J.D. Vance’s 1st Republican convention will be his national introduction as Trump’s running mate
MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump ‘s running mate J.D. Vance will introduce himself to a national audience Wednesday night as he addresses the Republican National Convention. The Ohio senator’s headlining address will be his first speech as the Republican vice-presidential nominee. In fact, this year’s gathering also is the first RNC...
Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors unjustly punished in 1944 after a deadly California port explosion
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who were found to be unjustly punished in 1944 following a horrific port explosion that killed hundreds of service members and exposed racist double standards among the then-segregated ranks. On July 17, 1944, munitions being loaded onto a cargo ship...
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw, new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new poll, sharply undercutting his post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him even if some “big names” are turning on him....
Democrats will not formally nominate Biden before August
WASHINGTON — Democrats will not hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate President Joe Biden until at least August, after an outcry from some who believed the process was being rushed at his behest to head off calls for him to stand aside. The party will still undertake the...
‘Of all the places’: Deep red Butler grapples with Trump assassination attempt
BUTLER — On the streets of Butler, in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the same four words have been spoken again and again: “Of all the places.” Butler, home to just over 13,000 people, and the county whose grand courthouse graces its square are...
State System of Higher Education freezes tuition for 6th straight year
Tuition across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities will not increase this fall as the State System of Higher Education on Wednesday approved a sixth consecutive tuition freeze, this one for 2024-25. During a special meeting, held virtually, the State System’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to keep full-time undergraduate tuition for...
Germany to impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters
BERLIN — Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters, a response to incidents such as disruptive protests by climate activists. The bill, which must still be passed by lawmakers, foresees punishment ranging up to a two-year prison sentence for...
Judge’s order dismissing Trump classified docs case won’t be final word as long court fight awaits
WASHINGTON — A judge’s stunning decision to dismiss the classified documents case against Donald Trump brought an abrupt halt to what experts have considered the strongest and most straightforward of the prosecutions of the former president. But it’s hardly the final word. Special counsel Jack Smith’s planned appeal of U.S....
Movie armorer seeks dismissal of her conviction or new trial in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin
SANTA FE, N.M. — A movie armorer has asked a judge to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter conviction or convene a new trial in the shooting death of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin, alleging suppression of evidence and misconduct by the prosecution. In a court filing Tuesday, defense counsel for...
Homeland Security inspector general investigates Secret Service handling of security at Trump rally
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general says it has opened up an investigation into the U.S. Secret Service’s handling of security for former President Donald Trump on the day a gunman tried to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania rally. In a brief notice posted to the inspector...
3 days after attempted assassination, Trump shooter remains an elusive enigma
BETHEL PARK — After three days, an enigmatic portrait emerged of the 20-year-old man who came close to killing former President Donald Trump with a high-velocity bullet: He was an intelligent loner with few friends, an apparently thin social media footprint and no hints of strong political beliefs that would...
Donald Trump is feted by his former rivals in a show of Republican unity after rally shooting
MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump was celebrated Tuesday at the Republican National Convention by former rivals who just months ago leveled harsh critiques about him, a show of unity that contrasts with the divisions increasingly ripping through the Democratic Party. Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who was Trump’s final challenger...
The stepped-up security around Trump is apparent, with agents walling him off from RNC crowds
MILWAUKEE — On the floor of the Republican National Convention Tuesday evening, vice presidential candidate JD Vance greeted and shook hands with excited delegates as he walked toward his seat. It was a marked contrast from former President Donald Trump, who entered the hall a few minutes later and was...
Traces of cyanide are found in the blood of Vietnamese and Americans found dead in a Bangkok hotel
BANGKOK — Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests at a central Bangkok luxury hotel and one of them is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities said Wednesday. The bodies were found Tuesday in the...
Biden aims to cut through voter disenchantment as he courts Latino voters at Las Vegas conference
LAS VEGAS — President Joe Biden is trying to shore up support among disenchanted voters key to his reelection chances as he meets Wednesday with members of a Latino civil rights organization in the battleground state of Nevada. Biden is set to deliver an address to the UnidosUS annual conference...
Webcam monitors hundreds of rattlesnakes at a Colorado ‘mega den’ for citizen scienceVideo
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — They creep, slither and slide over and around each other by the dozen and now there’s a webcam so that anybody can watch them online at any time, even at night. A “mega den” with as many as 2,000 rattlesnakes isn’t top binge-watching for many people....
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray could be bidding adieu to tennis at the Paris Olympics
PARIS — All the way back when he first discussed the likelihood that 2024 would be his final season as a professional tennis player, Rafael Nadal made sure to refer to the Paris Olympics as “one of the important competitions I would like to be at.” If, indeed, this is...
Young Thug trial in peril after judge’s removal: ‘Irrevocably tainted’
The recusal of Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville in the midst of the gang and racketeering trial against rapper Young Thug and his alleged associates is unprecedented and places what has become Georgia’s longest trial in uncertain territory. Legal experts say a mistrial is likely, and that, if there...
President Joe Biden to propose Supreme Court reforms, including term limits
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is planning to unveil proposals that could dramatically reshape the Supreme Court, including term limits on justices who now sit on the court for life, according to a person familiar with the deliberations. The effort represents a substantial shift for a president who has long...
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick speaks at national convention in Milwaukee
Republican Senate candidate David McCormick called his political opponent, incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, a “do-nothing, out-of-touch liberal career politician” whose policies align with President Joe Biden and are dangerous for Pennsylvanians and the nation. His remarks were made during a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on...
Out-of-state officers in Milwaukee fatally shoot man blocks away from RNC
MILWAUKEE — Five Ohio police officers in Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention shot at a man who was in a knife fight near the convention, killing him, Milwaukee’s police chief said Tuesday. The man who members of the Columbus, Ohio, police department shot had a knife in each hand...
J.D. Vance as VP pick fuels European anxiety over U.S. backing for Kyiv
When an outraged Ukrainian lawmaker berated J.D. Vance at this year’s Munich Security Conference over the Republicans’ blocking of aid to his country, the U.S. senator listened patiently. But Oleksiy Honcharenko couldn’t change his mind. That task will now fall to European allies and Ukrainian politicians after former President Donald...
Supreme Court grants Texas man stay of execution just before scheduled lethal injection
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of execution for a Texas man Tuesday, 20 minutes before he was scheduled to face a lethal injection. The inmate has long maintained that DNA testing would help prove he wasn’t responsible for the fatal stabbing of an 85-year-old woman...
Houston power outages have repair crews facing threats from residents
HOUSTON — Drawn guns. Thrown rocks. Threatening messages. Houston’s prolonged outages following Hurricane Beryl has some fed-up and frustrated residents taking out their anger on repair workers who are trying to restore power across the city. The threats and confrontations have prompted police escorts, charges in at least two cases...
How to teach Alice Munro: Educators struggle in wake of her daughter’s revelations
NEW YORK — For decades, Robert Lecker has read, taught and written about Alice Munro, the Nobel laureate from Canada renowned for her short stories. A professor of English at McGill University in Montreal and author of numerous critical studies of Canadian fiction, he has thought of Munro as the...
