Author: Michael Balsamo
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CDC: Fully vaccinated people can largely ditch masks indoors
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a move to send the country back toward pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday eased indoor mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to safely stop wearing masks inside in most places. The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like…
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Man rams car into 2 Capitol police; 1 officer, driver killed
WASHINGTON — A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife. It was the second line-of-duty death this year for a department still struggling to heal from the Jan. 6 insurrection. Video shows the driver…
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Senate confirms Merrick Garland to be U.S. attorney general
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WASHINGTON • The Senate has confirmed Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote, placing the widely respected, veteran judge in the post as President Joe Biden has vowed to restore the Justice Department’s reputation for independence. Democrats have praised Garland, a federal appeals court judge who was snubbed…
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Chief: Capitol police were unsure about using force Jan. 6
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WASHINGTON • Capitol police knew armed extremists were primed for violence at the iconic building on Jan. 6 and even provided officers with assault rifles to protect lawmakers, the acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. But the wild invasion of the Capitol was far worse than police expected, leaving them unprepared to fight it off. A day…
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Capitol defenders blame bad intelligence for deadly breach
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WASHINGTON • Faulty intelligence was to blame for the outmanned Capitol defenders’ failure to anticipate the violent mob that invaded the iconic building and halted certification of the presidential election on Jan. 6, the officials who were in charge of security declared Tuesday in their first public testimony on the insurrection. The officials, including the…
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AG nominee Garland vows combating extremist violence a top priority
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WASHINGTON • Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s attorney general nominee, vowed Monday to prioritize combating extremist violence and said his first focus would be on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as he sought to assure lawmakers that the Justice Department would remain politically independent on his watch. A federal appeals court judge who was…
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Justice Department drops Yale admissions discrimination suit
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WASHINGTON • In another reversal of Trump-era policy, the Biden administration on Wednesday dropped its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University that alleged the Ivy League school was illegally discriminating against Asian American and white applicants. Federal prosecutors said the Justice Department’s underlying investigation, aimed at ensuring Yale complies with federal anti-discrimination laws, continues. The government…
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Trump says Barr resigning, will leave before Christmas
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WASHINGTON • 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. Barr went Monday to the White House, where Trump said the attorney general submitted his letter of resignation. “As per letter, Bill…
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Hunter Biden facing federal investigation into his taxes
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WASHINGTON • President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter said Wednesday that he is facing a federal investigation into his taxes, putting a renewed spotlight on the questions about his financial dealings that dogged his father’s campaign. Federal investigators served a round of subpoenas on Tuesday, including to Hunter Biden, according to a person familiar with the…
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Barr appoints special counsel in Russia probe investigation
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WASHINGTON • Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, giving him authority to complete the work without being easily fired. Barr said Tuesday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal…