Pat Robertson steps down as host of long-running ‘700 Club’
NORFOLK, Va. — Pat Robertson, who turned a tiny Virginia television station into a global religious broadcasting network, is stepping down after a half-century running the “700 Club” on daily TV, the Christian Broadcasting Network announced on Friday. Robertson, 91, said in a statement that he hosted the network’s flagship...
Biden, Democrats back at it, scaling back $3.5T plan
WASHINGTON — Democrats were back at it Friday, doggedly determined to rescue a scaled-back version of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion government overhaul and salvage a related public works bill after a long night of frantic negotiations that resulted in no deal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was gathering the party’s...
U.S. tries to make nice with France after Australia sub snub
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit France next week as the Biden administration tries to smooth over hurt feelings and potentially more lasting damage caused by its exclusion of America’s oldest ally from a new Indo-Pacific security initiative, the State Department said Friday. The department said Blinken...
Turkish man reported missing joins search party seeking him
ANKARA, Turkey — In a scene worthy of a comedy sketch, a Turkish man joined a search party for a missing person not realizing the individual being pursued was him. Beyhan Mutlu, 51, went drinking with a friend in a forest in the town of Inegol, northwest Turkey, late Tuesday....
Justice Brett Kavanaugh tests positive for covid, has no symptoms
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says Justice Brett Kavanaugh has tested positive for covid-19. The high court said in a press release Friday that Kavanaugh has no symptoms and has been fully vaccinated since January. Kavanaugh and all the other justices had a routine coronavirus test ahead of Friday’s ceremonial...
Dubai’s Expo opens, bringing 1st World Fair to the Mideast
After eight years of planning and billions of dollars in spending, the Middle East’s first ever World Fair opened on Friday in Dubai, with hopes the months-long extravaganza draws both visitors and global attention to this desert-turned-dreamscape. Named Expo 2020, the event was postponed by a year due to the...
N. Korea says it fired anti-aircraft missile, 4th recent test
North Korea said Friday it test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile, the fourth weapons launch in recent weeks that experts say is part of a strategy to win relief from sanctions and other concessions. South Korea, Japan and the United States typically publicly confirm North Korean ballistic missile launches, which are...
Despite setback, Democrats try to save Biden $3.5T plan
Despite a long night of frantic negotiations, Democrats were unable to reach an immediate deal to salvage President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion government overhaul, forcing leaders to call off promised votes on a related public works bill. Action is to resume Friday. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had pushed the House into...
Nation’s most restrictive abortion law back in Texas court
AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge on Friday will consider whether Texas can leave in place the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., which since September has banned most abortions and sent women racing to get care beyond the borders of the nation’s second-most populous state. A lawsuit filed...
Merck says experimental pill cuts covid hospitalizations, deaths by half
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental covid-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use. If cleared, the drug would be the...
Illinois man dies of rabies after apparent bat bite
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A northern Illinois man has died of rabies after apparently being bitten by a bat — the first human case of rabies in the state since 1954, health officials reported this week. The diagnosis has been confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the...
Idaho’s partial vote recount validates 2020 election tallies
BOISE — A partial recount of ballots cast during the last presidential election has validated the accuracy of the results, Idaho officials say, despite manipulation claims by Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. The Idaho secretary of state’s office said Wednesday that a hand inspection of ballots in Camas...
Fewer Americans than ever remain opposed to getting a covid-19 vaccine, new poll finds
The number of Americans opposed to getting a covid-19 vaccine reached a new low this month, a poll found. The Gallup poll, conducted Sept. 13-19, found fewer respondents than ever said they don’t plan to get a coronavirus vaccine while more than ever said they are already vaccinated or plan...
Flag-wearing man throws Molotov cocktail into Austin Dems headquartersVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — An arson investigation was underway after a man wearing an American flag bandanna threw a Molotov cocktail into the headquarters of the county Democratic Party in Austin. The incendiary device did not ignite when it was thrown at the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters at about 2...
Gunman who killed 1, injured 3 at San Diego-area synagogue gets life in prison
SAN DIEGO — With victims and their families watching in a crowded San Diego courtroom, the gunman who opened fire at a Poway synagogue in 2019, killing one worshipper and injuring three others, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole. It was the expected sentence for John T....
Pa. officials calling thousands in effort to address bus driver shortage
Pennsylvania officials are searching statewide for school bus drivers as the driver shortage plaguing the nation continues to hit close to home. PennDOT is reaching out to about 375,000 people across the state who have commercial driver’s licenses to highlight the need for bus drivers and the process for obtaining...
Military suicides rise 15% as senior leaders call for action
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. military suicides jumped by 15% last year, fueled by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps that senior leaders called troubling. They urged more effort to reverse the trend. According to data released Thursday, there were 580 suicides last year compared with 504...
Man stuck in Arizona storm drain saved after he waves arm
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A man who got stuck inside a metro Phoenix storm drain was rescued on Thursday after people passing by saw the man waving his arm from the drain, officials said. The people stopped to see if the man needed help, Glendale Fire Department spokeswoman Ashley Losch said,...
Biden signs bill to avert partial government shutdown
WASHINGTON — With only hours to spare, President Joe Biden on Thursday evening signed legislation that would avoid a partial federal shutdown and keep the government funded through Dec. 3. Congress had passed the bill earlier Thursday. The back-to-back votes by the Senate and then the House averted one crisis,...
United says some workers facing termination got vaccinated
DALLAS — United Airlines says the number of employees facing termination for refusing to get vaccinated against covid-19 has dropped nearly by half, to 320, as more workers provide evidence of vaccination. An airline spokeswoman said Thursday that the declining number of potential firings shows that the company’s policy of...
Baltimore argues Catholic group’s rally could bring violence
A conservative Roman Catholic media outlet seeking to stage a rally during a U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore claims city officials canceled the event because they disapprove of its religious message. The city says the gathering poses a threat to public safety, claiming the fringe group cheered on rioters who...
Boy shot, wounded at Tennessee school; juvenile sought
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A boy was shot and wounded Thursday at a school in Memphis, Tenn., authorities said. The shooting was reported at Cummings School, Memphis police said in a statement. The school includes grades kindergarten through eighth, according to its website. The boy was taken to a hospital in...
Taliban order fighters out of Afghan homes they took over
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Thursday ordered their fighters to leave private homes they had taken over during last month’s blitz when the group seized control of Afghanistan, an apparent effort to impose order among Taliban ranks. Meanwhile, in the capital of Kabul, the Taliban fired shots to disperse...
At last minute, Pa. lawmakers vote to extend dozens of covid-19 waivers
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 — The Pennsylvania legislature unanimously voted Wednesday to extend dozens of regulatory waivers put into place last year to help...
Biden plan at stake, Pelosi pushes ahead for $3.5T deal
WASHINGTON — With President Joe Biden’s government overhaul at stake, Democrats charged into trouble Thursday as a promised vote on the first piece, a slimmer $1 trillion public works bill, faltered amid stalled talks on his more ambitious package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assembled her leadership team for an early...
