Biden says U.S. ‘shall respond’ after drone strike by Iran-backed group kills 3 troops in Jordan
COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. “shall respond” after three American troops were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by...
Most Americans feel they pay too much in taxes, AP-NORC poll finds
NEW YORK — A majority of taxpayers feel they pay too much in taxes, with many saying that they receive a poor value in return, according to a new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Two-thirds...
Who was St. Brigid and why is she inspiring many 1,500 years after her death?
Devotees of St. Brigid celebrated her Sunday with the return of a relic associated with the so-called matron saint of Ireland. The festivities came about a millennium after her remains were removed from the town of Kildare, where she founded a prestigious abbey and inspired a host of colorful, miracle-filled...
GOP legislatures in some states seek ways to undermine voters’ ability to determine abortion rights
CHICAGO — Legislative efforts in Missouri and Mississippi are attempting to prevent voters from having a say over abortion rights, building on anti-abortion strategies seen in other states, including last year in Ohio. Democrats and abortion rights advocates say the efforts are evidence that Republican lawmakers and abortion opponents are...
Biden is trying to balance Gaza protests and free speech rights as demonstrators disrupt his events
MANASSAS, Va. — It was President Joe Biden’s first big campaign rally of the year, a chance to spotlight the issue of protecting abortion rights. Instead, at least a dozen times during Biden’s 22-minute speech, demonstrators scattered throughout the audience rose to shout out demands for a cease-fire in Gaza....
UN chief calls for resumed funding of Palestinian aid agency after allegations of militant ties
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The secretary-general of the United Nations on Sunday called on countries to resume funding the main agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip after a dozen of its employees were accused of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war four months...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit honors 2 educators with awards
After working as a shipper for Age Craft Manufacturing in Greensburg for seven years, Don Sabolcik sought to become a paraeducator. Sabolcik, of Delmont, was inspired to change career paths after the Clairview School in Hempfield provided early intervention services to his son, J.W. This is Sabolcik’s third year as...
Study: Pennsylvania is the fat dog capital of America
PHILADELPHIA — Ralphie fell in love with lobster at first bite. Steak too. But the pounds started creeping up. And up. In time, Ralphie’s doctor confirmed what his family already knew: At 30% overweight, the time had come for the South Philly bullmastiff to go on a serious doggie diet....
Trump praises Texas governor as border state clashes with Biden over immigration
LAS VEGAS — Former President Donald Trump lavished praise Saturday on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for not allowing the Biden administration entry to remove razor wire in a popular corridor for migrants illegally entering the U.S. in an escalating feud over immigration. In a speech focused overwhelmingly on border security,...
Biden returns to South Carolina to show his determination to win back Black voters
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joe Biden doesn’t need to worry about his prospects in South Carolina’s Democratic primary next week. He’s got that locked up. He also knows he’s not likely to win the solidly red state come November. It hasn’t voted for a Democrat since 1976. He’s spent the weekend...
Revelers in festive dress fill downtown Tampa, Fla., for annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest
TAMPA, Fla. — Revelers clad in pirate finery packed Tampa’s waterfront Saturday as a flotilla of boats arrived for the city’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest. Led by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the invading pirates docked to make a final demand for the key to the city. Once ashore, the...
Straw poll shows trouble for Boebert in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District
FORT LUPTON, Colo. — Lauren Boebert landed in fifth place in a straw poll conducted at a 4th Congressional District debate this week, a decidedly middle-of-the-pack showing among the nine Republican candidates who showed up for the event. While the survey of just over 100 Republicans on Thursday at the...
Analysis: Was Ron DeSantis overrated?
TAMPA, Fla. — A year ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis was ready to remake America in Florida’s image. The Florida Legislature had handed him major conservative policy wins on abortion, education, immigration and taxes. He was two months removed from a historic trouncing of Charlie Crist, the ex-governor rolled out by...
Bald eagle found dead after neighbor reports gunshot, Missouri officials say
A bald eagle was found dead in Missouri, officials said. Now, the state’s Department of Conservation is searching for its killer. The bald eagle had a gunshot wound from a rifle when it was discovered south of Salem, Mo., on Jan. 18, officials said. Missouri Department of Conservation officials said...
Donald Trump is on the hook for $88.3 million in defamation damages. What happens next?
NEW YORK — For years, Donald Trump hurled insults at E. Jean Carroll, saying the advice columnist fabricated a sexual assault allegation against him to sell a book. Will Trump keep that up now that he’s been hit with a $83.3 million defamation judgment? A jury on Friday awarded her...
Justice Department expands claims against Pa. courts in opioid addiction treatment case
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 — The U.S. Department of Justice has broadened its accusations that Pennsylvania courts discriminate against people with opioid use disorder by restricting access to...
China’s top diplomat at meeting with U.S. official urges Washington not to support Taiwan independence
BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan that Washington should stand by a commitment not to support independence for Taiwan, during their high-level talks in the Thai capital, the Chinese foreign ministry said Saturday. Wang said that Taiwan’s recent election didn’t change the...
U.S. condemns ban on Venezuelan opposition leader’s candidacy and puts sanctions relief under review
CARACAS, Venezuela — The U.S. government on Saturday condemned the decision of Venezuela’s highest court to block the presidential candidacy of opposition leader María Corina Machado. The Biden administration, however, remained noncommittal about reimposing economic sanctions on Venezuela, which it has threatened to do if the government of President Nicolás...
Greta Thunberg joins hundreds marching in England to protest airport’s expansion for private planes
LONDON — Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined a march in southern England on Saturday to protest the use of private jets and the expansion of an airport. Hundreds of local residents and activists holding banners and placards that read “Ban Private Jets” marched to Farnborough Airport, which mostly serves private...
A covid-era program is awash in fraud. Ending it could help Congress expand the child tax credit
WASHINGTON — When IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel met privately with senators recently, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee asked for his assessment of a startling report: A whistleblower estimated that 95% of claims now being made by businesses for a covid-era tax break were fraudulent. “He looked at his...
Airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in southern Gaza as Israel presses offensive under new scrutiny
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Witnesses said three Palestinians were killed Saturday in an airstrike that Israel’s military said was targeting a Hamas commander in southern Gaza, less than a day after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to do all it could to prevent death, destruction and any acts...
Avian flu is devastating farms in California’s ‘Egg Basket’ as outbreaks roil poultry industry
PETALUMA, Calif. — Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens — 550,000 birds — to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in...
Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after ex-employee files sex abuse suit
STAMFORD, Conn. — Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigned Friday from WWE’s parent company t he day after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex. McMahon stepped down from his position as...
Biden returns to South Carolina to show his determination to win back Black voters in 2024
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joe Biden doesn’t need to worry about his prospects in South Carolina’s Democratic primary next week. He’s got that locked up. He also knows he’s not likely to win the solidly red state come November. It hasn’t voted for a Democrat since 1976. He’s spending this weekend...
Exotic animals including South American ostrich and giant African snail seized from suburban NY home
NORTH BELLMORE, N.Y. — Authorities seized about a hundred animals from a Long Island home packed with exotic species — including a giant African snail, a sulcata tortoise and a South American ostrich, advocates said Friday. The animals, some of which are endangered species, were discovered by state and local...
