Israel says it’s taken control of key area of Gaza’s border with Egypt awash in smuggling tunnels
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Wednesday it seized control of a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels as it tries to destroy the militant Hamas group in a war now in its eighth month. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israel’s relations...
The Panda Party is back on as giant pandas will return to Washington’s National Zoo
WASHINGTON — Months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington. The zoo announced Wednesday that a fresh agreement had...
Greensburg Catholics to mark Corpus Christi with procession to courthouse
Parishioners at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg will celebrate a feast day Sunday with a procession from the church to the Westmoreland County Courthouse. This will be the first time Bishop Larry Kulick will lead a procession to the courthouse, a few blocks away from the church on Main Street,...
‘I had fun’: Alleged scammer takes credit for Graceland foreclosure upheaval
A self-proclaimed identity thief based in Nigeria claimed responsibility over the puzzling, and now court-blocked, auction of Elvis Presley’s historic Graceland mansion. The thief sent an email to the New York Times claiming to be part of a criminal network that targets the dead and elderly, particularly those from Florida...
Pa. attorney general candidates rebuild campaign coffers after pricey primaries
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 — The Democratic and Republican candidates competing to be Pennsylvania’s next attorney general first had to survive contested primaries that drained their campaign coffers....
Harvey Weinstein may face new charges as more accusers come forward, New York prosecutors say
NEW YORK — Manhattan prosecutors told a judge Wednesday they are evaluating more claims of sexual misconduct made against Harvey Weinstein and could potentially seek a new indictment against him before his scheduled retrial on rape and sexual assault charges. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said during a court hearing...
Biden and Harris will launch a Black voter outreach effort as they see signs of diminished support
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are stepping up their reelection pitch to Black voters, a key part of their 2020 winning coalition that has shown signs of fraying. They’ll launch a new Black voter outreach effort during a visit to the battleground state of Pennsylvania...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files complaint over rules for CNN’s presidential debate next month
PHOENIX — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed an election complaint Wednesday alleging CNN is colluding with Democratic President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to exclude him from a debate the network is hosting next month. Kennedy alleges the requirements to participate in the June...
Alito rejects calls to step aside from Supreme Court cases because of flag controversies
WASHINGTON — Justice Samuel Alito is rejecting calls to step aside from Supreme Court cases involving former President Donald Trump and Jan. 6 defendants, saying his wife hoisted the two controversial flags that flew above their homes. “My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not,” Alito wrote Wednesday....
Israel’s military says it’s taken control of a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt
TEL AVIV, Israel — Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in an ambush by an explosive device in Rafah, the military and media reported, as the Israeli national security adviser said that the war against Hamas militants would likely last through the end of the year. Three other soldiers were...
Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic are keeping Fed rate cuts on pause
WASHINGTON — Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading, with a stream of recent remarks by Fed officials underscoring their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation. A key reason for the delay in rate...
Pitt names 1st woman as engineering dean
Michele V. Manuel, a leading materials engineer in Florida, is the University of Pittsburgh’s new dean of engineering, a discipline dominated by males nationally that has sought to identify talented women and minorities. Her appointment as U.S. Steel Dean of the Swanson School of Engineering is effective Sept. 1, officials...
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The eruption began in the early afternoon following a series of...
Traveler carries measles through LAX as cases rise around the U.S.
LOS ANGELES — A traveler carrying measles flew from Munich, Germany, through Los Angeles on the way to Fresno Yosemite International Airport this month, exposing thousands of California travelers to the highly infectious disease, health officials have confirmed. Officials from the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed the case...
New Hampshire’s limits on teaching on race and gender are unconstitutional, judge says
CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge has struck down New Hampshire’s nearly 3-year-old law limiting what teachers can say about race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other topics in public schools as unconstitutionally vague. The ruling could revive the topic as an election year campaign issue. Republicans pitched the 2021...
Jurors in Trump hush money trial end 1st day of deliberations after asking to rehear testimony
NEW YORK — The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial ended its first day of deliberations without a verdict Wednesday but asked to rehear potentially crucial testimony about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case. The 12-person jury was sent home around 4 p.m....
3 Israeli soldiers killed in a booby trap explosion as Rafah offensive widens
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Rafah when a booby trap exploded, the military and media reported, as the Israeli national security adviser said that the war against Hamas militants would likely last through the end of the year. Three other soldiers were wounded in the explosion Tuesday, media...
1 dead, 7 injured in natural gas explosion in Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — One person was killed and seven injured following a natural gas explosion Tuesday afternoon that caused extensive damage to a building in downtown Youngtown, Ohio, authorities said. The Youngstown Police Department said a 27-year-old employee of Chase Bank, where the blast happened, was killed in the explosion....
Storms leave widespread outages across Texas, cleanup continues after deadly weekend across U.S.Video
Strong storms with damaging wind and baseball-sized hail pummeled Texas on Tuesday, leaving more than 1 million businesses and homes without power as much of the U.S. recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 25 people during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Widespread outages were reported in...
U.S.-built pier will be removed from Gaza coast and repaired after damage from rough seas
WASHINGTON — The U.S.-built temporary pier that has been taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians for less than two weeks will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired after getting damaged in rough seas and weather, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Over the next two days, the pier...
UPMC reports $103M operating loss during 1st quarter
UPMC reported an operating loss of $103 million during the first three months of the year, up slightly from its $100 million operating loss during the same period a year ago. The Pittsburgh-based health giant’s first-quarter losses came on revenues of more than $7.1 billion, according to a financial disclosure...
Democrats plan to nominate Biden by virtual roll call to meet Ohio ballot deadline
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will be formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee through a virtual roll call ahead of the party’s official convention in Chicago in August — a maneuver that will allow Biden to appear on the November ballot in Ohio and also reduce opportunities for disruptions...
New court challenge filed in Pennsylvania to prevent some mail-in ballots from getting thrown out
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A new lawsuit filed Tuesday by a constellation of left-leaning groups in Pennsylvania is trying to prevent thousands of mail-in ballots from being thrown out in November’s election in a battleground state that is expected to play a critical role in selecting a new president. The lawsuit,...
Bette Nash, who was named the world’s longest-serving flight attendant, dies at 88
NEW YORK — Bette Nash, who was once named the world’s longest-serving flight attendant, has died. She was 88. American Airlines, Nash’s employer, announced her passing on social media Saturday. The carrier noted that Nash spent nearly 70 years warmly caring for customers in the air. “Bette was a legend...
Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis’ comments, which were delivered behind closed...
