Protesters in Hong Kong break into legislature, paint logos
HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of protesters in Hong Kong swarmed into the legislature’s main building Monday night, tearing down portraits of legislative leaders and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans on the walls of the main chamber. The sharp escalation in tactics came on the anniversary of the former British colony’s return...
Rules that control drive time for truckers set to be relaxedVideo
OPAL, Va. — Truck driver Lucson Francois was forced to hit the brakes just five minutes from his home in Pennsylvania. He’d reached the maximum number of hours in a day he’s allowed to be on duty. Francois couldn’t leave the truck unattended. So he parked and climbed into the...
Democrat Pete Buttigieg says he raised $24M in 2nd quarter
WASHINGTON — Democrat Pete Buttigieg said Monday that he took in $24.8 million during the second fundraising quarter, more than triple what the South Bend, Indiana, mayor raised during the first three months of the year for his surprise hit presidential campaign. Buttigieg was the first White House contender to...
Japan resumes commercial whaling, seen as face-saving endVideo
TOKYO — Japan has resumed commercial whaling after 31 years, meeting a long-cherished goal of traditionalists that’s seen as a largely lost cause. Whaling boats embarked Monday on their first commercial hunts since 1988, when Japan switched to so-called research whaling, but will stay within the country’s exclusive economic waters....
Ivanka Trump plays prominent role in Asia trip, joining her father in DMZ
Few Americans alive today have set foot inside North Korea, the isolated, nuclear-armed dictatorship sometimes called the Hermit Kingdom. On Sunday, Ivanka Trump became one of them, capping a consequential three-day Asian trip in which the president’s eldest daughter played a very public role that blended family ties with diplomatic...
Official: 10 dead in Dallas-area small plane crash
DALLAS — Ten people were killed when a small airplane crashed into a hangar as it was taking off from a Dallas-area airport Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for the town of Addison, Texas, said. Mary Rosenbleeth said no one aboard the twin-engine plane survived at the Addison Municipal Airport, about...
50 years of LGBTQ pride showcased in protests, parades
NEW YORK — Exuberant crowds carrying rainbow colors filled New York City streets Sunday for one of the largest pride parades in the history of the gay-rights movement, a dazzling celebration of the 50th anniversary of the infamous police raid on the Stonewall Inn. Marchers and onlookers took over much...
Why many older adults feel good about their health
A common myth about aging is that older adults are burdened by illness and feel lousy much of the time. In fact, the opposite is usually true. Most seniors report feeling distinctly positive about their health. Consider data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (the most recent available), administered...
Flash flooding damages parts of West Virginia from severe storms
ELKINS, W.Va. — Severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding that knocked homes off their foundations and washed out roads in several mountainous counties of West Virginia, and some state lawmakers asked the governor on Sunday to declare a state of emergency. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for portions...
About 1,700 fireworks sold in Pennsylvania recalled ahead of July 4 holiday
Pennsylvania is among four states where fireworks have been recalled just ahead of the July 4 holiday. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced four fireworks-related recalls this week for fireworks that were “overloaded with pyrotechnics.” That can result in a greater than expected explosion, which poses explosion and burn...
Navy SEAL trial exposes divide in normally secretive force
SAN DIEGO — It was called the “The Sewing Circle,” an unlikely name for a secret subsect of Navy SEALs. Its purpose was even more improbable: A chat forum to discuss alleged war crimes they said their chief, a decorated sniper and medic, committed on a recent tour of duty...
Schumer: ATF should investigate Dominican Republic deaths
NEW YORK — The Senate’s top Democrat said Sunday that the U.S. government should step up efforts to investigate the deaths of at least eight Americans in the Dominican Republic this year. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives should lend support to the FBI and local law enforcement,...
Baby lobster numbers spell trouble for shellfish population
PORTLAND, Maine — Baby lobsters are continuing to appear in high numbers off some parts of Canada while tailing off in New England, raising questions about what the valuable shellfish’s population will look like in several years. University of Maine scientist Rick Wahle has documented trends in baby lobster density...
Hong Kong braces for more protests on handover anniversaryVideo
HONG KONG — More than 50,000 people rallied in support of the Hong Kong police on Sunday as the semi-autonomous territory braced for another day of protests on the anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China. The crowd filled a park in front of the legislature and chanted...
Wide grins and historic handshake for Trump, Kim at DMZ
PANMUNJOM, Korea — With wide grins and a historic handshake, President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un met at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone on Sunday and agreed to revive talks on the pariah nation’s nuclear program. Trump, pressing his bid for a legacy-defining deal, became the first...
Joe Sestak relishes long-shot bid among Democratic presidential hopefuls
While the top 20 Democratic presidential contenders prepared for last week’s debates, retired Navy admiral and former two-term Pennsylvania congressman Joe Sestak traveled the road less taken as a long-shot presidential hopeful. This time, it was a series of meet-and-greet events in Iowa. It’s not the first time the maverick...
California mom arrested, sons found unresponsive in a ditch
PORTERVILLE, Calif. — A Central California woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing her 12-year-old son and critically injuring her 7-year-old son who were found unresponsive in a ditch. The Tulare County Sheriff’s office said someone called 911 Saturday to report that 45-year-old Sherri Telnas was acting strangely and...
Trump says he’s looking forward to Kim Jong Un meeting
SEOUL, South Korea — President Trump said he’s looking forward to meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un at the Korean Demilitarized Zone later Sunday. Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he and Kim will “just shake hands quickly and say...
Trump, Xi hit reset button on trade negotiations
WASHINGTON — Once again, Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping have hit the reset button in trade talks between the world’s two biggest economies, at least delaying an escalation in tension between the U.S. and China that had financial markets on edge and cast a cloud over the global economy. But...
Judge bars Trump from using $2.5B to build border wall
OAKLAND, Calif. — A federal judge on Friday prohibited President Trump from tapping $2.5 billion in military funding to build high-priority segments of his prized border wall in California, Arizona and New Mexico. Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. in Oakland acted in two lawsuits filed by California and by activists...
Tens of thousands join gay pride parades around the world
MEXICO CITY — Tens of thousands of people turned out for gay pride celebrations around the world on Saturday, including a boisterous party in Mexico and the first pride march in North Macedonia’s capital. Rainbow flags and umbrellas swayed and music pounded as the march along Mexico City’s Paseo de...
Trump administration agrees to delay ‘conscience’ rule for health care workers
SAN FRANCISCO — The Trump administration has agreed to postpone implementing a rule allowing medical workers to decline performing abortions or other treatments on moral or religious grounds while the so-called “conscience” rule is challenged in a California court. The rule was supposed to take effect July 22, but the...
Body parts found in gator after Florida man discovered dead
FORT MEADE, Fla. — Officials are investigating the death of a man discovered floating in a Florida canal with some of his remains found inside an alligator. The Ledger reports that a person found the body floating west of Fort Meade and saw an alligator had parts of it in...
Burning Man OK with attendance cap; will fight searches
RENO, Nev. — Burning Man organizers say they won’t challenge the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s plans to cap their attendance at current levels under a new 10-year permit but they will fight any move toward federally-sanctioned screenings for weapons and drugs at the counterculture celebration. BLM proposed in a...
Detective who fought for 9/11 compensation funding dies
NEW YORK — A former New York City police detective who was a leader in the fight for the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund died Saturday at age 53. Detective Luis Alvarez’s death from cancer was announced by Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, who tweeted that Alvarez was “an inspiration,...
