WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The House approved the bill Wednesday over solid Republican opposition in a vote that gives the new president and Democrats a victory just seven weeks after he took office. Biden tweeted that “help is here” and said he would…
A man sought in the killings of four people in New Mexico and one in New Jersey has been arrested. The U.S. Marshals Service says Sean Lannon was apprehended Wednesday morning in St. Louis. Investigators were seeking the 47-year-old in connection with a slaying Monday in East Greenwich, New Jersey. Lannon also is a person…
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities say they are slowing down the speed of uploading photos and videos to Twitter over its failure to remove banned content. The move is part of Russia’s growing efforts to curb social media platforms that have played a major role in amplifying dissent. The state communications watchdog said it began…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says he won’t run for the U.S. Senate. The Republican said in a statement Wednesday that he’ll continue serving as the state’s top elections official. Ashcroft was eyed as a top candidate to run for Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat. Blunt says he’s not…
(AP) — Eric Greitens’ political future seemed doomed by scandal when he resigned as Missouri governor, but now he appears primed to test whether Sen. Roy Blunt’s retirement provides a path for redemption. Greitens was a political outsider when he was elected governor in 2016. By the end of his first year in office, he…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Black man who spent 23 years in prison before his conviction was overturned has sued the St. Charles County law enforcement authorities who his attorneys say framed him. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Jonathan Irons, who is now in his 40s, was convicted in 1998 for burglary and assault…
LONDON (AP) — Buckingham Palace has issued a statement, saying the family was saddened to learn of the challenges Harry and Meghan had faced in the past few years and that they would address the issues privately. The palace said Tuesday the “issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,’’ and are taken very seriously.…
NEW YORK (AP) — Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing. That’s according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. The recommendations were announced Monday. They also say that vaccinated people can come together in the same way with people considered at low-risk for severe…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says he will not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate. Blunt, who turned 71 in January, was widely expected to seek a third term in 2022. He made the surprise announcement in a video Monday. Before election to the Senate he served…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ordered a judge to reconsider adding a third-degree murder charge against a former Minneapolis police officer accused in George Floyd’s death. A three-judge panel said Friday that the trial judge erred when he rejected a motion to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin. The…