Republicans who see Trump conviction as politically motivated vow to ‘indict the left’
NEW YORK — In the days since Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in his criminal hush money trial, Republicans who view the case as politically motivated have coalesced around a new rallying cry: Prosecute the left. Candidates, officeholders and members of the former president’s family have amplified Trump’s...
House Speaker appoints 2 Trump allies to a committee overseeing spy agencies
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday appointed two far-right Republicans to the powerful House Intelligence Committee, positioning two close allies of Donald Trump who worked to overturn the 2020 presidential election on a panel that receives sensitive classified briefings and oversees the work of America’s spy agencies. The...
Appeals court halts Trump’s Georgia election case while appeal on Fani Willis disqualification pending
ATLANTA — An appeals court has halted the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others while it reviews the lower court judge’s ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case. The Georgia Court of Appeals’ order Wednesday prevents Fulton County Superior...
New study finds Earth warming at record rate, but no evidence of climate change accelerating
The rate Earth is warming hit an all-time high in 2023 with 92% of last year’s surprising record-shattering heat caused by humans, top scientists calculated. The group of 57 scientists from around the world used United Nations-approved methods to examine what’s behind last year’s deadly burst of heat. They said...
Boeing launches NASA astronauts for the first time after years of delays
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Boeing launched astronauts for the first time Wednesday, belatedly joining SpaceX as a second taxi service for NASA. A pair of NASA test pilots blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the International Space Station, the first to fly the new spacecraft. The trip by Butch...
In their own words: What young people wish they’d known about social media
It’s dangerous. It’s addictive. Get off your phone. Kids constantly hear about the downsides of social media from the adults in their lives, often in the form of dire warnings and commands. But these adults did not grow up with social media themselves. They didn’t get a phone handed to...
Dollar Tree looking at options for Family Dollar, including possible sale of the segment
Discount retailer Dollar Tree says it’s looking at strategic options for the Family Dollar stores that it owns, including a possible sale of the segment. Dollar Tree said Wednesday that alternatives also include a spinoff or other disposition of the business. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar nearly a decade ago...
Israeli nationalist march through Palestinian area of Jerusalem is set to proceed despite tensions
JERUSALEM — Thousands of mostly ultranationalist Israelis are expected to take part in an annual march through a dense Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday in an event that often sees racist chants and brawls. Jerusalem, the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been mostly calm throughout the...
Life as a teen without social media isn’t easy. These families are navigating adolescence offline
WESTPORT, Conn. — Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends. Then,...
Hunter Biden’s exes called as witnesses to detail his drug use in his federal gun trial
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified Wednesday in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia as prosecutors sought to show he still had a substance abuse problem when he filled out a form to buy a firearm. The courtroom grew...
Biden will mark D-Day anniversary in France as Western alliances face threats at home and abroad
PARIS — United States President Joe Biden will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France this week as he tries to demonstrate steadfast support for European security at a time when some allies fear Donald Trump threatens to upend American commitments if he wins another term in...
Andy Kim wins New Jersey Democratic Senate primary for indicted Bob Menendez’s seat
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Rep. Andy Kim has won New Jersey’s Senate primary, putting him in strong position for the general election in the blue-leaning state, though the win comes a day after Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez filed to run as an independent amid his federal corruption trial. His victory...
Trump’s lawyers ask judge to lift gag order imposed during New York trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers are asking a New York judge to lift the gag order that barred the former president from commenting about witnesses, jurors and others tied to the criminal case that led to his conviction for falsifying records to cover up a potential sex scandal. In...
Nebraska funeral home discovers hospice patient was still alive hours after being declared dead
OMAHA, Neb. — A Nebraska funeral home discovered that a 74-year-old hospice patient who was declared dead by her nursing home two hours earlier was actually still alive, so workers started CPR and she was rushed to a hospital, where she died hours later. It’s not clear how often incidents...
Hot air balloon strikes Indiana power lines, burning 3 people in basket
LOWELL, Ind. — A hot air balloon struck power lines before crashing to the ground over the weekend in northwestern Indiana, injuring the pilot and the two passengers, officials said Tuesday. The balloon contacted the power lines Sunday evening in Hebron, Indiana, about 56 miles southeast of Chicago, the Federal...
Panel rejects psychedelic drug MDMA as a PTSD treatment in possible setback for advocates
WASHINGTON — Federal health advisers voted Tuesday against a first-of-a-kind proposal to begin using the mind-altering drug MDMA as a treatment for PTSD, handing a potentially major setback to psychedelic advocates who hope to win a landmark federal approval and bring the banned drugs into the medical mainstream. The panel...
Epoch Times CFO arrested, accused of role in $67M multinational money laundering scheme
NEW YORK — The chief financial officer of The Epoch Times, a conservative multinational media company, is accused of taking part in a multi-year scheme to launder tens of millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits and other funds, according to an indictment unsealed. Arrested on Sunday, Weidong “Bill”...
Proposed scholarships would make going to college cheaper in Pa., but there’s a catch
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 — Pennsylvania lawmakers are entering into budget season with the joint goal of making it more affordable to attend college in the commonwealth. As...
U.S. health officials advise using antibiotic as a ‘morning-after pill’ against STDs
NEW YORK — Some people should consider taking an antibiotic as a morning-after pill to try to prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. health officials recommended Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finalized its endorsement of taking doxycycline after unprotected sex as a way to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea...
Trial begins for man charged in 2017 Charlottesville torch rally at the University of Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Years after a white nationalist rally erupted in violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, a trial began Tuesday for one of about a dozen people charged with using flaming torches to intimidate counterprotesters. The trial of Jacob Joseph Dix, 29, of Clarksville, Ohio, got underway with jury selection. The...
Merrick Garland slams attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers: ‘I will not be intimidated’
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland rebuked Republicans Tuesday for what he described as unprecedented attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers who have sought to hold him in contempt that he will “not be intimidated.” Appearing before a House panel led by allies of Donald Trump, Garland condemned as...
Reach Cyber graduates 1st students from its carpentry program
Simeon Chappell spent a lot of time in his childhood being handy around the house. “If my dad was fixing something, I’d try and help, or I’d take measurements for him to cut wood,” said Chappell, 19, of Ligonier Township. As the years progressed, Chappell’s interest in woodwork led him...
Biden rolls out migration order aiming to shut down asylum requests, after months of anticipation
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border as the White House tries to neutralize immigration as a political liability ahead of the November elections. The White House detailed the long-anticipated presidential proclamation signed by Biden,...
Service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in U.S. military veterans, researchers say
Specially trained service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in U.S. military veterans in a small study that the researchers hope will help expand options for service members. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides talk therapy and medications to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and runs a pilot program involving...
Couple finds $100K in safe while magnet fishing: ‘I just gasped’
A couple was doing what they call “poor man’s fishing” when they found something that certainly made them a bit richer — a safe containing $100,000. ABC News reports how New York City residents James Kane and Barbi Agostini were hanging out Friday in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens,...
