Mega Millions jackpot soars to $875 million. Powerball reaches $600 million
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — If you’re feeling some St. Patrick’s Day magic, you might want to buy a lottery ticket. Mega Millions and Powerball have racked up some massive jackpots after weeks of rollovers. The Mega Millions jackpot is already estimated at a whopping $875 million for Tuesday night’s drawing...
Police: Suspect is barricaded in New Jersey home after killing 3 people in Philadelphia suburb
LEVITTOWN, Pa. — A suspect has barricaded himself in a home in New Jersey after allegedly killing three people in a shooting in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday, authorities said. The morning shooting in Falls Township in eastern Pennsylvania forced the cancellation of a St. Patrick’s Day parade and shut down...
Bernie Sanders wants the U.S. to adopt a 32-hour workweek. Could workers and companies benefit?
The 40-hour workweek has been standard in the U.S. for more than eight decades. Now some members of Congress want to give hourly workers an extra day off. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the far-left independent from Vermont, this week introduced a bill that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of...
From clovers to some unexpected history, all you need to know about St. Patrick’s Day
NEW YORK (AP) — If it’s March, and it’s green, it must be St. Patrick’s Day. The day honoring the patron saint of Ireland is a global celebration of Irish heritage. And nowhere is that more so than in the United States, where parades take place in cities around the...
Hunger soars and aid dwindles as gangs in Haiti suffocate the country
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A crowd of about 100 people tried to shove through a metal gate in Haiti’s capital as a guard with a baton pushed them back, threatening to hit them. Undeterred, children and adults alike, some of them carrying babies, kept elbowing each other trying to enter. “Let...
With Navalny dead, his allies keep fighting to undermine Putin’s grip on power
TALLINN, Estonia — Alexei Navalny’s team is used to working independently. The most potent foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin was frequently absent for long stretches after being arrested, assaulted, poisoned, or imprisoned. But when Navalny died suddenly in February at age 47 in a remote Arctic prison, his team...
Cease-fire talks with Israel and Hamas are expected to resume Sunday in Qatar
CAIRO — Stalled talks aimed at securing a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in earnest in Qatar as soon as Sunday, according to Egyptian officials. The talks would mark the first time both Israeli officials and Hamas leaders join the indirect negotiations since...
Husband of slain pregnant Amish woman: Young children told him of killing
MEADVILLE — The husband of a pregnant Amish woman killed inside her rural Pennsylvania home late last month testified Friday that his two young children told him about the crime when he got back from looking at potential roofing jobs. “I didn’t really believe it,” Andy Byler said at a...
Tornadoes kill 3, leave trails of destruction in the central U.S.
LAKEVIEW, Ohio — Blaine Schmidt sifted through the broken glass and splintered wood throughout his Ohio home Friday, salvaging a guitar and a bundle of diapers. His couch and a crib had been ripped apart by one of many tornadoes that tore through the central U.S., killing three people and...
Home sellers cut list prices as spring buying season starts with higher mortgage rates
LOS ANGELES — More homeowners eager to sell their home are lowering their initial asking price in a bid to entice prospective buyers as the spring homebuying season gets going. Some 14.6% of U.S. homes listed for sale last month had their price lowered, according to Realtor.com. That’s up from...
Fast-moving fire damages commercial freighter at Ohio port
ASHTABULA, Ohio — A fast-moving fire damaged a commercial freighter at a port in eastern Ohio on Friday, but no injuries were reported. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the blaze on the Cuyahoga, according to the Coast Guard. The agency said it deployed boats and a helicopter to the...
Judge delays Trump’s hush-money criminal trial until mid-April, citing last-minute evidence dump
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s New York hush-money criminal trial was delayed Friday until at least mid-April as the judge seeks answers about a last-minute evidence dump the former president’s lawyers said has hampered their ability to prepare their defense. Manhattan Judge Juan Manuel Merchan agreed to a 30-day delay...
Rep. Matt Gaetz subpoenaed in lawsuit regarding Joel Greenberg sex scandal
ORLANDO, Fla. — Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz must testify under oath as part of a civil lawsuit that involves his past friendship with disgraced Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg and allegations Gaetz had sex with a teenage girl. A subpoena was issued to Gaetz on Thursday by attorneys representing...
Authorities seize ailing alligator in New York home’s swimming pool
HAMBURG, N.Y. — An ailing alligator was seized from an upstate New York home where it was being kept illegally, state officials said. Environmental conservation police officers seized the 750-pound, 11-foot-long alligator Wednesday from a home in Hamburg, south of Buffalo. The home’s owner built an addition and installed an...
FAFSA data finally starts flowing to colleges to develop financial aid offers to students
Some colleges and universities are beginning to receive long-delayed information they need from the U.S. Department of Education to develop financial aid offers to college-bound students. Word that data is flowing from the troubled rollout of the revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA) is welcome news. But...
A new $16,000 postpartum depression drug is here. How will insurers handle it?
A much-awaited treatment for postpartum depression, zuranolone, hit the market in December, promising an accessible and fast-acting medication for a debilitating illness. But most private health insurers have yet to publish criteria for when they will cover it, according to a new analysis of insurance policies. The lack of guidance...
Prosecutor leaves Georgia election case against Trump after relationship with district attorney
ATLANTA — A special prosecutor who had a romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis formally withdrew Friday from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump after a judge ruled one of them had to leave for the case to move forward. Attorney Nathan Wade’s resignation allows...
Russian missiles kill at least 14 people in the latest strike on southern Ukraine’s Odesa
KYIV, Ukraine — First responders who arrived at the scene of a Russian missile attack on homes in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Friday were themselves struck by a second missile, officials said. A paramedic and an emergency service worker were among the 14 people killed. Officials said...
Pope acknowledges criticism, health issues but says in his new memoir he has no plans to retire
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis says he has no plans to resign and isn’t suffering from any health problems that would require doing so, saying in a new memoir he still has “many projects to bring to fruition.” Francis, 87, made the comments in an autobiography, “Life: My Story Through...
Russians are voting in an election that holds little suspense after Putin crushed dissent
Russia began three days of voting Friday in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend President Vladimir Putin’s rule by six more years after he stifled dissent. The election takes place against the backdrop of a ruthless crackdown that has crippled independent media and prominent rights groups...
1st ship to use a new sea route approaches Gaza with 200 tons of aid
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip — A ship carrying 200 tons of aid approached the coast of Gaza on Friday in a mission to inaugurate a sea route from Cyprus that was intended to bring more assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the enclave five months into the war between...
McDonald’s system outages have been reported worldwide; chain says they’re getting fixed
LONDON — System failures at McDonald’s were reported worldwide Friday, shuttering some restaurants for hours and leading to social media complaints from customers, in what the fast food chain called a “technology outage” that was being fixed. Chicago-based McDonald’s Corp. said the problems were not related to a cybersecurity issue....
Damaging tornadoes move through Midwest, as officials in Indiana try to confirm deathsVideo
MADISON, Ind. — Authorities in Indiana said they were working to confirm reports of fatalities from a tornado that was part of storm system that also unleashed suspected twisters in parts of Ohio and Kentucky on Thursday, damaging homes and businesses. Storm damage in Indiana was reported in the east...
Colorado snow storm knocks out power for thousands even as I-70 reopensVideo
DENVER — A major storm dumped heavy snow in Colorado on Thursday — forcing flight cancellations and shutting down a highway that connects Denver to Colorado ski resorts for much of the day, stranding some people in their cars for hours. The storm comes as other parts of the country...
James Crumbley, who bought gun used by son to kill 4 students, guilty of manslaughter in MichiganVideo
PONTIAC, Mich. — The father of a Michigan school shooter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thursday, a second conviction against the teen’s parents who were accused of failing to secure a gun at home and doing nothing to address acute signs of his mental turmoil. The jury verdict means...
