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...
1st black priest in U.S., ex-slave, positioned for sainthood
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Pope Francis on Wednesday deemed the first known black Roman Catholic priest in the United States to be “venerable,” positioning the former slave for possible sainthood. The pontiff’s designation of the Rev. Augustine Tolton as venerable, meaning the church intensely scrutinized his life and recognizes it as...
Former Trump aide Hicks agrees to Judiciary interview in Russia meddling investigation
WASHINGTON — Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks has agreed to a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee, the panel announced Wednesday. The panel subpoenaed Hicks last month as part of its investigation into special counsel Robert Mueller’s report and obstruction of justice. The interview will be held...
After emotional testimony from 9/11 responders, House panel votes to replenish victim fund
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously in support of a bill that would give fresh money to a compensation fund for those who are sick or dying from illnesses linked to their work amid the toxic debris at 9/11 attack sites. The vote comes a day...
Pennsylvania court ruling may open door for future clergy sex abuse suits
Lawyers for clergy sexual abuse survivors say a Pennsylvania Superior Court ruling handed down Tuesday could open a path for many old claims previously timed out to go to a jury. Writing in a 38-page opinion, a three-judge panel overturned a Blair County judge’s decision to dismiss a clergy sexual...
Here’s how Pa. ranks in terms of women’s rights
Pennsylvania is pretty average when it comes to women’s rights. A new study, the best and worst states for women’s rights, released by security.org, a company that collects security data, research and studies, shows Pennsylvania ranks 29th with an overall score of over 46% compared to other states, based on...
8 fascinating ways to witness dinosaurs alive on Earth today
Forget what you’ve been told about dinosaurs going extinct. They’re doing just fine. In fact, you can still see 10,000 different species of their descendants flying around if you just look up at the sky. Of course, the dinosaurs’ dominance of planet Earth ended with a catastrophic asteroid strike —...
Feds: 81-year-old robbery suspect wanted to return to prison
PHOENIX — An 81-year-old man who has spent most of his adult life behind bars for stealing from banks said he robbed a credit union in Tucson months after his release from prison because his monthly $800 Social Security payment wasn’t enough to live on, according to court records. Robert...
Journalist killed in southern Mexico, another kidnapped
A reporter was shot dead in the southern state of Tabasco, her newspaper said Wednesday, the latest in a string of journalist killings in one of the world’s most lethal countries for the profession. Another reporter was kidnapped by a pair of armed men in the nearby state of Veracruz....
Pa. Gov. Wolf to veto $100M private schools bill
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf plans to veto legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature to substantially expand taxpayer support by $100 million for private and religious schools in Pennsylvania. Wednesday’s statement from Wolf’s office comes a day after the Senate approved the bill on a party-line basis. The bill was sponsored...
New Mexico city famous for UFO event trademarks new logo
ROSWELL, N.M. — A New Mexico city known for its proximity to arguably the most famous UFO event in the United States has trademark protection for its alien-inspired logo. The city of Roswell said Tuesday it received its requested trademark certification from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office. The...
Badly made fake license plate leads to arrest in California
MOORPARK, Calif. — A big-rig truck driver has been arrested after authorities spotted a phony license plate on his rig. How could they tell? Well, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department says the 1960s-style yellow-on-black plate had wobbly letters and numbers. Also, instead of “CALIFORNIA,” it read “CALIFAS.” The department said...
White House asserts executive privilege in census fight
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is asserting executive privilege over documents related to the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The Justice Department notified the chairman of the House oversight committee of the decision in a letter Wednesday. The committee is set to vote...
Pa. Republicans push back on cash Gov. Wolf wants for voting machines
Republican lawmakers aren’t committing to the money sought by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to back up his demand that Pennsylvania’s counties replace their voting machines by 2020’s presidential elections. Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s Legislature say a roughly $34 billion budget counterproposal they are finalizing this week doesn’t include the $15...
Watchdog: Abuse and neglect in nursing facilities unreported
WASHINGTON — Nursing facilities have failed to report thousands of serious cases of potential neglect and abuse of seniors on Medicare even though it’s a federal requirement for them to do so, according to a watchdog report released Wednesday that calls for a new focus on protecting frail patients. Auditors...
‘Straight, country boy’ turns pickup rainbow for Pride month
HULBERT, Okla. — Self-described “straight, country boy” Cody Barlow believes duct tape really can fix anything, including bigots. The 28-year-old college student from Hulbert, Okla., recently decorated the tailgate of his pickup truck like a Pride flag with a bold message: “NOT ALL COUNTRY BOYS ARE BIGOTS.” Barlow’s Facebook post...
Some rural states double down on attracting new residents
BENNINGTON, Vt. — With jobs unfilled and young people moving away, some rural states are doubling down on efforts to attract new blood by expanding programs that offer incentives to live there. Over the past decade, states including South Dakota, Maine and Vermont have lured new residents with financial incentives...
Hong Kong police fire tear gas, rubber bullets at protesters
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who had massed outside government headquarters Wednesday in opposition to a proposed extradition bill that has become a lightning rod for concerns over greater Chinese control and erosion of civil liberties in the territory. The afternoon...
Trump and Biden trade jabs in possible 2020 election preview
DAVENPORT, Iowa — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly laid into each other while traveling in the battleground state of Iowa, unleashing verbal attacks that at times felt more appropriate for the final weeks before Election Day than a lazy summer about 17 months before voters...
Woman fatally stabbed in dispute over parking space in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a woman fatally stabbed another woman in a dispute over a parking spot in Philadelphia. The attack happened about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities say the two women were arguing over the parking space when one stabbed the other twice in the chest. The 27-year-old victim died...
Confusion abounds as Trump’s July 4 plans remain a mystery
WASHINGTON — With just over three weeks to go, exactly what’s going to happen in Washington on the Fourth of July remains a subject of intense confusion. Will the nation’s premier Independence Day celebration be centered on the National Mall as usual or shift to the Lincoln Memorial, as the...
Report: Cereals positive for trace amounts of weed killerVideo
Popular breakfast cereals contain a controversial herbicide found in weed killers, according to a report released Wednesday. The new report, by Environmental Working Group, or EWG, an environmental advocacy group in Washington D.C., found trace levels of glyphosate in 21 oat-based cereals and snack products. Glyphosate is the main ingredient...
As shopping mall floods, band plays ‘Titanic’ theme
Timing is everything. The central Mexican city of Guadalajara was pounded with heavy rains over the weekend, taking down trees and flooding roads. One of the areas hard hit was the Plaza Patria shopping mall in Zapopan, Mexico News Daily reports. The rains were so hard that the roof began...
Band plays song from ‘Titanic’ as mall in Mexico floods
The band played on. Literally. As a mall in Guadalajara began flooding Saturday, a live band made the best of the situation. Not missing a beat, the musicians began performing Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” as water seeped through the shopping center’s roof and began to accumulate on...
