December 8, 2020 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense. That’s according to four people familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the selection hadn’t been formally announced. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black Pentagon chief. Austin retired from the Army in 2016, which means he would require a congressional waiver to take the job. One of the people who confirmed the pick said Austin’s selection was about choosing the best possible person but acknowledged that pressure had built to name a candidate of color and that Austin’s stock had risen in recent days.
December 8, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration opted last summer not to lock in a chance to buy millions of additional doses of one of the leading coronavirus vaccine contenders. That decision could delay the delivery of a second batch of doses until manufacturer Pfizer fulfills other international contracts. The revelation was confirmed Monday by people familiar with the matter. It came a day before President Donald Trump aimed to take credit for the speedy development of forthcoming coronavirus vaccines at a White House summit Tuesday. Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to be endorsed by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers as soon as this week.
December 8, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A deadline set Tuesday under federal law essentially locks in President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, even though President Donald Trump is still falsely claiming he won reelection. Other than Wisconsin, every state appears to have met the safe harbor deadline, which means Congress has to accept the electoral votes that will be cast next week and sent to the Capitol for counting on Jan. 6. Those votes will elect Biden as the country’s next president. It’s called a safe harbor provision because it’s a kind of insurance policy by which a state can insulate its electoral votes against challenges in Congress by finishing up certification of the results and any state court legal challenges by the deadline.
December 8, 2020 4:15 am
World War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.
December 8, 2020 4:14 am
LONDON (AP) – British health authorities have rolled out the first doses of a widely tested and independently reviewed COVID-19 vaccine, starting a global immunization program that is expected to gain momentum as more serums win approval. The first shot was given Tuesday to Margaret Keenan (pictured), who turns 91 next week, at one of several hospitals around the country that are handling the initial phase of the program on what has been dubbed “V-Day.” Public health officials have asked the public to be patient because only those who are most at risk from COVID-19 will be vaccinated in the early stages. Most will have to wait until next year before there is enough vaccine to expand the program.
December 8, 2020 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH- (WPXI) – Two employees of the Port Authority of Allegheny County recently died from COVID-19. “Today, our hearts are broken,” Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said in a news release. “We are mourning the loss of two members of the Port Authority family. One employee was an operator for 21 years and, most recently, worked out of the East Liberty bus garage, the release stated. Marlon Lucas, 57, last worked Nov. 25. According to reports, Lucas went to the hospital after getting COVID-19. By Friday, he was on a ventilator. And early Sunday morning, he died. The second employee was an operator for seven years and, most recently, worked out of the Collier bus garage. Patrick Hazlett last worked Nov. 24, and a member of his family reported that he had tested positive for COVID-19 the following day. He died Monday at 34 years old. (Photo: WPXI)
December 7, 2020 5:22 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are drafting a boatload of voting-related legislation and are vowing to make a major initiative out of addressing what they deem to be problems arising from the election. Top Democrats quickly accused Republicans on Friday of setting up a “sham process” and undermining faith in elections. Republicans have already issued more than a half-dozen memos about forthcoming legislation stemming from the election. They will push to pass something before the May 18 primary election, although getting it signed into law will depend on Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat. Democrats say Republicans should have simply allowed counties to process mail-in ballots before Election Day.
December 7, 2020 1:48 pm
WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is warning that the upcoming holiday season may be even worse than Thanksgiving in terms of spreading the coronavirus. Fauci told CNN on Monday that because the traditional Christmas season is an extended period that stretches into New Year’s, the prospects for spreading the virus as people travel “may be even more compounded than what we saw at Thanksgiving.” Fauci said “it’s a very critical time in this country right now” with the virus surging and more important than ever for people to take precautions like avoiding indoor gatherings, wearing masks and social distancing. Over Thanksgiving, many people traveled to gather with families, against warnings from health officials. Fauci said the U.S. is “probably just at the beginning” of seeing the resulting uptick in cases.
December 7, 2020 10:30 am
HONOLULU (AP) – U.S. servicemen and women and National Park Service officials have gathered at Pearl Harbor to remember those killed in the attack. But elderly survivors stayed home to pay respects from afar of the coronavirus pandemic’s health risks. The U.S. military streamed the ceremony for survivors and others unable to attend in person. The USS Arizona ship bell rang at 7:55 a.m. That was the minute that the attack began 79 years ago. It was used to start a moment of silence. Military jets flew over the harbor in missing man formation. The Marines performing the rifle salute wore black masks during the ceremony to a small crowd.
December 7, 2020 9:13 am
Bob Dylan’s entire catalog of songs, which reaches back 60 years and is among the most prized next to that of the Beatles, is being acquired by Universal Music Publishing Group. The deal covers 600 song copyrights including “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” “Tangled Up In Blue.” Dylan has sold more than 125 million records globally. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, the first songwriter to receive such a distinction.
