Writer E. Jean Carroll’s lawyers urge judge to reject Trump’s request to postpone $83.3M jury award
NEW YORK — Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll urged a judge Thursday to reject former President Donald Trump’s efforts to avoid posting security to secure an $83.3 million defamation award won by the writer, saying his promises to pay a judgment his lawyers predict will be overturned on appeal are...
Congress approves short-term extension to avoid shutdown, buy more time for final spending agreement
WASHINGTON — Congress passed another short-term spending measure Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in Saturday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden...
Sen. Casey questions Wendy’s intent with dynamic pricing plans
Fast-food giant Wendy’s has come under fire this week for its plan to implement dynamic pricing at its restaurants. Now the move is drawing concerns from Pennsylvania politicians. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, sent a letter to Wendy’s CEO on Wednesday raising issues about their plans for dynamic — or...
Palestinian deaths in Gaza pass 30,000 as witnesses say Israeli forces fire on crowd waiting for aid
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City on Thursday, witnesses said. More than 100 people were killed, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, according to health officials. Hospital officials initially...
What is Super Tuesday? Why it matters and what to watchVideo
The biggest day of this year’s primary campaign is approaching as 15 states, along with American Samoa, vote in contests known as Super Tuesday. The elections are a crucial moment for President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who are the overwhelming front-runners for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, respectively....
Pennsylvania sets up election security task force ahead of 2024 presidential contest
HARRISBURG — Law enforcement agencies, civil defense officials and election administrators have begun meeting in Pennsylvania to coordinate how they will identify and fight election threats with the presidential contest just eight months away in the battleground state, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Thursday. Shapiro created the Pennsylvania Election Threats...
About as many abortions are happening in the U.S. monthly as before Roe was overturned, report finds
The number of abortions performed each month is about the same as before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion more than a year and a half ago, a new report finds. The latest edition of the #WeCount report conducted for the Society...
Judge orders Trump off Illinois primary ballot but puts ruling on hold
CHICAGO — A Cook County judge ruled the Illinois State Board of Elections must take former President Donald Trump’s name off the state’s March 19 primary ballot Wednesday. But she placed her order on hold until Friday to allow an appeal. Judge Tracie Porter issued her decision after a group...
Federal prison director tells senators about staffing ‘crisis’
WASHINGTON — Senators zeroed in on chronic staffing problems in the federal Bureau of Prisons on Wednesday, as the head of the agency said the system faces a “crisis” in recruiting and retaining employees. Long-standing staffing shortages were among the problems cited in a scathing watchdog report this month that...
Sen. Casey bill seeks to fight shrinkflation at grocery stores
Sen. Bob Casey is fighting supermarket shrinkflation. The Pennsylvania Democrat introduced a bill Wednesday that opposes the practice of shrinking everyday consumer goods such as cereal, potato chips, laundry detergent and toilet paper. The Shrinkflation Prevention Act targets corporations Casey, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said are deceiving...
Republicans block Senate bill to protect nationwide access to IVF treatments
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would protect access to in vitro fertilization, objecting to a vote on the issue Wednesday even after widespread backlash to a recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that threatens the practice. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Mississippi Republican, objected to a request...
Officials describe how gunman killed 5 relatives and set Delaware County house on fireVideo
EAST LANSDOWNE — Four of the five family members found dead in a house fire near Philadelphia were fatally shot by an adult male relative who also killed himself after setting fire to the home, authorities said Wednesday. The youngest victim, a 10-year-old boy, was not shot but died of...
Congressional leaders reach tentative deal to prevent a government shutdown
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders reached a tentative agreement Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown for now, days before an end-of-the-week deadline that risked shuttering some federal operations, according to two people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. Under the new plan being finalized, Congress would temporarily...
Supreme Court, moving quickly, will decide if Trump can be prosecuted in election interference case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he interfered with the 2020 election and set a course for a quick resolution. The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to...
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son arrested in connection with string of vehicle break-ins, police say
DENVER — A magistrate ruled Wednesday that the oldest son of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert could be released from jail a day after the 18-year-old was arrested in connection with a recent string of vehicle break-ins and property thefts. The decision came as Tyler Jay Boebert appeared in court briefly...
Montana Republican Rep. Rosendale seeks reelection after dropping U.S. Senate bid
HELENA, Mont. — Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Wednesday that he will seek reelection to his U.S. House seat representing eastern Montana, after he abandoned a short-lived Senate campaign under pressure from party leaders. Rosendale, a hardline conservative, bucked Republican Senate leaders earlier this month by briefly seeking the GOP...
Older U.S. adults should get another covid-19 shot, advisers say
NEW YORK — Older U.S. adults should roll up their sleeves for another covid-19 shot, even if they got a booster in the fall, an influential government advisory panel said Wednesday. The panel voted 11-1 to say Americans 65 and older should get another dose of the updated vaccine that...
Supreme Court appears torn over Trump-era ban on a gun accessory known as bump stocks
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared torn Wednesday about a challenge to a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, a gun accessory that allows semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns and was used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The high court is weighing whether the...
Appellate judge refuses to halt Trump’s $454 million fraud penalty while he appeals
NEW YORK — A New York appellate judge on Wednesday refused to halt collection of Donald Trump’s $454 million civil fraud penalty while he appeals, rejecting the former president’s request that he be allowed to post a bond covering just a fraction of what he owes. Judge Anil Singh of...
South Carolina’s push to be next-to-last state with hate crimes law stalls again
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Supporters who want to make South Carolina the next-to-last U.S. state to pass a hate crimes law increasing penalties for some crimes fueled by race, gender or sexual orientation are running out of time to get what could be a decisive vote on the issue in the...
McConnell to step down as Senate GOP leader in November after record run in the jobVideo
WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well of...
Idaho halts execution by lethal injection after 8 failed attempts to insert IV line
KUNA, Idaho — Idaho on Wednesday halted the execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S., after a medical team repeatedly failed to find a vein where they could establish an intravenous line to carry out the lethal injection. Creech, 73,...
Boeing given 90 days by FAA to come up with a plan to improve safety and quality of manufacturing
The Federal Aviation Administration is giving Boeing 90 days to devise a plan to fix quality problems and meet safety standards for building new planes. The agency said Wednesday that the directive follows meetings with top Boeing officials, including the company’s CEO at FAA headquarters in Washington. “Boeing must commit...
The Biden campaign is launching a nationwide effort to win the women’s vote, Jill Biden will lead it
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden ‘s campaign on Wednesday announced it is launching “Women for Biden-Harris,” a new nationwide program to organize and mobilize female voters to give him and Vice President Kamala Harris a second White House term. Biden’s wife, Jill, will lead the effort. Women were a crucial...
‘Like treasure hunting’: Greensburg native pursues love of secondhand shopping, opens vintage clothing store downtown
For as long as he can remember, Greensburg native Zach Butler has appreciated vintage clothes. As a kid, he watched antique picker shows such as “Storage Wars” and borrowed clothing from his dad’s closet. “People used to be like ‘You look weird, but it looks good,’” joked Butler, 24, of...
