April 7, 2022 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A compromise $10 billion measure buttressing the government’s COVID-19 defenses has stalled in the Senate. It seems all but certainly sidetracked in that chamber for weeks, victim of a campaign-season fight over the incendiary issue of immigration. There was abundant finger-pointing Wednesday but no signs that the two parties were near resolving their stalemate over a bipartisan pandemic bill that President Joe Biden and top Democrats wanted Congress to approve this week. And with Senate Democrats’ top goal this week being the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, the COVID-19 bill seemed sure to slip at least until Congress returns after a two-week recess.
April 7, 2022 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Senate has confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court in 53-47 vote, securing her place as the first Black woman on the high court. and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his historic pick. Jackson, will replace Justice Stephen Breyer when he retires this summer. While the vote was far from the overwhelming bipartisan confirmations for Breyer and other justices in decades past, it was still a significant bipartisan accomplishment for Biden in the narrow 50-50 Senate after GOP senators aggressively worked to paint Jackson as too liberal.
April 7, 2022 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID-19, her spokesman says. That’s a day after the 82-year-old Democratic leader appeared unmasked at a White House event with President Joe Biden. Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic, her spokesman Drew Hammill said in a tweet Thursday. He said she had tested negative earlier in the week. “The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided,” Hammill said. He said she will “quarantine consistent with CDC guidance.” A congressional trip to Asia was postponed.
April 7, 2022 4:20 am
UNDATED (AP) – The U.N. General Assembly has voted to oust Russia from the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006. Russia is just the second country to lost its membership rights to the council. In 2011, the assembly suspended Libya when upheaval in the North African country brought down longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. The vote Thursday was 93-24 with 58 abstentions. That is significantly lower than votes on two resolutions the assembly adopted last month demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. In other news on the war, Ukraine’s foreign minister says he’s cautiously optimistic that some NATO countries will increase their weapons supplies to his country, but he urged swift decisions.
April 7, 2022 4:10 am
ERIE, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a juvenile suspect being sought in a shooting that injured another student inside a northwestern Pennsylvania high school has turned himself in to police. Erie police said multiple shots were fired just after 9:20 a.m. Tuesday in a hallway at Erie High School. The injured student was said to be in stable condition. Officials said due to the suspect’s age, only juvenile counts would be filed. Erie High classes have been canceled for the rest of the week with the annual spring break to be observed next week. When classes resume, officials vow “every measure possible” to ensure the safety of students and staff.
April 7, 2022 2:22 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Zoos across North America are moving their birds indoors and away from people and wildlife as they try to protect them from the highly contagious and potentially deadly avian influenza. Penguins may be the only birds visitors to many zoos can see right now, because they already are kept inside and usually protected behind glass in their exhibits. Nearly 23 million chickens and turkeys have already been killed across the United States to limit the spread of the virus. Zoos are working hard to prevent any of their birds from meeting the same fate. Birds spread the virus through droppings and nasal discharge. Experts say it can be spread through contaminated equipment, clothing, boots and vehicles carrying supplies. (Photo: AP)
April 7, 2022 2:21 am
(AP) – Pennsylvania State Police have settled a federal lawsuit alleging that troopers routinely and improperly tried to enforce federal immigration law by pulling over Hispanic motorists on the basis of how they looked and detaining those suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. The settlement was announced Wednesday. It pays a total of $865,000 to 10 plaintiffs who alleged that state police discriminated against them and violated their civil rights. State police also agreed to amend their policy to forbid troopers from engaging in civil immigration enforcement. Police did not admit wrongdoing.
April 6, 2022 5:37 pm
(AP) – The Biden administration has announced that federal student loan payments will remain paused through Aug. 31, extending a freeze that began in 2020 but was set to end after this month. The action is meant to help millions of borrowers regain financial footing before they’re back on the hook for payments. The moratorium applies to most federal student loan programs including the Direct Loan Program. It does not cover private loans issued by banks or schools. The latest federal data show that more than 43 million Americans have student loans amounting to a combined $1.6 trillion.
April 6, 2022 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters and said it was toughening penalties against Russian banks in retaliation for “war crimes” in Ukraine. The United Kingdom piled on asset freezes against two major Russian banks, a ban on British investment in Russia and a pledge to end dependency on Russian coal and oil by the end of this year. The European Union is also expected to soon take additional steps, including a ban on new investment in Russia and an EU embargo on coal, after the recent evidence of atrocities emerging in the wake of the retreat by Russian forces from the town of Bucha.
April 6, 2022 4:14 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Police believe at least five shooters were involved in the mass shooting in downtown Sacramento last weekend and that it was gang-related violence. The Sacramento police department says there was a gunfight between at least two groups of men. Six people were killed in the bloodshed and 12 were wounded. The injured include two brothers who have been taken into custody in connection with the massacre. No one has been charged with homicide yet. At least two people remain hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Authorities credit evidence and tips provided by the public for their break in the investigation.
