Trump campaign selling plastic straws as alternative to ‘liberal paper straws’
You can now show your support for the president and how you feel about environmental policy while also slurping a cold beverage. Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is offering plastic Trump-branded drinking straws as an alternative to “liberal paper straws” that “don’t work.” They are described as BPA-free, reusable, recyclable and...
Giant Hawaii telescope to focus on big unknowns of universe
Is there life on planets outside our solar system? How did stars and galaxies form in the earliest years of the universe? How do black holes shape galaxies? Scientists are expected to explore those and other fundamental questions about the universe when they peer deep into the night sky using...
Deepfake videos pose a threat, but ‘dumbfakes’ may be worse
Sophisticated phony videos called deepfakes have attracted plenty of attention as a possible threat to election integrity. But a bigger problem for the 2020 U.S. presidential contest may be “dumbfakes” — simpler and more easily unmasked bogus videos that are easy and often cheap to produce. Unlike deepfakes, which require...
Pennsylvania homicide rates flare in July
When tempers flare as the mercury climbs, homicide rates in Pennsylvania do likewise. When the number crunchers at the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts began analyzing statistics for criminal homicide they found the highest percentage of those convicted of the offense between 2014 and 2018 — 11% — were...
Painting, stolen by Nazi soldier, is back in Florence museum
FLORENCE, Italy — A Dutch still-life painting, stolen by retreating Nazis and sent by a German soldier as a present to his wife, came back to a Florence museum on Friday, thanks largely to a relentless campaign by the Uffizi Galleries’ director, a German. The foreign ministers of German and...
Riders stuck for 2 hours on Six Flags coaster in Maryland
BOWIE, Md. — Roller coaster riders were stuck atop a hill for nearly two hours at a Six Flags amusement park in Maryland when the ride malfunctioned. News outlets quote Six Flags America spokeswoman Denise Stokes as saying the ride came to a stop at the top of the lift...
Explosion occurs at gas factory in central China
BEIJING — An explosion Friday evening at a gas factory in central China left two people missing and multiple people injured, state media said. State broadcaster CCTV reported the blast occurred in Henan province around 5:50 p.m. Windows were shattered within 1.9 miles of the blast, and some doors inside...
Man scales down Philadelphia high-rise to escape smoky fireVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A man scaled several floors down the side of a 19-story building in Philadelphia to escape a fire that injured four residents and three police officers. The fire at the Holden Tower apparently began in a trash chute about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, causing flames to shoot out and...
Explosion outside Kabul University kills 8, wounds 33
KABUL, Afghanistan — A powerful bomb exploded outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding 33, according to police and health officials. Several of the wounded were in critical condition, they said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the...
Trump seeks to disavow ‘send her back’ chant as Democrats call for more securityVideo
WASHINGTON — The morning after chants of “Send her back” rang across one of his campaign rallies, President Donald Trump sought to disavow it, insisting that he “was not happy with it.” Trump made no effort to stop the chanting during his rally Wednesday night in North Carolina. The crowd...
Trump administration has gutted programs aimed at detecting weapons of mass destruction
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has quietly dismantled or cut back multiple programs that were created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to help detect and prevent terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction, a Times investigation has found. The retreat has taken place over the last two years at the...
Democratic presidential candidates revealed for upcoming debates
The Democratic National Convention has announced the candidates who have made the cut for debates later this month. CNN will provide live coverage for the debates, which will be held on July 30 and 31 in Detroit. Here’s who will grace the stage: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, former Vice President...
Navy warship sunk by German sub in WWII finally located
CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — A private dive team has located the last U.S. Navy warship to be sunk by a German submarine in World War II, just a few miles (kilometers) off the coast of Maine. The sinking of the USS Eagle PE-56 on April 23, 1945, was originally blamed...
City of Berkeley can no longer use the word ‘manhole’
Officially, there is not a single manhole in the city. Nor is there a fireman or a craftsman. The city of Berkeley, California, on Tuesday eliminated gendered terms from its municipal code. The holes in streets where “repairers” will access utilities will now be called “Maintenance holes.” Council voted to...
About 10,000 au pairs to get paid in class-action settlement
DENVER — About 10,000 live-in childcare workers from around the world will be paid an average of $3,500 each under a class-action settlement that alleged exploitation of the mostly young women who perform the jobs. U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello gave final approval to the $65.5 million deal for au...
Trump says American warship destroyed Iranian drone
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Trump says it’s the latest “hostile” action by Iran. He’s calling on other countries to condemn what he says are Iran’s attempts to disrupt the...
Church sign in Virginia proclaims ‘America: Love or Leave It.’
APPOMATTOX, Va. — Amid a national furor over President Trump’s tweet urging four Democratic congresswomen to “go back” to their home countries, a Virginia pastor is gaining attention with a sign at his church saying “America: Love or Leave It.” ABC 13 in Lynchburg reports hundreds of people have expressed...
All-white creature identified as rare albino porcupine
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — A curious visitor to a Maine train museum that resembled a white throw pillow or perhaps a lost toupee turned out to be a rare albino porcupine. The young rodent turned up Tuesday at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, perplexing the staff, who sought help identifying it...
Philadelphia moves to fire 13 officers over Facebook posts
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Police Department is suspending 13 police officers with an intent to fire them following an investigation into offensive and sometimes threatening Facebook posts. Seventy-two officers had been placed on administrative leave in June. The action came after a nonprofit group published the results of a two-year...
Postcard from dad finds family 26 years late
No one knew the postcard was lost until it landed in a mailbox 26 years later. A father sent the Hong Kong memento to his family in 1993 and assumed they received it. His children, living in Springfield, Illinois, at the time, didn’t know it had been sent so they...
Jet2 sends big bill to passenger for flight return to London
LONDON — A passenger accused of severe misbehavior on a Jet2 flight that had to return to London’s Stansted Airport in June has received a huge bill from the airline. The airline has accused Chloe Haines of “aggressive, abusive and dangerous behavior” on a flight and sent her a bill...
Trump slams Puerto Rico leaders: ‘Under siege,’ ‘despicable’
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — President Donald Trump is tweeting harsh words for leaders in Puerto Rico, where thousands have been protesting to demand the governor resign after leaked chats showed him making misogynistic slurs and mocking constituents. Trump says “A lot of bad things are happening in Puerto Rico”...
Court upholds ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli’s conviction
NEW YORK — A federal appeals court upheld the securities fraud conviction against former drug company CEO Martin Shkreli, known as “Pharma Bro,” on Thursday, along with a $7.3 million forfeiture of assets. A judge sentenced Shkreli to seven years in prison last year for his conviction on charges he...
Pilot accused of flying while drunk in Nevada crash
MESQUITE, Nev. — Authorities say a pilot from Washington state was arrested on suspicion of flying while drunk after a private plane crash and fire at an airport in Nevada. Police say 41-year-old Ryan Raymond Dashiell of Spokane escaped serious injury in the crash of the twin-engine Cessna 550 on...
Circle K Mexico apologizes for ‘sexist’ Secretary Day ad
MEXICO CITY — Circle K Mexico is apologizing for an ad on “Secretary Day” promoting a deal on chocolate, red wine and condoms. The convenience store brand said in a Wednesday statement that it did not intend to “promote any stereotype” and highlighted its “promise to be a business that...
