GOP-led Senate panel advances Amy Coney Barrett despite Dems’ boycott
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate as Republicans powered past Democrats’ boycott of the session. Democratic senators refused to show up in protest of the GOP’s rush to install President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace the...
Plot thickens over origins of pope’s civil union endorsement
VATICAN CITY — Question swirled Thursday about the origins of Pope Francis’ bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions, with all evidence suggesting he made them in a 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety. The Vatican refused to comment on whether it cut the remarks from its own...
U.S. jobless claims drop to 787,000, but layoffs remain high
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 787,000, a sign that job losses may have eased slightly but are still running at historically high levels. With confirmed infections having neared 60,000 in the past week, the highest level since July, many consumers have been...
Taliban rockets kill 4 civilians in northern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — At least four civilians were killed in their homes by militant rocket fire in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, the country’s Ministry of Defense said. The ministry statement blamed the Taliban for the firing, which it said wounded another 14 civilians and destroyed several houses in the Sharin...
A lot has changed since Kennedy and Nixon’s first nationally televised presidential debates
When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon engaged in the third of their four nationally televised presidential debates on Oct. 13, 1960, Game Seven of the World Series had been played earlier that day. Pittsburgh fans will recall the Pirates defeated the New York Yankees. Two days before that, “The...
U.S. officials Pompeo, Esper to visit India for annual talks
NEW DELHI — India’s government said Thursday that talks next week with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in New Delhi will cover “all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.” The talks are also expected to focus on cooperation in building a...
Police, autopsy reports reveal details about Dallas woman who died of covid-19 during flight
DALLAS — A Spirit Airlines employee performed CPR on an unconscious Dallas woman during a July flight that made an emergency landing in New Mexico, where the woman was pronounced dead. The woman’s death was later determined to have been caused by covid-19, and Dallas County officials included her in...
Watchdog group cites interference at polls in Latino areas
SANTA FE, N.M. — A voting rights group says that caravans of flag-waving President Donald Trump supporters appeared to obstruct and intimidate voters last weekend at two polling locations in predominantly ethnic-minority neighborhoods in the Albuquerque area. Common Cause New Mexico Executive Director Heather Ferguson said Wednesday that the incidents...
Man faces state, federal charges in death of Houston officer
HOUSTON — A man accused of fatally shooting a Houston police officer during a domestic disturbance call is facing both state and federal charges and could face the death penalty, authorities announced on Wednesday. In state court, Elmer Manzano is facing a capital murder charge for the death of 65-year-old...
Court orders California to cut San Quentin inmates by half
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California appeals court has ordered state corrections officials to cut the population of one of the world’s most famous prisons to less than half of its designed capacity, citing officials’ “deliberate indifference” to the plight of inmates during the coronavirus pandemic. State prison officials said Wednesday...
Remains found in search for 1921 Tulsa race massacre victims
OKLAHOMA CITY — At least 10 bodies were found Wednesday in an unmarked mass grave at a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma’s state archaeologist said. “What we were finding was an indication that we were inside a...
Face to face: Trump, Biden to meet for final debate
NASHVILLE — President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are set to square off in their final debate Thursday, one of the last high-profile opportunities for the trailing incumbent to change the trajectory of an increasingly contentious campaign. Worried about losing the White House, some advisers are urging...
Whitmer: Michigan at ‘dangerous moment’ as virus cases spike
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Wednesday that Michigan on average has more confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus than ever, noting a sharp increase since the state Supreme Court invalidated her sweeping orders earlier this month. The number of covid-19 cases had been gradually rising for months prior...
Police: 43 bank hostages freed in ex-Soviet republic Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia — Police in the ex-Soviet nation of Georgia said 43 people were freed after an armed assailant took them hostage in a bank Wednesday, an announcement that came shortly after local media reported the gunman escaped and remained at large still holding three hostages. An armed man took...
Feds arrest 15 foreign students for work-status fraud in ‘Operation OPTical Illusion’
Federal immigration authorities have arrested 15 nonimmigrant students for alleged education-related fraud, authorities said Wednesday. The arrests took place in a number of cities, including Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Boston, Houston and more, the federal authorities said. The 15 arrested allegedly claimed they worked for companies that did not exist. “Nonimmigrant” status...
Rudy Giuliani caught in hotel bedroom scene in new ‘Borat’ film
NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani is shown with his hand down his pants after flirting with an actress playing a young woman pretending to be a television journalist in a scene in Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest mockumentary, a sequel to his hit “Borat” film. The scene shot in a New...
5 questions as Trump, Biden prepare for final debate
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, meet on the debate stage for the second and final time Thursday night in Tennessee. The 90-minute prime-time meeting comes just 12 days before Election Day. Some key questions heading into the debate: CAN TRUMP CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY...
Ireland focuses on Christmas as it enters new lockdown
DUBLIN — Ireland is already focused on Christmas. It’s a major national priority. Unless the country can get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, there won’t be much Christmas cheer this year in Galway, Cork or Dublin. With infections on the rise, the government has imposed a tough new lockdown that...
Record 9 million people register to vote in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has eclipsed 9 million registered voters for the first time and is expecting record turnout as voters cast ballots by mail or drop box and in person at county elections offices before the election and at the polls on Nov. 3. As of Wednesday, the state had processed 9,050,870...
Virus spikes nationwide have officials looking to shore up hospitals
BOISE, Idaho — Hospitals across the United States are starting to buckle from a resurgence of covid-19 cases, with several states setting records for the number of people hospitalized and leaders scrambling to find extra beds and staff. New highs in cases have been reported in states big and small...
Pa. election officials stress security precautions, warn against voter intimidation
Threatening emails purported to be from a far-right, neo-fascist group that targeted voters in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and Alaska may have originated in the Baltics. While the email appeared to come from the Proud Boys, an analysis of the metadata suggested it originated in Estonia, the New York Times reported....
Pennsylvania adds 1,425 coronavirus cases, 48 hospitalizations
Pennsylvania reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the 16th straight day Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 1,425 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 186,297. For comparison, in the past 16 days, there have been 22,090 new covid-19 cases, while in the 16 days prior to...
Worsening opioid crisis overshadowed in presidential race
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Like millions of Americans, Diane Urban watched the first presidential debate last month at home with her family. When it was over, she turned off the television and climbed into the bed her 25-year-old son Jordan used to sleep in. It was where she found Jordan’s lifeless...
Man accused of threatening Biden, Harris in note to neighbor
BALTIMORE — A Maryland man was charged Wednesday with making death threats against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris in a letter left on the doorstep of a neighbor who had yard signs supporting the candidates. James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, told investigators...
Mission impossible? Kristen Welker on tap to moderate 2nd debate
NEW YORK — This fall’s presidential debates have chewed up moderators. President Donald Trump steamrolled Chris Wallace with constant interruptions in the first one, a performance that cost the Republican incumbent support in the polls. Susan Page struggled to make the vice presidential candidates adhere to time limits their campaigns...
