How Putin’s crackdown on dissent became the hallmark of the Russian leader’s 24 years in power
TALLINN, Estonia — When charismatic opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was gunned down on a bridge near the Kremlin in February 2015, more than 50,000 Muscovites expressed their shock and outrage the next day at the brazen assassination. Police stood aside as they rallied and chanted anti-government slogans. Nine years later,...
China says economy got a strong start in 2024, sets sights on latest technology, upgrading factories
BEIJING — China has plenty of room to maneuver to attain its annual target for robust economic growth of about 5% after a strong start for the year, top economic officials said Wednesday, though they acknowledged it’s a challenge. China’s exports rose about 10% in the first two months of...
Hostage crisis poses dilemma for Israel and offers a path to victory for Hamas
Over the last five months, Israel has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, destroyed dozens of their tunnels and wreaked unprecedented destruction on the Gaza Strip. But it still faces a dilemma that was clear from the start of the war and will ultimately determine its outcome: It can either try...
Nikki Haley suspends her campaign and leaves Donald Trump as the last major Republican candidate
NEW YORK — Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign on Wednesday after being soundly defeated across the country on Super Tuesday, leaving Donald Trump as the last remaining major candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination. Haley didn’t endorse the former president in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina. Instead, she...
Cumberland County man who illegally collected body parts given 2 years probationVideo
A former Enola man who admitted to possessing human organs illegally taken from a morgue as part of a nationwide scheme got two years of probation handed down Tuesday as part of a plea deal. Jeremy Pauley, 41, now of Susquehanna County, appeared in court wearing all black alongside his...
Biden and Trump dominate Super Tuesday races and move closer to a November rematch
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, romped through more than a dozen states on Super Tuesday, all but cementing a November rematch and pushing the former president’s last major rival, Nikki Haley, out of the Republican race. Their victories from coast to coast, including the delegate-rich...
Miami Beach is breaking up with spring break — or at least trying toVideo
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach is trying to break up with spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether spring break will take the hint. After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing monthlong security measures aimed at curbing the chaos, including parking restrictions...
Explosive fire at site housing vaping supplies kills 1 outside Detroit, sends debris a mile awayVideo
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A fire that destroyed a building which housed supplies for the vaping industry caused multiple explosions that killed one person and injured a firefighter as the blasts rocked suburban Detroit, sending gas cannisters and debris shooting far into the air, authorities said. The debris fell Monday...
Rewritten indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez alleges new obstruction of justice crimes
NEW YORK — New obstruction of justice crimes were added Tuesday to charges against Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife that allege they accepted gold bars, cash and a luxury car in return for favors the senator carried out to assist three businessmen. The new charges were in a rewritten...
Arctic Ocean could be ‘ice-free’ within the decade, researchers warn
The loss of Arctic sea ice has long been a graphic measure of human-caused climate change, with wrenching images of suffering polar bears illustrating a worsening planetary crisis. Now, new research has found that Arctic Ocean sea ice is shrinking even faster than previously thought — and that the Arctic...
Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona says she won’t seek reelection, avoiding 3-way race
PHOENIX — Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced Tuesday that she won’t run for a second term after her estrangement from the Democratic Party left her politically homeless and without a clear path to reelection. Sinema’s announcement comes after Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill to help secure the...
Liberty University will pay $14 million, the largest fine ever levied under the federal Clery Act
Liberty University has agreed to pay an unprecedented $14 million fine for the Christian school’s failure to disclose information about crimes on its campus and for its treatment of sexual assault survivors, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday. The fine is by far the largest ever levied under the...
West Virginia bus driver charged with DUI after crash sends multiple children to the hospital
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia bus driver was arrested Monday for driving under the influence after a crash that sent multiple injured students to the hospital, state police said. Jeffrey Brannon, 54, was charged with multiple counts of driving while intoxicated and child neglect resulting in injury, State Police...
Ambitious Pitt BioForge project could help cut medical treatment costs
Seated at a table of nonscientists, Kaigham “Ken” Gabriel explained how an ordinary-looking construction site in Hazelwood just might propel Pittsburgh to the forefront of reducing medical costs through gene therapy manufacturing. To make his point, the newly hired CEO of the University of Pittsburgh’s BioForge initiative pulled from his...
Court rules Florida’s ‘stop woke’ law restricting business diversity training is unconstitutional
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida law pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that limits diversity and race-based discussions in private workplaces is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court has ruled. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a Florida federal judge’s August 2022...
1st baby right whale of season dies from injuries caused by ship collision
The first confirmed baby right whale of the year has been found dead from a collision with a ship, a devastating blow for the vanishing species. North Atlantic right whales number less than 360 and they are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Federal authorities were notified...
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads logins restored after widespread outage
A technical issue caused widespread login issues for a few hours across Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms Tuesday. Andy Stone, Meta’s head communications, acknowledged the issues on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said the company “resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted,...
EU plans to boost defense industry and move away from U.S. dependency in the face of Russian threats
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Tuesday outlined ambitious plans to boost its defense industry as it responds to the threat posed by Russia’s war on Ukraine and seeks to wean member nations off an over-dependence on the U.S. defense industry. The plans by the EU Commission center on streamlining...
Solar eclipse 2024: When is the solar eclipse going to happen?
The sun is about to pull another disappearing act across North America, turning day into night during a total solar eclipse on April 8. The peak spectacle will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds in the path of total darkness, twice as long as the total solar eclipse that...
Solar eclipse 2024: How to make a pinhole viewer
Here are instructions to create a pinhole viewer that will project an image of the April 8, 2024, eclipse. Materials • Cardboard box • Scissors • Aluminum foil • Pencil • Thumbtack • Tape • White sheet of paper Instructions • Trace a short end of the box on the...
Pennsylvania State Police to expedite body camera rollout after Philadelphia officials excessive force claim
After a Philadelphia city official accused a state trooper of excessive force, the head of the Pennsylvania State Police told lawmakers on Monday that the agency would step up deployment of body cameras. State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris told members of the state House Appropriations Committee that a full investigation...
Princess of Wales to appear in June for royal ceremony, first confirmed official duty since surgery
LONDON — British officials said Tuesday that Kate, the Princess of Wales, will attend a Trooping the Color ceremony in June. It is her first confirmed major official duty since the royal underwent abdominal surgery. Kate, Prince William’s wife, has been out of the public eye since January, when palace...
Small plane crashes near Nashville interstate, 5 people aboard were killed, police say
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A single-engine plane crashed near a highway in Nashville, Tenn., just a few miles short of the airport it had tried to reach for an emergency landing, killing five people aboard, authorities said. The pilot made an emergency call to John C. Tune Airport around 7:40 p.m....
Regulator proposes capping credit card late fees at $8, latest in Biden’s campaign against junk fees
NEW YORK — The Biden administration announced a rule Tuesday to cap all credit card late fees, the latest effort in the White House push to end what it has called junk fees and a move that regulators say will save Americans up to $10 billion a year. The Consumer...
Alabama lawmakers advance legislation to protect IVF providers, with final approval still ahead
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers facing public pressure to get in vitro fertilization services restarted in the state advanced legislation Tuesday to shield providers from the fallout of a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. Committees in the state Senate and House approved nearly identical bills that would...
