July 2, 2020 3:58 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Hugh Downs, a genial and near-constant presence on television from the 1950s through the 1990s, has died. His family said Downs died of natural causes Wednesday night in Scottsdale, Arizona. Downs was a host of the ‘Today” show on NBC, worked on the “Tonight” show when Jack Paar was in charge, and hosted the long-running game show “Concentration.” He co-hosted the ABC newsmagazine ’20/20’ with Barbara Walters. Until surpassed by Regis Philbin, he had the Guinness Book of World Records mark for most hours logged on television. Downs also hosted the PBS series “Over Easy” and “Live from Lincoln Center.” (Photo: CNN)
July 2, 2020 3:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Los Angeles leaders have voted to slash the Police Department budget by $150 million. The City Council approved the change Wednesday that will reduce the number of LAPD officers to a level not seen for more than a decade and provide services and programs for communities of color. It comes amid nationwide demands to shift money away from law enforcement agencies during America’s reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice. Other cities around the country also have cut police budgets or are moving to do so. New York City lawmakers shifted $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year.
July 2, 2020 2:44 am
Masks must now be worn whenever anyone leaves home, according to a new order signed by Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Wednesday that the order takes effect immediately. “This mask-wearing order is essential to stopping the recent increase in COVID-19 cases we have seen in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Wolf said. “Those hot spots can be traced to situations where Pennsylvanians were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing – two practices that must be adhered to if we want to maintain the freedoms we have in place under our reopening.” The order outlines the situations when a mask must be worn and includes limited exceptions to the face-covering requirement. The mask-wearing order will be sent to state and local officials, law enforcement and others tasked with education about the order for those not in compliance.
Face coverings are required if you are:
- Outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of six feet from individuals who are not a member of your household.In any indoor location where members of the public are generally permitted.
- Waiting for, riding on, driving, or operating public transportation or while in a taxi, private car service or ride-sharing service.
- Obtaining services from the healthcare sector in settings including, but not limited to, a hospital, pharmacy, medical clinic, laboratory, physician or dental office, veterinary clinic or blood bank.
- Engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site, when interacting in-person with any member of the public, working in any space visited by members of the public, working in any space where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution to others, working in or walking through common areas, or in any room or enclosed area where other people, expect for members of the person’s own household or residence, are present when unable to physically distance.
The order says individuals are not required to show documentation that an exception applies.
July 2, 2020 2:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is promising one of the largest fireworks displays in recent memory in Washington on July Fourth. It also plans to give away as many as 300,000 face masks to those who come down to the National Mall for the festivities, although they won’t be required to wear them. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Wednesday detailed President Donald Trump’s plans for this Saturday’s Independence Day in the nation’s capital, which he says include a mile-long detonation of 10,000 fireworks. Trump and first lady Melania Trump plan to host events from the White House south lawn and from the Ellipse. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser is warning that the plans run counter to established health guidelines.
July 1, 2020 5:40 pm
PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona recorded more coronavirus deaths, infections and emergency-room admissions in a single day than ever before in a rapidly deepening crisis Wednesday across the Sunbelt that sent a shudder through other parts of the country and led a number of states to put their reopening plans on hold. Coronavirus cases continued to increase in hard-hit states like Arizona and Florida where expanding outbreaks have shifted the pandemic’s epicenters to the South and the West ahead of the July Fourth holiday. On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence planned to visit Arizona, where cases have spiked after stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May.
July 1, 2020 8:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is dismissing as “Fake News” allegations that Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Trump tweeted Wednesday that the allegations were made up to damage him and the Republican Party. Democrats have accused Trump of bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin. House Democrats returning from their own briefing at the White House said they learned nothing new about assessments that suggested Russia was making overtures to militants as the U.S. and the Taliban held talks to end the war in Afghanistan. Republicans largely defended the president, arguing along with the White House that the intelligence was unverified.
July 1, 2020 4:03 am
UNDATED (AP) – Dr. Anthony Fauci said coronavirus cases could grow to 100,000 a day in the U.S. if Americans don’t start following public health recommendations. The nation’s leading infectious disease expert made the remark at a Senate hearing on reopening schools and workplaces. Asked to forecast the outcome of recent surges in some states, Fauci said he can’t make an accurate prediction but believes it will be “very disturbing.”
July 1, 2020 3:59 am
A New York state judge has temporarily blocked publication of a tell-all book by President Donald Trump’s niece after the president’s brother sued to stop it. Judge Hal B. Greenwald in Poughkeepsie ordered Tuesday that no portion of the book can be distributed before he decides the validity of Robert Trump’s claims. The president’s brother says niece Mary Trump had agreed not to publish such a book without permission from the family. Mary Trump’s lawyer appealed immediately. Simon & Schuster chief executive said in a court filing late Tuesday that the book has already been shipped. A lawyer for Robert Trump said his client was very pleased with the ruling.
July 1, 2020 3:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York state’s attorney general and lawyers in a class-action lawsuit say Harvey Weinstein and his former studio’s board have reached a nearly $19 million settlement with dozens of sexual misconduct accusers. The agreement was announced late Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chicago attorney Elizabeth Fegan. The deal lets women make claims of between $7,500 and $750,000. It would resolve claims in a New York state lawsuit and a class-action lawsuit pending in federal court. The former Hollywood producer was convicted earlier this year of rape and sexual assault against two women. Accusations by dozens of women in 2017 destroyed his career and gave rise to #MeToo, the global movement to hold powerful men accountable for their sexual misconduct.
July 1, 2020 3:55 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York City lawmakers have approved a plan to shift $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year. The spending plan passed by the City Council early Wednesday came as lawmakers struggled to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, which has sapped the city of billions of dollars in revenue. The cut to police spending fell short of what activists sought. Mayor Bill de Blasio supports the $88.2 billion spending plan. Council Speaker Corey Johnson called the budget a disappointment, saying he wished he was able to negotiate a bigger police budget cut.
