WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot. The goal is to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is returning to the White House Monday to address the nation on the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. This, as the planned withdrawal of American forces, turned deadly at Kabul’s airport Monday as thousands tried to flee Afghanistan a day after the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The White House says Biden will travel back…
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul’s abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a…
(Courtesy: Fox News) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, as the Taliban inches closer to the capital city of Kabul. That raises to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. troops deployed to ensure what Biden is calling an “orderly and safe drawdown” of American and allied personnel. U.S. troops…
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health regulators have authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in people with weakened immune systems to better protect them from the virus. The announcement Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who take immune-suppressing medicines because of organ transplants, cancer, or other disorders. The decision does…
BELIZE CITY (AP) — 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 nearly 3,000 passengers, the board said…
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Several reports say Britney Spears’ father has agreed to step down from the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years. Outlets including celebrity website TMZ and CNN reported that James Spears filed legal documents saying that while there are no grounds for his removal, he will step down. The decision comes after…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal Department of Health and Human Services is requiring employees who provide care for patients to get their COVID-19 shots. Thursday’s order from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra will affect more than 25,000 clinicians, researchers, contractors, trainees, and volunteers with the National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps….
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell for a third straight time last week, the latest sign that employers are laying off fewer people as they struggle to fill a record number of open jobs and meet a surge in consumer demand. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims fell for a third…
TOKYO (AP) — It began with a virus and a yearlong pause. It ended with a typhoon blowing through and, still, a virus. In between: just about everything. The Tokyo Olympics, christened with “2020” but held in mid-2021 after being interrupted for a year by the coronavirus, glided to their conclusion in a COVID-emptied stadium Sunday night as an often surreal mixed bag for…
(AP) – The Biden administration has announced that federal student loan payments will remain suspended through January 2022, extending a pause that was scheduled to expire next month. The Education Department says this will be the final extension. Borrowers will not have to make payments on federal student loans during the moratorium, interest rates will be set at 0% and…
(AP) – United Airlines will require U.S.-based employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by late October, and maybe sooner. United announced the decision Friday. The airline joins a growing number of big corporations that will require vaccinations. This is happening as a mutant variation of COVID-19 drives a surge in new infections. United CEO Scott Kirby says he knows some…
(AP) – Apple is planning to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused by governments looking to surveil their citizens. The tool Apple calls “neuralMatch” will detect known images of child sexual abuse without decrypting people’s messages. If it finds…
NEW YORK (CNN Business) – CVS will raise its minimum wage for hourly workers from $11 to $15 by next summer, becoming the latest large US chain to pledge a $15 starting rate as companies compete for workers in a tight labor market. The pharmacy giant, which has nearly 300,000 employees, said Wednesday that it will begin increasing wages for…
CRANE, Texas (AP) — Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watt’s cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The wells, unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, were plugged with cement decades…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration will announce a new 60-day eviction moratorium that would protect areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives. That’s according to three people familiar with the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss the forthcoming announcement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a legal authority for a new and different moratorium…
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) UPDATE: WASHINGTON (AP) — An officer died after being stabbed Tuesday during a burst of violence at a transit station outside the Pentagon, law enforcement officials said. A shooting resulted in the Pentagon being locked down for more than an hour. A Pentagon officer who was stabbed later died, according to officials who were not authorized to…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gunshots were fired Tuesday morning near the entrance of the Pentagon, resulting in multiple injuries. The facility, the headquarters of the U.S. military, was placed on lockdown. The Arlington County Fire Department reported “multiple patients,” but it wasn’t immediately clear if they had been shot or the extent of the injuries. The incident occurred on a Metro…
NEW YORK (AP) – An investigation into New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has found that he sexually harassed multiple current and former state government employees. State Attorney General Letitia James announced the findings Tuesday. The investigation, conducted by two outside lawyers, found that the Cuomo administration was a “hostile work environment” and that it was “rife with fear and intimidation.”…
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens,File) NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, see a performance or go to the gym, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday, making it the first big city in the U.S. to impose such restrictions. The new requirement, which will be…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Sen. Lindsey Graham has tested positive for the coronavirus. The South Carolina Republican is the first senator to disclose a breakthrough infection after being vaccinated. Graham said in a statement Monday afternoon that he “started having flu-like symptoms Saturday night” and went to the doctor Monday morning. Graham said he would quarantine for 10 days and…
BOSTON (AP) – Housing courts around the country are ramping up work following the end of the federal eviction moratorium. Housing advocates fear the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium over the weekend will result in millions of people being evicted. But most expect the wave of evictions to build slowly over the coming weeks and…
(AP) – President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm about the need for more resources to fight a series of wildfires in Western states. The president met Friday with governors of western states to discuss the resulting supply shortages as the fires have worsened. Biden says climate change is to blame for the spread and ferocity of the blazes. Washington…
BOSTON (AP) – The Biden administration will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday. The end of the moratorium comes as advocates and some lawmakers call for it to be extended in the face of rising coronavirus cases and the sluggish pace of distributing rental assistance. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,…
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A man has been arrested and charged in federal court with sending emails that threatened to harm and kill Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, and their families, federal prosecutors in Maryland announced Tuesday. A criminal complaint filed Monday charges Thomas Patrick Connally Jr., 56, with threats against a federal official…
(AP) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected to backpedal Tuesday on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, a federal official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss details of the new…
TOKYO (AP) – The Russian Olympic Committee has won the gold medal in women’s gymnastics after U.S. star Simone Biles exited with a medical issue. The ROC posted a team score of 169.528, ahead of the U.S. in second place at 166.096. The gold is the first for the Russians since the Unified Team triumphed in Barcelona in 1992 and…
Credit: Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Nearly three dozen athletes with ties to Wisconsin will be going for the gold as the Olympics get underway in Tokyo. The Badger State athletes will represent Team USA in competition that includes trap shooting, track and field, rowing and sailing. Alie Rusher, from West Bend, will be participating in the quadruple sculls…
NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon is pushing landlords around the country to give its drivers the ability to unlock apartment building front doors whenever they need to leave packages in the lobby instead of the street. The service, called Amazon Key for Business, allows delivery workers to make their rounds faster since they don’t have to ring doorbells. And fewer…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week from the lowest point of the pandemic, even as the job market appears to be rebounding on the strength of a reopened economy. Jobless claims increased to 419,000 from 368,000 the previous week. The weekly number of first-time applications for benefits, which generally tracks layoffs, has fallen…
TOKYO (AP) – Tokyo has hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games. Thursday’s 1,979 new cases are the highest since 2,044 were recorded on Jan. 15. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is determined to hold the Olympics, placed Tokyo under a state…
MISSION, Kan. (AP) – COVID-19 cases have tripled in the U.S. over two weeks amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation. The spike in infections is straining hospitals, frustrating doctors, and pushing clergy into the fray. Across the U.S., the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks to more than 37,000 on…
(CNN) – The Biden administration is extending non-essential travel restrictions for the US northern and southern borders until August 21. The US has been limiting non-essential travel along both borders since the start of the pandemic and extending those restrictions on a monthly basis. The restrictions don’t apply to cross-border trade, US citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as…
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) NEW YORK (AP) – The chair of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee was arrested Tuesday in California on charges alleging that he and others conspired to influence Trump’s foreign policy positions to benefit the United Arab Emirates. Tom Barrack was among three men charged in New York federal court with trying to influence…
(AP Photo/Tony Guiterrez) VAN HORN, Texas (AP) – Jeff Bezos has blasted into space on his rocket company’s first flight with passengers. He’s the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft. The Amazon founder soared to space with a hand-picked group in his Blue Origin capsule and landed 10 minutes later on the desert floor….
(AP) – A Florida man who breached the U.S. Senate chamber carrying a Trump campaign flag has received an eight-month prison term, the first resolution for a felony case in the Capitol insurrection. Prosecutors wanted Paul Allard Hodgkins to serve 18 months behind bars, saying he and other Jan. 6 rioters “contributed to the collective threat to democracy.” A lawyer…
TORONTO (AP/Fox 9) – Canada will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. Those that wish to cross the border will need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of crossing the border, as well as showing proof of a full series…
(CNN) – The American Academy of Pediatrics released new Covid-19 guidance for schools on Monday that supports in-person learning and, among other things, recommends universal masking in schools for everyone over the age of 2. “The AAP believes that, at this point in the pandemic, given what we know about low rates of in-school transmission when proper prevention measures are…
TOKYO (AP) – An alternate on the United States women’s gymnastics team has tested positive for COVID-19 in an Olympic training camp in Japan. USA Gymnastics says Olympic champion Simone Biles was not affected but another alternate was placed into isolation because of contact tracing. USA Gymnastics says “the Olympic athletes moved to separate lodging accommodations and a separate training…
(courtesy: CNN) (CNN) – Coastal communities in the United States, be forewarned. A “dramatic” surge in high-tide floods is just over a decade away in the US, according to NASA. The rapid increase will start in the mid-2030s, when a lunar cycle will amplify rising sea levels caused by the climate crisis, found a new study led by the members…
(Rhein-Erft-Kreis via AP) (AP) – Despite ample warnings, politicians and weather forecasters in Europe have been shocked at the ferocity of the precipitation that caused flash flooding that killed at least 120 people. Many climate scientists say the link to global warming was unmistakable and the urgency to do something about it is undeniable. Scientists say climate change acerbates the…
(AP Photo/Toby Talbot,File) TORONTO (AP) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September. Trudeau spoke with leaders of Canada’s provinces on Thursday and released a readout of the call. The…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney of Britney Spears’ choosing has been appointed to represent the pop star in her conservatorship after a hearing in which the singer tearfully spoke about the case’s impact on her life. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny on Wednesday approved Spears hiring former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart to represent her. His appointment was…
WASHINGTON (FOX 9) – Starting this week, millions of American families can expect to receive the first round of payments from the new expanded child tax credit that was signed into law in March after the passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. As part of Biden’s relief bill, eligible families can receive as much as $3,600…
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has reached its lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the U.S. economy and job market are quickly rebounding from the pandemic recession. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims fell by 26,000 last week to 360,000. The weekly tally, a proxy…
(AP) – Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that it is recalling five of its sunscreen products after some samples were found to contain low levels of benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer with repeated exposure. The affected products, packaged in aerosol cans, are Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen, and four Neutrogena sunscreen versions: Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, CoolDry…
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — Burning wildfires in Canada are causing air quality issues in parts of the U.S., including Minnesota and North Dakota. The smoke is lingering closer to the ground, according to weather experts. “Sometimes it stays aloft, but in this particular case behind the front, the smoke is finding its way closer to the surface. That’s why we…
NEW YORK (AP) – Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government estimate released Wednesday eclipses the 72,000 drug overdose deaths in 2019 and amounts to a 29% increase. Experts say lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get. Prescription painkillers once…
(AP) – New COVID-19 cases per day in the U.S. have doubled over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates, and Fourth of July gatherings. Infections jumped to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23. And all but two states – Maine and South Dakota –…
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski) WASHINGTON (AP) – American consumers faced a third straight monthly surge in prices in June, the latest evidence that a rapid reopening of the economy is fueling pent-up spending for goods and services that in many cases remain in short supply. Tuesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices in June rose 0.9% from May…
