WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists would gain vastly expanded capabilities to identify potentially deadlier mutations of the coronavirus under legislation advancing in Congress. The U.S. now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to flying blind. It means the true domestic spread of problematic mutations…
ATLANTA (AP) — Average daily new coronavirus cases in the United States have dipped below 100,000 in recent days for the first time in months. But experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the spread must remain in place. The seven-day rolling average of new infections was well above 200,000 for…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States. He will take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inherit a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. The very inaugural ceremony in which presidential power is…
ATLANTA (AP) — The United States is going to require airline travelers from Britain to get a negative COVID-19 test first. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new policy late Thursday. The U.S. is the latest country to announce travel restrictions because of a new variant of the coronavirus that is spreading…
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) — Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine faces one final hurdle before an expected decision to greenlight the shot for use in millions of Americans. Food and Drug Administration advisers meet Thursday to scrutinize the company’s data for any red flags or oversights. The public review comes as U.K. regulators investigate two apparent cases of allergic…
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris began receiving the nation’s most sensitive secrets Monday as they prepare to assume office on Jan. 20. The pair got their eyes on the highly classified President’s Daily Brief. It’s a summary of the most important U.S. intelligence and world events prepared and…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime national security aide to President-elect Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, is expected to become Biden’s nominee for secretary of state. Multiple people familiar with the Biden team’s planning tell The Associated Press that Blinken is at the front of his choices to be America’s top diplomat. Blinken served as deputy secretary…
Undated (AP) The U.S. Commerce Department said it is prohibiting Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from app stores as of Sunday, citing national security and data privacy concerns. Google and Apple, the owners of the major mobile app stores, did not immediately reply to questions. Oracle, which had proposed a deal with TikTok, also did not…
By ROBERT BURNS , AP National Security Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it has started pulling equipment, but not troops, out of Syria as a first step in meeting President Donald Trump’s demand for a complete military withdrawal. The announcement is fueling concern about how quickly the U.S. will abandon its Kurdish…