BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain and the European Union have struck a free-trade agreement that should avert New Year’s chaos for cross-border commerce and bring a measure of certainty to businesses after years of Brexit turmoil. The breakthrough on Thursday came after months of tense and often testy negotiations that whittled differences down to three key…
NEW YORK (AP) — Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has helped revive the autopsy at many hospitals. The procedure has helped doctors this year understand what coronavirus does to patients’ organs and how they might better treat some of the disease’s more baffling symptoms. At the same time, hospital autopsies remain far less common and…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has vetoed the annual defense policy bill, following through on threats to veto a measure that has broad bipartisan support in Congress and potentially setting up the first override vote of his presidency. Trump has offered a series of rationales for vetoing the bill, including a demand for lawmakers…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer and BioNTech will supply the U.S. with an additional 100 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine under a new agreement. The drugmakers said Wednesday that they expect to deliver all the doses by July 31. The additional doses are on top of 100 million doses Pfizer already was under contract to…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is threatening to torpedo Congress’ massive pandemic relief package in the midst of a raging pandemic and deep economic uncertainty. He’s suddenly demanding changes fellow Republicans have opposed, like a huge jump in the $600 payments planned for most Americans. Trump assailed the bipartisan $900 billion package in a…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is suing Walmart, alleging the company unlawfully dispensed controlled substances through its pharmacies, helping to fuel the opioid crisis in America. The civil complaint being filed Tuesday points to the role Walmart’s pharmacies may have played in the crisis by filling opioid prescriptions and by unlawfully distributing controlled substances…
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California is desperately searching for nurses, doctors and other medical staff, perhaps from as far away as Australia, as the coronavirus surge pushes hospitals to the breaking point. With many of the state’s hospitals running out of capacity to treat the severest cases, the state has brought in and deployed more…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has easily passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package. It promises to deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Lawmakers tacked on a $1.4 trillion catchall spending bill and thousands of pages of other end-of-session business…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Breaking with President Donald Trump, Attorney General William Barr says he sees no reason to appoint a special counsel on potential election fraud or the tax investigation into the son of President-elect Joe Biden. Barr gave his final press conference as attorney general Monday. He said the investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new COVID-19 relief bill shaping up in Congress includes individual payments reaching $600 for most Americans and an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits. Votes on the bill in the House and Senate are expected Monday. The COVID bill would pump $900 billion into relief efforts. Among those getting help…