Judge says Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts are discriminatory and must be redrawn
ATLANTA — A federal judge ruled Thursday that some of Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in a 516-page order, also ordered the state to draw...
U.S. government says it plans to go after legal goods tied to illegal fentanyl trade in new strategy
SAN DIEGO — As overdose deaths continue at a record pace, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a new government-wide strategy Thursday involving scores of agencies that will target the precursor materials used by traffickers to make fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. Troy Miller, acting commissioner of Customs and Border...
Westmoreland County Community College president will resign in summer 2024
Westmoreland County Community College’s first female president announced her resignation at the college’s board of directors meeting Wednesday. Tuesday Stanley, 55, who joined WCCC in 2014, will remain in her position at the school near Youngwood through June 30. She will have served as president for exactly a decade. Stanley...
Heavily armed police surround home in search for suspect in the fatal shooting of 18 in Maine
LEWISTON, Maine — Heavily armed police surrounded a home Thursday as they searched for a U.S. Army reservist who authorities say killed 18 people and wounded 13 in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine. “You need to come outside now with nothing in...
Ohio woman indicted on murder charges in deaths of at least 4 men, attorney general says
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio woman has been indicted on murder charges in the deaths of at least four men in the capital city of Columbus, the Ohio Attorney General said Wednesday, though investigators believe there are more victims. Rebecca Auborn, a 33-year-old from Columbus, is accused of meeting men...
Number of military suicides dipped in 2022 as Pentagon works on new prevention programs
WASHINGTON— The number of suicides among U.S. military members and their families dipped slightly in 2022, compared with the previous year, as the Defense Department tries to build prevention and treatment programs to address what has been a steadily growing problem over the past decade, The Associated Press has learned....
A list of mass killings in the United States since January
The latest mass killing in the U.S. happened Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, when a man opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar, killing at least 16 people, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Dozens of people were also wounded. The alert for Lewiston was made...
New U.S. House speaker tried to help overturn the 2020 election, raising concerns about the next one
The new leader of one of the chambers of Congress that will certify the winner of next year’s presidential election helped spearhead the attempt to overturn the last one, raising alarms that Republicans could try to subvert the will of the voters if they remain in power despite safeguards enacted...
Trump isn’t accustomed to restrictions — that’s beginning to test the legal system
NEW YORK — Donald Trump isn’t used to constraints. The former president ignores and antagonizes anyone who tells him no. He built a business — and later political — brand as someone who says and does what he wants, largely without consequence. Even after losing the White House, Trump remains...
Israeli troops carry out hourslong ground raid into Gaza before an expected wider incursion
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops and tanks launched an hourslong ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking several militant targets in order to “prepare the battlefield” before a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes. The raid came after...
At least 16 dead in Maine mass killing; police hunt for shooterVideo
LEWISTON, Maine — A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes. A police bulletin identified...
Most of Justice Thomas’ $267,000 loan for an RV seems to have been forgiven, Senate Democrats say
WASHINGTON — All or most of a $267,000 loan obtained by Supreme CourtJustice Clarence Thomas to buy a high-end motorcoach appears to have been forgiven, raising tax and ethics questions, according to a new report by Senate Democrats. Anthony “Tony” Welters, a longtime friend of Thomas who made the loan...
Putting an armed security officer in every school gains Pa. Senate panel’s support
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering requiring every public school building to have a trained armed security officer present during school hours. The Senate Education Committee on a party-line vote sent legislation to the full Senate for consideration that would impose this mandate, starting in 2024-25. Having an armed school police officer,...
1st major storm of the season drops up to a foot of snow in MontanaVideo
HELENA, Mont. — The first major snowstorm of the season dropped up to a foot of snow in the Helena, Montana, area by Wednesday, sending an army of snowplows and sand trucks out onto the roads. Residents woke up to swirling snow and the sound of shovels on sidewalks just...
Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York charged with misdemeanor, to pay fine after triggering House fire alarm
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman was charged Wednesday with a misdemeanor for triggering a fire alarm as lawmakers scrambled to pass a funding bill before a government shutdown deadline in September. He is expected to plead guilty, formally apologize and pay a $1,000 fine. The alarm prompted an evacuation...
Far-right candidate who wouldn’t denounce white supremacist supporters loses Tennessee mayor’s race
NASHVILLE — Voters in a Tennessee city have firmly rejected a far-right mayoral candidate after she refused to denounce her white supremacist supporters, and the incumbent mayor decried hate and divisiveness as he celebrated his election win. Gabrielle Hanson lost the race by a wide margin Tuesday, according to unofficial...
Western Pa. congressional delegation weighs in on new House speaker
After weeks of turmoil and inaction, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Louisiana conservative Mike Johnson as its new speaker on Wednesday. The vote came more than three weeks after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was booted from the position in a historic vote. Johnson was the fourth nominee...
States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health
Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. A lawsuit filed by 33 states in federal...
Judge reinstates murder charge against Philadelphia police officer in fatal shooting of motorist
PHILADELPHIA — A judge on Wednesday reinstated all charges, including a murder count, against a former police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up car window — a confrontation police initially described as the officer shooting the driver after he lunged at him with a knife outside...
A teacher was shot by her 6-year-old student. Is workers’ compensation enough?
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A heated debate has emerged about the once-unimaginable shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old student: How should the school district take care of the teacher? Should she only get workers’ compensation for her serious physical injuries? Or does she deserve the chance to sue the...
Mike Johnson, staunch Louisiana conservative, elected House speaker with broad GOP support
WASHINGTON — Republicans unanimously elected Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker on Wednesday, eagerly elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the major seat of U.S. power and ending for now the weeks of political chaos in their majority. Johnson, 51, of Louisiana, swept through on the first ballot...
AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet. A watchdog is calling for action
NEW YORK — The already-alarming proliferation of child sexual abuse images on the internet could become much worse if something is not done to put controls on artificial intelligence tools that generate deepfake photos, a watchdog agency warned on Tuesday. In a written report, the U.K.-based Internet Watch Foundation urges...
USPS touts crackdown on postal crime, carrier robberies, with hundreds of arrests
With mail theft and postal carrier robberies up, law enforcement officials have made more than 600 arrests since May in a crackdown launched to address crime that includes carriers being accosted at gunpoint for their antiquated universal keys, the Postal Service announced Wednesday. Criminals are both stealing mail and targeting...
Amy Schumer’s memoir, ‘The Art of War’ and many other books are banned in U.S. prisons. Here’s why
NEW YORK — Tens of thousands of books are being banned or restricted by U.S. prisons, according to a new report from PEN America. The list includes everything from self-help books to an Elmore Leonard novel. “The common concept underpinning the censorship we’re seeing is that certain ideas and information...
California Gov. Newsom has surprise meeting with China’s leader Xi amid warm welcome in Beijing
BANGKOK — California Gov. Gavin Newsom had a surprise meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday after being warmly welcomed by other senior leaders in a display of friendliness that stands in sharp contrast to the dialogue between the U.S. and China in recent years. The governor...
