Rising Great Lakes prompt calls for more icebreakers
The shipping industry and Michigan businesses are urging Congress to increase the number of icebreaking ships in the Great Lakes as water levels have surged to record highs in most of the lakes and connecting waterways. In the past few winters, higher water levels have created greater ice hazards for...
High drug costs outweigh ‘Medicare for All’ as top health care issue for voters
WASHINGTON — The debate over creating a single government health plan for all Americans may have dominated the Democratic presidential campaign, but most voters are focused on a more basic pocketbook issue: prescription drug prices. In poll after poll, the high cost of medications is at or near the top...
Erosion, floods make some final resting places not so final
WEYBRIDGE, Vt. — When Revolutionary War soldier Josiah Clark was buried in a small Vermont cemetery near a river bank in 1835, it was supposed to be his final resting place. But erosion over the years made worse by more intense storms has washed away some graves and left the...
Unusual study details woes among veterans of foster care
NEW YORK — Americans who have spent time in foster care are far more likely than other adults to lack a college degree, health insurance and a stable health care provider, according to a new federal analysis that is unprecedented in its scope. One striking finding in the report: Less...
Trump administration to impose visas restrictions for pregnant women
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is coming out Thursday with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting “birth tourism,” in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted U.S. passport. Visa applicants deemed by consular officers to be coming to the United...
Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton over Russia ‘favorite’ comments
NEW YORK — Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard filed a defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton on Wednesday over an interview in which Clinton appeared to call Gabbard “the favorite of the Russians.” Gabbard, a Hawaii congresswoman, said in her lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan that Clinton’s comments in...
Lawsuit claims inaugural committee spending enriched Trump family
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s inaugural committee spent more than $1 million to book a ballroom at the Trump International Hotel in the nation’s capital as part of a scheme to “grossly overpay” for party space and enrich the president’s own family in the process, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday....
Speculation grows about Pennsylvania House speaker Mike Turzai’s future
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai, the most prominent fiscal and social conservative in state government, will hold a news conference Thursday amid speculation in the Capitol this week that he will leave the powerful office after five years. Turzai had repeatedly declined to comment this week on questions...
Trump minimizes severity of head injuries to U.S. troops from Iran attacksVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday minimized the severity of head injuries sustained by U.S. troops during an Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base as he was pressed on why he’d claimed no troops had been injured in the attack. “I heard they had headaches and a...
Supreme Court seems favorable to religious education funding
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared ready Wednesday to reinvigorate a Montana scholarship program and make it easier to use public money to pay for religious schooling in many states. The court was sharply divided along ideological lines in arguments over a provision in Montana’s constitution that bars...
Chinese city stops outbound flights, trains to fight virus
BEIJING — The Chinese city of Wuhan shut down outbound flights and trains as the world’s most populous country battled the spread of a new virus that has sickened hundreds of people and killed 17, Chinese state media said early Thursday. The state-owned People’s Daily newspaper said no one would...
Russia-Poland feud over history clouds Auschwitz anniversaryVideo
WARSAW, Poland — Over the next several days, world leaders will gather twice to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of Nazi Germany’s death camps. That there will be two competing ceremonies — one in Jerusalem on Thursday and the other at the Auschwitz...
U.N. experts: Jeff Bezos phone hack shows link to Saudi prince
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The phone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked after receiving a file sent from an account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Nations experts said Wednesday. The two experts called for an “immediate investigation” by the United...
Cast your vote to name NASA’s next Mars roverVideo
NASA is looking for a little help naming their next Mars rover. A “Name the Rover” essay contest has already established nine names that are in the running. More than 28,000 essays were submitted by students across the United States to come up with the finalists. The public can now...
Air bag woes force Honda, Toyota to recall 6 million vehicles
Two different air bag glitches have forced Toyota and Honda to recall over 6 million vehicles worldwide, and both problems present different dangers to motorists. The Toyota recall affects about 3.4 million vehicles globally and is being done because the air bags may not inflate in a crash. The cars...
Duquesne president, legal scholar dissects start of Trump impeachment trial
From his seat in the Senate gallery in the nation’s capital, Ken Gormley on Tuesday had a bird’s-eye view for the opening of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. “I was there for the first day of the Clinton trial, too. I’m two for two now,” said Gormley, president...
U.S. seeks to tighten rules covering service animals on planes
Airlines might soon be able to turn away cats, rabbits and all animals other than dogs that passengers try to bring with them in the cabin. The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday announced plans to tighten rules around service animals. The biggest change would be that only dogs could qualify....
Cleveland cop who urinated on girl waiting for school bus gets prison time, loses his job
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A judge on Tuesday handed down a 4.5-year prison sentence to a former Cleveland police officer who admitted to urinating on a 12-year-old girl after she refused to get in his car at a school bus stop. Solomon Nhiwatiwa, 34, showed no emotion during his only chance...
Unprovoked shark attacks drop worldwide, but not in the U.S.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Unprovoked shark attacks around the world decreased last year, although they rose in the United States, according to researchers. There were 64 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks worldwide last year, compared to the most recent five-year-average of 82 unprovoked attacks, according to researchers with the International Shark Attack...
Authorities say worker fell into chemical vat and died
DAYTON, Ohio — A worker fell into a chemical vat at a business in Ohio on Tuesday and died, authorities said. Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said a 60-year-old man from Union fell into the vat at Techmetals Inc. Further details about the circumstances of his death weren’t immediately...
Police investigating reported sexual assault at Penn State fraternity
State College police are investigating a report Tuesday of a sexual assault that allegedly occurred Jan. 15 at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. The unknown victim, who is reportedly a student, shared with a third party being sexually assaulted by four unidentified fraternity members. The report was filed 8:31 a.m....
A DUI in Pennsylvania could cost you your Second Amendment rights
A drunken driving conviction could mean losing the right to buy and own firearms in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals has decided. The precedent-setting opinion handed down Friday hinges on the federal government’s definition of a “serious crime” — the level a crime must reach to trigger an individual...
Cold-stunned iguanas expected to fall from Florida trees
MIAMI — The National Weather Service routinely warns people about falling rain, snow and hail, but temperatures are dropping so low in South Florida the forecasters warned residents Tuesday about falling iguanas. “This isn’t something we usually forecast, but don’t be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees...
Trump lauds U.S. economy at Davos forum, slams impeachment
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — President Donald Trump is leaving the World Economic Forum in Switzerland with bullish talk on the American economy and lashing out at his Senate impeachment trial back in Washington. Trump called a surprise news conference Wednesday to mark a “tremendous two days” at the glitzy summit...
Awake? Senators struggle to stay focused on impeachment
WASHINGTON — Adam Schiff was still speaking — about witnesses, documents, future presidents and the impeachment of President Donald Trump. He’d said it all before, but five hours into the Senate trial, Schiff, the lead prosecutor, was saying it again. Suddenly, from the Republican side, Sen. James Risch of Idaho...
