Lawsuit: Pa. man had heart attack on Carnival ship, wasn’t allowed off, then died
The family of Jeffrey Eisenman, a 65-year-old passenger on the Carnival Sunshine, alleges in a lawsuit that the world’s largest cruise company wouldn’t let him off of the ship after suffering a heart attack last December. Eisenman died on the way to another port. A representative for Carnival said the...
Pelosi: No debt increase until spending limits are raised
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Democratic-controlled House won’t pass must-do legislation to increase the government’s borrowing cap until the Trump administration agrees to boost spending limits on domestic programs. The California Democrat said she’ll agree to increase the so-called debt ceiling, which is needed to avoid a market-cratering...
Honda lawnmower gets new Guinness record hitting 100 mph in 6 seconds
If you need to cut your lawn fast, this mower may be for you. The new Honda Mean Mower V2 set a Guinness World Records for fastest acceleration for a lawnmower, by averaging 0 to 100 mph in just 6.285 seconds. The record was set May 7 at a race...
Democratic candidates rip Trump for saying he’d take foreign intel on political rivals
WASHINGTON — More than a dozen 2020 Democratic presidential candidates rebuked President Donald Trump on Wednesday night after he said he would consider taking information on his political challengers from a foreign government. Many renewed calls for impeachment, further raising the profile of a highly charged and divisive cause, while...
25 officers injured in Memphis after marshals kill fugitive
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Armed officers and an angry crowd faced off after a Tennessee man was fatally shot by U.S. Marshals in a working-class Memphis neighborhood. People in the crowd threw rocks and bricks, with 25 officers suffering mostly minor injuries during the tense clash Wednesday night in the Frayser...
Suicide bomber kills 9 in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber walked up to an Afghan police vehicle in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, and detonated an explosive device that killed three police and six civilians on Thursday, said provincial health department official Shoaib Sahak. He said another 13 people were wounded, some...
Donald Trump Jr. plans campaign against GOP congressman calling for president’s impeachment
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., signaled Thursday that he plans to campaign for a primary challenger to Justin Amash of Michigan, the sole Republican congressman who has called for the president’s impeachment. “See you soon Justin,” Trump Jr. said in a morning tweet. “I hear...
Tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-U.S. tensions
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were damaged in suspected attacks on Thursday, leaving one ablaze and the other adrift and forcing sailors to evacuate in the latest mysterious incident involving tankers amid heightened tensions between the U.S and Iran. The...
Earthquake rumbles parts of central Pennsylvania
MIFFLINTOWN — A small earthquake has rumbled parts of central Pennsylvania. The United States Geological Survey says the epicenter of Wednesday night’s magnitude 3.4 quake was about 11 miles southwest of Mifflintown at a depth of nearly 17 miles . No damage has been reported. Some people reported hearing a...
Study: Pennsylvania in lower half of states for life expectancy
Pennsylvania ranks in the lower half of states in life expectancy, and is in third place when measuring the rate of drug overdose deaths, according to a new study. “Life Expectancy In Every U.S. State,” released this week by SeniorLiving.org, is based on reports issued last year by the Centers...
Trump says he’d ‘want to hear’ foreign dirt on 2020 rivals
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Wednesday that if a foreign power offered dirt on his 2020 opponent, he’d be open to accepting it and that he’d have no obligation to call in the FBI. “I think I’d want to hear it,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News, adding,...
San Francisco prosecutors turn to AI to reduce racial bias
SAN FRANCISCO — In a first-of-its kind experiment, San Francisco prosecutors are turning to artificial intelligence to reduce racial bias in the courts, adopting a system that strips certain identifying details from police reports and leaves only key facts to govern charging decisions. District Attorney George Gascon announced Wednesday that...
Wife of U.S. Rep. Hunter to change plea in corruption case
SAN DIEGO — The wife of U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter is planning to change her not-guilty plea in a federal corruption case alleging the couple spent more than $250,000 in campaign funds on vacations and other personal expenses, setting up the possibility she will testify against her husband, a close...
Mothers: Air Force failed when child sex assaults reported
To the mothers, the 13-year-old boy appeared largely unsupervised as he roamed among the clusters of townhomes on the U.S. Air Force base in Japan. It would have been unremarkable — the neighborhood was full of kids — except that young girls were starting to report the boy had led...
Catholic bishops approve new sex-abuse reporting hotline
BALTIMORE — U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to create a new national sex-abuse hotline run by an independent entity, a decision that represents one of the church’s most tangible steps yet in confronting its sex-abuse crisis. The hotline, which would field allegations that bishops committed abuse or covered it up,...
Experts: Spy used AI-generated face to connect with targets
LONDON — Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into the Washington’s political scene. The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a who’s-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation. She was connected to a deputy assistant secretary of...
Utah police: Deputy shooting suspect left home with a gun
LOS ANGELES — The Utah man accused of shooting an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Monday and killing another man an hour earlier had told his family he wanted to “make it on his own or die,” police said Wednesday. The family of Rhett Nelson, 30, contacted St. George...
3 life sentences without parole for man who killed 3 Muslims
DURHAM, N.C. — Moments after a North Carolina man pleaded guilty to gunning down three Muslim university students, a prosecutor played a cellphone video of the slayings in court Wednesday as one of the victims’ relatives fainted, others wept and a man cursed the confessed killer openly. Craig Stephen Hicks,...
Federal hate crime charges filed in black church fires
NEW ORLEANS — The son of a Louisiana sheriff’s deputy is facing federal hate crime charges in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches this year. Holden Matthews , 21, was charged in a six-count federal indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The indictment charges Matthews with three counts...
Lock HIM up? Dems weigh what to do about Trump’s deeds
WASHINGTON — With a familiar chant, President Trump’s backers regularly called for Hillary Clinton to be thrown in prison during the 2016 campaign. Now top Democrats are grappling with fraught questions about whether to lock HIM up. As Democrats in Congress press for continued investigation of Trump while he remains...
Pennsylvania Senate backs bill to expand role of nurse practitioners
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Senate is advancing legislation that backers say will help make health care more available through nurses, and less expensive. The Senate voted 44-6 Wednesday to allow certified nurse practitioners to practice independently of physicians. Supporters say 22 other states have similar laws. The Pennsylvania Medical Society opposes...
Nevada law prevents most employers from rejecting pot-users
LAS VEGAS — Two backers of a pioneering Nevada law to prevent employers from rejecting job-seekers based on a pre-employment marijuana test cast the effort Wednesday as an anti-discrimination measure in a state where recreational pot sales are booming and rules about legal marijuana consumption are evolving. The law, which...
Dallas law firm places winning bid for Robert E. Lee statue
AUSTIN, Texas — A Dallas-based law firm placed the winning $1.435 million bid for a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the city put in an online auction almost two years after removing it from a state park. Holmes Firm PC made the top offer for the bronze...
House oversight panel backs contempt vote in census dispute
WASHINGTON — A House committee voted Wednesday to hold two top Trump administration officials in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas for documents related to a decision adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee voted 24-15 to advance contempt measures against...
Maine becomes 8th state to legalize assisted suicide
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine legalized medically assisted suicide Wednesday, becoming the eighth state to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with prescribed medication. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who had previously said she was unsure about the bill, signed it in her office. Oregon was the first state to...
