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WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr says the United States has become overly reliant on Chinese goods and services. Examples include face masks, medical gowns and other protective equipment designed to curb the spread of coronavirus. He's also accusing hackers linked to the Chinese government of targeting American universities and companies to steal research related to vaccine development. The attorney general is also cautioning American business leaders against promoting policies favorable to Beijing. Barr’s address at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is part of a full-court press by the Trump administration to outline what officials see as Beijing’s burgeoning economic threat to the U.S.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western governments are accusing hackers believed to be part of the Russian intelligence services of trying to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine. They have issued an unusually detailed warning aimed at publicly calling out the Kremlin and putting scientists and medical companies on notice about suspicious behavior. Intelligence agencies in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada allege that the hacking group APT29 is attacking academic and pharmaceutical research institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccine development. The group is also known as Cozy Bear and was blamed for U.S. election interference four years ago.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta to block the city from enforcing its mandate to wear a mask in public and other rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, in a state court suit filed late Thursday, argued that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has overstepped her authority and must obey Kemp’s executive orders under state law. The suit comes a day after Kemp clarified his executive orders to expressly block Atlanta and at least 14 other local governments from requiring people to wear face coverings. Kemp’s order was met with defiance Thursday by Bottoms and other mayors, who said they would continue enforcing their mandates and were prepared to go to court.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Fire officials say Pacific Gas & Electric transmission lines sparked a wildfire last year in Northern California that destroyed hundreds of homes and led to the evacuation of nearly 100,000 people. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection issued the finding Thursday. Cal Fire says investigators determined that power lines near the town of Geyserville ignited the fire that ripped through Sonoma County last October. The agency didn’t release details of the investigation but said it sent the report to the district attorney's office for possible criminal charges. PG&E recently emerged from bankruptcy caused by its role in several devastating wildfires.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard at a San Diego naval base has been extinguished after a four-day battle against one of the worst infernos to rip through a U.S. warship outside of combat in recent years. Now the attention is turning to the fate of the 840-foot (255-meter) amphibious assault ship that has a collapsed forward mast. Once it’s safe, officials plan to go compartment by compartment to examine its charred bowels and determine if it is salvageable. Teams were checking the vessel to make sure no fire remained. An official investigation will begin into the cause of the blaze that started Sunday.
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