December 14, 2020 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Hackers broke into the networks of the Treasury and Commerce departments as part of a global cyber-espionage campaign revealed just days after a leading cybersecurity firm said it had been breached in an attack that industry experts said bore the hallmarks of Russian tradecraft. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity arm were investigating what experts and former officials said appeared to be a large-scale penetration of U.S. government agencies – apparently the same monthslong cyberespionage campaign that also afflicted the prominent cybersecurity firm FireEye.
December 14, 2020 4:22 am
TORONTO (AP) – The first of many freezer-packed COVID-19 vaccine vials have arrived in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a picture of them being taken off a plane. Canada’s health regulator approved the vaccine made by U.S. rugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech last Wednesday. The vaccines are bound for 14 distribution sites across the country. Quebec is expected to be the first province to administer the vaccine, saying it’s prepared to start inoculating residents of two long-term care homes as early as Monday.
December 14, 2020 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he’s reversing an administration directive to vaccinate top government officials against COVID-19 while public distribution of the shot is limited to front-line health workers and people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Trump made the announcement in a tweet Sunday night, hours after his administration confirmed that senior U.S. officials, including some White House aides who work in close proximity to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, would be offered coronavirus vaccines as soon as this week under federal continuity of government plans. It was not immediately clear what effect Trump’s tweet would have on the government’s efforts to protect top leadership.
December 14, 2020 4:20 am
The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history is underway with health workers getting the first shots. “Relieved” is the reaction of one of the first health workers to get the shot Monday. Hospitals are rolling out the first small shipments, as boxes of precious frozen vials arrive at locations around the country. The injections begin what will be the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history to try to beat back the coronavirus – a day of hope amid grief as the nation’s death roll nears a staggering 300,000. How well initial vaccinations go will help reassure a wary public when it’s their turn sometime next year.
December 14, 2020 4:17 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Two years ago, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic church’s handling of priest-abuse complaints. The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church. U.S. Attorney William McSwain sent subpoenas to dioceses across Pennsylvania asking them to turn over their files and submit to grand jury testimony if asked. The dioceses pledged to comply. But as McSwain’s tenure likely nears its end with President-elect Joe Biden set to office next month, there’s no sign that any sweeping church indictment is afoot. One defrocked priest has been charged with lying to the FBI.
December 14, 2020 4:08 am
(WPXI) – One of the more popular outdoor venues for concerts in the Pittsburgh area seems to have another new name, and this one should sound very familiar. S&T Bank acquired the naming rights to what was then called KeyBank Pavilion and named it S&T Bank Music Park. However, it appears to have changed yet again. According to the venue’s Facebook page, the new name will be “The Pavilion at Star Lake.” If that sounds familiar, that’s because the pavilion was originally named Star Lake Amphitheater. Most of the planned concerts for 2020 were either canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but there are a few still scheduled for 2021.
December 13, 2020 7:56 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A woman who plowed her car into protesters Friday in New York City, injuring six of them, has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, police said. Kathleen Casillo, 52, was released from custody after being given a notice to appear in court at a later date, police said. A message seeking comment was left at a number listed for Casillo. Online records did not list a lawyer who could speak on her behalf. Bystander video showed a black BMW sedan suddenly accelerating as protesters gathered around the vehicle around 4 p.m. Friday near 39th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. One person appeared to be leaning over the front of the car. Protester Sofia Vickerman, of Denver, Colorado, said people and a bicycle were tossed in the air. Six people were taken by ambulance to hospitals with injuries that officials said did not appear to be life-threatening. Casillo, of Rockaway Park, Queens, remained at the scene. She was taken into custody and questioned, police said. Another woman, whom police described as a protester, was arrested for interfering with ambulance workers at the scene, police said. Nicolle Besuden, 32, of Manhattan, was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration. She called the allegations “false and incredibly damaging” and referred to an account of the incident from the injured protester she was helping, who said Besuden was providing care and comfort before EMTs arrived and that her arrest was uncalled for.
December 13, 2020 7:53 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Charley Pride, one of country music’s first Black superstar whose rich baritone on such hits as “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” helped sell millions of records and made him the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has died. He was 86. Pride died Saturday in Dallas of complications from Covid-19, according to Jeremy Westby of the public relations firm 2911 Media. Pride released dozens of albums and sold more than 25 million records during a career that began in the mid-1960s. Hits besides “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” in 1971 included “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “Burgers and Fries,” “Mountain of Love,” and “Someone Loves You Honey.” He had three Grammy Awards, more than 30 No. 1 hits between 1969 and 1984, won the Country Music Association’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year awards in 1972 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He won the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award last month by the Country Music Association.
December 13, 2020 7:51 am
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s daily coronavirus cases have exceeded 3,000 for the first time while the government delays stricter measures for fear of hurting the economy ahead of the holiday season. The 3,030 new cases, including 621 in Tokyo, took Japan’s national tally to 177,287 with 2,562 deaths, the Health Ministry said Sunday. Experts say serious cases are on the rise around the country, putting an extra burden on hospitals and affecting the daily medical treatment for other patients. They urged authorities to take measures such as suspending out-of-town trips and requesting stores to close early. Recent media surveys show support ratings for the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have dropped about 20 points from around 70% during his first three months in office amid public discontent over his coronavirus handling. Japan issued a nonbinding state of emergency in the spring and has survived earlier infection peaks without a lockdown. Experts say the ongoing resurgence in the dry and cold season would be a bigger challenge.
December 13, 2020 7:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A subpoena seeking documents from Hunter Biden asked for information related to more than two dozen entities, including Ukraine gas company Burisma, according to a person familiar with a Justice Department tax investigation of President-elect Joe Biden’s son. The breadth of the subpoena, issued Tuesday, underscores the wide-angle lens prosecutors are taking as they examine the younger Biden’s finances and international business ventures. Hunter Biden’s ties to Burisma in particular have long dogged the policy work and political aspirations of his father, Joe Biden, now the president-elect of the United States. It’s unclear whether Hunter Biden’s work at the Ukrainian company is a central part of the federal investigation or whether prosecutors are simply seeking information about all his sources of income in recent years. Hunter Biden confirmed Wednesday that his taxes are under federal investigation. The revelation comes at a delicate time for the president-elect, who is building out his Cabinet and will soon decide on his nominee to run the Justice Department, the same department overseeing the investigation into his son. In addition to the Burisma-related request, the subpoena issued last week also seeks information on Hunter Biden’s Chinese business dealings and other financial transactions.
