Report: Pa. State police pull over drivers at similar rates regardless of a driver’s race
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania State Police pulled drivers over at about the same rate regardless of the motorists’ race or...
Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since his attempted assassinationVideo
ASHEBORO, N.C. — At his first outdoor rally since last month’s attempted assassination, Donald Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass Wednesday in North Carolina at an event focused on national security. On politics, he called his predecessor Barack Obama “nasty” for his comments the night before at the Democratic National...
Heat dome moves into Texas with record highs expectedVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — A heat dome that has led to nearly 90 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix moved Wednesday into Texas, with record highs expected to fall by the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, energy demand in Texas hit an unofficial all-time high Tuesday, according...
Democrats get a 3rd-party hopeful knocked off Pennsylvania ballot, as Cornel West tries to get on
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Democrats have won legal challenges keeping the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberation off the battleground state’s presidential ballot, at least for now, while a lawyer with deep Republican Party ties is working to help independent candidate Cornel West get on it. The court cases are among...
RFK Jr. to speak Friday amid speculation he’ll drop independent presidential bid and support Trump
PHOENIX — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak Friday “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign announced Wednesday, fueling growing speculation that Kennedy could drop out and support Republican nominee Donald Trump. Kennedy’s running mate openly discussed the possibility on a podcast this...
Detroit judge is sued after putting teen in handcuffs, jail clothes during field trip
DETROIT — Attorneys for a teenager who was ordered into jail clothes and handcuffs during a field trip to a Detroit court filed a lawsuit against a judge Wednesday, accusing him of humiliation, false arrest and unlawful detention. It is the latest fallout since Judge Kenneth King singled out 15-year-old...
Key mediator Egypt expresses skepticism about Gaza cease-fire proposal as more details emerge
CAIRO — Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday about the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo. The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appeared to undermine the optimism for an...
Babysitter pleads guilty to manslaughter for death of man she injured when he was a baby in 1984
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago and was sentenced to three years in prison, finally admitting that she hit him numerous times. Terry McKirchy, 62, accepted...
At least 55 arrested after clashes with police outside Israeli Consulate in Chicago during DNC
CHICAGO — At least 55 protesters were arrested following violent clashes with police in Chicago on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, a situation the police chief called “a danger to our city.” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli Consulate, about...
2 Clearfield County men charged with fatal house bombing over drug debt
Two Clearfield County men have been charged with bombing a Clearfield apartment and killing a person over a drug debt of a few hundred dollars, according to federal prosecutors. Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan announced Wednesday that Clint Addleman, 47, of Morrisdale and Kris J. Nevling, 47,...
Cornel West cleared to appear on ballot in Maine, where ranked voting is in play
AUGUSTA, Maine — Independent presidential candidate Cornel West can appear on the ballot in Maine, the state’s secretary of state has ruled. Shenna Bellows’ decision came Tuesday, about a week after the withdrawal of a challenge to another long-shot candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The presence of multiple third-party candidates...
GOP lawmakers praise University of Kentucky for removing Office of Institutional Diversity
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Republican lawmakers who sponsored anti-DEI bills earlier this year are praising the University of Kentucky for deciding to eliminate its Office of Institutional Diversity. The GOP-controlled state legislature this spring tried but failed to pass bills targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs — commonly referred to as...
Trump is set to hold 1st outdoor rally since last month’s assassination attempt
ASHEBORO, N.C. — Donald Trump is holding his first outdoor rally since narrowly surviving an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last month. Trump’s podium at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame, where he is slated to deliver remarks on national security Wednesday afternoon, is surrounded by panes of...
Divers find 5 bodies during search of superyacht wreckage after it sank off Sicily, 1 still missing
PORTICELLO, Sicily — Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found the bodies of five passengers Wednesday and searched for one more as questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly when a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed. Rescue crews brought four body bags ashore...
FAA sent 43 more cases of unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say they are referring fewer unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution than they did during the pandemic, although they say the number of incidents remains too high. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it referred 43 reports to the Federal Bureau of...
Putin’s slow response to Kursk attack could test patience of some of his backers in Russia
A year ago this week, President Vladmir Putin strode onto a stage in the Kursk region to commemorate the 80th anniversary of one of the Soviet army’s proudest moments in World War II. Addressing a rapt audience that included soldiers fresh from fighting in Ukraine, Putin called the decisive victory...
Propane blast levels northeastern Pa. home, kills woman and injures man
JEFFERSON — An explosion that leveled a home in northeastern Pennsylvania, killing a woman and leaving a man seriously injured, was apparently caused by a propane leak, state police said. The blast in Jefferson Township, near Scranton, was reported around 2 p.m. Tuesday. It sparked a fire that sent thick...
Gilma becomes 2nd hurricane of the eastern Pacific season
MEXICO CITY — Gilma became the second hurricane of this year’s eastern Pacific Ocean season early Wednesday and is forecast to remain away from land. The Category 1 storm was located about 935 miles (1,504 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, according to...
Moscow sees one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks as fighting rages in Kursk and eastern UkraineVideo
MOSCOW — Moscow came under one of the largest attacks by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the country’s capital. The attacks came as Ukrainian forces continue to push into Russia’s western Kursk region. In...
Your audience is filled with Republicans. The Democratic convention is underway. How to cover it?
The Democratic convention presents Fox News Channel with a delicate challenge: how to cover a party suddenly enthused about its election chances when much of the network’s audience has a different political viewpoint. During the Democrats’ first two days, Fox personalities called the proceedings “boring” and filled with “a lot...
A double dose of Obama firepower, a doting spouse and a dance party: Takeaways from Day 2 of the DNC
CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention’s second night showcased a double dose of Obama firepower to validate Vice President Kamala Harris and deliver an unsparing indictment of Republican Donald Trump. The convention also served up a raucous roll call of states that was essentially one big dance party. Harris and...
Greensburg diocese’s Catholic schools start year with building upgrades, new programs
With air conditioning units installed, security upgrades completed and a plan in place to deepen students’ faith education, Greensburg Central Catholic High School is ready to welcome students back to its halls Wednesday. For Superintendent Nancy Rottler, there is no time like the present to be a student at Greensburg...
Obamas close DNC’s 2nd night with a rousing Harris endorsement, pointed warnings about TrumpVideo
CHICAGO — Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and foreboding. “America, hope is making a comeback,” the former first...
Sen. Rick Scott wins Florida GOP primary as he seeks a 2nd term
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has handily won Florida’s Republican primary against two other opponents, moving on to face Democratic former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November. Mucarsel-Powell also won her election comfortably against three other candidates. This November, Scott has to first win a second...
Trump campaigns to ‘make America safe again’ as Democratic convention zeroes in on his felony recordVideo
HOWELL, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to “Make America Safe Again” while campaigning in Michigan as the Democrats who gathered in Chicago to nominate Kamala Harris branded him a career criminal. As part of a battleground campaign swing designed to counter the Democratic National Convention, Trump stood...
