A defiant Biden borrows some tactics from his rival as he tries to put debate debacle behind him
NEW YORK — He’s calling in to his favorite morning cable news show, bashing the “elites” of his party and dismissing unfavorable polls. He’s even talking up his crowd sizes. As an increasingly defiant President Joe Biden rejects calls to step aside after a disastrous debate performance, he’s been embracing...
Congress OKs bill overhauling oversight of troubled federal Bureau of Prisons
The Senate passed legislation Wednesday to overhaul oversight and bring greater transparency to the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons following reporting from the Associated Press that exposed systemic corruption in the federal prison system and increased congressional scrutiny. The Federal Prison Oversight Act, which the House passed in May, now...
Calls for justice grow in death of Black man outside Milwaukee hotel as GOP convention approaches
Calls for justice in the death of a Black man who was pinned to the ground during a struggle with security guards at a Milwaukee hotel are growing as thousands of GOP supporters and protesters are expected to gather in the city for the Republican National Convention. D’Vontaye Mitchell’s death...
Pressure mounts on Houston power company to quickly restore service as city sweats after BerylVideo
HOUSTON — Pressure mounted Wednesday on Houston’s power utility as millions of residents still had no power nearly three days after Hurricane Beryl made landfall, amid questions over how a city that is all too familiar with destructive weather was unable to better withstand a Category 1 storm. With frustration...
Democratic senators demand special counsel probe of Justice Thomas
Two senior Democratic senators Tuesday asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel to investigate possible wrongdoing by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas related to lavish gifts from right-wing megadonors. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon say Thomas and the wealthy donors...
After killing of trans teen, Pennsylvania House LGBTQ Caucus urges hate crime bill passage
In the wake of the killing of a 14-year-old transgender girl in Western Pennsylvania, some state House lawmakers are urging the Senate to pass an anti-hate crimes bill that would expand protections to gender and sexual-orientation classes. “We mourn the death of Pauly Likens and refuse to stand idly by...
George Stephanopoulos says Biden can’t ‘serve four more years’Video
LOS ANGELES — A video surfaced of ABC News anchor and former White House communications director George Stephanopoulos expressing his opinion on President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. In footage released Tuesday by TMZ, the broadcast journalist is approached on a New York sidewalk by a person who asks him if...
Biden’s candidacy faces new peril as Pelosi, Clooney and more Democrats weigh inVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s imperiled re-election campaign hit new trouble Wednesday as House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said merely “it’s up to the president to decide” if he should stay in the race, celebrity donor George Clooney said he should not run and Democratic senators and lawmakers expressed fresh...
House passes GOP bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote, boosting election-year talking point
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration, a proposal Republicans have prioritized as an election-year talking point even as research shows noncitizens illegally registering and casting ballots in federal elections is exceptionally rare. The legislation, approved largely along partisan lines but...
Hempfield casino to move poker room, build high-limit gambling space in $3M project
Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield’s Westmoreland Mall will move its poker room and create a new high-limit gambling space in a $3 million construction project slated for completion in October. Mascaro Construction, based in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood, started renovations two weeks ago, casino General Manager Sean Sullivan said. Nearly half...
Powell stresses message that U.S. job market is cooling, a possible signal of coming rate cut
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday reinforced a message that the Fed is paying growing attention to a slowing job market and not only to taming inflation, a shift that signals it’s likely to begin cutting interest rates soon. “We’re not just an inflation-targeting central bank,” Powell...
Gunman who was killed by Yellowstone rangers had planned a July 4 mass shooting, park reveals
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The warning from a woman in Yellowstone National Park came in just after midnight on July Fourth: She’d just been held at gunpoint by a man who said he planned to carry out a mass shooting — a random attack common in the U.S. these days but...
Defense attorney says ‘Alec Baldwin committed no crime; he was an actor, acting’ at trial openings
SANTA FE, N.M. — A defense attorney told jurors Wednesday that the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was an “unspeakable tragedy” but that ” Alec Baldwin committed no crime; he was an actor, acting.” Baldwin’s lawyer Alex Spiro emphasized in his opening statement in a Santa Fe, New Mexico,...
U.K. police are searching for a man with a crossbow after family of BBC radio commentator killed
LONDON — British police launched a huge manhunt Wednesday for a man believed to be armed with a crossbow and potentially other weapons after three women were killed in a house northwest of London. The BBC said the women killed were the family of well-known radio racing commentator John Hunt....
California fast food workers now earn $20 per hour. Some franchisees respond by cutting hours
LOS ANGELES — Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy’s locations south of Los Angeles, took orders at the register on a recent day and emptied steaming hot baskets of French fries and chicken nuggets, salting them with a flourish. Cheng used to have nearly a dozen employees on the...
Should Biden take a cognitive test? Here’s what it would — and wouldn’t — tell us
It seemed like a sensible suggestion for assessing the capabilities of an 81-year-old man seeking voters’ approval to remain in the White House until January 2029. To reassure the American people, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden, would he be willing to take a cognitive test and share the results...
Pelosi says ‘it’s up to the president’ to decide whether to stay in the race
WASHINGTON — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday “it’s up to the president to decide” if he should stay in the 2024 race despite President Joe Biden’s insistence he is still running for re-election, showing how unsettled the question remains among prominent Democrats and Capitol Hill. “We’re all encouraging him...
Political ads on social media rife with misinformation and scams, new research finds
WASHINGTON — The online advertisement to Donald Trump supporters was clear enough: Click here, and receive a free Trump 2024 flag and a commemorative coin. All in exchange for taking a quick survey and providing a credit card number for the $5 shipping and handling. “You’ll get two free gifts...
Israeli strikes in central Gaza kill 20 Palestinians as mediators make new push on cease-fire deal
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes early Wednesday killed 20 Palestinians in central Gaza, including six children and three women, some of them inside a purported “safe zone” declared by the Israeli military, hospital authorities said. This second straight night of deadly strikes in the central town of Deir...
Biden administration to tax foreign-made steel and aluminum imports routed through Mexico
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico that were made elsewhere — an attempt to stop China from avoiding import taxes by routing goods through one of the United States’ closest trading partners. Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic...
Presidential battle could play role in control of Pennsylvania capitol, other swing states
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Two swing districts in a swing county may very well decide which party controls the House in the swing state of Pennsylvania, one of several where pivotal legislative battles are playing out in the shadow of the presidential campaign. Democrat Brian Munroe and Republican Joe Hogan were...
Las Vegas eyes record of 5th consecutive day over 115 degrees as heat wave continues to scorch U.S.
LAS VEGAS — Used to shrugging off the heat, Las Vegas residents are now eyeing the thermometer as the desert city is on track Wednesday to set a record for the most consecutive days over 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 Celsius) amid a lingering hot spell that will continue scorching much...
Milk, eggs and now bullets for sale in handful of U.S. grocery stores with ammo vending machines
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A company has installed computerized vending machines to sell ammunition in grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, allowing patrons to pick up bullets along with a gallon of milk. American Rounds said their machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser’s...
President Joe Biden saw neurologist at White House for Jan. 17 exam, press secretary says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden saw a neurologist at the White House on Jan. 17 for a neurological exam, the results of which were later reported as part of his annual physical more than a month later, the White House said on Tuesday. The confirmation came after the White House...
Democrats on Capitol Hill express concerns about Biden in private but stay quiet in public
WASHINGTON — After meeting for around two hours Tuesday to discuss whether President Joe Biden should remain at the top of their presidential ticket, Senate Democrats seemed to agree on one thing — it’s best not to talk about it publicly. Behind closed doors, several Democrats expressed deep concerns about...
