NEW YORK (AP) — Teachers and other school staff members are supposed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when the bell rings Monday morning for New York City’s sprawling school system. Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that unvaccinated school staffers will not be allowed to work Monday. De Blasio said 90% of Department of Education…
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Not a single hurricane has hit Puerto Rico this year, but hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like they’re living in the aftermath of a major storm: Students do homework by the light of dying cellphones. People who depend on insulin or respiratory therapies struggle…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Former conservative Republican U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri has died. Akin’s son, Perry, says in a statement that his father died late Sunday at age 74 from cancer. Akin’s comment in 2012 that women’s bodies have a way of avoiding pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape” sunk his bid for…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A decline in COVID-19 cases across the United States over the past several weeks has given overwhelmed hospitals some relief. But administrators are bracing for yet another possible surge as cold weather drives people indoors. Health experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic has peaked overall in the U.S., particularly in…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are back at it, determined to rescue a scaled back version of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion government overhaul and salvage a related public works bill. Friday’s action resumed after a long night of frantic negotiations with no deal. Speaker Nancy Pelosi met privately with lawmakers in the morning at the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — With only hours to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation to avoid a partial federal shutdown and keep the government funded through Dec. 3. Congress had passed the bill earlier Thursday. The legislation averts one crisis, but efforts to stave off a second crisis seem likely to continue for the next couple…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress took a big step toward avoiding a partial federal shutdown on Thursday when the Senate passed a bill to keep the government funded through Dec. 3. The House is expected to soon follow suit. The votes will help avert one crisis, but efforts to stave off a second crisis seem likely…
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Health care workers who were once saluted for saving lives in the COVID-19 outbreak are now being issued panic buttons and ditching their scrubs before going out in public to avoid harassment. Across the country, doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic are dealing with hostility, threats…
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations is falling in the U.S., despite the spread of vaccine requirements across the country. And some experts worry that the move to dispense booster doses could undermine efforts to persuade the unvaccinated to get their shots in the first place. The average daily count of…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Difficult decisions await a Los Angeles Superior Court judge at what could be a pivotal hearing in the conservatorship controlling the life and money of Britney Spears. Judge Brenda Penny will hear arguments Wednesday afternoon on whether Spears’ father should be removed from the conservatorship, or whether she should end it…