The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll among Roman Catholic priests and nuns around the world, killing hundreds of them in a handful of the hardest-hit countries alone. They include an Italian parish priest who brought the cinema to his small town in the 1950s; a beloved New York pastor who ministered to teens and…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is starting to deposit child tax credit money into the accounts of more than 35 million families. President Joe Biden has expanded the credit for one year as part of coronavirus relief. The result is that most families will now qualify for monthly payments of as much as $300…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have taken a major step toward meeting President Joe Biden’s proposals for massive spending on government programs for climate change, health care, family services and more. Lawmakers reached an agreement Tuesday night to pour $3.5 trillion over the next decade into Biden’s proposals. Included is money to expand Medicare coverage…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Crown” tied with “The Mandalorian” for the most Emmy nominations Tuesday, 24 each, but the Marvel universe also got bragging rights with runner-up “WandaVision.” The nominations reinforced the rapid rise of streaming, with the top-nominated scripted shows on services that largely emerged in the past two years. In the top…
Firefighters are working in extreme temperatures across the U.S. West and struggling to contain wildfires, the largest burning in California and Oregon, as another heat wave baked the region, straining power grids. The largest wildfire of the year in California is raging along the Nevada state line and has burned about 134 square miles. In…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer says it plans to meet Monday with top U.S. health officials to discuss the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization of a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser is acknowledging “it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely” that booster shots will be needed in the coming months.…
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new guidelines Friday. The changes come after a growing national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well…
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The nation’s first African American winner has breezed to victory at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde of Harvey, Louisiana, didn’t show much stress on stage and only struggled with one word in Thursday’s finals. She is only the second Black champion in the bee’s 96-year history…
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Activists in Hungary have erected a large rainbow-colored heart opposite the country’s neo-Gothic parliament, vowing to wage a civil disobedience campaign against a new law that they say discriminates against LGBT people and that has raised questions about what values the European Union stands for. The law came into effect Thursday…
New York is throwing a ticker-tape parade for the health care workers and others who helped the city get through the darkest days of COVID-19, while authorities in Missouri are struggling to beat back a surge blamed on the fast-spreading delta variant and deep resistance to getting vaccinated. The contrasting scenes could be a glimpse…