Bitcoin-mining power plant raises ire of environmentalists
An obstacle to large-scale bitcoin mining is finding enough cheap energy to run the huge, power-gobbling computer arrays that create and transact cryptocurrency. One mining operation in central New York came up with a novel solution that has alarmed environmentalists. It uses its own power plant. Greenidge Generation runs a...
In quiet debut, Alzheimer’s drug finds questions, skepticism
The first new Alzheimer’s treatment in more than 20 years was hailed as a breakthrough when regulators approved it more than four months ago, but its rollout has been slowed by questions about its price and how well it works. Several major medical centers remain undecided on whether to use...
Gang with past abductions blamed for kidnapping missionaries
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A notorious Haitian gang known for brazen kidnappings and killings was accused by police Sunday of abducting 17 missionaries from a U.S.-based organization. Five children were believed to be among those kidnapped, including a 2-year-old. The 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier, a community that...
Risky business: Some Capitol riot defendants forgo lawyers
Some of the defendants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol are turning away defense lawyers and electing to represent themselves, undeterred by their lack of legal training or repeated warnings from judges. That choice already has led to some curious legal maneuvers and awkward exchanges in court. A...
Bill Clinton released from Southern California hospital
ORANGE, Calif. — Bill Clinton was released Sunday from the Southern California hospital where he had been treated for an infection. The former president was released around 8 a.m. from the University of California Irvine Medical Center. Clinton, 75, was admitted Tuesday to the hospital southeast of Los Angeles with...
Nursing homes fall short of vaccine mandates for staff
Nursing homes are struggling to meet vaccination mandates for workers despite the likelihood of federal sanctions. In Pennsylvania, about 28% of the state’s 688 skilled care nursing facilities had met an 80% threshold for staff vaccination rates as of Oct. 3, according to the state Department of Health. Even fewer...
Strike dodged with deal between film and TV crews, studios
LOS ANGELES — An 11th-hour deal was reached Saturday, averting a strike of film and television crews that would have seen some 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers walk off their jobs and would have frozen productions in Hollywood and across the U.S. After days of marathon negotiations, representatives from the International Alliance...
NASA’s asteroid hunter Lucy soars into sky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft named Lucy rocketed into the sky with diamonds Saturday morning on a 12-year quest to explore eight asteroids. Seven of the mysterious space rocks are among swarms of asteroids sharing Jupiter’s orbit, thought to be the pristine leftovers of planetary formation. An Atlas...
Lawsuits demand unproven ivermectin for covid patients
NEW YORK — Mask rules, vaccination mandates and business shutdowns have all landed in the courts during the covid-19 outbreak, confronting judges with questions of science and government authority. Now they are increasingly being asked to weigh in on the deworming drug ivermectin. At least two dozen lawsuits have been...
Now 41, man who killed 4-year-old at age 13 granted parole
ALBANY, N.Y. — Eric M. Smith, who was 13 when he killed a 4-year-old boy with a rock in western New York, has been granted parole, corrections officials said on Saturday. Smith, now 41, appeared for the 11th time before the Board of Parole on Oct. 5 and was granted...
AP review: At least 13 auto safety rules are years overdue
WASHINGTON — After their 16-year-old daughter died in a car crash, David and Wendy Mills wondered whether she would be alive if federal rules on rear seat belt warnings had been issued on time. Four years later, with no rule and traffic fatalities spiking, they’re still at a loss over...
Manchin’s opposition may doom clean-power plan Biden backs
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin has told the White House and congressional leaders that he will not support including a key clean-power provision in the Democrats’ spending package, putting at risk a central element of the legislation designed to fight climate change, according to a person familiar with the matter....
Bill Clinton expected to be released from hospital soon
ORANGE, Calif. — Bill Clinton is doing fine and will be released soon from a Southern California hospital where he’s being treated for an infection, President Joe Biden said. Biden said Friday during remarks at the University of Connecticut that he had spoken to Clinton and the former president “sends...
Woman raped on train as bystanders did nothing, police say
UPPER DARBY — A woman was raped by a stranger on a commuter train in suburban Philadelphia in the presence of other riders who a police official said “should have done something.” Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt of the Upper Darby Police Department said officers were called to the 69th Street terminal...
Van Gogh artwork looted by Nazis to be auctioned in New York
NEW YORK — A watercolor by Vincent van Gogh that was seized by the Nazis during World War II will be sold next month at auction in New York, where it is expected to fetch a price of $20 million or more, the auction house Christie’s announced. Christie’s is auctioning...
Jan. 6 panel moving swiftly as it sets Bannon contempt vote
WASHINGTON — A congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has moved aggressively against close Trump adviser Steve Bannon, swiftly scheduling a vote to recommend criminal contempt charges against the former White House aide after he defied a subpoena. The chairman of the special committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.,...
Lawyer: Murdaugh knows he’ll go to prison for stealing money
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The attorney for prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who discovered his wife and son dead at their home this summer, said Murdaugh is resigned that he will serve time in prison for stealing millions of dollars. But Murdaugh continues to insist he had nothing to do...
Ahmaud Arbery murder trial begins Monday amid a burning question
ATLANTA — Almost 20 months to the day Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed, the trial for the three men charged in his death begins Monday. Up to 1,000 Glynn County residents summoned for jury duty are scheduled to appear at Selden Park, a large recreation center in Brunswick, to...
Pa. lawmakers hand out millions in public contracts to law firms that fill their campaign coffers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A host of politically connected law firms are pouring millions of dollars into the campaigns of Pennsylvania legislators, who...
FDA panel endorses booster shot for J&J covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. health advisers endorsed booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot covid-19 vaccine Friday, saying they should be offered at least two months after immunization. J&J has asked the Food and Drug Administration for flexibility with its booster, arguing the extra dose adds important protection...
Capitol Police officer indicted for obstruction after riot
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Capitol Police officer has been indicted on obstruction of justice charges after prosecutors say he helped to hide evidence of a rioter’s involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The officer, Michael A. Riley, is accused of tipping off someone who participated in the riot by telling...
Supreme Court commission talks positively of shorter terms
WASHINGTON — A commission tasked with studying potential changes to the Supreme Court has released a first look at its review, a draft report that is cautious in discussing proposals for expanding the court but also speaks approvingly of term limits for justices. The 36-member bipartisan commission, largely composed of...
Protesters arrested after occupying Interior Department lobby
WASHINGTON — Protesters held a sit-in Thursday at the Interior Department building in downtown Washington and clashed with police as they challenged fossil fuel projects and called for the declaration of a climate emergency. Multiple arrests were reported. An Interior Department spokeswoman said a group of protesters rushed the lobby,...
Biden to reinstate Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy next month
SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration said it plans to reinstate a Trump-era border policy next month to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, complying with a judge’s order. It hinges on approval of the Mexican government, which has raised concerns that U.S. officials are...
U.K. lawmaker stabbed to death while meeting with constituents
LONDON — A long-serving member of Parliament was stabbed to death Friday during a meeting with constituents at a church in England, an attack that united Britain’s fractious politicians in shock and sorrow. A 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene. Police gave no immediate details on the motive for...
