A guide to what the Juneteenth holiday is and how to celebrate it
It was 160 years ago that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — after the Civil War’s end and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The resulting Juneteenth holiday — its name combining “June” and “nineteenth” — has only grown in one-and-a-half centuries. In...
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Austria for first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country
VIENNA — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Austria on Monday in his first trip to the European Union member country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Austria is famously neutral — a stance it declared in 1955 after World War II — and Vienna has come under...
Infant among 3 people fatally shot at Utah carnival after argument and a teen is in custody
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Three people, including an 8-month-old infant, were fatally shot at a Utah carnival after two groups got into an argument, police said. Police officers working at WestFest at Centennial Park in West Valley City saw the two groups Sunday night. “As they approached to break...
Nuclear agency head warns of radiological and chemical contamination inside Iran’s main nuclear site
VIENNA — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday that there is a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination within Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz following Israeli strikes, although radiation levels outside the complex are presently normal. IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said...
Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV during broadcast; Trump issues warning to Tehran
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel struck Iran’s state-run television station Monday during a live broadcast, forcing a reporter to run off camera following an explosion, after Iran fired a new wave of missiles at Israel that killed at least eight people. In other developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the...
Western Pa. nonprofits hopeful state will pass bill to accept online, card payments for raffles
Gone are the days when Western Pennsylvania’s fire departments relied solely on community donations, hoagie sales and summer festivals to finance new equipment. Many stations rake in hundreds of dollars per month through tip boards — raffles in which participants purchase tickets with a chance to win prizes, ranging from...
Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, undeterred by protests
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities after large protests have erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Trump in a social media posting called on ICE officials “to do all in their...
Protester shot and killed at ‘No Kings’ rally in Utah, police say
A man who was believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City shot at a person who was brandishing a rifle at demonstrators, striking both the rifleman and a bystander who later died at the hospital, authorities said Sunday. Police took...
Man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after surrendering to police
BELLE PLAINE, Minn. — The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender Sunday after they located him in the woods near his home, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge. Vance Boelter was...
Flash flooding kills 5 in West Virginia, rescue teams searching for missing peopleVideo
Flash flooding caused by torrential rains killed five people in northern West Virginia and rescue crews were searching for three other people who were missing Sunday as authorities assessed damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure. Officials said 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in parts...
Israel and Iran trade airstrikes for 3rd day as hundreds reported dead
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel claimed to operate almost freely in the skies over Iran during a third day of airstrikes Sunday and killed more high-ranking security figures, while some Iranian missiles slipped through Israel’s air defenses. Both sides threatened to launch more attacks. In an indication of how...
What U.S. adults think about Pope Leo XIV, according to a new AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — Just over a month after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church, a new poll shows that American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader. About two-thirds of American Catholics have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable view of...
Political violence is threaded through recent U.S. history. The motives and justifications vary
The assassination of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife at their homes are just the latest addition to a long and unsettling roll call of political violence in the United States. The list, in the past two months alone:...
Trump says Israel-Iran will come to deal ‘soon’ and warns Tehran against retaliating against U.S.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a stark warning to Iran against retaliating on U.S. targets in the Middle East while also predicting Israel and Iran would “soon” make a deal to end their escalating conflict. Trump in an early morning social media posting said the United States...
French ex-president Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honor medal over corruption scandal
PARIS — France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor medal after being convicted last year of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country’s head of state, it was announced on Sunday. The decision was made via a decree released in the Journal...
G7 leaders gather in Canada for a summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran crisis and trade wars
BANFF, Alberta — Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economic powers arrive in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit, overshadowed by an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war with allies and rivals alike. Israel’s strikes on...
2 killed and 32 injured after a bridge collapses at a tourist destination in western India
NEW DELHI — At least two people died and 32 others were injured after an iron bridge over a river collapsed on Sunday at a popular tourist destination in India’s western Maharashtra state, the state’s top elected official said. At least six people were hospitalized in critical condition, Chief Minister...
Remains of Air India crash victims are handed over to relatives
AHMEDABAD, India — Authorities have started handing over remains of the victims of one of India’s worst aviation disasters, days after the Air India flight crashed and killed at least 270 people, officials said Sunday. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the...
Helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashes in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, killing 7
LUCKNOW, India — A helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashed on Sunday in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing seven people on board, officials said. The helicopter was headed to Guptkashi, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas, from Kedarnath temple town when it crashed minutes after taking off,...
Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV during live broadcast while Trump issues warning to Tehran
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel struck Iran’s state-run television station Monday during a live broadcast, forcing a reporter to run off camera following an explosion, after Iran fired a new wave of missiles at Israel that killed at least eight people. In other developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the...
Huge turnout at a second Dutch protest seeking government action against Israel
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Tens of thousands of demonstrators in the Netherlands donned red and marched on Sunday to protest the Dutch government’s policy toward Israel, exceeding the turnout for a similar event in May. Protesters walked a 3-mile loop around the center of The Hague to symbolically create the...
‘No Kings’ protesters oppose Trump administration’s policies
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis told an overflow crowd of protesters Saturday in downtown Greensburg that it was time for the opposition against President Donald Trump to be heard. “We’re not going to stand for this. We’re going to stand up to Donald Trump,” Davis told a crowd of more than...
A free ride: USGA provides mobility scooters for spectators with disabilities at U.S. Open Championship
Mobility scooters – 176 of them — are lined up and ready to roll at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club every morning. This mode of transportation is for spectators with a disability or hindrance such as an injured leg. Riding the scooters is complimentary, courtesy of the United...
Minnesota’s slain Democratic leader saw liberal victories, then brokered a budget deal out of power
MINNEAPOLIS — A slain Minnesota lawmaker was the House’s top Democrat and helped shepherd a package of liberal initiatives to passage when her party had a narrow majority two years ago. After Democrats lost their majority, she helped broker a deal to keep state government funded and provided a crucial...
Israel’s military says the latest missiles from Iran are incoming, and explosions are heard overhead
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel’s military says the latest missiles from Iran are incoming, and explosions are heard overhead in parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv. Iran state television has announced the latest missile barrage. The countries have been trading blows a day after Israel’s blistering attack on...
