NYPD to disband plainclothes anti-crime unitsVideo
NEW YORK — New York City’s top cop said Monday afternoon he was disbanding the NYPD’s plainclothes precinct anti-crime units, which has often been accused of heavy-handed tactics by minority communities. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said the 600 cops in the units would be moved to other responsibilities. “This is...
Feds: eBay staff sent spiders, roaches to harass couple
Six former eBay Inc. employees have been charged with waging an extensive campaign to terrorize and intimidate the editor and publisher of an online newsletter with threats and disturbing deliveries to their home, including live spiders and cockroaches, federal authorities said Monday. Executives were upset about the newsletter’s coverage, so...
Voice of America director, deputy resign because of Trump clash
WASHINGTON — The director of Voice of America and her deputy resigned Monday because of recent clashes with the Trump administration that have sparked fears about the independence of the U.S. government-funded news organization. Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara announced they were leaving the organization as Trump ally...
Trump administration expected to sue to block John Bolton book
The Trump administration is expected to seek an injunction in federal court to block the publication of former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s memoir, a person familiar with the matter said. The planned lawsuit, which was reported earlier by ABC News, could be filed in the coming days but has...
Driller charged over contamination in ‘Gasland’ town
An energy company faces felony charges for polluting residential water wells in a Pennsylvania community that has long been a battleground in the national debate over natural gas drilling and fracking. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was charged Monday following a grand jury investigation that found the company failed...
Pennsylvania lawmakers advance proposals on police hiring, training
HARRISBURG — Two bills to change how police are hired and trained were approved unanimously Monday by a Pennsylvania House committee. Action on the proposals was taken a week after black state representatives commandeered the speaker’s dais and disrupted House business to pressure majority Republicans to take action on stalled...
Students urge Trump to maintain training options for international graduates
Graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and more than five dozen other top universities say efforts to eliminate a training program for international graduate students could have an unintended impact on the U.S. economy. The program, known as the Optional Practical Training program, permits international...
Virus outbreak grows to 28 cases at West Virginia church
A coronavirus outbreak at a West Virginia church has grown to 28 cases, Gov. Jim Justice said Monday. The outbreak that occurred last week at the Graystone Baptist Church in Lewisburg has led to additional available testing for the public in Greenbrier County. Justice said during his daily news conference...
EU urges U.S. to join new Mideast peace effortVideo
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers on Monday urged the United States to join a new effort to breathe life into long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but they rejected President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan as the basis for any international process. Trump’s proposal, which was unveiled...
More U.S. colleges dropping admission exams, report finds
The image of high school juniors and seniors sweating their SAT results may be increasingly dated. A new report from FairTest, a national organization that advocates for the elimination of college entrance exams, found that more than half of U.S. four-year colleges will be “test optional” by fall 2021. The...
FDA revokes emergency use of hydroxychloroquine for treating coronavirusVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Monday revoked emergency authorization for malaria drugs promoted by President Donald Trump for treating covid-19 amid growing evidence they don’t work and could cause serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration said the drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are unlikely to be effective in treating...
Pennsylvania reports 28 new coronavirus deaths, 323 new cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 28 new covid-19 deaths and 323 new cases in the state Monday. That brings the state’s total case count to 79,121, with 6,243 deaths. The state considers 630 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in...
New roller coaster highlights Hersheypark’s reopening on July 3Video
After months of coronavirus precautions, Hersheypark is getting ready to reopen. And when guests finally start visiting on July 3, they’ll be able to experience a new ride that’s billed as the park’s fastest, tallest and longest roller coaster. Candymonium reaches 210 feet high with a max speed of 76...
Supreme Court for now stays out of police immunity debate
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is for now declining to get involved in an ongoing debate by citizens and in Congress over policing, rejecting cases Monday that would have allowed the justices to revisit when police can be held financially responsible for wrongdoing. With protests over racism and police brutality...
Auto workers chief, prosecutor to discuss reforming union
DETROIT — The head of the United Auto Workers will meet this month with the U.S. attorney in Detroit to discuss potential changes for the union following a wide-ranging corruption probe. Matthew Schneider, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, has floated the idea of the government taking...
EU, U.K. leaders agree ‘new momentum’ needed in Brexit talksVideo
BRUSSELS — A video conference between EU officials and British Prime minister Boris Johnson focusing on their post-Brexit relationship produced only a declaration of good will, with both parties acknowledging Monday that a “new momentum was required” to break the deadlock in negotiations. Following Britain’s political departure from the bloc,...
Supreme Court rejects several gun rights cases for next term
The Supreme Court on Monday passed up several challenges to federal and state gun control laws, over the dissent of two conservative justices. Gun rights advocates had hoped the court would expand the constitutional right to “keep and bear arms” beyond the home. Instead, the justices left in place restrictions...
Stocks erase an early loss after Fed widens bond purchasesVideo
NEW YORK — Wall Street rallied back from a sharp, early slump on Monday to notch modest gains after the Federal Reserve unveiled its latest push to prop up the economy. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% in the latest day of big swings for global markets, as a remarkable, weekslong...
Landmark civil rights law extends to LGBTQ employees, Supreme Court rulesVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court declared Monday that the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees from workplace discrimination. In a major victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer workers, the justices said the law’s ban on job discrimination on the basis of “sex” can be read...
Alabama city’s Confederate statue relocated to a museum
MOBILE, Ala. — A Confederate statue removed from Alabama’s port city earlier this month has been relocated to a museum, the city’s mayor said. The History Museum of Mobile has received the bronze likeness of Admiral Raphael Semmes, which stood in a middle of a downtown street near the Mobile...
Beloved Penguin ambassador overcomes the odds at National Aviary
Dottie the African Penguin was just 7 months old when she joined the National Aviary’s penguin colony 11 years ago. She quickly formed a close bond with another penguin, Stanley, and the two became inseparable. This tightly bonded pair chose each other, and their bond is what helped see Dottie...
First lady announces youth art project on women’s suffrage
WASHINGTON — Melania Trump wants to use art to help children learn about women’s suffrage. The first lady on Monday announced a youth art project to coincide with the ratification nearly 100 years ago of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote. The project, “Building the Movement:...
Grim blame game over virus deaths in besieged nursing homes
WASHINGTON — A grim blame game with partisan overtones is breaking out over covid-19 deaths among nursing home residents, a tiny slice of the population that represents a shockingly high proportion of Americans who have perished in the pandemic. The Trump administration has been pointing to a segment of the...
Japan to scrap costly land-based U.S. missile defense system
TOKYO — Japan’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it has decided to stop unpopular plans to deploy two costly land-based U.S. missile defense systems aimed at bolstering the country’s capability against threats from North Korea. Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters that he decided to “stop the deployment process” of...
Europe’s borders reopen but long road for tourism to recoverVideo
BERLIN — Borders opened up across Europe on Monday after three months of coronavirus closures that began chaotically in March. But many restrictions persist, it’s unclear how keen Europeans will be to travel this summer and the continent is still closed to Americans, Asians and other international tourists. Border checks...
