May 9, 2020 4:16 am
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – A federal court has halted the Kentucky governor’s temporary ban on mass gathering from applying to in-person religious services. The temporary restraining order issued Friday enjoins Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration from enforcing the ban at any in-person religious service statewide, provided the places of worship practice social distancing and adhere to hygiene guidelines. Two other federal judges had previously ruled the ban was constitutional, but one of those judges ruled in a separate case Friday that another church could hold in-person services. Beshear had planned to allow places of worship to reopen May 20.
May 9, 2020 4:14 am
SEOUL (AP) — Seoul has shut down more than 2,100 nightclubs, hostess bars, and discos after dozens of infections were linked to clubgoers who went out last weekend as the country relaxed social distancing guidelines. The measures imposed by Mayor Park Won-soon on Saturday came after the national government urged entertainment venues around the nation to close or otherwise enforce anti-virus measures, including distancing, temperature checks, keeping customer lists and requiring employees to wear masks. Park said that the entry bans on the facilities will be maintained until the city concludes the infections risks as meaningfully lowered.
May 9, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Call it “ventilator diplomacy.” President Donald Trump, who’s taken to calling the U.S. the “king” of ventilators, is making plans to ship 8,000 of the breathing machines to foreign countries by the end of July. That’s a long way from the early days of the virus, when U.S. medical workers were wondering if a shortage of ventilators would force them to decide which patients would get them. Now, the U.S. has a surplus and the president is sharing them with other countries – a goodwill gesture that also helps him offset criticism about his own early response to the pandemic.
May 9, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The coronavirus is surfacing deep inside the White House. Now, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary has the coronavirus. That makes her the second person who works at the White House complex known to test positive for the virus this week, which is leading the Trump administration to step up safety protocols. Pence’s spokeswoman Katie Miller tested positive Friday. She had been in recent contact with Pence but not with President Donald Trump. She is married to Stephen Miller, a top adviser to Trump. The White House had no immediate comment on whether Stephen Miller has been tested or is still working in the White House.
May 9, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Rick Bright headed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and had received a job performance review of outstanding before he was summarily transferred last month. Now lawyers for the government whistleblower say federal investigators found “reasonable grounds that he had been retaliated against. Bright had opposed widespread use of an unproven drug that President Donald Trump touted as a remedy for the coronavirus. The agency he was transferred from is a unit of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Bright’s lawyers said Friday that investigators with the Office of Special Counsel “made a threshold determination that HHS violated the Whistleblower Protection Act by removing Dr. Bright.”
May 9, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The next financial rescue plan may not show up for a while. President Donald Trump says he’s in “no rush” to negotiate another financial rescue bill. His comments come even as the government is reporting that more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs last month due to economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus. Trump’s top economic adviser says the White House wants to let the last round of recovery funding kick in before committing to hundreds of billions or more in additional spending.
May 9, 2020 4:05 am
BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — The state now says it will hire a new temporary manager to be on-site at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County to try and control the COVID-19 outbreak there. It’s believed more than 70 residents have now died there from the coronavirus. The state’s action comes after multiple stories about the problems at Brighton and sharp criticism from U.S. Representative Conor Lamb, as Brighton is part of his district. Lamb said both the facility and state have failed, and it’s time to treat the situation with the urgency it deserves as residents continue to die. Lamb sent a letter to the head of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services calling for a federal investigation. Just this week Brighton was cited for an “immediate jeopardy,” violation that “could kill or seriously injure” residents. Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine addressed Lamb’s criticism directly and announced the state would be taking new action at Brighton. Families hope this will finally be the beginning of a change at Brighton that will make a difference for their loved ones. Brighton Rehab also responded to a request for comment about Lamb’s concerns. A public relations company sent a statement saying Brighton shares the sense of urgency to get COVID-19 under control at their facility and welcomes help from additional PPE to training.
May 8, 2020 10:16 am
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – A white father and son accused of fatally shooting a black man who was running in their Georgia neighborhood have been taken into custody and charged with murder. Twenty-five-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was killed Feb. 23 just outside the port city of Brunswick. The arrests of 64-year-old Gregory McMichael and 34-year-old Travis McMichael Thursday came amid a national outcry after someone released video that appeared to show the killing. Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Vic Reynolds says he knows emotions are running high but he’s appealing for patience, saying his agency was only brought into the case this week.
May 8, 2020 8:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record. The figures are stark evidence of the damage the coronavirus has done to a now-shattered economy. The losses reflect what has become a severe recession caused by sudden business shutdowns in nearly every industry. Almost all the job growth achieved during the 11-year recovery from the Great Recession has now been lost in one month.
May 8, 2020 4:28 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea has slammed South Korea for what it called “reckless” military drills near their disputed sea boundary. The South quickly denied any training in the area, the scene of several bloody inter-Korean naval skirmishes. The wrangling came five days after the rivals exchanged gunfire along their land border that Seoul says the North started. There was no known casualties on either side, but the incident was a reminder of persistent tensions on the peninsula. North Korea says the South Korean drills violated 2018 agreements that require both countries to halt firing exercises along their land and sea borders. South Korea says the drills didn’t break the agreements because they took place in its western waters, about 186 miles away from the sea boundary.
