AP National News

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press More than a dozen Senate Democrats are imploring President Joe Biden and congressional leaders to keep a national paid family leave program in his sweeping social services and climate change package. In a letter Wednesday to Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 15 senators

By ZEKE MILLER and LINDSEY TANNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Kids aged 5 to 11 will soon be able to get a COVID-19 shot at their pediatrician’s office, local pharmacy and potentially even their school. The White House is detailing plans Wednesday for the expected authorization of the Pfizer shot for younger children in

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says he supports the Cabinet’s proposal to declare a non-working week as coronavirus deaths have surged to another daily record. The government task force on Wednesday reported 1,028 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — With coronavirus cases in Britain rising, the government is urging millions of people to get booster vaccine shots. But it is resisting calls from medics to re-impose mandatory masks and other measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The U.K. recorded almost 50,000 new infections in a

ATLANTA (AP) — Police in Atlanta have closed streets around at least four square blocks of office and apartment buildings in response to gunfire in the city’s midtown area. The emergency response is heavy, including an armored vehicle, ambulance and multiple squad cars with officers carrying long guns. Local news outlets report they’re responding to

By LISA MASCARO, ALAN FRAM and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is scaling back his ambitious $3.5 trillion domestic agenda for addressing climate change and expanding social services. Biden described a more limited vision to Democratic lawmakers in meetings at the White House on Tuesday. He told them he wants

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian police officers have fired tear gas at protesters in Lagos, the country’s largest city, as they tried to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating against police brutality on Wednesday. One year ago, thousands marched in Nigeria for the #EndSARS movement to protest the activities of the

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s coronavirus deaths have surged to another daily record as soaring infections prompted the Cabinet to suggest declaring a nonworking week to stem contagion. The government task force on Wednesday reported 1,028 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the

Edmunds The Volkswagen Taos and Chevrolet Trailblazer are two of the latest in a growing crowd of extra-small crossover SUVs. These entry-level crossovers provide lots of utility in a relatively small package and offer many features found in larger SUVs. Cutting back on size doesn’t mean cutting back on convenience.  Chevrolet introduced the Trailblazer for

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has praised the “spontaneity and freedom” of children after a young boy approached him during his weekly general audience and motioned that he wanted the pope’s white skullcap. A good-humored Francis kept the boy by his side, and the head of the papal household gave up his chair so

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will require police officers, firefighters and other municipal workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be placed on unpaid leave. Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement Wednesday. That presents an ultimatum to public employees who’ve refused, and

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet Travel in the COVID-19 era is anything but predictable. Don’t get caught off guard by flight cancellations, quarantine rules or a positive COVID-19 test. Because of this unpredictability, planning holiday travel in 2021 needs to include a backup plan as well. Ensure you’re booking flights and hotels with flexible cancellation

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s top security official has proposed introducing joint German-Polish patrols on the two countries’ border to help clamp down on illegal crossings into Germany by migrants arriving from Belarus. But he said on Wednesday that no one has any intention of closing the frontier. Authorities in Germany say about 4,500 such crossings

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian police officers have fired tear gas at protesters in southwest Lagos state as they tried to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating against police brutality on Wednesday. One year ago, thousands marched in Nigeria for the #EndSARS movement to protest the activities of the now-disbanded Special

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Police say three people are dead and two others critically wounded following a shooting at a home in the southeastern Wisconsin city of Kenosha. Details about what led to Tuesday night’s shooting weren’t immediately released, but the Kenosha Police Department said on Twitter that it “believes this to be an isolated

ROME (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has said he hopes to soon join a beloved professor friend in “the afterlife.” Benedict penned an Oct. 2 letter to a German priest, thanking him for letting him know of the passing of the Rev. Gerhard Winkler, a Cistercian priest and academic colleague. In the letter, the

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities in Germany say police have searched 14 premises across the country in connection with a suspected far-right extremist group whose members had discussed preparing for an armed revolt. Berlin police said officers searched premises in the capital and three other states linked to 15 suspects belonging to a group that called

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for a few days. The palace did not offer specifics on the decision Wednesday. But it said the monarch is “in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to

By STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s prime minister-designate has failed to win parliamentary support from lawmakers on a new cabinet proposal, which risks prolonging an ongoing political crisis amid an acute surge of coronavirus cases. After failing to rebuild a governing coalition after the Liberal-led government was ousted in a no-confidence

By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A Syrian military official says two bombs attached to a bus carrying troops in the capital Damascus have exploded, killing 14 people. The attack early Wednesday was one the deadliest in in the capital in years, and a rare event since government forces