October 23, 2020 4:13 am
BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Members of an Idaho health department board have voted to repeal a local mask mandate despite hearing a hospital was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Similar scenes of doctors and nurses asking officials for help, only to be met with reluctance or even open skepticism, have played out across the conservative state. Idaho is sixth in the nation for new coronavirus cases per capita, with the average number of new confirmed cases increasing by more than 55% every day over the past two weeks. Republican Gov. Brad Little has repeatedly left decisions on mask rules up to local health departments.
October 23, 2020 4:10 am
BEIJING (AP) – China is vowing to retaliate if the U.S. proceeds with the sale of advanced weaponry to Taiwan worth more than a billion dollars. The statement from China’s defense ministry gave no specifics but the development marks a further deterioration in ties between Beijing and Washington that have hit their lowest ebb in decades. The State Department on Wednesday announced it had greenlighted the sale of 135 precision land attack missiles, associated equipment and training to Taiwan to improve its defense capabilities. China regards Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Washington maintains only unofficial relations with Taipei but U.S. law requires it to ensure Taiwan can maintain a credible defense.
October 23, 2020 4:09 am
JERUSALEM (AP) – The Israeli military says it launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired two rockets. There were no reports of casualties or major damage on either side. The military said early Friday that fighter jets and other aircraft struck a weapons manufacturing site and “underground infrastructure” belonging to the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza. Late Thursday, Palestinian militants fired two rockets into Israel. One was intercepted by Israeli missile defenses while the other fell in an open area. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and several skirmishes since the militants seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
October 23, 2020 4:08 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – After a raucous first debate led organizers to introduce a mute button, the second and final meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden was a downright civil affair. Whether because of that button or the terrible reviews in their earlier meeting – especially for Trump – the candidates interrupted each other far less frequently Thursday night, even as they clashed on issues ranging from the coronavirus to crime to global warming. While Trump and Biden responded to each other’s answers – shaking their heads disapprovingly or smiling, in the case of Biden – the two largely avoided speaking over one another this time.
October 23, 2020 4:03 am
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – A crash shut down part of a major road in Fayette County. Route 119 was shut down in both directions at the intersection of Arch Bridge Road in Dunbar but has since reopened. Our news partners at Channel-11 say multiple ambulances and a medical helicopter were called to the scene. Dispatchers confirmed at least three people were taken to the hospital following the crash. It appeared that a tractor-trailer and at least two other vehicles were involved.
October 23, 2020 3:58 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Trump campaign has been videotaping people as they deposit ballots in drop boxes in Philadelphia in what it says is an attempt to catch violations. The state’s Democratic attorney general suggests that the tactic could amount to illegal voter intimidation. The campaign acknowledged the taping in a letter that complained voters were caught on video illegally depositing multiple ballots. Elections officials say they can’t confirm the activity is inappropriate under Pennsylvania law. Also, a new lawsuit filed Thursday challenged a court-ordered extension of the deadline to receive mailed presidential ballots in Pennsylvania. The state’s 20 electoral votes are key in the presidential race.
October 23, 2020 2:42 am
Governor Tom Wolf has announced a plan to waive liquor license fees to provide financial relief to restaurants and bars, which have faced significant financial impacts during the COVID-19 public health crisis. “As we enter the anticipated fall resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the very contagious nature of this virus makes gathering indoors publicly at full capacity dangerous. Still, we know that restaurant and bar owners in Pennsylvania are committed to keeping their employees and customers safe and the vast majority of these businesses have followed safety precautions and invested in new procedures and supplies, but COVID continues to hurt this industry,” Gov. Wolf said. “My administration continues to look for innovative ways that we can support the bar and restaurant industry. Eliminating liquor license fees is an important step toward helping bars and restaurants retain the capital they need to weather the storm of COVID-19.” Wolf says he is working with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to waive standard licensing fees through 2021 starting January 1, 2021. More than 16,000 Pennsylvania restaurants and bars, clubs, catering clubs and hotels would see $20 million in relief.
October 22, 2020 2:54 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump has posted full, unedited interviews that he and the vice president did with “60 Minutes” on Facebook before the show’s scheduled broadcast this weekend. The footage shows Trump growing increasingly prickly as Lesley Stahl presses him on a host of topics, including his response to the coronavirus pandemic, his slipping support among suburban women, the lack of masks at his rallies, and the “Obamacare” replacement plan he has long promised but failed to unveil. Trump eventually cut the interview short and declined to appear with Vice President Mike Pence. CBS News in a statement called the White House’s decision “unprecedented” but said the interview would air Sunday, as planned. (Photo: Yahoo)
October 22, 2020 11:48 am
(AP) – Magician James Randi, whose daring escapes were later eclipsed by his work as the country’s foremost skeptic, has died. The Florida-based James Randi Educational Foundation announced its founder died Tuesday at 92. As The Amazing Randi, the performer escaped from a locked coffin submerged in water and from a straitjacket as he dangled over Niagara Falls. But it was his later work that he was most proud of, shedding a light on psychics, faith healers and others he believed were conning the public. Randi’s namesake foundation later started a $1 million prize for anyone able to prove supernatural abilities. It was never claimed. (Photo: CNN)
October 22, 2020 4:08 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Former President Barack Obama is blasting President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his culpability in national discord and his overall fitness for the job in his first in-person campaign pitch for Joe Biden, his former vice president. With less than two weeks until Election Day, Obama delivered a sweeping condemnation of Trump on Wednesday while urging Black men, progressives and other voters not to sit out the Nov. 3 election. At a drive-in rally of about 300 cars, Obama said, “This election requires every single one of us to do our part. What we do these next 13 days will matter for decades to come.”
