Senate deal on border and Ukraine at risk of collapse as Trump calls it ‘meaningless’Video
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate deal to pair border enforcement measures and Ukraine aid faced potential collapse Thursday as Senate Republicans grew increasingly wary of an election-year compromise that Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, says is “meaningless.” Senate negotiators have been striving for weeks to finish a carefully...
Trump accuses DA Fani Willis of inappropriately injecting race into Georgia election case
ATLANTA — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump said the district attorney in the Georgia election interference prosecution should be removed from the case, claiming she “inappropriately injected race into the case and stoked racial animus” in response to allegations of misconduct against her. Defense attorneys Steve Sadow and Jennifer...
Pennsylvania lawmakers file lawsuit against Shapiro, Biden over election-related orders
A group of conservative Pennsylvania lawmakers have filed suit against President Joe Biden and Gov. Josh Shapiro over their use of executive authority in election matters. In the 33-page complaint filed in U.S. Middle District Court, the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus asks the court to halt activities authorized through executive orders...
New York dancer dies after eating mislabeled cookies that contained peanuts
HARTFORD, Conn. — A New York City woman died after eating a mislabeled cookie containing peanuts, part of a batch that has since been recalled. Stew Leonard’s announced Tuesday that Vanilla Florentine Cookies sold in its grocery stores in Danbury and Newington in Connecticut from Nov. 6 to Dec. 31...
Trump White House official Peter Navarro gets a 4-month sentence for defying a House Jan. 6 subpoena
WASHINGTON — Trump White House official Peter Navarro, who was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, was sentenced on Thursday to four months behind bars. He was the second Trump aide convicted of...
Penn State branch campuses face large share of $94M in proposed budget cuts
Penn State University branch campuses — their enrollments down sharply — face the largest share of $94 million in universitywide spending cuts intended to erase an operating deficit and create what President Neeli Bendapudi calls “a more sustainable future.” The 20 campuses, including those in Western Pennsylvania, would absorb a...
Artist who performed nude in 2010 exhibit sues MoMA over sexual assault claims
ALBANY, N.Y. — A performer who appeared naked in a show by world-renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art is suing the museum, saying it failed to take action after he was sexually assaulted multiple times by attendees during the performances nearly 14 years...
Alabama man shook violently on gurney during first-ever nitrogen gas execution
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A man put to death using nitrogen gas appeared to shake and convulse on the gurney as Alabama carried out the first-of-its-kind execution that once again placed the United States at the forefront of the debate over capital punishment. Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was pronounced dead at...
Washington and Baghdad plan to hold talks soon to end presence of U.S.-led coalition in Iraq
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Iraq expect to begin formal talks soon to wind down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq, both governments said Thursday. The U.S. has had a continuous presence in Iraq since its 2003 invasion. Although all...
Maine’s top court dismisses appeal of judge’s decision on Trump’s ballot status
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s top court has declined to weigh in on whether former President Donald Trump can stay on the state’s ballot, keeping intact a judge’s decision that the U.S. Supreme Court must first rule on a similar case in Colorado. Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows concluded that...
Donald Trump testifies in his defense in E. Jean Carroll defamation suit
NEW YORK — He testified for under three minutes. But former President Donald Trump still broke a judge’s rules on what he could tell a jury about writer E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault and defamation allegations, and he left the courtroom Thursday bristling to the spectators: “This is not America.”...
Jersey Shore town trying not to lose the man vs. nature fight on its eroded beaches
NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. — A New Jersey shore town locked in a legal battle with the state over tens of millions of dollars it has spent trying — mostly in vain — to hold back the ocean now is more vulnerable than ever. A recent winter storm destroyed part of...
Man convicted of murder for arson at Japanese anime studio that killed 36
TOKYO — A man was convicted of murder and other crimes Thursday for carrying out a shocking arson attack on an anime studio in Kyoto, Japan, that killed 36 people and drew an outpouring of grief from anime fans worldwide. The Kyoto District Court said it found Shinji Aoba mentally...
Zero-emission goal still eludes the EU, where most cars emit the same CO2 levels as 12 years ago
BRUSSELS — Most passenger cars in the European Union still emit the same quantity of carbon dioxide as 12 years ago, the European Union’s auditing agency warned on Wednesday. The European Court of Auditors said the 27-nation bloc must “shift up gear” to come close to a zero-emissions car fleet,...
W.Va. GOP majority pushes contentious bills arming teachers, restricting bathrooms, books
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s Republican-dominated Legislature pushed forward a slate of contentious bills Wednesday that would arm teachers, allow people to sue libraries over books that offend them and restrict where transgender kids can use the bathroom at school. Described by conservatives as efforts to protect children while they...
Deputies find 6 bodies at remote Mojave Desert crossroads
EL MIRAGE, Calif. — Deputies found the bodies of six people at a remote dirt crossroads in the Mojave Desert, a scene described as so grisly that Southern California TV stations blurred some of the images captured by their helicopters overhead. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a request...
Texas school’s punishment of Black student who wears hair in locs is going to trial
ANAHUAC, Texas — A judge ordered Wednesday that a trial be held next month to determine whether a Black high school student in Texas can continue being punished by his district for refusing to change a hairstyle he and his family say is protected by a new state law. Darryl...
More than 70 dead after unregulated gold mine collapses in Mali, official says
BAMAKO, Mali — An unregulated gold mine collapsed late last week in Mali, killing more than 70 people, an official said Wednesday, and a search continued amid fears that the toll could rise. Karim Berthé, a senior official at the government’s National Geology and Mining Directorate, confirmed the details to...
In-N-Out to close Oakland, California, restaurant due to wave of car break-ins, armed robberies
OAKLAND, Calif. — In-N-Out Burger will close its only restaurant in Oakland, Calif., because of a wave of car break-ins, property damage, theft and armed robberies targeting customers and employees alike, the company announced. The fast-food burger joint in a busy corridor near Oakland International Airport will close on March...
Ring will no longer allow police to request doorbell camera footage from users
NEW YORK — Amazon-owned Ring will stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users, marking an end to a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates. In a blog post on Wednesday, Ring said it will sunset the “Request for Assistance” tool, which allows police departments...
State university workers reach tentative contract with Pa. university system
The union representing 700 state university employees who work in admissions and financial aid, residence life, career services and other student support has reached a tentative contract agreement with the State System of Higher Education. The pact involving members of the State College and University Professional Association (SCUPA) would span...
U.S. scientist brews up storm by offering Britain advice on tea
LONDON — An American scientist has sparked a trans-Atlantic tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite hot beverage. Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl says one of the keys to a perfect cup of tea is a pinch of salt. The tip is included in...
Judge OKs state motion to ban Lancaster County ‘raw milk’ farm from producing, selling products
The owners of a Lancaster County farm accused of selling raw milk and raw milk products without the required permits and licenses can no longer manufacture, process, market, sell, or distribute their products after a county judge approved the state’s emergency motion Wednesday. A lawsuit — brought against Amos and...
Philadelphia-area woman charged with torturing and killing animals live on the internet
UPPER DARBY — A Philadelphia-area woman has been charged with animal cruelty after police allege videos she posted show her torturing and killing animals while soliciting encouragement on social media. Anigar Monsee, 28, of Upper Darby, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals — torture, according...
Heavy rain soaks Texas and closes schools as downpours continue drenching parts of the country
HOUSTON — Heavy rain in Texas on Wednesday closed schools and elevated flooding risks around Houston in another round of soaking downpours that have made for a soggy and dangerous week across large portions of the United States. A stretch of wet and freezing winter weather has swept away vehicles...
