U.S. sanctions individuals suspected of human rights abusesVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed economic sanctions on more than a dozen individuals suspected of human rights violations in six countries and banned two others from entering the United States, including a former Saudi official in Turkey for his alleged role in the murder of Saudi journalist...
Bill Cosby loses appeal of sexual assault conviction
Bill Cosby lost his bid to overturn his sexual assault conviction Tuesday, as an appeals court upheld the verdict in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. In its ruling, the Superior Court upheld the right of prosecutors to call other accusers to bolster their case — the same...
Exxon Mobil prevails in lawsuit over climate regulations
NEW YORK — Exxon Mobil won Tuesday in a closely watched lawsuit over the costs of climate change, with a judge saying there was no proof the energy giant duped investors about the toll that regulations could take on its business. New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office didn’t prove...
U of Phoenix agrees to $50M settlement over false ad claims
The University of Phoenix and its parent company have agreed to pay $50 million in cash and cancel $141 million in student debt to settle allegations of deceptive advertisement brought by the Federal Trade Commission. The deal, announced Tuesday, settles a dispute over an ad campaign the for-profit college unrolled...
Brazil’s Bolsonaro calls activist Greta Thunberg a ‘brat’
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday called young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg a “brat” after she expressed concern about the slayings of indigenous Brazilians in the Amazon. Bolsonaro questioned the coverage news media have given Thunberg, 16, who who on Sunday tweeted a link to...
Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to become 1st active-duty Purple Heart Base
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AP) — An Air Force base in Ohio plans to join the Purple Heart Trail community on Tuesday as the first active-duty Purple Heart Base. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will have a public designation ceremony at the National Museum of the United States Air Force...
‘They’ named Merriam-Webster word of the year
NEW YORK — A common but increasingly mighty and very busy little word, “they,” has an accolade all its own. The language mavens at Merriam-Webster have declared the personal pronoun their word of the year based on a 313% increase in look-ups on the company’s search site, Merriam-Webster.com, this year...
Pelosi announces agreement on North American trade pact
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced agreement on a modified North American trade pact, handing President Donald Trump a major Capitol Hill win on the same day that Democrats announced their impeachment charges against him. The California Democrat said the revamped U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a significant improvement...
Suspect shoots 6 dead in Czech hospital, then kills self
PRAGUE — A man with an illegal gun shot six people dead and wounded three more in a hospital in the eastern Czech Republic Tuesday, the prime minister and officials said. The apparent suspect later shot himself dead as police approached his car. Prime Minister Andrej Babis told Czech public...
A free pass for Trump? GOP presses edge in key battlegrounds
WASHINGTON— A full year before Election Day 2020, Republicans quietly executed a “dry run” of President Donald Trump’s massive reelection machine. They activated tens of thousands of volunteers and tested phone bank capabilities and get-out-the-vote operations in every state in the nation. Before and after the sprawling exercise, GOP officials...
Teen runaway found ‘camping’ inside Bed, Bath & Beyond
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Employees at a Bed, Bath & Beyond in North Carolina discovered an uninvited sleepover guest hiding in the store when they opened up Monday morning. The Greenville employees called local police around 8:30 a.m. and officers responded to a “breaking and entering in progress,” according to The...
The epidemic — and consequences — of male loneliness
Loneliness kills. According to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, isolation and weak social connections “are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity.” Even when it’s not fatal, loneliness makes life a lot...
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Mitral valve repair with minimally invasive heart surgery
Dear Mayo Clinic: Is minimally invasive heart surgery to repair a mitral valve a safer option than open-heart surgery? Is it common for a surgeon to have to switch to an open-heart procedure after starting the surgery? Answer: Both minimally invasive heart surgery and traditional surgery that involves opening the...
Amid the holiday hustle and bustle, take time to care for yourself
This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but often it’s the most stressful. “The season to be merry is also the season for stress and anxiety,” says Jyl Glunt, a health and wellness specialist at the Excela Health Well-Being Center-Mind Body Health. “Shopping, decorating, parties,...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 9
Classes/programs • Childbirth and beyond weekender version, covering labor and birth options for pain control, cesarean birth, postpartum, the normal newborn and breathing/relaxation techniques, is planned 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Excela Square at Latrobe, 100 Excela Health Drive • Childbirth and Beyond, a two-week class meets from 6:30-9 p.m. Mondays...
Rick Gates seeks to avoid jail at sentencing for conspiracy
Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates asked a judge to spare him from prison, put him on probation and order him to do community service for his crimes of conspiracy and lying to federal investigators. In a court filing Monday, Gates said he has accepted responsibility “in every way possible.”...
Democrats roll out impeachment charges; Trump left ‘no choice’Video
WASHINGTON — House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, declaring he “betrayed the nation” with his actions toward Ukraine as they pushed toward historic proceedings that are certain to help define his presidency and shape the 2020 election. The specific charges aimed at removing...
Supreme Court leaves Kentucky’s ultrasound abortion law in place
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday left in place a Kentucky law requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients before abortions. The justices did not comment in refusing to review an appeals court ruling that upheld the law. Enforcement of the law had been on...
Report: U.S. misled public on progress in Afghanistan war
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government across three White House administrations misled the public about failures in the Afghanistan war, often suggesting success where it didn’t exist, according to thousands of pages of documents obtained by The Washington Post. The documents reveal deep frustrations about America’s conduct of the Afghanistan war,...
White House backs emerging deal on consumer health costs
WASHINGTON — The White House endorsed an emerging bipartisan agreement Monday on legislation aimed at curbing rising health care costs, including taking steps to limit “surprise” medical bills that can plague patients treated in emergency rooms. While the deal’s fate remained uncertain, enactment would give President Donald Trump and lawmakers...
Pennsylvania warns Dauphin County over defying voting machine edict
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania county is being told it would lose out on millions of dollars in aid and almost certainly be sued by the state if it refuses to take action to buy new voting machines before Dec. 31, county officials said Monday. Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries said...
Police: Customer accused in Golden Corral worker’s stabbing in Ohio
SANDUSKY, Ohio — A customer is accused in the fatal stabbing of a restaurant employee outside the business after the two had argued earlier, police in Ohio said Monday. Perkins Township officers were called Sunday night to a Golden Corral on reports of a stabbing, police Chief Robb Parthemore said...
Army major in Georgia jailed on federal child porn charge
SAVANNAH, Ga. — An Army officer who held a top-secret security clearance shared nude photos of a teenage girl online and discussed plans to drug the girl and have sex with her, according to federal court records unsealed Monday. Army Maj. Jason Musgrove was arrested and charged with distributing child...
Pension strikes cripple Paris, more travel woes ahead
PARIS — Paris commuters inched to work Monday through massive traffic jams as strikes against retirement plan changes halted trains and subways for a fifth straight day — with the prospect of a tougher day ahead. French President Emmanuel Macron girded for one of the toughest weeks of his presidency...
Amazon says Trump’s ‘improper pressure’ doomed Pentagon bid
Amazon says President Donald Trump’s “improper pressure” and behind-the-scenes attacks harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. The Pentagon awarded the cloud computing contract to Microsoft in October. Amazon argues in a lawsuit unsealed Monday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that the decision should be...
