State Department investigating website ‘prank’ involving Trump bio page
The State Department is investigating what appears to be a “prank” after its website suggested President Donald Trump’s term would end Monday evening.
National News
Acting Homeland Security chief Wolf is resigning
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is stepping down from his post, days after criticizing President Donald Trump over the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
With virus surging, Biden to speed release of COVID vaccines
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and ZEKE MILLER WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden will be taking a new direction to speed release of coronavirus vaccines when he assumes office Jan. 20. His office said Friday Biden would curtail the current practice…
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigns after Capitol insurrection
WASHINGTON (AP)-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has become the second Cabinet secretary to resign a day after a pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In a resignation letter Thursday, DeVos blamed President Donald Trump for inflaming tensions in the violent assault…
President Donald Trump condemns Capitol riot, concedes to Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is conceding to President-elect Joe Biden and condemning the violent supporters who stormed the nation’s Capitol Wednesday. In a new video message, Trump says that now that Congress has certified the results, the “new…
Donald Trump banned from Facebook and Instagram "indefinitely," Mark Zuckerberg announces
(WXXV) — Facebook and Instagram will block President Donald Trump from posting from his account for an indefinite amount of time and at least until President-elect Joe Biden assumes the Oval Office. The decision comes after Facebook on Wednesday said it…
AP PHOTOS: Scenes of violence at U.S. Capitol shock world
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pro-Trump protesters breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, violently clashing with law enforcement as lawmakers were gathered inside to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in November’s presidential election. Law enforcement instructed lawmakers to retrieve masks from…
Trump says his term is ending, transition will be orderly
Trump issued a statement early Thursday acknowledging his term in office is coming to a close just minutes after Congress certified his loss to Biden.
Senate rejects challenge to Biden Arizona win
The Senate has overwhelmingly turned aside a challenge to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona, guaranteeing the result will stand. The objection to the results in Arizona -- spearheaded by Rep. Paul Gosar and Sen. Ted Cruz -- was rejected…
Warnock makes history with Senate win as Dems near majority
Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. The focus now shifts to the second race between Republican David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter won’t attend Biden’s inauguration
It marks the first time the couple, 96 and 93, will have missed the ceremonies since Carter was sworn in as the 39th president in 1977.
UK judge refuses US extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A British judge has rejected the United States’ request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying it would be “oppressive” because of his mental health. District Judge Vanessa…
U.S. clears Moderna vaccine for COVID-19, 2nd shot in arsenal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. Much-needed doses are set to…
NCAA allows blanket waivers for all transfers immediately
The NCAA’s Division I Council has granted blanket waivers for all athletes to play immediately. The NCAA’s announcement includes all Division I sports, but is contingent on certain criteria being met. Transfers previously were required to sit out a season unless granted a waiver by the NCAA. The NCAA had decided on waivers on a […]
Mailing a Christmas package? Shipping deadlines begin
The holidays are upon us and despite the crazy upheaval of 2020, some traditions remain intact. One of those is the rush to ship Christmas gifts in time for them to reach their destinations by the 25.
Trump says Barr resigning, will leave before Christmas
Attorney General William Barr, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, is departing amid lingering tension over the president’s baseless claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son.
Biden clears 270-vote mark as electors affirm his victory
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Joe Biden has cleared the 270-vote mark needed to win the presidency with California’s 55 electoral votes. The voting milestone came late Monday when California electors affirmed Biden’s massive 5 million-vote win…
Mississippi is nearly out of ICU beds. Here's where we stand on the Coast.
Mississippi is out of Intensive Care Unit beds due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, according to State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, who says hospitals are nearly full. As a result, all elective procedures are being…
Man arrested after climbing on wing of plane preparing to take off from Las Vegas airport
LAS VEGAS — It was a jarring sight to see out the window of an airplane. A video posted online over the weekend shows a man climbing on the wing of a plane as it was about to take off…
Google Outage: Gmail, YouTube, other services knocked offline by data outage
You may have trouble logging into Gmail, YouTube, and several other Google programs this morning. Applications and websites that depend on Google's cloud-based services have been knocked offline after suffering a data outage reported early Monday morning. https://twitter.com/BrantlyWx/status/1338459112800215042 Users around…
U.S. October job openings blip up to 6.7 million but hiring slows
U.S. employers advertised slightly more job openings in October but hiring slipped as a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens an economic recovery.
Biden makes pitch for retired general to be Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is making his case for retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to be secretary of defense. Biden urges Congress to waive a legal prohibition against a recently serving military officer running the Pentagon. With concern rising in Congress about maintaining civilian control of the military, Biden is suggesting he feels […]
US regulators post positive review of Pfizer vaccine data
By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Documents released by U.S. regulators Tuesday confirmed that Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was strongly protective against COVID-19 -- offering the world’s first detailed look at the evidence behind…
Senate discusses 908 billion-dollar COVID aid proposal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is optimistic about the prospects for a mid-sized COVID-19 relief bill and a separate $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill. After months of a partisan impasse, Pelosi says Democrats are ‘excited’ about a $908…