August 7, 2021 10:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senators are convening for a rare weekend session on the bipartisan infrastructure bill as they edge toward a vote. Saturday’s action in the Senate could wrap up swiftly with passage of the $1 trillion package or drag out for days by opponents trying to slow President Joe Biden’s big priority. Biden praised the Senate for its work so far on the “historic investment.” He compared it to building the transcontinental railroad or the interstate highway system. Some senators want to further amend the 2,700-page bill. A key vote is set for Saturday.
August 7, 2021 10:13 am
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) – People living in the scenic forestlands of Northern California are facing a weekend of fear as wildfires threaten to reduce thousands of homes to ashes. The Dixie Fire that incinerated much of the gold rush-era town of Greenville this week threatens more than 10,000 buildings in the northern Sierra Nevada. Fire officials say it’s the largest current wildland blaze in the nation and the third-largest in recorded California history. Evacuations also remain in effect for a number of small communities threatened by lightning-sparked fires in and around national forests. The California blazes are among more than 100 burning in more than a dozen Western states.
August 7, 2021 10:10 am
The seven-day average for new daily COVID-19 infections has surpassed 100,000 in the U.S., returning to levels not seen since the winter surge. Cases and hospitalizations have skyrocketed in the last month, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. The country was averaging about 11,000 cases a day in late June. Now the number is over 107,000. The virus is spreading quickly through unvaccinated populations, especially in the Deep South. Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi have had hospitals overrun with patients. The U.S. first crossed the 100,000 average number in November and peaked at about 250,000 in early January before bottoming out in late June.
August 7, 2021 9:27 am
UNDATED (AP) – White House press secretary Jennifer Psaki said Friday that there are “early discussions about a range of options” for new vaccine mandates or penalties for certain situations, such as domestic travelers and nursing home workers. She added that the administration has “concern” about anti-mask, anti-vaccine mandate restrictions in some states. “If you don’t want to abide by public health guidelines, don’t want to use your role as leaders,” Psaki said, “then you should get out of the way.” She also applauded United Airlines’ announcement that it would require workers to get vaccinated, saying “support these vaccination requirements to protect workers, communities and our country…”
August 7, 2021 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania prison system is stopping in-person visits for the thousands of inmates who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. The Corrections Department also said Thursday it will begin housing unvaccinated inmates together next week. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel says the policy limits the contact that the unvaccinated have with potential carriers of the coronavirus. The changes won’t affect inmates’ access to classes and programs. Additional terminals will be installed in the unvaccinated units for video visitation. Nearly 8,000 inmates in state prisons are not vaccinated. That’s about one in five. The prison system provides vaccinations to all inmates who want one. It also requires everyone to wear masks indoors.
August 7, 2021 3:32 am
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb says he is running for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat, joining a crowded Democratic field in one of the nation’s most competitive races. Lamb is seeking the nomination to replace outgoing GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. He’s a former Marine and federal prosecutor who rose to political prominence three years ago when he beat a Donald Trump-backed Republican in a special election that foreshadowed the 2018 Democratic takeover of the House. The Senate race is wide open on both sides and is expected to be among the most expensive in next year’s election. Toomey is retiring after two terms.
August 6, 2021 8:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Hiring surged in July as American employers added 943,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.4% as the U.S. economy continues to bounce back with surprising vigor from last year’s coronavirus shutdown. The July numbers exceeded economists’ forecast for more than 860,000 new jobs. Hotels and restaurants, reopening and doing brisk business, added 327,000 jobs last month. Local public schools added 221,000. The number of people who reported they had jobs surged by 1 million, pushing the jobless rate down from 5.9% in June.
August 6, 2021 4:26 am
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas’ ban on mask mandates faces a new legal challenge and defiance from the mayor of the state capital as the state’s coronavirus cases continue to spiral. The Little Rock and Marion school districts on Thursday asked a state judge to block the law Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed in April prohibiting schools and other governmental bodies from requiring masks. Little Rock’s mayor issued an order requiring masks in the city’s public spaces. The moves cam as Republican lawmakers appeared unlikely to roll back the prohibition.
August 6, 2021 4:23 am
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard says a sightseeing plane crashed Thursday in southeast Alaska, killing all six people on board. The Coast Guard says the plane’s emergency alert beacon was activated around 11:20 a.m. in the area of Misty Fjords National Monument, near Ketchikan. A helicopter company reported seeing wreckage on a ridgeline in the search area, and Coast Guard crew members found the wreckage around 2:40 p.m. The Coast Guard says there were no survivors. Recovery efforts are expected Thursday and Friday. Holland America Line says the five passengers on the flight were from the company’s cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, which stopped in Ketchikan on Thursday.
August 6, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senators are struggling to wrap up work on the bipartisan infrastructure plan. A late-night session Thursday stalled out as new debates emerged over proposed amendments to the $1 trillion package. A procedural vote was moved to Saturday. Senators have processed nearly two dozen amendments and none has substantially changed the framework of the public works bill. One debate emerged over cryptocurrency tax compliance. The Congressional Budget Office said the overall package would increase deficits by about $256 billion over the next decade. But the bill’s backers say it is a “historic investment” that will lead to economic growth.
