Abortions are up in the U.S. It’s a complicated picture as women turn to pills, travel
Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It’s now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for...
Israel detains the director of one of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals during a raid
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s army detained the director of one of northern Gaza ‘s last functioning hospitals as overnight strikes elsewhere in the territory killed nine people, including children, Palestinian medical officials said Saturday. Israel’s military alleged that Hamas militants were using the facility and said over...
CDC: Bird flu virus likely mutated within Louisiana patient
A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Scientists believe the mutations might allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper...
Judge signals contempt hearing for Rudy Giuliani over assets might not go well for him
NEW YORK — A federal judge is signaling Rudy Giuliani’s contempt hearing next Friday might not end so well for the former New York City mayor and onetime personal lawyer for President-elect Donald Trump as two Georgia election poll workers try to collect a $148 million defamation award they won...
Customs agents seize 22K fake Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers shipped from Israel
HARRISBURG — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it has seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. Customs officers found the stickers in two shipments that arrived on two different days, Nov. 26 and Dec. 9,...
U.S. homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people
The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...
Breakthrough technology sees how cholesterol causes heart attacks
ATLANTA — The U.S. government’s premier research body has made an important discovery that could help create new drugs to lower “bad” cholesterol and hopefully prevent heart attacks and stroke. But the interesting part of that story isn’t just the discovery itself but the technology responsible for it: a relatively...
Sinkhole in New Jersey keeps I-80 closed after a section collapses into an abandoned mine
WHARTON, N.J. — Road crews were repairing a short stretch of Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey on Friday where a sinkhole forced the eastbound lanes to shut down, but it was still unknown when they will reopen. The highway’s guardrail still hung suspended in the air across the gaping...
Georgia Republicans can subpoena Fulton DA Fani Willis, judge rules
ATLANTA — Georgia Republicans can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis about her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the outside attorney she hired to lead her 2020 election interference case against former and future President Donald Trump and his allies, a judge has ruled. The decision by Fulton County...
FDA proposes new testing rules to ensure cosmetics are asbestos-free
WASHINGTON — Cosmetic companies would have to take extra steps to ensure that any products containing talc are free of asbestos under a federal rule proposed Thursday. The proposal from the Food and Drug Administration and mandated by Congress is intended to reassure consumers about the safety of makeup, baby...
Man indicted in burning death of woman inside New York City subway train, prosecutors say
NEW YORK — The man accused of burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train has been indicted on murder and arson charges, a prosecutor said on Friday, as authorities continue working to confirm the victim’s identity. The indictment comes days after Sebastian Zapeta’s arrest...
The year in review: Influential people who died in 2024
It was a murder case almost everyone had an opinion on. O.J. Simpson’s “trial of the century” over the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend bared divisions over race and law enforcement in America and brought an intersection of sports, crime, entertainment and class that was hard to...
Israeli troops burn northern Gaza hospital after forcibly removing staff and patients, officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, igniting fires and forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three...
Chinese man sentenced to death for killing 35 people after driving into crowd
BEIJING — A court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into a crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings. Fan Weiqiu was venting his anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement, the court in...
Florida condo owners look at higher costs as new regulations take effect in the new year
MIAMI — Florida condominium owners are looking at higher costs from condo associations in the new year, a consequence of a safety law passed by state lawmakers in 2022. It requires associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs and to conduct a survey of reserves every decade. Because...
Ukrainian drone attack was under way before Azerbaijani plane’s crash, Russian aviation chief says
Russia’s aviation chief said Friday that a Ukrainian drone attack was under way in the region of Chechnya at the time an Azerbaijani airliner attempted to land before diverting to Kazakhstan and crashing there earlier this week. Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, didn’t comment on statements...
Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal?
Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that’s still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, evoking headlines and likely luring more people to convenience stores with dreams of private spacewalks...
Scrutiny, secrecy defined Pa. debates over how to spend opioid settlement billions in 2024
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — This was a crucial year for opioid settlement money in Pennsylvania. For the first time, counties across the state faced serious accountability from...
Massachusetts police officer saves Christmas after finding 80 Amazon packages in woodsVideo
BOSTON — A local Massachusetts police officer “likely saved a Christmas headache” after he discovered roughly 80 Amazon packages left behind in the woods, days before the holiday. Early Sunday morning, Lakeville Police Sgt. Shawn Robert stumbled upon “three large totes full of Amazon packages” that a driver for the...
Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travelVideo
DALLAS — Some flights were delayed or canceled on Thursday in Texas after a line of thunderstorms started moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring damaging wind, hail and possible tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled...
Bill creating Chesapeake National Recreation Area dies in Congress
After passing the U.S. Senate, a bill that would have established the Chesapeake National Recreation Area fell short in the 118th Congress, but advocates are hoping to ride the momentum into next year. The bill would have linked natural and historical sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed under the banner...
NYC taxi driver was having a medical episode when he jumped the curb and hit people, police say
NEW YORK — A taxi driver whose car hit six pedestrians when he jumped a curb in a Manhattan shopping district on Christmas Day was having a medical episode at the time, New York City police said Thursday. An NYPD spokesperson would not elaborate on the type of type of...
What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan as experts suspect Russian air defense fireVideo
A day after an Azerbaijani airliner’s crashed in Kazakhstan, aviation experts say the plane most likely went down after being hit by Russian air defense systems. Here are some things to know about the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on board: How did the plane crash?...
Finland stops Russia-linked vessel over damaged undersea power cable in Baltic Sea
FRANKFURT, Germany — Finnish authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, police said, in the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure. Finnish police and border guards boarded the vessel, the Eagle S, early...
Ukraine’s military intelligence says North Korean troops suffer heavy battlefield losses
KYIV, Ukraine — North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in the fighting in Russia’s Kursk region and are facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks, Ukraine’s military intelligence said Thursday. The intelligence agency, known under its acronym GUR, said that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties...
