Uber helping detectives solve Florida ‘grandparent scams’
TAMPA, Fla. — Detectives in Tampa are asking Uber to help solve a “grandparent scam” that conned $10,000 from a 75-year-old man who was told his granddaughter needed the money to get out of jail. Uber also is helping the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office find suspects in a long-running con that...
Report: Trump slammed Netanyahu for congratulating Biden
JERUSALEM — Former President Donald Trump earlier this year lashed out with profanity at Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. election, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. Trump accused the former Israeli leader of disloyalty, saying he had helped Netanyahu in his own elections...
UN: Afghanistan’s economy is collapsing ‘before our eyes’
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief warned that Afghanistan’s economic collapse “is happening before our eyes” and urged the international community to take action to stop “the freefall” before it leads to more deaths. Martin Griffiths said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday that donor nations...
Senate passes bill easing way for debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — The Senate moved ahead Thursday with legislation that would create a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit, overcoming a Republican filibuster and likely averting another last-minute rush to avoid a devastating federal default. The bill fits the two goals that Republican leader Mitch McConnell had set...
California adopts tough standards for trucks, lawn equipment
SACRAMENTO — Forget speeding tickets — California truck drivers will soon have to watch out for pollution tickets. State regulators on Thursday voted to crack down on heavy duty trucks weighing more than 14,000 pounds — those big semi-trailers that make up just 3% of all vehicles in California but...
55 dead after truck smuggling migrants crashes in Mexico
TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico — Rescue workers arriving at a road accident in southern Mexico found a horrific scene: A tractor trailer jammed with as many as 200 migrants crashed into the base of a steel pedestrian bridge, killing 55 and injuring dozens. The migrants inside the tipped-over trailer were tossed...
Judge: Texas abortion law’s enforcement mechanism not valid
AUSTIN — A Texas judge said Thursday the enforcement mechanism behind the nation’s strictest abortion law— which rewards lawsuits against violators by awarding judgments of $10,000 — is unconstitutional in a narrow ruling that still leaves a near-total ban on abortions in place. State District Judge David Peeples of Austin...
New York AG Letitia James requests testimony from Trump in fraud probe
NEW YORK — New York state Attorney General Letitia James, who abruptly ended her campaign for governor Thursday, has requested testimony from Donald Trump in her civil investigation into possible fraud by the Trump Organization. James, a Democrat, is pursuing a deposition from the Republican former commander in chief on...
Jussie Smollett convicted of staging attack, lying to police
CHICAGO — Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago police about it. In the courtroom as the verdict was read, Smollett stood and faced the jury, showing no visible reaction....
Philly lawyer may join GOP field running for U.S. Senate seat
HARRISBURG — George Bochetto, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and Republican whose cases have often landed in the public spotlight, said Thursday that he is seriously considering running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat. In a brief interview, Bochetto, 69, said he is “looking at it very, very seriously and it’s...
Court rejects Trump’s efforts to keep records from 1/6 panel
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday against an effort by former President Donald Trump to shield documents from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In a 68-page ruling, the three-judge panel tossed aside Trump’s various arguments for blocking through executive privilege records that...
California pushes composting to lower food waste emissions
DAVIS, Calif. — Banana peels, chicken bones and leftover veggies won’t have a place in California trashcans under the nation’s largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program that’s set to take effect in January. The effort is designed to keep landfills in the most populous U.S. state clear of food...
U.S. expands Pfizer covid boosters, opens extra dose to age 16
U.S. health authorities said Thursday that 16- and 17-year-olds should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine once they’re six months past their last shot. The U.S. and many other nations already were urging adults to get booster shots to pump up immunity that can wane months after vaccination,...
Travis Scott says he was unaware of deaths until after show
HOUSTON — Rapper Travis Scott said in an interview that he didn’t know that fans had died at his Astroworld festival in Houston until after his performance. In a lengthy interview with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God posted on YouTube on Thursday, Scott described from his perspective what happened at...
Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels
MOSCOW — Russia’s top military officer on Thursday sternly warned neighboring Ukraine against trying to reclaim control over separatist areas by force, saying that Moscow will “suppress” any such attempt. The statement by Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian...
Renters in parts of Pa. shut out of rent relief as counties elsewhere sit on millions in unused aid
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 — Outrage. Disappointment. Disbelief. That’s how housing advocates in Berks County reacted when they found out, in late September, that...
2021 now the highest-winning year ever for U.S. casinos
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — America’s casinos have won more money this year than ever before, according to figures released Thursday from a national gambling trade association. The American Gaming Association said U.S. casinos have already broken the record for most money won in a single year at $44.15 billion. Those...
Michigan school district faces $100M lawsuits after shootingsVideo
Two lawsuits seeking $100 million each have been filed against a Michigan school district, its superintendent and others after four students were fatally shot and others wounded at Oxford High School, a lawyer announced Thursday. The lawsuits were filed in federal court in Detroit by Jeffrey and Brandi Franz on...
Penn State names 1st woman university president
When Neeli Bendapudi takes the reins as Penn State’s 19th president on July 1, officials hope her broad portfolio will help her boost the university’s struggling regional campuses. Penn State’s board of trustees capped a 10 month national search Thursday with a unanimous vote to appoint Bendapudi, who has served...
Reports: Penn State chooses president from Louisville to replace Eric Barron
STATE COLLEGE — University trustees appear to be poised to bring the current president of the University of Louisville to Happy Valley as the 19th president of Penn State. The hiring of Neeli Bendapudi would be groundbreaking for Penn State, in that it would give the university its first female...
Minnesota crash after police pursuit leaves 2 dead, 3 hurt
MINNEAPOLIS — A crash in Minneapolis early Thursday that followed a police pursuit of an SUV that was reportedly stolen has left two juveniles dead and three others hospitalized, authorities said. Officers in suburban Robbinsdale spotted a Mercedes SUV about 2 a.m. that was reported stolen in Minneapolis and attempted...
U.S. jobless claims drop to 52-year low amid seasonal volatility
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession. Unemployment claims dropped by 43,000 to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1969, the Labor...
Car crash deaths have surged during covid-19 pandemic. Here’s why
It was a tally that shocked the experts: 38,680 deaths on U.S. roadways last year, the most since 2007 even though pandemic precautions had dramatically reduced driving. “This was completely unprecedented,” said Ken Kolosh, a researcher at the nonprofit National Safety Council. “We didn’t know what was happening.” One possibility...
Florida professors cite fear of state politicians on campus
ORLANDO — University of Florida professors say fear of upsetting state politicians pervades the campus to the point that race-related references have been edited out of course materials and faculty members have been restricted from participating in outside activities that challenge the priorities of the governor’s administration, according to a...
Senate rejects Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses
WASHINGTON — The Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration’s requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. The vote was 52-48. The Democratic-led House is unlikely to take the measure up, which...
