas, officers visited his home after his girlfriend told police that he was building bombs in an RV trailer at his residence, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. But they were...
Convicted U.S. spy Pollard arrives in Israel, welcomed by PM
JERUSALEM — Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in U.S. prison for spying for Israel, arrived in Israel early Wednesday with his wife, triumphantly kissing the ground as he disembarked from the aircraft in the culmination of a decades-long affair that had long strained relations between the two close allies....
Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from covid-19
BATON ROUGE — Luke Letlow, Louisiana’s incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to covid-19 only days before being sworn into office. He was 41. Letlow spokesman Andrew Bautsch confirmed the congressman-elect’s death at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport. “The family appreciates the numerous prayers and...
Louisville officers connected to Breonna Taylor’s death could face dismissalVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville police have taken steps that could result in the firing of two officers connected to Breonna Taylor’s death — the one who sought the no-knock search warrant that led detectives to her apartment and another found to have opened fire. Detective Joshua Jaynes received a pretermination...
6.3 earthquake kills 7 in Croatia, leaves others missingVideo
PETRINJA, Croatia — A strong earthquake in Croatia destroyed buildings and killed at least seven people Tuesday southwest of the capital, displacing scores of area residents or making them afraid to sleep indoors as emergency teams searched for those still missing by nightfall. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said the...
Colorado authorities investigate vandalism that cuts off gas in Aspen
ASPEN, Colo. — Authorities on Tuesday were investigating the vandalism of Aspen’s natural gas system that left thousands of residents and visitors without gas in the middle of the busy holiday tourist season. Investigators hope graffiti left behind might lead to those responsible. Gas valves were turned off at three...
Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it would not bring federal criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers in the 2014 killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, saying video of the shooting was of too poor a quality for prosecutors to conclusively establish what had happened. In closing the...
1st reported U.S. case of virus variant triggers questions
DENVER — The new and seemingly more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has set off alarm in Britain has been reported for the first time in the U.S., in a Colorado man who hadn’t been traveling, triggering a host of questions about how it got here and adding urgency...
Court: Parents of Cincinnati child who killed himself can sue educators
CINCINNATI — The parents of an 8-year-old student who killed himself after being persistently bullied can move forward with a lawsuit against the Cincinnati school district that alleges wrongful death and other charges, a federal appeals panel ruled Tuesday. The three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court Appeals said...
Biden criticizes pace of vaccine rollout, vows to accelerate
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden criticized the Trump administration Tuesday for the pace of distributing covid-19 vaccines and predicted that “things will get worse before they get better” when it comes to the pandemic. “We need to be honest — the next few weeks and months are going to...
Minneapolis officials outline new police disciplinary plan
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis’ mayor and police chief on Tuesday announced changes in the city’s disciplinary processes for police officers in an effort to make it easier to hold them accountable for bad behavior. Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief Medaria Arradondo, in their latest initiative to change department practices in the...
Christmas bombing marks another dark day for NashvilleVideo
NASHVILLE — When Sandy and Geff Lee finally saw a photo of the building that was home to their Nashville boutique on the day after the Christmas morning bombing, a quiet came over the room. The rubble was overwhelming. Debris shadowed familiar details. Geff Lee pulled up a map to...
Donald Trump, Michelle Obama named ‘most admired’ in Gallup pollVideo
He lost the popular vote and the U.S. election, but Donald Trump was named “most admired” man of 2020 in a new Gallup poll that left Democrats divvying up mentions. Former first lady Michelle Obama won the title of most admired woman for the third year in a row, according...
New U.S. dietary guidelines: No candy, cake for kids under 2
Parents now have an extra reason to say no to candy, cake and ice cream for young children. The first U.S. government dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers, released Tuesday, recommend feeding only breast milk for at least six months and no added sugar for children under age 2. “It’s...
Rep. Louie Gohmert sues Mike Pence in far-fetched bid to overturn election results on Jan. 6
DALLAS — Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas is suing Vice President Mike Pence in an improbable bid to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Gohmert and several other Republicans named in the suit, including the Republican slate of electors from Arizona, aim to allow Pence to overturn Trump’s defeat in some...
Major rail safety technology installed before deadline
The railroad industry has installed an automatic braking system on nearly 58,000 miles of track where it is required ahead of a yearend deadline, federal regulators said Tuesday. Federal Railroad Administration chief Ronald Batory said railroads worked together over the past 12 years to develop and install the long-awaited technology...
Winter storm could bring several inches of snow to Upper MidwestVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — A strong winter storm began making its way Tuesday across the Upper Midwest, creating treacherous travel conditions and spurring warnings urging people to stay off the roads. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin and...
Boeing Max returns to U.S. skies with first passenger flight
American Airlines flew a Boeing 737 Max with paying passengers from Miami to New York on Tuesday, the plane’s first commercial flight in U.S. skies since it was grounded after two deadly crashes. American flight 718 carried 87 passengers on the 172-seat plane, and the return flight from LaGuardia Airport...
Trump lashes out at GOP after override vote on defense bill
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump lashed out at congressional Republicans on Tuesday after the House easily voted to override his veto of a defense policy bill. A total of 109 Republicans, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of GOP leadership, joined with Democrats on Monday to approve the override,...
