High court blocks NY virus limits on houses of worship
WASHINGTON — With coronavirus cases surging again nationwide, the Supreme Court barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus.
Trump says he’ll leave if Electoral College seats Biden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College formalizes President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory — even as he insisted such a decision would be a “mistake” — as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked officials in battleground states caused his election defeat.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Trump pardons Flynn despite guilty plea in Russia probe
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Wednesday, ending a yearslong prosecution in the Russia investigation that saw Flynn twice plead guilty to lying to the FBI and then reverse himself before the Justice Department stepped in to dismiss his case.
US will appeal order barring expulsions of migrant children
HOUSTON — The federal government on Wednesday appealed a judge’s order barring the expulsions of immigrant children who crossed the border alone, a policy enacted during the coronavirus pandemic to deny the children asylum protections.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes flight in virus times
NEW YORK — The balloons were in the sky and the marching bands took to the streets for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, but coronavirus restrictions meant it was without the throngs of people usually scrambling for a view.
Retailers brace as virus bears down on consumers and economy
WASHINGTON — LaTonya Story is every retailer’s worst fear.
Courthouses closed through year amid pandemic
HONOLULU — The Hawaii Supreme Court has extended the closure of state courthouses to the public through the end of the year to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship
NEW YORK — The pandemic is turning this into a holiday shopping season like no other.
State briefs for November 27
Case confident state won’t need to return relief funds
Tweet on spare change generates big money for virus aid
SALT LAKE CITY — Andy Larsen is a sports writer, but with so many games scratched during the pandemic he has spent a lot of time digging into coronavirus data and its sobering implications.
Pandemic gave locals fleeting taste of a tourist-free Hawaii
HONOLULU — Line-Noue Memea Kruse lives on Oahu’s North Shore, where marveling at sea turtles, epic waves and sunsets that paint the sky orange and purple are a must for many tourists to Hawaii.
Biden speaks unity in Thanksgiving-eve address
WILMINGTON, Del. — On a day of grace and grievance, President-elect Joe Biden summoned Americans on Wednesday to join in common purpose against the coronavirus pandemic and their political divisions.
State briefs for November 26
Honolulu councilman calls on police to reinstate virus units
ONLINE EXTRA: Wiping down groceries? Experts say keep risk in perspective
NEW YORK — Cleaning wipes are harder to find on store shelves, and businesses are reassuring customers with stepped up sanitation measures. In New York, the subway system is shut down nightly for disinfecting.
Americans risk traveling over Thanksgiving despite warnings
Millions of Americans took to the skies and the highways ahead of Thanksgiving at the risk of pouring gasoline on the coronavirus fire, disregarding increasingly dire warnings that they stay home and limit their holiday gatherings to members of their own household.
Congress braces for Biden’s national coronavirus strategy
WASHINGTON — Congress is bracing for President-elect Joe Biden to move beyond the Trump administration’s state-by-state approach to the COVID-19 crisis and build out a national strategy to fight the pandemic and distribute the eventual vaccine.
Russian city to demolish derided ‘Robot’ building
MOSCOW — A hulking, never-occupied building sardonically likened to a robot’s head that has loomed over the Russian city of Kaliningrad for decades is to be demolished next year, the region’s governor says.
Lawsuits delay Hawaii election certification
HONOLULU — Certification of Hawaii’s presidential vote was being delayed Wednesday by two lawsuits, including one filed by a woman who said she ran for president as an independent but wasn’t on the ballot.
Picture of US economy is worrisome as virus inflicts damage
WASHINGTON — Gripped by the accelerating coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. economy is under pressure from persistent layoffs, diminished income and nervous consumers, whose spending is needed to drive a recovery from the pandemic.
Trump vents about election as agencies aid Biden transition
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump insisted Tuesday that he is not giving up his fight to overturn the election results, but throughout the federal government, preparations were beginning in earnest to support President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration.
