President Joe Biden says he’s ‘happy to debate’ Donald Trump during interview with Howard Stern
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden said Friday that he is willing to debate his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall — his most definitive comment yet on the issue. The comment came during an interview with the Sirius XM radio host Howard Stern, who asked Biden whether...
U.S. announces new Patriot missiles for Ukraine as part of new $6 billion aid package
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as part of a massive $6 billion additional aid package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday. The missiles will be used to replenish previously supplied Patriot air defense systems and are part of a package...
Trump’s lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution’s lead witness in hush money trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s defense team in his hush money case sought Friday to undermine the testimony of the prosecution’s lead witness and his account that a tabloid’s practice of helping to bury embarrassing stories about Trump was part of a scheme to aid the Republican’s 2016 campaign. Returning...
U.S. probes whether Tesla Autopilot recall did enough to make sure drivers pay attention
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s auto safety agency is investigating whether last year’s recall of Tesla’s Autopilot driving system did enough to make sure drivers pay attention to the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Friday that Tesla has reported 20 more...
‘The movement will persist’: Advocates stress Weinstein reversal doesn’t derail #MeToo reckoning
NEW YORK — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again. So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual...
As some universities negotiate with pro-Palestinian protesters, others quickly call the police
The students at Columbia University who inspired pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country dug in at their encampment for the 10th day Friday as administrators and police at campuses from California to Massachusetts wrestled with how to address protests that have seen scuffles with police and hundreds of arrests. Officials at...
Rooting for Trump to fail has made his stock shorters millions
NEW YORK — Rooting for Donald Trump to fail has rarely been this profitable. Just ask a hardy band of mostly amateur Wall Street investors who have collectively made tens of millions of dollars over the past month by betting that the stock price of his social media business —...
Trading Trump: Truth Social’s first month of trading has sent investors on a ride
WASHINGTON — There have been lawsuits, short-selling and rampant speculation. Now, as Trump Media & Technology Group approaches its first month as a publicly traded company, it’s clear that — like the man it’s named after — there’s nothing typical about the stock. “If I woke up tomorrow and shares...
University of Pittsburgh, Steelworkers reach tentative agreement on 1st faculty labor contract
The union representing 3,400 University of Pittsburgh faculty has tentatively agreed with the school administration on their first labor contract — a pact running through June 30, 2026. The United Steelworkers union announced the deal late Thursday and said it included what it calls “historic language on wages and job...
Casey, McCormick agree to 3 debates across Pa. in U.S. Senate race
With the primary election just barely in the rearview mirror, the candidates for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate wasted no time in thinking ahead to November. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Thursday he wants to participate in three debates this fall. Casey, of Scranton, proposed holding debates in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia,...
These people were charged with interfering in the 2020 election. Some are still in politics today
ATLANTA — As Donald Trump seeks a return to the White House, criminal charges are piling up for the people who tried to help him stay there in 2020 by promoting false theories of voter fraud. At least five states won in 2020 by President Joe Biden have investigated efforts...
With Democrat Janelle Stelson’s win, analyst dials back chances for GOP to hold Rep. Perry’s seat
On the heels of Janelle Stelson’s win on Tuesday as the Democratic challenger to GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a well-known political forecaster has slightly downgraded Perry’s chances of victory in November. Kyle Kondik with University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball said this week he was...
Higher internet costs could be on the way for low-income Pa. residents as federal subsidies run out
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 — Thousands of Pennsylvanians could soon be hit with higher internet bills when a federal program that gives a discount to low-income households starts...
Gay actor’s speech back on at Pennsylvania school after cancellation over his ‘lifestyle’
A gay actor’s speech that was canceled over his “lifestyle” is back on at a Pennsylvania school after residents spoke out. The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday night to allow children’s book author Maulik Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during an assembly on May...
USC cancels graduation ceremony as college officials worry about pro-Palestinian protest disruptionsVideo
The University of Southern California canceled its main stage graduation ceremony Thursday as college officials across the U.S. worried that ongoing campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war could disrupt May commencement ceremonies. Some universities called in police to break up the demonstrations, resulting in ugly scuffles and dozens of arrests,...
Body believed to be that of trucker who went missing in November found in Iowa farm field
A body believed to be that of a missing truck driver has been found in a northwest Iowa field not far from where his abandoned rig was discovered on an isolated highway just before Thanksgiving , but details of his death remain a mystery. The Iowa Department of Public Safety...
Body-cam footage shows police left an Ohio man handcuffed and facedown on a bar floor before he diedVideo
TOLEDO — An Ohio man who was handcuffed and left facedown on the floor of a social club last week died in police custody and the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave. Police body-camera footage released Wednesday shows a Canton police officer responding to a report of...
Massive policing for Paris Olympics to include security checks for some of the capital’s residents
PARIS — Special anti-terrorism measures being put in place to safeguard the unprecedented opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the River Seine will also apply to all buildings along the route, meaning people who work and live there and their guests will be subjected to background security checks, Paris...
National Enquirer was go-to American tabloid for many years; Donald Trump helped change that
NEW YORK — Catch and kill. Checkbook journalism. Secret deals. Friends helping friends. Even by National Enquirer standards, testimony by its former publisher David Pecker at Donald Trump’s hush money trial this week has revealed an astonishing level of corruption at America’s best-known tabloid and may one day be seen...
Ashley Judd and Aloe Blacc help the White House unveil its national suicide prevention strategy
WASHINGTON— Actor Ashley Judd and singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, who both lost loved ones to suicide, on Tuesday helped the Biden administration promote its new national strategy to prevent suicide. Judd’s mother, country star Naomi Judd, died nearly two years ago. Blacc’s frequent collaborator, Tim Bergling, died in 2018. Both were...
Planned Parenthood announces $10 million voter campaign in North Carolina for 2024 election
RALEIGH, N.C. — Abortion continues to be a key part of Democrats’ election playbook in North Carolina, which for 2024 will include what abortion-rights advocates call an unprecedented investment in get-out-the-vote efforts. Planned Parenthood affiliated groups in North Carolina announced on Thursday a $10 million campaign in the state that...
Supreme Court seems skeptical of Trump’s claim of absolute immunity but decision’s timing is unclear
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared likely to reject former President Donald Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution over election interference, but it seemed possible Trump could still benefit from a lengthy trial delay, possibly beyond November’s election. Chief Justice John Roberts was among at least five...
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
NEW YORK — As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye. But when it came to the seamy...
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction overturned by New York’s top courtVideo
NEW YORK — New York’s highest court on Thursday threw out Harvey Weinstein ’s 2020 rape conviction with a ruling that shocked and disappointed women who celebrated historic gains during the #MeToo era and left those who testified in the case bracing for a retrial against the ex-movie mogul. The...
U.S. births fell last year, marking an end to the late pandemic rebound, experts say
NEW YORK — U.S. births fell last year, resuming a long national slide. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, according to provisional statistics released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest one-year tally...
