Who wants to be almost a billionaire? Mega Millions jackpot now $970 million

Lottery players are getting another shot at the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history
U.S. virus deaths top 400,000 as Trump leaves office

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has surpassed 400,000, providing a grim coda to Donald Trump's presidency
12 National Guard members removed from inauguration duty over security concerns

dozen members of the National Guard have been removed from inauguration duty as the federal government screens troops involved for security concerns, senior U.S. defense officials said Tuesday, one day before President-elect Joe Biden is set to take...
Biden takes office Wednesday, must lead U.S. out of a 'dark winter'

President-elect Joe Biden predicted he would take office amid a “dark winter,” and the outlook is only getting bleaker
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Pharmacist accused of destroying vaccine charged

Prosecutors have charged a Wisconsin pharmacist accused of spoiling COVID-19 vaccine with misdemeanor property damage
Inauguration rehearsal evacuated after fire in homeless camp

The U.S. Capitol complex temporarily locked down during a rehearsal for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration after a fire in a homeless encampment roughly a mile away sent a plume of smoke into the air and caused security concerns
COVID lockdowns, protests, election strife led to record gun sales in 2020

At gun shops across the country, 2020 was a year of wild spikes in sales, especially to new customers anxious about the pandemic and a summer of protests. More firearms were sold last year than in any previous year on record.
Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 U.S. states amid winter surge

Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of American states as a winter surge pushes the overall toll toward 400,000 amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking hold
Biden's inaugural address: Can one speech rally, unite the nation?

President-elect Joe Biden will take the stage for his inaugural address at perhaps the most difficult starting point for a president since Franklin Roosevelt began his first term by assuring a nation scarred by the Great Depression that “we...
Trump plans flurry of pardons in final hours of presidency

President Donald Trump is preparing to pardon or commute the sentences of more than 100 people in his final hours in office, decisions that are expected to be announced Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the...
Records: Trump allies behind rally that ignited Capitol riot

An Associated Press review of records finds that veterans of President Donald Trump’s unsuccessful campaign had key roles in the Washington rally that spawned a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol
WHO: 'Not right' to vaccinate young before old

The head of the World Health Organization says it’s “not right” that younger, healthier adults in rich countries get vaccinated against COVID-19 before older people in poorer countries
Fauci: Approval of Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca vaccines ‘weeks away’

President-elect Joe Biden’s goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans during his first 100 days in office got a seal of approval from the country’s top infectious disease expert on Sunday.
'Little old West Virginia' sets pace on vaccine rollout

West Virginia has emerged as an unlikely success in the nation’s otherwise chaotic coronavirus vaccine rollout
Tipsters, tech-savvy kids, pharmacy hopping: How Americans are landing coronavirus vaccines

Four days into her coronavirus vaccine hunt, Ramona Cohen struck out again.
CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant to become dominant in U.S.

The highly contagious variant of the coronavirus first seen in the United Kingdom will become the dominant strain in the United States within about two months, its rapid spread heightening the urgency of getting people vaccinated, the Centers for...
Biden outlines 'Day One' agenda of executive actions

In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic
Nestlé recalls 762,000 pounds of pepperoni Hot Pockets
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Nestlé Prepared Foods is recalling more than 762,000 pounds of pepperoni Hot Pockets
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The prosecution of Kevin Blacker, critic of Gov. Lamont's port authority, continues
The port authority, which got Blacker arrested on a felony charge, is trying to keep him from...
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