April 1, 2021 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden’s first Cabinet meeting of his presidency will be used to promote his new infrastructure plan. The coronavirus pandemic is giving Thursday’s gathering a very different look from Cabinet meetings held by Biden’s predecessors. Cabinet officials won’t meet in the room that bears its name. Instead, the meeting will take place in the more spacious East Room to allow for social distancing. All attendees, including the president, will wear masks. And the afternoon gathering probably won’t include the over-the-top tributes to the chief executive that came to define the Cabinet meetings held by President Donald Trump.
April 1, 2021 4:08 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Republicans are setting out to begin passing sweeping new voting restrictions in America’s biggest red state. A bill the state Senate was debating early Thursday morning included reduced options to cast ballots, limits on polling hours and more power to partisan poll watchers. It comes after an elections overhaul was signed into law last week in Georgia, where opponents have already filed lawsuits and are calling for boycotts of corporations that are silent on restrictive voting measures. A vote was expected late Wednesday. A similar measure in the House chamber could advance toward a full vote as soon as Thursday.
April 1, 2021 4:07 am
The company at the center of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard a batch of its coronavirus vaccine has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality control problems. The little-known pharmaceutical company, Emergent BioSolutons, was a key to Johnson & Johnson’s plan to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine to the U.S. by the end of May. But records obtained by The Associated Press show it has been cited repeatedly by the Food and Drug Administration for problems ranging from poorly trained employees to cracked vials and mold around one of its facilities.
April 1, 2021 4:01 am
HONOLULU (AP) – Police say a tourist from Pittsburgh has been charged with manslaughter after a deadly fight at a Hawaii vacation rental. Big Island police say a second tourist from Boston who had been arrested was released with no charges filed. Police were called to the Kailua-Kona vacation rental earlier this week when a 30-year-old man wasn’t breathing. Benjamin Fleming of Pittsburgh and Alexander Germany-Wald of Boston were arrested. Fleming was later charged while Germany-Wald was released. Fleming’s defense attorney asked to postpone his preliminary hearing and noted his client has no criminal history. A man who answered at a number for Alexander Germany-Wald declined to comment.
April 1, 2021 2:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – President Joe Biden wants $2 trillion to reengineer America’s infrastructure and expects the nation’s corporations to pay for it. The Democratic president traveled to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to unveil what will be a hard-hatted transformation of the U.S. economy. It includes $621 billion for roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure. The plan would also move the country away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy. It would be financed by raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, among other measures. That could lead to fierce resistance from the business community and thwart attempts to work with Republican lawmakers.
April 1, 2021 2:43 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration says every adult in Pennsylvania will qualify for COVID-19 vaccines starting April 19. Emergency responders, grocery workers and others will be able to set up shots immediately. Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said Wednesday the new timeline is possible because the state’s rate of vaccinations has quickened. Starting Wednesday, vaccine appointments are being expanded to include police, corrections officers and other law enforcement; volunteer and professional firefighters; grocery employees; and food and farm workers. Next will be Phase 1C starting April 12. That group includes workers in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, communications and media, public health, legal services, finance and construction.
March 31, 2021 8:53 am
Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12. The announcement Wednesday marks a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before the next school year. Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic. In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, preliminary data showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots.
March 31, 2021 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – G. Gordon Liddy, a mastermind of the Watergate burglary and a radio talk show host after emerging from prison, has died at age 90. His son, Thomas Liddy, confirmed the death Tuesday but did not reveal the cause, other than to say it was not related to COVID-19. Liddy, a former FBI agent and Army veteran, was convicted of conspiracy, burglary and illegal wiretapping for his role in the Watergate burglary, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. He spent four years and four months in prison, including more than 100 days in solitary confinement. After his release, Liddy became a popular, often provocative radio talk show host. He also worked as a security consultant, writer and actor.
March 23, 2021 2:46 am
(WPXI) – Two people were charged after police say a 7-year-old boy was found bruised and burned in Bethel Park. Twenty-four-year-old John Stone and 32-year-old Kaiyla Bowers were charged with felony aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child after the incident on Friday. Police and EMS responded to the home after the boy was found unresponsive. He was taken to Children’s Hospital where they found extensive bruising and burns. Following a hearing, both Stone and Bowers were denied bail. According to court documents, the couple said the burns came from bathwater that was too hot. The complaint states that it was found that the burns were caused in November or December. Police said the two admitted to failing to take the boy to the doctor because Bowers was afraid she would lose custody to the boy’s father. The document also states that neighbors told police they would hear screaming coming from their home when Stone is watching the child and Bowers is at work.
March 22, 2021 5:42 pm
Police responded Monday afternoon to an active shooter call at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store. A person on the scene, who identified to passing police officers as a member of the media, began streaming live video of the event, and tactical units can be seen at the front of the store, and a handcuffed, shirtless man was seen being walked out of the store by officers. A law enforcement source told ABC News that officers responded to a report of someone shot in the parking area of the King Soopers grocery store and when they arrived at the scene, a suspect opened fire on them. (Photo: ABC)
