December 10, 2020 4:05 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a budget early Thursday that will shift about $8 million from the police department toward violence prevention and other programs – but will keep the mayor’s targeted staffing levels for sworn officers intact. Mayor Jacob Frey had threatened to veto the entire budget if the council went ahead with its plan to cap police staffing. He said Thursday that the vote was a defining moment for the city, which has experienced soaring crime rates amid calls to defund the police since the May 25 death of George Floyd.
December 10, 2020 4:04 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin is returning to the courtroom. Hearings are scheduled Thursday in both his federal and state lawsuits that seek to invalidate hundreds of thousands of ballots and to give the GOP-controlled Legislature the power to name Trump the winner. Trump’s attorneys are urging the courts to act quickly so he can appeal any adverse ruling before members of the Electoral College meet on Monday and cast Wisconsin’s 10 votes for Biden. Attorneys for Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and the state elections commission say the cases are without merit and should be dismissed.
December 10, 2020 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Lawmakers are embracing a one-week extension of government funding to buy time for more COVID-19 relief talks. The House on Wednesday easily passed a temporary funding bill that sets a Dec. 18 deadline for Congress to wrap up both a virus relief measure and a $1.4 trillion government spending bill. The Senate is expected to easily pass the bill before midnight Friday to avert a partial government shutdown. Meanwhile, negotiations continue over another round of virus aid. Leaders are in agreement about helping small businesses and preserving extra unemployment benefits, but disagree over the details of the package.
December 10, 2020 4:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine faces one final hurdle before an expected decision to greenlight the shot for use in millions of Americans. Food and Drug Administration advisers meet Thursday to scrutinize the company’s data for any red flags or oversights. The public review comes as U.K. regulators investigate two apparent cases of allergic reaction to the vaccine. Safety will be top of mind for the panel of medical experts, who will vote on whether to endorse the vaccine. They will also address unknowns about the vaccine’s effectiveness in certain groups. A final FDA decision and the first shots could follow within days.
December 10, 2020 2:50 am
Harrisburg, PA — Governor Tom Wolf announced today that he tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday and is in isolation at home. The governor released the following statement: “During a routine test yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19. I have no symptoms and am feeling well. I am following CDC and Department of Health guidelines. Frances has been tested and, as we await the result, is quarantining at home with me. “I am continuing to serve the commonwealth and performing all of my duties remotely, as many are doing during the pandemic. “As this virus rages, my positive test is a reminder that no one is immune from COVID, that following all precautions as I have done is not a guarantee, but it is what we know to be vital to stopping the spread of the disease and so I ask all Pennsylvanians to wear a mask, stay home as much as possible, socially distance yourself from those not in your household, and, most of all, take care of each other and stay safe.”
December 10, 2020 2:49 am
It looks like the winter sports season will begin, as scheduled, Friday. The PIAA Board of Directors met Wednesday and took no action on delaying the season. One Superintendent did ask that the season be pushed back to February and the Pennsylvania Principals Association also sent a letter requesting a delay. There has been plenty of speculation that the PIAA would delay basketball, wrestling and swimming because of the continued surge in COVID_19 cases across the state. Some leagues have announced that they will delay the season but the WPIAL is not one of them. The PIAA did announced that any game canceled because of COVID-19 will be considered ‘no contest’. The same is true for any game canceled because of a disagreement between schools over the wearing of masks during competition. Teams that are shut down because of virus issues will be on a sliding scale to determine when it can return.
December 9, 2020 7:25 am
LONDON (AP) – U.K. regulators say people who have a “significant history” of allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program. The national medical director for the National Health Service in England said Wednesday that health authorities were acting on a recommendation from the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. He says the agency has advised, on a precautionary basis, that “people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination.” He said both people are recovering well.
December 9, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is entering the final phase of review by U.S. government regulators. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released a positive review of the coronavirus vaccine. The review is a key step to verifying vaccine safety, effectiveness and side effects. áOn Thursday, a group of independent experts will review the FDA’s findings and vote on whether to recommend use of the vaccine. Within days, the FDA is expected to decide whether to allow emergency use of the vaccine in the U.S. Next week, they’ll review a vaccine from another company, Moderna.
December 9, 2020 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. cybersecurity official who was fired by President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit over threatening remarks by a lawyer for the president. Christopher Krebs says in the suit that he has been “bombarded” with death threats since attorney Joseph diGenova appeared on the TV network Newsmax and called for him to be killed. DiGenova said that Krebs should be “drawn and quartered” and “taken out at dawn and shot” for his defense of the November election won by Joe Biden. Krebs led a team that helped protect the U.S. election system from interference and knocked down false reports of fraud and other problems with the vote. Trump fired him for his public statements defending the integrity of the vote.
December 9, 2020 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter says his “tax affairs” are under federal investigation. The disclosure on Wednesday puts a renewed spotlight on the questions about his financial dealings that dogged his father’s campaign. In a statement released by the president-elect’s transition office, the younger Biden said he learned about the investigation on Tuesday. He did not disclose details of the matter. Hunter Biden has long been a target of President Donald Trump and his allies, who have accused him of profiting off his political connections. Trump and his supporters also raised unsubstantiated charges of corruption related to Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine at the time his father was vice president.
