He flipped off a trooper and got charged. Now Vermont is on the hook for $175,000
ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed...
Supreme Court overturns ex-mayor’s bribery conviction, narrowing scope of public corruption law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court overturned the bribery conviction of a former Indiana mayor on Wednesday in an opinion that narrows the scope of public corruption law. The high court’s 6-3 opinion along ideological lines sided with James Snyder, who was convicted of taking $13,000 from a trucking company after...
Supreme Court rules for Biden administration in a social media dispute with conservative states
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including covid-19 and election security. By a 6-3 vote, the justices threw out lower-court rulings that...
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich goes on trial in Russia on espionage charges that he and his employer deny
YEKATERINBURG, Russia — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday, 15 months after his arrest in the Russian city on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny. The 32-year-old journalist appeared in the court in a...
Biden and Trump are set to debate. Here’s what their past performances looked like
WASHINGTON — What people remember from Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s first debate four years ago are likely the interruptions, the shouting and the “will you shut up, man?” Then-President Trump arrived at that first matchup in Cleveland seemingly determined to steamroll Biden at every turn, leaving the Democratic candidate...
Most Americans plan to watch the Biden-Trump debate, and many see high stakes, an AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — Most U.S. adults plan to watch some element of Thursday’s presidential debate and many think the event will be important for the campaigns of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Both...
Mother of Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas says she’s ‘deeply concerned’ about her disappearance
CHICAGO — The mother of a Chicago woman who vanished last week in the Bahamas while attending a yoga retreat says she’s “deeply concerned” about her daughter’s disappearance in the Caribbean nation. Taylor Casey, 41, was last seen on June 19 at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island,...
New Jersey man flies to Florida to attack another player over an online gaming dispute, deputies say
FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — An online gaming dispute made its way to the real world when a New Jersey man flew to Florida to attack another player with a hammer, authorities said. Edward Kang, 20, is charged with attempted second-degree murder and armed burglary with a mask, according to Nassau...
U.S. Rep. John Curtis wins Utah GOP primary for Sen. Romney’s open seat over Trump-backed opponent
PROVO, Utah — U.S. Rep. John Curtis has won the Utah GOP primary for Mitt Romney’s open U.S. Senate seat, defeating one opponent who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and others who said they supported Trump’s agenda. The 64-year-old congressman lost the official party nod at the state...
Lauren Boebert wins Republican House primary after switching districts in Colorado
DENVER — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert won the Republican primary in a U.S. House race that she jumped into last year, surviving a scandal over a video of her at a Denver theater and accusations of carpetbagging after fleeing what could have been a tough reelection bid in her current...
WikiLeaks’ Assange pleads guilty in deal with U.S. that secures his freedom, ends legal fightVideo
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that secures his liberty and concludes a drawn-out legal saga that raised divisive questions about press freedom and national security. The plea was entered...
Iowa floodwaters breach levees as even more rain dumps onto parts of the MidwestVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — Tornado warnings, flash flooding and large hail added insult to injury for people in the Midwest already contending with heat, humidity and intense flooding after days of rain. The National Weather Service on Tuesday afternoon and evening issued multiple tornado warnings in parts of Iowa and...
Pa. Senate committee advances bill to expand DNA collection by law enforcement
A bill moving in the Pennsylvania Senate would allow the state to collect and archive DNA samples from people when they are arrested, even if they are never convicted of a crime — a proposal that has generated pushback from both ends of the political spectrum. The Senate Judiciary Committee...
Arkansas man pleads not guilty to murder charges for mass shooting at grocery store
CAMDEN, Ark. — The Arkansas man accused of killing four people and injuring 10 others, including two police officers, in a mass shooting at a grocery store pleaded not guilty Tuesday to multiple charges connected to the attack. Appearing in court for the first time, Travis Eugene Posey, 44, pleaded...
Fetterman taunts Menendez with nickname in hallways of Capitol
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman reportedly taunts New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez with the nickname “Gold Bar Bob” whenever the two senators cross paths in Washington, D.C. He’ll presumably continue to do so if Menendez doesn’t step down amid his ongoing legal troubles. Menendez was hit with corruption charges in September...
North Korea fires ballistic missile toward sea, South Korea says
SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean ballistic missile test Wednesday likely ended in failure, South Korea’s military said, days after the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier for a new trilateral military drill with South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North...
George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist, defeats Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York Democratic primary
George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist, defeated U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York on Tuesday in a Democratic primary that highlighted the party’s deep divisions over the war in Gaza. With the victory, Latimer has ousted one of the most liberal voices in Congress and one of its most outspoken...
Detroit is banning gas stations from locking customers inside, a year after a fatal shooting
DETROIT — The city of Detroit is taking steps to ban gas stations from locking people inside the store, a year after a man was fatally shot during an argument with another customer. Police said a clerk’s decision to lock the door while he was safely behind protective glass contributed...
Bill to ensure access to contraception advances in Pennsylvania, aided by dozens of GOP House votes
HARRISBURG — A proposal to ensure access to contraceptives cleared the Democratic majority Pennsylvania House on Tuesday, drawing dozens of Republican votes but facing an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled state Senate. The bill was approved 133-69, with 14 women among the 32 Republicans voting yes. A spokeswoman for the...
Avoiding AI not an option for teachers, education experts say at Pittsburgh conference
As discussions of artificial intelligence technology make their way into classrooms across the country, education experts speaking at a national conference in Pittsburgh Tuesday urged teachers to take part in the conversation. Mike Searson summarized it simply: educators cannot handle AI the same way they addressed the rise of social...
Pennsylvania man charged with threatening state Sen. Mastriano
Federal agents arrested a Central Pennsylvania man on charges of threatening to kill state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Franklin Republican, in a series of violent posts to Facebook earlier this month, authorities said Tuesday. Among the threatening messages from Richard Little was a post Friday in which he tagged the...
Karen Read’s jurors must now decide: Was it deadly romance or police corruption?Video
DEDHAM, Mass. — The fate of Karen Read was handed Tuesday to jurors who must decide whether she ended a rocky romance by angrily striking her boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him mortally injured in the snow, or is a victim of police corruption, framed to cover up a...
Jill Biden to Philadelphia donors: ‘Let’s talk about age’
PHILADELPHIA — First lady Jill Biden told a room of Philadelphia donors she knew what they were thinking. “I know what’s on your mind, so let’s talk about age this election,” Biden said to about 100 guests at a private fundraiser in Chestnut Hill on Monday night. “This election’s not...
Suspect kills himself after 5 people fatally shot, teen injured in shootings near Las Vegas, police say
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A man who fatally shot five people and critically injured a 13-year-old girl at apartments near Las Vegas has killed himself, authorities said Tuesday. The North Las Vegas Police Department said the suspected shooter, 47-year-old Eric Adams, killed himself Tuesday morning as he was confronted...
West Virginia University to increase tuition about 5% and cut some programs
CHARLESTON — West Virginia University is increasing tuition by just under 5% a semester and cutting several majors from its divisional campuses in an ongoing effort to offset enrollment drops and a budget deficit. The state flagship university’s board of governors voted to discontinue bachelor’s degree programs in chemistry, math...
