Hunter Biden in defiant deposition blasts GOP, insists he did not involve his father in business
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden was defiant Wednesday in a closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill, blasting a Republican impeachment inquiry into his father and the family’s business affairs as a “house of cards” built on “lies” as he faced a battery of probing questions from lawmakers. “For more than a year,...
A pregnant Amish woman is killed in her rural Pennsylvania home, and police have no suspects
SPARTANSBURG — Investigators have no suspects in the killing of a pregnant 23-year-old Amish woman inside her home in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, and are appealing for tips from the public to help solve the crime, a state police spokeswoman said Wednesday. Rebekah A. Byler was the victim of a criminal...
McClelland’s Pa. Treasurer campaign raised and spent money months before it officially existed
Erin McClelland, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for state treasurer, campaigned and accepted donations months before registering a fundraising committee with the Pennsylvania Department of State, as candidates for state office are required to do. While McClelland’s campaign chairperson said the donations and spending were properly reported...
Biden ‘continues to be fit for duty,’ his doctor says, after president undergoes annual physical
BETHESDA, Md. — President Joe Biden “continues to be fit for duty,” his doctor wrote Wednesday after conducting an annual physical that is being closely watched as the 81-year-old seeks reelection in November. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, wrote that the president is adjusting well to a new device that...
Washington & Jefferson names new president
Washington & Jefferson College has named as its 14th president Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, now serving as president of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. She will succeed John Knapp, who earlier disclosed plans to retire on June 30, officials said Tuesday. MacLeod Walls has led William Jewell College since 2016....
Wendy’s clarifies position on dynamic pricing, says it won’t raise prices
Burger fans need not worry: The price of food at Wendy’s will not increase thanks to dynamic — or surge — pricing, the company said Tuesday. On Monday, news reports highlighted how the Ohio-based fast-food chain is planning to introduce dynamic pricing in 2025, resulting in a bevy of concerns...
Michigan takeaways: Presidential primaries show warning signs for Trump and Biden
LANSING, Mich. — Joe Biden and Donald Trump easily won their party’s primaries in Michigan, but Tuesday’s results showed that both candidates have cause for concern in their bid to win the swing state in November. An “uncommitted” vote in Michigan’s Democratic primary was the first indication of how backlash...
Trump and Biden won Michigan. But ‘uncommitted’ votes demanded attention
DEARBORN, Mich. — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won the Michigan primaries on Tuesday, further solidifying the all-but-certain rematch between the two men — yet early results from the state were highlighting some of their biggest political vulnerabilities ahead of the November general election. A vigorous “uncommitted”...
U.S. Army undergoing major overhaul to prepare for future wars
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is slashing the size of its force by about 24,000, or almost 5%, and restructuring to be better able to fight the next major war, as the service struggles with recruiting shortfalls that made it impossible to bring in enough soldiers to fill all the...
NYC jury finds two men guilty in 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn jury has found two men guilty of the 2002 murder of Run-DMC co-founder Jam Master Jay, bringing closure to a cold case mystery that has frustrated the rapper’s family and fans for more than two decades. The jury needed two and a half days to...
Ex-law partner evasive as attorneys press for details on Fani Willis’ romance in Trump caseVideo
ATLANTA — A former law partner of Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade was evasive on the witness stand Tuesday as lawyers pressed him on details about a romantic relationship between Wade and District Attorney Fani Willis that has roiled the 2020 Georgia election case against Donald Trump. Terrence Bradley,...
Rapidly expanding wildfires in the Texas Panhandle prompt evacuationsVideo
CANADIAN, Texas — A rapidly widening Texas wildfire more than doubled in size Tuesday and prompted evacuation orders in small towns as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fueled the blaze in the state’s rural Panhandle. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as...
Prince William pulls out of memorial service for his godfather because of ‘personal matter’
LONDON — Kensington Palace says Britain’s Prince William pulled out of attending a memorial service for his godfather, the late King Constantine of Greece, because of a personal matter. The palace declined to elaborate Tuesday but said his wife, the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, continues...
A New York City medical school goes tuition-free thanks to a $1 billion giftVideo
NEW YORK — A New York City medical school will be tuition-free for all students from now on thanks to a $1 billion donation from a former professor, the widow of a Wall Street investor. Ruth Gottesman announced the gift and its purpose to students and faculty at Albert Einstein...
Chiefs parade shooting could be new test of expanded ‘stand your ground’ protections
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The man accused of firing the first shots at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him, according to court documents. Experts say that even though the...
Democrats criticize Trump remarks at Black conservative gala as self-serving
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Golden and scarlet balloons adorned an entrance guarded by the Secret Service that led straight to a bar abuzz with excited reunions, a line of attendees waiting to take pictures at a photo wall and a spacious auditorium set to celebrate a unique subset of the conservative...
California governor launches ads to fight abortion travel bans
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an advertising campaign to combat proposals in several Republican-controlled states to prohibit out-of-state travel for abortions and other reproductive care. The multistate ad campaign and an online petition effort that launched this week, beginning with a TV commercial about a measure under consideration...
Biden, party leaders implore Speaker Johnson to help Ukraine in ‘intense’ Oval Office meeting
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders emerged from an “intense” Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden on Tuesday speaking optimistically about the prospects for avoiding a partial government shutdown, but with new uncertainty about aid for Ukraine and Israel as the president and others urgently warned Speaker Mike Johnson of the...
West Virginia Senate OKs bill requiring schools to show anti-abortion group fetal development video
CHARLESTON — West Virginia’s Republican-majority Senate greenlit a bill on Tuesday that would make a video on fetal development produced by an anti-abortion group required viewing in public schools. Live Action’s “Baby Olivia” video, which West Virginia lawmakers want to show in eighth and tenth-grade classrooms, has received criticism from...
Man to plead guilty to helping kill 3,600 birds, including eagles, and selling feathers prized by tribes
A Washington state man accused of helping kill more than 3,000 birds — including eagles on a Montana Indian reservation — then illegally selling their feathers intends to plead guilty to illegal wildlife trafficking and other criminal charges, court documents show. Prosecutors have alleged Travis John Branson and others killed...
Here’s what to know about U.S. couple missing in Caribbean
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities in the eastern Caribbean are scouring waters in the region in hopes of finding a missing U.S. couple who were aboard their catamaran Simplicity more than a week ago when police say it was hijacked by three escaped prisoners from Grenada. Police have said...
Hempfield supervisors delay vote to advertise part-time fire department driver position
Hempfield supervisors are holding on hiring a paid, part-time driver for the fire department. The township set aside $81,000 in its budget this year to potentially hire four part-time drivers for the fire department, primarily to assist during daylight hours. Candidates for the position must be able to perform fire...
Toppled moon lander sends back more images, with only hours left until it diesVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A moon lander that ended up on its side managed to beam back more pictures, with only hours remaining before it dies. Intuitive Machines posted new photos of the moon’s unexplored south polar region Tuesday. The company’s lander, Odysseus, captured the shots last Thursday shortly before...
Consumer confidence slips in February as anxiety over potential recession surprisingly reappears
American consumers are feeling less confident this month as concerns over a possible recession grew. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 106.7 from a revised 110.9 in January. Analysts had been forecasting that the index remained steady from January to...
Kids are using phones in class, even when it’s against the rules. Should schools ban them all day?
SAN FRANCISCO — In California, a high school teacher complains that students watch Netflix on their phones during class. In Maryland, a chemistry teacher says students use gambling apps to place bets during the school day. Around the country, educators say students routinely send Snapchat messages in class, listen to...
