January 13, 2022 4:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) -President Joe Biden says the government plans to double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden says his administration will also make the most protective N95 masks available for no charge. He spoke at an event aimed at highlighting the federal government’s efforts to “surge” COVID-19 testing and send personnel to help overwhelmed medical facilities. The effort comes amid the upswing in coronavirus cases and staff shortages due to the omicron variant. Starting next week, 1,000 military medical personnel will begin arriving to help mitigate staffing crunches at hospitals. (Photo: AP)
January 13, 2022 2:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – After several months of positioning himself to run, ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick is entering Pennsylvania’s campaign for U.S. Senate. He brings a glittering resume and high-level connections across finance and politics to a topsy-turvy GOP primary field. The 56-year-old McCormick has the support of various state party stalwarts in a contest that’s expected to help determine Senate control. To run, McCormick, who grew up in Pennsylvania, moved from Connecticut and bought a house in Pittsburgh. That’s raising carpet-baggery cries from GOP primary rivals. Also moving from out of state to run is Mehmet Oz, the heart surgeon best-known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show.” (Photo: Wikipedia)
January 13, 2022 2:34 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A plan to redraw lines for Pennsylvania’s congressional districts to account for a decade of population shifts is advancing in the Legislature with a partisan vote that signals lawmakers have more redistricting work ahead. Two suburban Philadelphia Republicans joined every Democrat in voting Wednesday against the proposal. It would reshuffle the state to take into account 2020 census results that dropped the state’s congressional delegation from 18 members to 17. The schedule is getting tight for lawmakers to produce congressional maps without delaying the May 17 primary election. In Pennsylvania, congressional maps are handled as regular legislation that need approval from lawmakers and the governor.
January 12, 2022 10:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House said Wednesday the administration is making a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests available to schools starting this month. The goal is to ease supply shortages and promote the safe reopening of schools. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona tells CBS students need to be in their classrooms and the announcement shows the administration’s commitment to helping schools stay open. The initiative comes after Chicago public schools closed for days amid an impasse between teachers and officials over reopening policies.
January 12, 2022 8:48 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Prices paid by U.S. consumer jumped 7% in December from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate since 1982 and the latest evidence that rising costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities are heightening the financial pressures on America’s households. Inflation has spiked during the recovery from the pandemic recession as Americans have ramped up spending on goods such as cars, furniture and appliances. Those increased purchases have clogged ports and warehouses and exacerbated supply shortages of semiconductors and other parts.
January 12, 2022 4:14 am
(AP) – Shortages at U.S. grocery stores have grown more acute in recent weeks. New problems like the fast-spreading omicron variant and severe weather are piling on to the supply chain struggles and labor shortages that have plagued retailers since the coronavirus pandemic began. The shortages are widespread, impacting produce and meat as well as packaged goods like cereal. And they’re being reported nationwide. U.S. groceries typically have 5% to 10% of their items out of stock at any given time. According to the Consumer Brands Association, the unavailability rate is hovering around 15%. Experts are divided on how long grocery shopping will sometimes feel like a scavenger hunt.
January 12, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Sen. Harry Reid will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol as colleagues and friends pay tribute to a hardscrabble Democrat who served five terms in the Senate. Reid will be honored Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda during a ceremony closed to the public under COVID-19 protocols. Reid rose from poverty in a dusty Nevada mining town to the most powerful position in the U.S. Senate. He died last month at 82 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Including two terms in the House, Reid was the longest-serving Nevadan in Congress.
January 12, 2022 4:12 am
ATLANTA (AP) – President Joe Biden is challenging senators to “stand against voter suppression,” urging them to change Senate rules in order to pass voting rights legislation that Republicans are blocking from debate and votes. Biden, who has been criticized by some in his own party for the Senate’s inaction, declared in a speech in Atlanta that “I’m tired of being quiet” – pounding his hand for emphasis. Two voting-rights bills are currently stalled, and Biden hopes a change in Senate rules could at least free them for votes. Republicans say the bills aren’t aimed at fairness, but at giving Democrats election advantages.
January 12, 2022 4:09 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful flight test of a hypersonic missile he claimed would remarkably increase the country’s “war deterrent.” The report by North Korean state media on Wednesday came a day after the militaries of South Korea and Japan said they detected North Korea firing a suspected ballistic missile into its eastern sea. The launch was North Korea’s second test of its purported hypersonic missile in a week as Kim continues a defiant push to expand his nuclear weapons capabilities in the face of international opposition and pandemic-related difficulties.
January 12, 2022 4:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Will Smith, Lady Gaga and Ben Affleck have landed individual nominations for the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards, while the casts of “Belfast” and “CODA” are among those nominated for the guild’s top award, best ensemble. The nominees were announced today by actors Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson on Instagram Live. While the nominations were conducted virtually due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the streamed announcement still represented one of the most meaningful mornings in an awards season largely snuffed out by the pandemic. Joining “Belfast” and “CODA” for best ensemble were the casts for “House of Gucci,” “Don’t Look Up” and “King Richard.”
