Ernesto strengthens back into a hurricane, sends powerful swells, rip currents to East Coast
Tropical Storm Ernesto became a hurricane again Sunday as it churned away from Bermuda and headed further out in the northeastern Atlantic, sending powerful swells toward the U.S. East Coast, generating rip currents associated with at least one death and prompting many rescues. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said...
Trump zigzags between economic remarks and personal insults at rally in critical Pennsylvania
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday repeatedly swerved from a message focused on the economy into non sequiturs and personal attacks, including thrice declaring that he was better looking than Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump wound back and forth between hitting his points on economic policy and...
Thousands of activists expected in Chicago for Democratic convention to call for Gaza ceasefire
CHICAGO — Thousands of activists are expected to converge on Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, hoping to call attention to abortion rights, economic injustice and the war in Gaza. While Vice President Kamala Harris has energized crowds of supporters as she prepares to accept the Democratic nomination,...
Kamala Harris, Tim Walz rally supporters at a series of visits in Allegheny, Beaver counties
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, made a series of campaign stops Sunday in Western Pennsylvania, weaving her way through Beaver and Allegheny counties in an effort to build momentum ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Harris visited six locations, speaking with liberal...
Harris nomination transforms Dems’ convention from funeral vibe to party city
One month ago, Democrats were in disarray and the Democratic National Convention loomed large as a make-or-break moment for the party. It seemed Democrats were speeding toward a cliff as President Joe Biden grew increasingly unpopular. A disastrous debate performance in June punctuated the turmoil. This year’s convention in Chicago,...
Memorable moments from the Democratic National Convention
1924 — Marathon convention The Democratic National Convention in July in New York was the longest continuously running political convention in U.S. history. It lasted 17 days because the delegates could not decide on a nominee and came to a consensus only after 103 ballots were cast. John W. Davis,...
‘Promote art in our communities’: Greensburg, Latrobe art centers collaborate for 130-piece exhibit
Latrobe and Greensburg art centers are more than just geographical neighbors. They share the same goals and many of the same members, said Pat Majcher, treasurer of the Greensburg Art Center. “We’re both trying to promote art in our communities,” Majcher said, “and so the communities tend to be neighbors.”...
What is ‘price gouging,’ and why is Vice President Kamala Harris proposing to ban it?
With inflation and high grocery prices still frustrating many voters, Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday proposed a ban on “price gouging” by food suppliers and grocery stores, as part of a broader agenda aimed at lowering the cost of housing, medicine and food. It’s an attempt to tackle a...
OpenAI shuts down Iranian influence operation targeting U.S. election
NEW YORK — OpenAI removed a network of Iranian accounts that used its ChatGPT chatbot to try to wage a foreign influence campaign targeting the U.S. presidential election by generating longform articles and social media comments, the company said Friday. The accounts created content that appeared to be from liberal...
Border arrests drop 33% to 46-month low in July after asylum restrictions take hold
WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plummeted 33% in July to the lowest level since September 2020, a result of asylum being temporarily suspended, authorities said Friday. The Border Patrol made 56,408 arrests last month, down from 83,536 arrests in June, according to U.S. Customs and...
Woman in crash with Sen. John Fetterman in Maryland still recuperating after June crash
The Virginia motorist whose vehicle was struck by Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s in June said this week through an attorney she’s still undergoing treatment after the collision in western Maryland. An attorney retained by Jennifer Campbell said in the statement the 62-year-old “seeks to maintain her privacy” as she recuperates...
California social media law likely violates the First Amendment, 9th Circuit panel rules
A 2022 law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom aimed at protecting young people online likely violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The bipartisan law, co-authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks of Oakland and Republican (now former)...
Bibles, cryptocurrency, Truth Social and gold bars: A look at Trump’s reported sources of income
Former President Donald Trump owns more than $1 million worth of cryptocurrency and up to $250,000 in gold bars along with the portfolio of golf courses and real estate properties that have made him a billionaire, according to newly released financial disclosures. The details come from documents filed by Trump...
Penn-Trafford hires new assistant principal after shuffling of administrators
Luke Healey is excited to go back to high school. Healey, 39, of Murrysville will start as an assistant principal at Penn-Trafford High School in the fall. It means he’ll have less of a commute than the 60 miles he’s traveled daily to an administrative position at Washington County’s McGuffey...
Woman charged with trying to defraud Elvis Presley’s family through sale of iconic Graceland
WASHINGTON — A Missouri woman has been arrested on charges she orchestrated a scheme defraud Elvis Presley’s family by trying to auction off his iconic Graceland property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the Justice Department said Friday. Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed...
Harris aims to blunt Trump’s economic attacks by proposing new tax breaks in a bid to lower costs
RALEIGH, N.C. — Vice President Kamala Harris is promoting a broad set of economic proposals that would offer new tax breaks and lower the cost of living for Americans, aiming to address the financial concerns that are at the top of the mind for voters and that Republican Donald Trump...
Texas couple charged with failing to seek medical care for injured 12-year-old who later died
JOURDANTON, Texas — A mother and stepfather have been arrested after the death of their 12-year-old daughter, who lay unconscious in their home for four days before medical treatment was sought as the pair tried to feed her smoothies, according to the county sheriff. “They thought they could nurse her...
Police hunt for 2 teens in Central Park mugging as NYPD clamps down on robbery surge
NEW YORK — Detectives are searching for a pair of teenage thieves who robbed two 20-year-old men inside Central Park, cops said Friday. The search comes as the NYPD conducts a massive crackdown on the iconic greenspace in an attempt to curb a rise of robberies there, officials said. The...
Ukrainian officials urge civilians to evacuate eastern city of Pokrovsk as Russian troops close in
KYIV, Ukraine — Military authorities in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk on Friday urged civilians to speed up their evacuation because the Russian army is quickly closing in on what has for months been one of Moscow’s key targets in the war. Pokrovsk officials said in a Telegram post...
The collapse of an iconic arch in Utah has some wondering if other famous arches are also at risk
SALT LAKE CITY — A common line of questions has emerged from visitors to Utah’s Arches National Park in the week since an iconic rock arch at Lake Powell known as the “Toilet Bowl” collapsed.Are these arches also at risk of falling soon? What are you doing to prevent their...
Matthew Perry’s death leads to sweeping indictment of 5, including doctors and reputed dealers
LOS ANGELES — Nearly 10 months after the death of Matthew Perry, the long-simmering investigation into the ketamine that killed him came dramatically into public view with the announcement that five people had been charged with having roles in the overdose of the beloved “Friends” star. Here are key things...
Mideast mediators strike hopeful note after talks in Doha
JERUSALEM — Mediators trying to end the Israel-Hamas war expressed hope for an imminent deal Friday, saying two days of talks had wrapped up in Qatar and they aimed to reconvene in Cairo next week to seal an agreement to stop the fighting. Israel issued a vague statement saying it...
Hurricane Ernesto barrels toward Bermuda as wealthy British territory preps for storm
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Ernesto charged toward Bermuda on Friday as officials on the tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean prepared to open shelters and close government offices. The Category 2 storm was located 320 miles (510 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained...
Looking to buy a home? You may now need to factor in the cost of your agent’s commission
LOS ANGELES — Thinking of buying a home with the help of a real estate agent? You can no longer take it for granted that a seller will cover the cost of your agent’s commission. Home sellers have traditionally offered a blanket commission to a buyer’s agent when they listed...
Sweden reports 1st case of more infectious form of mpox first identified in Congo
LONDON — Swedish health officials said Thursday they have identified the first case of a person with the more infectious form of mpox first seen in eastern Congo, a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks there and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency. The Swedish...
