April 11, 2020 4:14 am
LONDON (AP) – The U.K. recorded almost 1,000 more COVID-19 deaths Friday than the day before, taking total deaths in the country to almost 9,000. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s condition is improving in a London hospital. But Johnson’s father says the the prime minister needs time to recover from the new coronavirus and is unlikely to be back at work soon. The 55-year-old U.K. leader spent three nights in the intensive care unit at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London and was moved back to a regular ward on Thursday evening. His father, Stanley Johnson, said the prime minister needs to “rest up.” Meanwhile, millions of Britons are beginning the Easter holiday weekend in lockdown.
April 11, 2020 4:12 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported that coronavirus deaths in New York jumped by 777 in one day. Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized is growing far less than last week, a possible sign the outbreak in New York is peaking. New York state is getting help from Google to overhaul a decades-old unemployment benefits system that has left laid-off workers frustrated and awaiting help. Google helped New York design a revamped website that launched Thursday evening. The state also added 300 workers to its 700-person staff to process unemployment benefit applications. Cuomo says the state Department of Labor’s system has crashed because of a record-shattering surge in claims amid outbreak-related layoffs.
April 11, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Unable to strike a deal alone, the Trump administration and congressional leaders are poised to launch new bipartisan talks on a fresh coronavirus aid package with hopes for action as soon as next week. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer says he spoke Friday to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the Trump administration has agreed to pursue bipartisan negotiations on an interim bill to replenish a $350 billion “paycheck protection” program for businesses. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also spoke to Mnuchin and encouraged negotiations to break the logjam. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged this week talks will need to resume. The developments come a day after Democrats stifled an attempt by McConnell to rush a $250 billion infusion into the new program.
April 11, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A watchdog has found that the Treasury Department appropriately handled Congress’ request for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, which Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has refused to provide. But the acting inspector general for Treasury, Rich Delmar, also said he had no opinion on whether the advice Mnuchin followed – which came from Justice Department attorneys – was itself well-founded. Delmar noted in a letter Wednesday to senior House lawmakers that in refusing to hand over the returns, Mnuchin decided he was legally bound to comply with that advice.
April 11, 2020 4:09 am
Over airlines’ objections, the Trump administration is proposing that a big chunk of the federal aid designed to cover airlines payrolls this year will be loans, not cash. Airlines were expecting to share $25 billion in cash grants that Congress approved to help them keep employees on the job for the next six months. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wants the airlines to pay back some of the money. Airlines say they need cash to avoid massive layoffs because the coronavirus outbreak has wiped out most travel. The airlines and the Treasury Department are expected to keep negotiating over the weekend.
April 11, 2020 4:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The global death toll from the coronavirus has surpassed 100,000, with more than half the U.S. deaths clustered in the three-state metro area around New York City. Bedroom communities in New Jersey, Connecticut and on Long Island are seeing some of the worst outbreaks in the country. That comes even as public health authorities are expressing optimism that the pace of infections appeared to be slowing. Christians worldwide are marking a Good Friday unlike any other – in front of computer screens instead of in church pews. Officials are warning people against violating social distancing rules over Easter and allowing the virus to flare up again.
April 11, 2020 4:06 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Governor Tom Wolf has authorized the early release of as many as 1,800 inmates from Pennsylvania state prisons in an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The governor’s office said Friday that releases to halfway houses or home confinement could start as early as Tuesday. The plan is similar to what other states and some Pennsylvania counties have undertaken. It allows the release of inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses who are within nine months of scheduled release, or within 12 months for those considered at heightened risk from the virus. The state is reporting 20,000 virus cases and over 400 deaths.
April 11, 2020 3:28 am
The Washington County Transportation Authority has learned that three of its bus drivers have tested positive for COVID-19. In a news release, Freedom Transit says it was informed by its subcontractor, First Transit, of the positive tests. Two of the drivers operated shared ride service and the other operated fixed route service. The two shared ride drivers last worked on March 20th. The other last worked on March 31. All three are following appropriate medical guidance. All passengers who may have been exposed to the shared ride drivers have been contacted. The fixed route driver drove the ‘County Line B’ route several times during the week of March 16. Customers who may have concerns about potential exposure should follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines and self-monitor for symptoms. Freedom Transit Executive Director Sheila Gombita says “The health and safety of Freedom Transit drivers, as well as personnel working to keep this essential service operating is a top priority. We continue to ask riders to follow the stay-at-home order and limit their use of transit to only essential needs. Freedom Transit also asks customers to wear masks while riding buses.
April 10, 2020 5:42 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis is presiding over a torch-lit Good Friday procession in an otherwise empty St. Peter’s Square, with nurses and doctors among those holding a cross as the COVID-19 pandemic upends the traditional ceremony at Rome’s Colosseum. Wearing their white work coats, the Vatican medical personnel provided a stark reminder of how the virus outbreak has infused almost all walks of life. Francis watched from the steps outside St. Peter’s Basilica as the procession, which included a uniformed police officer and a prison chaplain, circled around the square’s central obelisk. Earlier, the papal preacher said pandemic has alerted people to the danger of thinking themselves all-powerful.
April 10, 2020 1:53 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer says the Trump administration has agreed to pursue bipartisan House-Senate talks on an interim bill to replenish a $350 billion “paycheck protection” program for businesses that is being rapidly depleted. The New York Democrat said he spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Friday and hopes for a deal early next week. Schumer is pressing to add funding for health care providers such as hospitals, as well as further funding for cash-poor state and local governments. The developments come a day after Democrats stifled an attempt by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass a $250 billion infusion into the new program by a voice vote.
