Biden’s pick to be ambassador to Israel tells senators he’ll ensure the U.S. ally ‘has what it needs’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s nominee to be ambassador to Israel told senators Wednesday that he would “ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself” and would work with the U.S. ally to end the attacks by Hamas if he were confirmed. Jacob Lew, a treasury secretary under President...
GOP’s Jim Jordan fails again to win vote to become House speaker as colleagues seek optionsVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Jim Jordan failed again Wednesday on a crucial second ballot to become House speaker, the hard-fighting ally of Donald Trump losing even more GOP colleagues who are refusing to give him the gavel. Next steps were highly uncertain as angry, frustrated Republicans looked at other options....
Gaza’s doctors struggle to save hospital blast survivors as Middle East rage growsVideo
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Doctors in Gaza City faced with dwindling medical supplies performed surgery on hospital floors, often without anesthesia, in a desperate bid to save badly wounded victims of a massive blast that killed civilians sheltering in a nearby hospital amid Israeli bombings and a blockade of...
Biden pledges solidarity with Israelis and suggests ‘other team’ to blame for Gaza hospital blastVideo
TEL AVIV, Israel — President Joe Biden vowed to show the world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with Israel during his visit there Wednesday, and offered an assessment that the deadly explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital that prompted mass protests in Arab nations apparently was not carried out...
SpaceX launch equals Space Coast record for the year
ORLANDO, Fla. — A SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday night marked the Space Coast’s 57th launch of the year, equaling the record total seen in 2022. A Falcon 9 with 22 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites lifted off from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 at...
Officials: Remains of at least 189 removed from Colorado funeral home
DENVER — The remains of at least 189 people have been removed from a Colorado funeral home, up from an initial estimate of about 115 when the decaying and improperly stored bodies were discovered two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday. The remains were found by authorities responding to a report...
Kari Lake’s lawsuit over electronic voting machines tossed
PHOENIX — A federal appeals court tossed out a lawsuit brought by former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake that previously was dismissed, challenging use of electronic voting machines and seeking to ban them in last year’s midterm elections. Lake and failed Arizona Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem, Republicans, filed...
More U.S. ships head toward Israel; 2,000 troops on heightened alert
WASHINGTON — Within hours of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond. On Tuesday, more ships and forces were heading toward Israel, and other troops in the U.S. were...
Pentagon releases footage of hundreds of ‘concerning’ aircraft intercepts by Chinese planes
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has released footage of some of the more than 180 intercepts of U.S. warplanes by Chinese aircraft that have occurred in the past two years — more than the total number over the previous decade and part of a trend U.S. military officials called concerning. The...
Blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital; Hamas and Israel trade blame, as Biden heads to Mideast
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — A massive blast rocked a Gaza City hospital packed with wounded and other Palestinians seeking shelter Tuesday, killing hundreds of people, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by...
Rite Aid’s bankruptcy plan stirs worries of new ‘pharmacy deserts’
Rite Aid’s plan to close more stores as part of its bankruptcy process could hurt access to medicine and care, particularly in some majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods and in rural areas, experts say. The drugstore chain said late Sunday that its voluntary Chapter 11 process will allow it to...
Trump returns to civil fraud trial as accountant testifies, key witness Michael Cohen postpones
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Tuesday to watch the civil fraud trial that threatens to disrupt his real estate empire, renewing his claims that the case is a baseless and politically targeted distraction from his 2024 campaign. After attending the trial’s...
GOP rejects Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker on 1st ballot; more votes ahead
WASHINGTON — Republicans rejected Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker on Tuesday on the first ballot, as holdouts denied the hard-charging ally of Donald Trump the majority needed to seize the gavel. More voting is expected as Jordan works to shore up support to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy for...
Israel bombs Gaza region where civilians were told to seek refuge, as mediators try to unlock aid
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel bombed areas of southern Gaza where it had told Palestinians to flee to ahead of an expected ground invasion, killing dozens of people on Tuesday in attacks it says are targeted at Hamas militants that rule the besieged territory. With no water, fuel or...
Reese’s $25,000 promotion may violate sweepstakes laws
Reese’s may be in violation of state and federal laws with its new sweepstakes offer currently advertised on packs of peanut butter cups. The promotion on two-cup packages reads “You could win $25,000” and, in smaller print, “See details inside.” But only after consumers have bought and opened a package...
India’s Supreme Court refuses to legalize same-sex marriage, leaving it to Parliament
NEW DELHI — India’s top court on Tuesday refused to legalize same-sex marriages, passing the responsibility back to Parliament in a ruling that disappointed campaigners for LGBTQ+ rights in the world’s most populous country. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also urged the government to uphold the rights of the queer community...
Retail sales up a solid 0.7% in September as American consumers defy rising prices, interest rates
NEW YORK — Americans kept spending in September at a solid pace even as they grappled with higher prices and interest rates. Retail sales rose 0.7% in September, more than twice what economists had expected, and close to a a revised 0.8% bump in August, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday....
$1.4M speeding ticket surprised Georgia man before officials clarified the situation
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia man was left reeling after receiving a $1.4 million speeding ticket, but city officials say the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine. Connor Cato told WSAV-TV in Savannah that he received the citation after getting pulled over in September for driving 90...
Legal challenge to dethrone South Africa’s Zulu king heads to court
JOHANNESBURG — The battle for the throne of South Africa’s ethnic Zulu nation has reached the courts as a faction of the royal family seeks to dethrone the king after less than a year. The North Gauteng High Court in the capital Pretoria is hearing legal arguments this week in...
Man gets up to 5 years in prison for Bedford County crossbow death
A Northumberland County man has been sentenced in Bedford County court to spend 15 months to five years behind bars for fatally shooting another man with a crossbow in 2021. Alec Rhoads, 26, formerly of Mount Carmel, was sentenced last week after pleading no contest to one count of involuntary...
Long covid study links lingering virus with bowel-to-brain havoc
Covid may trigger complex biological reactions from the bowel to the brain, leading to persistent neurological symptoms in some people, according to a study that points the way toward a treatment. Viral vestiges in the gastrointestinal tracts of a subset of long-covidpatients may drive chronic inflammation that interferes with a...
Pennsylvania House tackles ‘bot’ problem that left Swifties ticketless for Eras Tour
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Monday passed legislation that seeks to avoid the difficulty Taylor Swift fans encountered this year when they tried to buy tickets to her Eras Tour. By a vote of 193-10, the chamber sent to the Senate a bill that would make it illegal to...
Biden will travel to Israel amid concern that Israel-Hamas conflict could expand
TEL AVIV, Israel — President Joe Biden will travel to Jordan on Wednesday to meet with Arab leaders following his trip to Israel as concerns increase that the raging Israel-Hamas war could expand into a larger regional conflict. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday evening that...
Settlement over Trump family separations at the border limits future separations for 8 years
SAN DIEGO — The federal government would be barred from immigration policies that separate parents from children for eight years under a proposed court settlement announced Monday that also provides families that were split under the Trump administration with temporary legal status and short-term housing aid. The settlement between the...
Penn State hires architect, construction managers for $700M renovation of Beaver Stadium
Penn State has awarded a contract for architectural work on its planned $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium to a firm versed in major sports construction projects, including on Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills stadium now being built. Monday’s announcements of hiring Populous to handle...
