Israel is perennially swept up in religious conflict, yet many of its citizens are secular
MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Israel is a nation perennially swept up in religious fervor and conflict. And yet, strikingly, a large portion of its population is secular, and even its insular ultra-Orthodox community loses a steady stream of members who tire of its strict religious rules. The country is home...
The Biden administration says it is using executive power to allow border wall construction in TexasVideo
McALLEN, Texas — The Biden administration announced they waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration’s first use of sweeping executive power to pave the way for building more border barriers — a tactic used often during the Trump presidency. The...
September sizzled to records and was so much warmer than average scientists call it ‘mind-blowing’
After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported Thursday. Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September. That’s...
Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as House speaker could cost GOP its best fundraiser heading into 2024
WASHINGTON — Kevin McCarthy spent years raising mountains of Republican campaign cash, flying around the country to recruit top candidates in key districts and painstakingly building political relationships as he worked his way toward becoming speaker of the House. Now that he’s been ousted from the post after less than...
Powerball jackpot up to $1.4 billion after no one matches all the numbers
PINEVILLE, N.C. — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.4 billion after no players matched all six numbers and hit it rich Wednesday night. The winning numbers announced were: 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1. Players will next have a shot at the Powerball jackpot Saturday...
Trump’s intensifying rhetoric offers insight into how he might govern again as president
Over the past two weeks, Donald Trump said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed and mocked a political opponent’s husband who was beaten with a hammer. The former president and current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination also in recent weeks encouraged the...
Greensburg Central Catholic principal and director of admissions resigned last month, search is ongoing
Three high-level administrators have left Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School since June. Principal Kevin Frye resigned without warning effective immediately Sept. 6, two weeks into the academic year. Director of Admissions Elyse Bogner resigned in the same fashion Sept. 8. The assistant principal, Nicole Marchese, left in June —...
Pennsylvania could go after lottery winnings, tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday that would authorize the Department of Revenue to go after the lottery winnings and income tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. The Associated Press reported in 2021 that an internal study by...
3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say; suspect dead
PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening, authorities said. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they were in...
Aggravated assault charges filed in case of Philly motorcyclist seen smashing in back of woman’s carVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of being the motorcyclist seen smashing in the back of a woman’s car while her two young children were inside near Philadelphia’s City Hall and then waving a gun at her after she confronted him has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. Prosecutors...
A $19,000 lectern for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparks call for legislative audit
LITTLE ROCK — Sarah Huckabee Sanders rose to national prominence in part during her time at the lectern as White House press secretary, but the purchase of a $19,000 lectern for the Arkansas governor is undergoing scrutiny and prompting claims that records about it have been altered. A legislative panel...
Attack ads and millions of dollars flow into race for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat
HARRISBURG — Spending in the campaign for an open Pennsylvania state Supreme Court seat is picking up, with millions of dollars flowing into the race as the sides sharpen their attacks over questions about ethics and abortion rights. The race between Democrat Dan McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio won’t change...
Mining company employee killed in Somerset County mine accident
HOLLSOPPLE — A mining company employee was crushed to death in an accident involving a shuttle car in a Somerset County mine, authorities said. LCT Energy said in a statement that the man became trapped between the car and an interior wall of the company’s Maple Springs mine on Monday...
Penn State suspends fraternity over alleged hazing incident
A Penn State University fraternity has been suspended for four years following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident. The sanction imposed on the Delta Theta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity runs through fall 2027. Details of the incident were not released by the university. The fraternity chapter was...
Say goodbye to the covid-19 vaccination card. The CDC has stopped printing them
It’s the end of an era for a once-critical pandemic document: The ubiquitous white covid-19 vaccination cards are being phased out. Now that the federal government is not distributing covid-19 vaccines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped printing new cards. The federal government shipped more than...
Capitol rioter who attacked Reuters cameraman and police officer gets more than 4 years in prison
A man who attacked a police officer and a Reuters cameraman during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to more than four years in prison. Shane Jason Woods, 45, was the first person charged with assaulting a member of the news media during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection....
Man charged with voter fraud in Florida blames rivalry between Trump and DeSantis supporters
THE VILLAGES, Fla. — A man has been charged with forgery and fraud after authorities say he cast a ballot in Florida for his deceased father in the 2020 election, though the suspect says the charges were motivated by a local, internal GOP political rivalry between former President Donald Trump...
A building collapse in Havana leaves 1 person dead and at least 2 injured
HAVANA — A building in the historic center of Havana that housed 13 families partially collapsed, leaving one person dead and at least two injured, Cuban authorities said Wednesday. Rescue teams were trying to access the building where two people remained trapped after Tuesday night’s collapse. While the reason for...
Bail set at $3M for Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in State College crash
BELLEFONTE — Centre County’s top judge set bail at $3 million Wednesday for a Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a fellow student who was killed while jogging near the University Park campus. Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine’s ruling gave Ahmed M. Alqubaisi, 20,...
Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting makes 1st court appearance in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — A self-described gangster who police and prosecutors say masterminded the shooting death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 made his first court appearance Wednesday on a murder charge. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, stood shackled, wearing a dark-blue jail uniform and plastic orange slippers. He...
San Francisco will say goodbye to Dianne Feinstein as her body lies in state at City Hall
SAN FRANCISCO — Mourners will pay their respects Wednesday to the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in San Francisco City Hall, where she launched her groundbreaking political career and where she spent a decade as the city’s first female mayor. Feinstein’s body will lie in state in the City Hall...
Thousands of U.S. health care workers go on strike in multiple states over wages and staff shortages
LOS ANGELES — Picketing began Wednesday morning at Kaiser Permanente hospitals as some 75,000 health care workers go on strike in Virginia, California and three other states over wages and staffing shortages, marking the latest major labor unrest in the United States. Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger...
Former Russian state TV journalist gets 8½-year sentence in absentia for Ukraine war criticism
A Moscow court on Wednesday sentenced a former state TV journalist 8½ years in prison in absentia for protesting Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest in a crackdown on dissent that has intensified since the invasion began nearly 20 months ago. Marina Ovsyannikova was charged with spreading false information about...
What comes next in the Speaker of the House situation?
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives is entering uncharted territory after a far-right effort to remove fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy from the speakership succeeded thanks to support from Democrats. A resolution — titled a motion to vacate — from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., passed Tuesday with the support of eight...
The U.S. is forgiving more federal student loans in a bid to tackle ‘unsustainable debt’ for borrowers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden outlined a new round of federal student loan forgiveness on Wednesday to address the “unsustainable debt” that borrowers accumulate to complete their college education. The announcement comes as borrowers brace for payments to restart after a three-year pause that began during the covid-19 pandemic and...
