February 5, 2021 1:54 pm
NEW YORK (AP) -Christopher Plummer, the dashing award-winning actor who played Captain von Trapp in the film “The Sound of Music” and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award winner in history, has died. He was 91. Plummer enjoyed varied roles ranging from the film “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” to the voice of the villain in 2009’s “Up” and as a canny lawyer in Broadway’s “Inherit the Wind.” But it was opposite Julie Andrews as von Trapp that made him a star. He was given Canada’s highest civilian honor when he was invested as Companion of the Order of Canada in 1968.
February 5, 2021 9:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S employers added just 49,000 jobs in January, a sign that that the viral pandemic retains a tight grip on the economy nearly a year after it triggered a painful recession. The drop follows a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April. The unemployment rate for January fell sharply to 6.3%, the Labor Department said Friday. About half the drop occurred because some of those out of work found jobs, while others stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed.
February 5, 2021 7:37 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has approved a budget bill that’s a key step toward fast-track passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan without support from Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first. Democrats in the chamber applauded after Harris announced the 51-50 vote at around 5:30 a.m. Friday The action came after a grueling all-night session, where senators voted on amendments that could define the contours of the eventual COVID-19 aid bill. The budget now returns to the House, where it will have to be approved again due to the changes made by the Senate.
February 5, 2021 4:17 am
Biden administration officials are weighing sending masks to every American as they hope to nudge individuals to do their part in lowering coronavirus transmission rates. White House chief of staff Ron Klain said in an interview with NBC News that administration officials are looking at using mask supplies that the government already has in its stockpile. Klain said the administration hopes to make an announcement on a potential move “in the next few days or next week.” Biden has pleaded for Americans to wear masks during the first 100 days of his administration.
February 5, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A fiercely divided House has tossed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene off both her committees. It was an unprecedented punishment for the chamber and it reflected Democrats’ outrage at the hateful and violent conspiracy theories she has helped spread. Nearly all Republicans voted against the Democratic move, but none of them defended her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts. That illustrated the ticklish political spot Greene put her party in, forcing them to declare whether they should punish or condone a lawmaker who is a close ally of former President Donald Trump.
February 5, 2021 4:11 am
Johnson & Johnson has asked U.S. regulators to clear the world’s first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, an easier-to-use option that could boost scarce supplies. Preliminary results from a massive study showed J&J’s vaccine was safe and offered strong protection against moderate to severe COVID-19. It didn’t appear quite as strong as two-dose competitors made by Pfizer and Moderna. Johnson & Johnson filed an application with the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. An FDA panel will meet later this month and pore over the results. The company also is studying a two-dose version of its vaccine, but results won’t be available for several more months.
February 5, 2021 4:10 am
President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Delaware over the weekend, his first out-of-town trip since taking office. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans forgo travel as the coronavirus pandemic rages. Biden, who has a home outside Wilmington, Delaware, has made getting the pandemic under control the central focus of the early weeks of his presidency. The White House announced Biden’s plans for travel Thursday evening. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why the president was traveling. The CDC current guidance recommends that “you do not travel at this time.”
February 5, 2021 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Donald Trump is rejecting a request by House Democrats to testify under oath for his Senate impeachment trial. Democrats are challenging the former president to explain why he and his lawyers have disputed key factual allegations related to their charge that he incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol. Trump adviser Jason Miller responded Thursday that “the president will not testify in an unconstitutional proceeding.” Trump’s lawyers dismissed the request as a “public relations stunt.” The request from House impeachment managers doesn’t require Trump to appear, but it does warn that any refusal to testify could be used at trial to support arguments for a conviction.
February 5, 2021 4:03 am
PITTSBURGH — More than 15,000 calls per second were reported to Allegheny County’s 211 COVID-19 vaccine phone line, according to officials. Only 750 people were able to be registered before it was shut down due to call volume, wait times and reported scammers. The service was part of an expanded partnership between the Allegheny County Health Department and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The call center began taking calls well before the noon start time. On an average day, officials said there will be about 750 calls. In the first five minutes following the announcement of the phone number, there 653 calls. The phone line was shut down before 4 p.m. due to the sheer volume of calls. People were overrunning the system and others were unable to get through. The phone registration support was intended only for people age 65 or older who do not have internet access or who are having trouble navigating the registration website. Appointments were for the Allegheny County Health Department’s Point of Dispensing inside the DoubleTree Hotel in Monroeville only. By mid-afternoon, the ACHD learned that a hacker had gotten into the system. People were being asked by someone to send credit card information or gift cards in order to have an appointment made. The phone carriers involved are investigating that and it’s not clear which carrier was involved.
February 5, 2021 2:25 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation that carries over $900 million in pandemic-driven aid for hard-hit hospitality businesses, private schools and people struggling to pay rent or utility bills. Both chambers passed the bill unanimously Friday and Wolf’s office said he’ll sign it. Most of the $912 million in the bill is federal aid approved by Congress in December. Some of it, $145 million, is cash from a state worker’s compensation fund that would be available in grants of up to $50,000 for bars, restaurants and hotels with under 300 employees. The majority of the money, $570 million, would help people struggling to pay rent or utilities.
