The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Kansas that sought to revive a law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. A federal appeals court had declared the law unconstitutional. Kansas had been the only state to require people to show a physical document such as a birth certificate or passport when applying to register to vote. The issue is distinct from state laws that call for people to produce driver licenses or other photo IDs to cast a vote in person. The law was championed by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who led President Donald Trump’s now-defunct voter fraud commission.  Read more

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: Read more

Stocks ended mostly lower on Wall Street Monday after an early rally evaporated. In the U.S., investors are waiting to see if Congress can break a logjam on delivering more aid to people, businesses and local governments affected by the coronavirus pandemic, while in Europe talks continue on trying to reach a trade deal between Britain and the European Union. The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%. It was up as much as 0.9% earlier. The index is coming off its worst weekly performance since Halloween, and extended its losing streak to four consecutive trading days. Treasury yields rose.  Read more

The Bethlehem Township man faces assault charges; no injuries were reported Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Electoral College meeting (all times local): Read more

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has topped 300,000 just as the vaccine that could help conquer the outbreak is being rolled out. The vaccine has come too late for the many health care workers who have died or fallen ill in recent weeks. Among them was Brittany Palomo, who was was hired as a nurse in March and took the job after her parents tried to talk her out of it because of the virus. She died of COVID-19 complications in late November at age 27 at a hospital in Harlingen, Texas. Read more

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 300,000, just as vaccinations begin across the country. The number of dead tallied by Johns Hopkins University rivals the population of St. Louis or Pittsburgh. It is equivalent to repeating a tragedy on the scale of Hurricane Katrina every day for 5 1/2 months. It is more than five times the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. The U.S. crossed the threshold just as the biggest vaccination campaign in American history began Monday with health care workers receiving COVID-19 shots. Read more

U.S. government agencies and private companies rushed Monday to secure their computer networks following the disclosure of a sophisticated and long-running cyber-espionage intrusion. Experts said the hack was almost certainly was carried out by a foreign state. It was not yet clear who was responsible for the intrusion, though it was reportedly conducted by Russia, and the extent of the damage is not yet known. But the potential threat was significant enough that the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity unit directed all federal agencies to remove compromised network management software and thousands of companies were expected to do the same.  Read more

Joe Biden is ready to declare that “not even an abuse of power” can stop a peaceful transition of power in the U.S. after last month’s election. That's an overt swipe at President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept defeat and at the top Republicans who have continued to stand by him. The president-elect is delivering a primetime speech Monday, after the Electoral College formally votes to declare him president. According to excerpts released by his campaign, Biden plans to call for unity, but also will say that “an abuse of power” couldn't shake American belief in democracy.  Read more

A Lim Kim made a U.S. Women's Open debut she won't forget. The 25-year-old South Korean birdied her last three holes and tied the record for the largest comeback to win the biggest event in women's golf. That makes nine South Korean winners in the last 13 years at the U.S Women's Open. Kim won by one shot over Amy Olson and Jin Young Ko in frigid weather at Champions Golf Club. Olson was playing with a heavy heart after her father-in-law died unexpectedly Sunday night in North Dakota. The Women's Open concluded Monday because of rain. Read more

The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history is underway with health workers getting the first shots on the same day the nation's COVID-19 death toll hit a staggering 300,000. “Relieved” is the reaction of a nurse who got vaccinated early Monday. Hospitals are rolling out the first small shipments, as boxes of precious frozen vials arrive at locations around the country. How well initial vaccinations go will help reassure a wary public when it’s their turn sometime next year. Read more

Presidential electors in key battleground states have cast the votes that will affirm Joe Biden as the nation’s next president. Monday's action by the Electoral College was a formality that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost his race for reelection. Biden said, in remarks prepared for a nighttime speech: “In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed." Heightened security was in place in some states as electors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin _ the six battleground states that Biden won and Trump contested _ gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key proceedings.  Read more

Early in-person voting has begun in the Jan. 5 runoff elections for Georgia for two U.S. Senate seats. The early voting period runs as late as Dec. 31 in some counties. It could determine the outcome of the races between Republican U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. A majority of votes before the Nov. 3 general election were cast in person during early voting. The period could be even more important during the runoffs because of the short time for voters to request and return ballots by mail. More than 125,000 people cast ballots in October on the first day of early voting. Read more

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Surgeon General Jerome Adams stressed the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, while raising issues of social equity. Read more

James Harden is practicing with the Houston Rockets, and coach Stephen Silas says he'll make his preseason debut Tuesday night. What the first-year coach wasn't able to answer was questions about whether the superstar wants to be in Houston as talk swirls that he wants to be traded. Harden missed Houston’s first two preseason games as he went through the NBA’s COVID-19 testing protocols.   Read more

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara was inaugurated Monday for a third term in office amid ongoing outcries from opposition parties. More than 300 people attended the inauguration at the Presidential Palace, including about 10 African heads of state, as the re-elected Ouattara called for national dialogue. Ouattara pledged to rebuild a more united Ivory Coast. He condemned the violence that has marked the election and vowed to create a ministry in charge of national reconciliation in order to consolidate social cohesion. Independent presidential candidate Kouadio Konan Bertin took part in the inauguration ceremony, however, the opposition, which is still contesting Ouattara’s re-election, did not take part.   Read more

Senior U.S. officials will begin receiving coronavirus vaccines this week as part of updated federal continuity of government plans that now include terrorism and pandemics as threats to the nation and its leaders. The effort comes after President Donald Trump said on Sunday that White House aides should receive the vaccine “somewhat later in the program.” Still, senior administration officials say doses are expected to be administered at the White House, Capitol Hill and other facilities within the week. The exact number and role of officials set to receive vaccines is classified. Read more

Marriages of underage girls are on the rise as the coronavirus pandemic deepens poverty around the world, threatening to undo years of work by activists trying to stop the tradition in countries such as Sierra Leone. The United Nations estimates that hardships resulting from COVID-19 will drive 13 million more girls to marry before the age of 18. This year alone, Save the Children estimates nearly half a million more girls underage girls are at risk of being married off worldwide, most in Africa and Asia. In most cases, needy parents receive a dowry for their daughter — a bit of land or livestock that can provide income, or cash and a promise to take over financial responsibility for the young bride.   Read more

Poland’s conservative ruling party leader says the compromise struck at last week’s European Union summit that limits the use of financial sanctions will protect the country from an EU “attack.” Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in comments published Monday that the deal struck as part of the 1.82 trillion-euro ($2.21 trillion) budget for 2021-2027 and recovery package protects Poland’s national interests and secures the country’s share in EU funds. Under the deal, the EU is to draw up precise guidelines for when a new financial mechanism can be used to cut funds to a member that violates democratic standards, and what might trigger it. Moreover, Europe’s top court would need to weigh in on the guidelines’ validity. Read more

The first vaccines will be given to healthcare workers at University Hospital in Newark on Tuesday morning. Read more

The NCAA plans to host the entire women’s basketball NCAA Tournament in a single geographic area and San Antonio is the likely host site. The move was made to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19. The move matches that of the men’s tournament, which is expected to be played in its entirety in Indianapolis. The women’s Final Four was already set for San Antonio. The NCAA has begun preliminary talks with the Texas city to hold the entire 64-team tournament in the area.   Read more

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the closure of many of the country’s beaches throughout the festive season to fight a resurgence of new COVID-19 infections. Ramaphosa also announced an extended nighttime curfew and increased restrictions on the sales of alcohol, which will now only be sold from Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. All beaches will be closed from Dec. 16 until January in the Eastern Cape province and parts of the tourist area known as the Garden Route in the Western Cape. In the Kwazulu-Natal province, beaches will be closed on public holidays including Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Read more