June 10, 2021 4:10 am
LONDON (AP) – Leaders of some of the world’s richest nations will be meeting at the English seaside for a three-day Group of Seven summit in a world that has changed hugely since their last gathering two years ago. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 3.7 million people and decimated economies. Helping countries recover will top the agenda when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada to the cliff-ringed Carbis Bay beach resort in southwestern England on Friday. But while there is likely to be broad agreement on issues such as vaccines, it might prove to be harder to actually deliver on the promises.
June 9, 2021 6:02 pm
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – An Air Force base in San Antonio was placed on lockdown for about an hour after military officials said gunfire was reported near a gate to the base. Air Force officials said two gunshots were heard Wednesday coming from outside Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland onto the base. Lt. Col Brian Loveless says investigators are trying to determine whether the gunfire report was a false alarm. It’s also unclear if anyone saw a shooter. No injuries were reported. Lackland is where all Air Force basic training is given. Officials said the shots were reportedly fired near the Valley Hi gate on the western side of the main base, just east of Interstate 410 and near a shopping center.
June 9, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. will buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to share through the COVAX alliance for donation to 92 lower income countries and the African Union over the next year. President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement Thursday in a speech before the start of Group of Seven summit. The news was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the president’s announcement. The person says 200 million doses would be shared this year, with the balance to be donated in the first half of 2022.
June 9, 2021 4:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The U.S. saw remarkable increases in the death rates for heart disease, diabetes and some other common killers last year. And experts believe a main reason may be that many people who suffered dangerous symptoms made the lethal mistake of staying away from the hospital for fear of catching the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week posted new 2020 information on a number of causes of death.
June 9, 2021 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he wasn’t swayed by civil rights leaders who implored him to back his party’s sweeping voting rights bill. The West Virginia moderate says that Tuesday’s meeting was “excellent” but that nobody “changed positions.” A participant said Manchin was “fairly well dug in.” Manchin’s opposition has effectively doomed a key Democratic priority in the Senate. Senate Democrats have said they are open to changes to try to address Manchin’s concerns. But it’s unclear whether that will be enough. Republicans are staunchly opposed to the bill and vow to block it in the Senate.
June 9, 2021 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has ended talks with a group of Republican senators on a big infrastructure package and has started to reach out to senators in a new bipartisan effort. Ten senators huddled privately late Tuesday on a new plan. This, as the president is walking away from talks with lead Republican negotiator Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. The Republicans had offered a $928 billion proposal and Biden was seeking a $1.7 trillion. At the same time, a bipartisan House group drafted its own proposal. White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden wants legislation passed by summer.
June 9, 2021 4:06 am
MILDENHALL, England (AP) – President Joe Biden has arrived in the United Kingdom for his first overseas trip in office. He’s eager to reassert the United States on the world stage. Biden has set the stakes for his eight-day trip in sweeping terms, believing the West must publicly demonstrate it can compete economically with China as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Biden said Wednesday the trip is about making clear the U.S. and Europe “are tight.” Biden is also set to announce this week that his administration is buying 500 million COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer to donate around the world.
June 9, 2021 4:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A bill to ban abortions prompted by a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis is headed to the Pennsylvania Senate after passage in the House. State representatives voted 120 to 83 on Tuesday for the bill, which provides criminal penalties for doctors who violate it. The bill passed with Republican support. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has vowed to veto it if it makes it to his desk. If it becomes law, the proposal will require a doctor who performs an abortion to provide a written statement that it was not motivated in any way by a prenatal diagnosis or test indicating Down syndrome.
June 9, 2021 4:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A Pennsylvania man has been charged with creating fake online identities for ex-President Donald Trump’s brother and son to dupe hundreds of people nationwide into donating to his phony political organization. Joshua Hall was arrested Tuesday. The 22-year-old Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, resident was released on $25,000 bail after appearing in Harrisburg federal court. Charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft were lodged against him after prosecutors said he spent contributions on personal expenses. A message seeking comment was sent to his lawyer. Prosecutors say he impersonated Trump’s brother Robert. After Robert Trump died in August, he moved to Barron Trump.
June 9, 2021 4:01 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A vote by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives makes the governor’s pandemic disaster emergency closer to ending. The Republican-controlled House voted on party lines Tuesday to put a halt to the disaster declaration. It goes to the Senate, where passage would be the last word. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has no role in the resolution. State regulations that have been suspended or waived will be put back into effect, although that process in some cases may take months. The resolution may affect Pennsylvanians’ ability to get additional food subsidies.
