January 31, 2021 7:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is backing off for now on a plan to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to the 40 prisoners held at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said in a tweet Saturday that the Defense Department would be “pausing” the plan to give the vaccination to those held at Guantanamo while it reviews measures to protect troops who work there. Kirby said no prisoners had yet received the vaccination. The plan drew some criticism after The New York Times reported that the vaccination of prisoners would start in the coming days. The U.S. military announced earlier this month that it planned to offer the vaccine to prisoners as it vaccinated all personnel at the detention center. At the time, U.S. Southern Command said it expected to have enough vaccine for all of the approximately 1,500 personnel assigned to the detention center. It said that the vaccine would be offered to prisoners but did not plan to reveal how many actually received it because of medical privacy regulations.
January 31, 2021 7:09 am
BEIJING (AP) — An official indicator of China’s manufacturing activity weakened for a second consecutive month in January, following outbreaks of domestic COVID-19 cases that affected the operations of some industries. The purchasing managers’ index, or PMI, for China’s manufacturing sector fell to 51.3 in January, down 0.6 percentage points from December, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday. Readings above 50 indicate expansion of the manufacturing industry, while a reading below it reflects a contraction. China has seen new virus clusters across the country, particularly in the north, and restrictions have been tightened to curb the spread. NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said that locally transmitted coronavirus cases had affected the operations of certain industries, and that January is typically an off-season for factories due to the Lunar New Year holidays. Separately, the indicators for China’s service industry also dipped in January amid the local outbreaks. The PMI for China’s non-manufacturing sector came in at 52.4 in January, down from 55.7 in December, according to NBS.
January 31, 2021 7:08 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the largest vaccination sites in the country temporarily shut down Saturday because dozen of protesters blocked the entrance, stalling hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department shut the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium about 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials told the newspaper. The protesters had members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, the Times reported. Some of them carried signs decrying the COVID-19 vaccine and shouting for people not to get the shots. There were no incidents of violence, the Times said. The vaccination site reopened shortly before 3 p.m., the Times reported. The site is usually open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. After it reopened, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: “We will not be deterred or threatened. Dodger Stadium is back up and running.” A post on social media described the demonstration as the “SCAMDEMIC PROTEST/MARCH.” It advised participants to “please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only.
January 31, 2021 6:59 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – A winter storm is expected to bring snow, as well as a wintry mix of rain and freezing rain for some, to western Pennsylvania starting early Sunday and lasting into Monday. As the storm hits, crews throughout the area are working to make sure they are prepared to tackle whatever comes our way. The National Weather Service says Washington County could see anywhere between 3-6 inches of snowfall by Sunday Night, with additional chances of more snow Monday. Some light ice accumulations are possible as well. Travel could be difficult as snow could fall heavy at times. All drivers are asked to take precautions if travel is necessary over the next day.
January 30, 2021 9:29 am
U.S. Army officials say 11 soldiers at Fort Bliss in Texas were sickened after drinking an industrial compound found in antifreeze. Army officials said the soldiers believed they were drinking alcohol following a field training exercise. Two of the 11 soldiers were in serious condition Friday after being upgraded from critical at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. It is unclear why the soldiers ingested the compound called ethylene glycol. The effects of consuming ethylene glycol can range from euphoria to headaches and nausea to organ failure. Fort Bliss officials said civilian law enforcement and Army criminal investigators are looking into the matter.
January 30, 2021 9:27 am
HOUSTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has ruled that the U.S. government could resume expelling immigrant children who cross the southern border unaccompanied by a parent. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s stay of a lower court ruling allows President Joe Biden’s administration to resume expulsions begun by former President Donald Trump under a public health policy citing the COVID-19 pandemic. The appeals court issued a stay on Friday that had been requested by the Trump administration shortly after a federal judge in November barred the practice.
January 30, 2021 9:26 am
A Massachusetts congressman who has received both doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has tested positive for the virus. The office of U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch said Friday that the lawmaker had had a negative test result before attending President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The office says Lynch’s positive test result came after a staff member in his Boston office tested positive earlier this week. A statement says Lynch isn’t displaying any symptoms of COVID-19. Lynch will self-quarantine and vote by proxy in Congress in the coming week. Lynch is the second member of the state’s congressional delegation to test positive in as many days. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan announced she had tested positive after repeatedly testing negative.
January 30, 2021 9:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Democratic push to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged as an early flashpoint in the fight for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The push to raise the wage is testing President Joe Biden’s ability to bridge Washington’s partisan divides. Some Republicans support exploring an increase in the minimum wage, but they are uneasy about $15 an hour and say such a big increase could lead to job losses. But Democrats appear poised to push ahead. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and has not been raised since 2009.
January 30, 2021 9:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is warning of a growing “cost of inaction” on his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan. And the White House says the new administration is searching for “creative” ways to garner public support for a package that has gotten a cold shoulder from Senate Republicans. In the age of the coronavirus, it’s not a matter of jumping on a plane to travel the country and try to gin up a groundswell. And at a time of deep polarization, Biden may struggle to convince Republican voters of the urgency at this particular moment after Congress already has approved $4 trillion in aid, including $900 billion last month.
January 30, 2021 4:09 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A man who admitted firing more than a dozen shots into the entrance of a western Pennsylvania mall during a fight involving several people is now headed to prison. Brandon Noel was sentenced Thursday to a term of 2 1/2 to 5 years. The 23-year-old McKeesport man had pleaded guilty last November to an aggravated assault charge stemming from the incident at the Monroeville Mall in April 2019. Authorities have said two groups of males began fighting at the mall and the brawl soon spilled outside. Noel pulled a gun and about 14 shots were fired, but no injuries were reported. The mall, about 17 miles east of Pittsburgh, was placed on lockdown and later evacuated.
