Officials: Pennsylvania schools can reopen in-person teaching on July 1
Elementary and secondary schools inside Pennsylvania’s less restrictive reopening zones can resume teaching in person and other activities at the end of June, the Education Department announced Wednesday. The guidance issued by the department says school boards in the green and yellow zones under the stoplight-colored reopening system must first...
Scientist defends Sweden’s hotly debated virus strategy
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist on Wednesday defended his country’s controversial coronavirus strategy, which avoided a lockdown but resulted in one of the highest per capita COVID-19 death rates in the world. Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency denied that “the Swedish strategy was wrong and should be changed. That’s not...
Trump: Deploying forces to DC shows how to quell protests
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday took credit for a massive deployment of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to the nation’s capital, saying it offered a model to states on how to quell protests nationwide. Trump argued that the massive show of force was responsible for...
6 Atlanta officers charged after 2 college students pulled from car
ATLANTA — Six Atlanta police officers have been charged over excessive use of force during a protest arrest incident involving two college students, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced the charges during a news conference. The Saturday night incident first gained attention from video online...
Trump, chafing at oversight, takes aim at inspectors general
WASHINGTON — Steve Linick irritated powerful Democrats and Republicans alike in his seven years as the independent watchdog investigating waste and mismanagement at the State Department. Still, he was stunned by a Friday night phone call saying President Donald Trump had fired him. Linick’s access to the computer system, and...
Curfews give sweeping powers to cops, but are often flouted
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hundreds of cities have imposed curfews to keep the peace during a week of violent unrest across the U.S., employing a tactic that gives law enforcement sweeping arrest powers but is frequently flouted and criticized as being unconstitutional. From New York City to Fargo, North Dakota, cities...
Widow: Retired police captain died protecting friend’s store
ST. LOUIS — A retired police captain who died during a night of violent protests was trying to protect his friend’s pawn shop, his widow said. David Dorn’s last moments were caught on video and apparently posted on Facebook Live, though the video has since been taken down. He was...
Friends mourn ex-Indiana football player slain during unrest
INDIANAPOLIS — To those who knew former Indiana University football player Chris Beaty, it was no surprise that he would participate in a protest over the death of George Floyd. That a man they saw as a “gentle giant” who brought positivity everywhere he went would turn up dead in...
Statue of divisive former Philadelphia Mayor Rizzo removedVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Workers removed the statue early Wednesday of controversial former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, which was recently defaced during a protest following George Floyd’s death. As National Guard troops deployed in the wake of recent protests watched, a crane lifted the 10-foot-tall bronze statue and workers shook it from...
With wins in 7 states and D.C., Biden closes in on nominationVideo
Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination after winning hundreds more delegates in primary contests that tested the nation’s ability to run elections while balancing a pandemic and sweeping social unrest. Biden could lock down the nomination within the next week as West Virginia...
Election Day roundup — latest results in state, region, county
Below are preliminary election results from contested races in the state, region and county during the June 2, 2020 primary: STATE Auditor General Democrats (with 91.04% of precincts reporting): Michael Lamb, Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington: 33.7% Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia: 28.5% Christina Hartman, Lancaster County: 12.6% H. Scott Conklin, Centre County: 9.7%...
‘Not stopping’: Defiant NYC protesters march through curfew
NEW YORK — An 8 p.m. curfew didn’t stop thousands of defiant demonstrators from marching through the streets of New York City throughout the night Tuesday, though some of the rampant destruction seen over the past few nights was quelled. The citywide curfew, which is in place through Sunday and...
Iowa voters oust Rep. King, shunned for insensitive remarks
DES MOINES, Iowa — Republicans in northwest Iowa ousted Rep. Steve King in Tuesday’s primary, deciding they’ve had enough of the conservative lightning rod known for making incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy throughout his nearly two decades in Congress. The nine-term congressman, shunned by his party leadership in...
Trump says GOP is pulling convention from North Carolina
RALEIGH — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that he is seeking a new state to host this summer’s Republican National Convention after North Carolina refused to guarantee the event could be held in Charlotte without restrictions because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus. Trump announced the news via tweet,...
Protesters return to the streets as Trump decries ‘lowlifes’Video
WASHINGTON — Undeterred by curfews, protesters streamed back into the nation’s streets Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump pressed governors to put down the violence set off by George Floyd’s death and demanded that New York call up the National Guard to stop the “lowlifes and losers.” As more demonstrations...
4 St. Louis officers shot, ex-captain killed during protestsVideo
ST. LOUIS — Protests that began peacefully over the death of George Floyd turned violent in the St. Louis area, where four police officers were shot and wounded and a retired St. Louis police captain was killed by looters at a pawn shop, actions that the governor blamed on “criminals”...
Trump, Biden win Pennsylvania primary contests amid unrest, pandemic
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania held a primary election Tuesday amid civil unrest, a pandemic, the introduction of new voting machines in some counties and the debut of mail-in balloting that pushed county election bureaus to their limits. The result of the highest-profile contest on the ballot was a foregone conclusion: President...
Officer accused of killing George Floyd was disciplined for pulling woman from car during stop
WASHINGTON — The Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday released personnel records for Derek Chauvin, the now-fired officer accused of killing George Floyd, a black man whose death has sparked protest nationwide. The records provide some insight into Chauvin’s background, starting as a military police officer with the U.S. Army from...
Police clashes with protesters mark reversal in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Officials in Philadelphia defended their use of tear gas in dispersing protesters who blocked a major highway at rush hour, calling it necessary to defuse “a dangerous and volatile situation,” but civil rights lawyers called it a reversal of recent city policy. The Philadelphia Police Department had earned...
White supremacist group posing as Antifa called for violence online, Twitter saysVideo
A white supremacist group created a fake Twitter account, posed as the leftist Antifa movement and called for violence during the ongoing protests sweeping the nation, the social media giant said Monday. “Tonight’s the night comrades,” the group tweeted on Sunday. “Tonight we say ‘f—- the city’ and we move...
Arkansas reports another 1-day record in new coronavirus cases
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas on Tuesday marked another one-day record for new coronavirus cases, and the governor said plans to further loosen restrictions on businesses remained on hold because of the spike. The Health Department said at least 7,818 people tested positive for the virus, an increase of 375 over...
GOP criticism muted on Trump’s handling of protestsVideo
WASHINGTON — Most Republicans continued Tuesday to avoid any criticism of President Donald Trump, though a handful of GOP senators spoke out against police use of tear gas to clear peaceful demonstrators from a park near the White House so Trump could walk to a nearby church and pose with...
Police chief: More than 2,700 arrests in Los Angeles so far
LOS ANGELES — More than 2,700 people have been arrested since protests and violence began in Los Angeles in response to the death of George Floyd. Chief Michel Moore told the city Police Commission on Tuesday that about 2,500 of those arrests were for failure to disperse or curfew violations....
Police: Video shows man killed in Louisville fired a gun
LOUISVILLE — Video released by police shows a popular barbecue stand operator firing a gun as officers approached his business in Louisville shortly before he was shot to death, the city’s acting police chief said Tuesday. The video showing David McAtee opening fire early Monday was obtained from security cameras...
President Trump ordered show of force on Monday nightVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday night ordered military aircraft to fly above the nation’s capital as a “show of force” against demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd, according to two Defense Department officials. Show-of-force missions are designed to intimidate and, in combat zones, warn opposing forces of...
