Donald Trump wants New York hush money trial delayed until Supreme Court rules on immunity claims
NEW YORK — Donald Trump is seeking to delay his March 25 hush money trial until the Supreme Court rules on the presidential immunity claims he raised in another of his criminal cases. The Republican former president’s lawyers on Monday asked Manhattan Judge Juan Manuel Merchan to adjourn the New...
Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey finds
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. teens say they feel happy or peaceful when they don’t have their phones with them, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. In a survey published Monday, Pew also found that despite the positive associations with going phone-free, most teens have not limited...
Biden’s budget proposal for a 2nd term offers tax breaks for families, lower health care costs
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday released a budget proposal aimed at getting voters’ attention: It would offer tax breaks for families, lower health care costs, smaller deficits and higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Unlikely to pass the House and the Senate to become law, the proposal...
India announces steps to implement a citizenship law that excludes Muslims
NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Monday announced rules to implement a 2019 citizenship law that excludes Muslims, weeks before the Hindu nationalist leader seeks a third term in office. The Citizenship Amendment Act provides a fast track to naturalization for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and...
Could Biden and Trump win their parties’ nominations this week? What to watch in the next contests
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger, Donald Trump, are on track to win enough delegates this week to become their parties’ presumptive nominees, ushering in a bruising eight-month campaign for the White House. Elections in four states on Tuesday will likely give Biden and Trump...
India conducts 1st test flight of domestically developed missile that can carry multiple warheads
NEW DELHI — India has successfully conducted its first test flight of a domestically developed missile that can carry multiple warheads, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday. The missile is equipped with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, Modi said in a post on X. Proud of our DRDO scientists for...
5 missing cross-country skiers found dead near Switzerland’s Matterhorn; search for a 6th persists
GENEVA — Five cross-country skiers — including members of the same Swiss family — were found dead along a high Alpine ridge after going missing over the weekend near Switzerland’s famed Matterhorn. Swiss police said Monday. Another skier remains missing. Christian Varone, commander of Valais regional police, told a news...
Flag of Sweden is raised at NATO headquarters, cementing its place as 32nd alliance member
BRUSSELS — Sweden’s national flag was raised at NATO headquarters on Monday, cementing the Nordic country’s place as the 32nd member of the alliance two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under NATO’s security umbrella. Under a steady rain, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf...
1st photo of Princess of Wales since her surgery is retracted because image appeared manipulated
LONDON — The first official photo of Kate, the Princess of Wales, since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago was issued after weeks of speculation about her whereabouts. But The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted it from publication because it appeared to have been manipulated, fueling more...
GOP lawmakers resist calls to tweak abortion bans. Some say they’ll clarify the laws’ few exceptions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In Republican-led states across the U.S., conservative legislators are refusing to reevaluate abortion bans — even as doctors and patients insist the laws’ exceptions are dangerously unclear, resulting in denied treatment to some pregnant women in need. Instead, GOP leaders accuse abortion rights advocates of deliberately spreading...
Palestinians in Gaza begin Ramadan with hunger worsening and no end in sight to the Israel-Hamas war
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians began fasting for Ramadan on Monday as the Muslim holy month arrived with cease-fire talks at a standstill, hunger worsening across the Gaza Strip and no end in sight to the five-month-old war between Israel and Hamas. Prayers were held outside amid the rubble of...
Erie prepares for crush of solar eclipse enthusiasts
On Monday, April 8, Erie residents will discover the impact just a few minutes of darkness can have. Depending on how many people travel to Erie for the upcoming total solar eclipse — local tourism officials are estimating anywhere between 50,000 and 200,000 — the city of just over 94,000...
Katie Britt used decades-old example of rapes in Mexico as Republican attack on Biden border policy
The Republican senator who gave the party’s response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address used a harrowing account of a young woman’s sexual abuse to attack his border policies, but the rapes did not happen in the U.S. or during the Biden administration. First-term Sen. Katie Britt...
Biden cajoles Netanyahu with tough talk, humanitarian concerns but Israeli PM remains dug inVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has stepped up public pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, warning he’s “hurting Israel” and speaking candidly about “come to Jesus” conversations with the leader over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Despite Biden’s increased displays of frustration, Israeli officials and Middle East...
Record rainfall douses South Carolina as responders help some out of flood waters
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A record-setting rainstorm flooded parts of Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, requiring emergency responders to help some people get out of high waters. The National Weather Service in Charleston reported that 3.63 inches of rain doused downtown Charleston on Saturday, shattering the one-day record of 1.43 inch...
Trump supporters hoping to oust Wisconsin leader say they have enough signatures to force recall
MADISON, Wis. — Backers of an effort to oust Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos from office over his opposition to former President Donald Trump announced Sunday that they’ve collected enough signatures to force a recall vote. Supporters of the recall campaign plan to present signatures Monday to the Wisconsin...
Biden’s campaign raises $10 million after State of the Union
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign raised $10 million after last week’s State of the Union address in what his campaign manager called the largest 24-hour haul yet. Biden has been stockpiling cash while Donald Trump, his presumptive opponent in the November election, spent millions in a contested primary. The former...
States have hodgepodge of cumbersome rules for enforcing sunshine laws
PHOENIX — A nationwide review of procedures by The Associated Press and CNHI News revealed a patchwork of complicated systems for resolving open government disputes that often put the burden of enforcing transparency laws on private citizens. The review, timed to Sunshine Week, found that fewer than a third of...
Biden’s big speech showed his uneasy approach to abortion, an issue bound to be key in the campaign
WASHINGTON — Reproductive freedom took center stage during Biden’s State of the Union address, but abortion rights advocates had mixed reactions, raising concerns about the president trying to capitalize on what will be a central campaign issue while avoiding using the word “abortion.” Abortion rights have proved to be a...
What to know about the SAVE plan, the income-driven plan to repay student loans
NEW YORK — More than 75 million student loan borrowers have enrolled in the U.S. government’s newest repayment plan since it launched in August. President Joe Biden recently announced that he was canceling federal student loans for nearly 153,000 borrowers enrolled in the plan, known as the SAVE plan. Forgiveness...
The diaries of presidents offer history in the raw — even the naked — and may have secrets to tell
WASHINGTON — Just before dawn one summer day in Washington, the president of the United States stripped naked on a rock by the river, plunged in and saw a dead man float to the surface. We know this about John Quincy Adams because he kept a diary for the ages....
Muslims spot Ramadan crescent moon in Saudi Arabia, meaning month of fasting starts Monday for many
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Officials saw the crescent moon Sunday night in Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, marking the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan for many of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. The sacred month, which sees those observing abstain from food...
80 years after D-Day, a World War II veteran is getting married near beaches where US troops landed
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Harold Terens and his fiancee Jeanne Swerlin kissed and held hands like high school sweethearts as they discussed their upcoming wedding in France, a country the World War II veteran first visited as a 20-year-old U.S. Army Air Forces corporal shortly after D-Day. Terens, a gregarious...
Handling mental illness is complicated at all levels of criminal justice system
As Terrance Kurhansky’s case made its way through Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system, it became clear to his attorney and the presiding judge that their options were limited, and none of them was ideal. Kurhansky, 83, was charged in 2019 with attempting to murder his neighbor. Police said he used a...
Jeannette art center promotes female artists through biennial exhibit
Every time art professor Maureen Kochanek teaches the women artists course at Seton Hill University, she concludes with the same statement. “In a perfect world, I wouldn’t teach this course,” she tells her students at the Greensburg school, explaining how female artists have been pushed to the periphery of the...
