Russian court orders the arrest of a bestselling writer over his support for Ukraine
MOSCOW — A Moscow court ordered the arrest Tuesday of a bestselling detective novelist and dissident on charges of “justifying terrorism,” two months after he was pranked by two pro-Kremlin activists into expressing support for Ukraine on a phone call. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered Grigory Chkhartishvili, who is known...
Singer-songwriter Toby Keith dies after battling stomach cancer
NORMAN, Okla. — Toby Keith, a sometimes polarizing figure in country music who crafted an identity around his macho, pro-American swagger, has died. He was 62. The “Beer For My Horses” singer-songwriter, who was battling stomach cancer, died peacefully Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on...
Trump ballot clash thrusts Supreme Court into 2024 White House race
WASHINGTON — A historic showdown over Donald Trump’s eligibility to reclaim the White House puts pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to provide a clear political road map as the nation braces for the prospect of a tumultuous year. Thrust into the fray by a Colorado ruling that barred Trump...
Senate Republicans resist advancing on border policy bill, leaving aid for Ukraine in doubt
WASHINGTON — Facing a torrent of criticism from conservatives, Senate Republicans on Monday resisted advancing on a bipartisan proposal intended to clamp down on illegal border crossings, signaling a likely defeat in Congress that would leave leaders with no clear path to approve wartime aid for Ukraine. In a dramatic...
With climate change, is it time to consider a Category 6 hurricane?
In a warming world where rising ocean temperatures give fuel to a new breed of ultra-strong hurricanes, does a wind scale that maxes out at Category 5 go far enough? Or could there be a Category 6 hurricane? Researchers raise those questions in a study, released on Monday, that analyzes...
Cyberattack on Pennsylvania courts didn’t appear to compromise data, officials say
HARRISBURG — A cyberattack this weekend on the website of Pennsylvania’s state courts agency disabled some online systems but did not appear to compromise any data and didn’t stop the courts from opening Monday, officials said. Various county court clerks said their offices were operating smoothly, despite the disruptions to...
Pennsylvania Capitol protest against state investing in Israel bonds ends with scores of arrestsVideo
HARRISBURG — Police took more than 100 people protesting the Pennsylvania state government’s investments in Israel into custody Monday, shutting down a demonstration on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. A spokesperson for the Department of General Services, which includes the Pennsylvania Capitol Police, said 126 people were...
Raising taxes on the table as Pa. weighs how to pay for education court ruling
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania likely needs billions of dollars to shore up its public schools following a landmark court ruling, but lawmakers are entering a new...
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert granted temporary restraining order against her ex-husband
SILT, Colo. — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert now has a temporary restraining order against her ex-husband after accusing him of threatening to harm her and entering the family’s home without permission, the latest in a series of flare-ups between her and Jayson Boebert. Congresswoman Boebert, a far-right Republican and staunch...
Bob Beckwith, retired firefighter in famous image with Bush after 9/11, dies at 91
NEW YORK — Bob Beckwith, a retired firefighter whose chance encounter with the president amid the rubble of ground zero became part of an iconic image of American unity after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has died. He was 91. Beckwith died Sunday night in hospice care after dealing with...
Dartmouth reinstates SAT test requirement. Will Pa. colleges follow?
The pandemic that drove students from campuses in March 2020 also accelerated a decadeslong shift away from using the SAT/ACT in college admission. By last spring, more than 8 in 10 colleges nationally and in Pennsylvania no longer required standardized tests. That trend could be reversing itself — at least...
Rio de Janeiro declares a dengue health emergency days ahead of Carnival
RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro on Monday has declared a public health emergency because of an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever, the city announced Monday, just days before Carnival celebrations kick off across Brazil. The outbreak wasn’t expected to derail Carnival, which officially starts Friday evening and runs...
King Charles III diagnosed with cancer, will halt public duties as he undergoes treatment
LONDON — Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment, Buckingham Palace said Monday. Less than 18 months into his reign, the 75-year-old monarch will suspend public engagements but will continue with state business, and won’t be handing over his constitutional roles as head of...
Hundreds of people missing as death toll from Chile’s wildfires reaches 122
SANTIAGO, Chile — Volunteers in central Chile tried to remove charred metal, broken glass and other debris Monday from neighborhoods devastated by wildfires over the past several days, as officials raised the death toll to 122. Hundreds of people remain missing. The fires appeared to have diminished by Monday morning...
Family sues Dallas dentist after 82-year-old dies following implant surgery
As an active 82-year-old, Fredericka Bailey was ready to improve her quality of life. She “loved to look nice,” and “wanted to enjoy her food more,” Bailey’s daughter, Jacqueline Kinloch, told The Dallas Morning News. Kinloch said she drove her mother, a retired nurse and educator, roughly four hours from...
Blinken returns to Mideast in push for hostage deal and postwar plan for Gaza, but obstacles loom
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Monday at the start of his fifth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, hoping to press ahead with a potential cease-fire deal and postwar planning while tamping...
No verdict after first day of deliberations in trial of Michigan school shooter’s mom
PONTIAC, Mich. — A Michigan jury went home Monday after a full day of deliberations in a novel trial against a school shooter’s mother who could go to prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four students in 2021. The jury will return Tuesday for a second...
With a single word — ‘lover’ — Trump employs familiar playbook in tweaking his investigators
WASHINGTON — Each time Donald Trump refers to a Georgia prosecutor’s colleague as her “lover,” he’s invoking a strikingly familiar turn of phrase. After all, Trump as president repeatedly used the same word to mock two FBI officials, including an agent who helped lead the Russia election interference probe, after...
Zelenskyy signals a shakeup of Ukraine’s military leadership is imminent at a critical point in war
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is thinking about dismissing the country’s top military officer as part of a broader leadership shakeup, a possibility that has shocked the nation fighting a war to end Russia’s invasion and also worried Ukraine’s Western allies. Zelenskyy confirmed in an interview...
Myanmar government forces flee into Bangladesh during fighting with an ethnic armed group
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Nearly a hundred members of Myanmar’s Border Guard Police have fled their posts and taken shelter in Bangladesh during fighting between Myanmar security forces and an ethnic minority army, an official of Bangladesh’s border agency said Monday. Shariful Islam, spokesperson for Border Guard Bangladesh, said by phone...
Americans have saddled themselves with credit card debt. Now renters and the poor are falling behind
NEW YORK — While the U.S. economy is broadly healthy, pockets of Americans have run through their savings and run up their credit card balances after battling inflation for more than two years. Experts worry that members of these groups — mostly lower- and middle-income Americans, who tend to be...
Cyberattack takes down some online services for Pennsylvania Court
Portions of the Pennsylvania Courts’ website that had been down since Sunday as a result of a cyberattack appeared to be back in operation Monday afternoon. A statement released by Chief Justice Debra Todd on Sunday said the attack affected online services such as filing systems, docket sheets, electronic payment...
Powell: Federal Reserve on track to cut rates this year with inflation slowing and economy healthy
WASHINGTON — Chair Jerome Powell said in an interview broadcast Sunday night that the Federal Reserve remains on track to cut interest rates three times this year, a move that’s expected to begin as early as May. Powell, in an interview recorded Thursday for the CBS news program “60 Minutes,”...
Michigan city ramps up security after Wall Street Journal op-ed calls it ‘America’s jihad capital’
DEARBORN, Mich. — Dearborn, Michigan, is ramping up its police presence in response to fallout from an opinion piece that described the city, which has the nation’s highest Muslim population per capita, as “America’s jihad capital.” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on Friday tweeted that city police increased security at places...
Senators release a $118 billion package that pairs border policies with aid for Ukraine, Israel
WASHINGTON — Senators on Sunday released a highly anticipated $118 billion package that pairs border enforcement policy with wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, setting off a long-shot effort to push the bill through heavy skepticism from Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. The proposal could be...
