Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations involving Trump have cost more than $9 million
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations of former President Donald Trump’s retention of classified records and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost more than $9 million over the first several months, according to documents released Friday. The special counsel’s office spent more than $5.4 million on...
Tennessee can enforce ban on transgender care for minors, court says
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth can go into effect — at least for now — after a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily reversed a lower court ruling. Last month, a district court judge in Tennessee found that the state’s new law banning...
Route 30, Route 22 lane restrictions, Cook Township road closure to begin Monday
Various PennDOT road projects beginning Monday are set to trigger nighttime single-lane restrictions on sections of Route 30 in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties and on Route 22 in Murrysville, as well as closure of part of Four Mile Run Road in Cook Township. • Lane restrictions will be in place...
Pa. attorney general charges 5 Jehovah’s Witnesses with rape, sexual abuse of childrenVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Five Jehovah’s Witnesses have been charged with raping and exploiting children as part of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into the organization’s handling of sexual abuse cases. State Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the charges Friday and said the cases were connected to Witness congregations across the state,...
Judge: Lawyers can gather evidence for $40M lawsuit filed by teacher who was shot by 6-year-old
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Lawyers for a teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in Virginia can start the process of interviewing eyewitnesses, reviewing the boy’s disciplinary files and accessing other records for a $40 million lawsuit against the school system, a judge ruled Friday. But the judge is...
Braddock hydropower project beset by permitting delays
A state-backed hydroelectric plant is on track to come to the former steel town of Braddock, but permitting delays have slowed the project and driven up costs. The Thursday meeting of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, an independent public financing entity that funds “clean, advanced energy projects,” featured upbeat officials...
Authorities charge 5 more in probe of child sexual abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses in PennsylvaniaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community has charged another five people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, at a Friday news...
Is Pa. primed to legalize weed? 2 lawmakers introduce bill to allow recreational use
Two Senate lawmakers are making a new run at legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie County) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) introduced a bill Thursday that would allow those 21 and older to use recreational marijuana in the state. The measure would include provisions for enforcement of DUI and...
Texas gunman in Walmart shooting that killed 23 gets 90 consecutive life sentences
EL PASO, Texas — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty. Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier...
Photos: Russia’s war in Ukraine reaches the 500-day mark
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s war in Ukraine is set to reach the 500-day mark this weekend, a grim milestone for a conflict that rages with no end in sight. While the fighting had fallen largely into a stalemate, Ukraine’s government and its Western supporters hope a broad counteroffensive launched last...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from far right Freedom Caucus after fight with Lauren Boebert
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been kicked out of the biggest conservative club in Congress over her nasty feud with fellow MAGA stalwart Rep. Lauren Boebert. The right-wing House Freedom Caucus ousted Greene in large part for calling Boebert a “little b——” in a quarrel that erupted on the House...
Pennsylvania governor calls on divided Legislature to finalize budget past deadline
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday to return to the Pennsylvania Capitol to finalize a state spending plan, as the state government neared a week without full spending authority. He disputed Republican accusations that he went back on his word about the $45...
OceanGate suspends operations after its Titan submersible imploded on its way to the TitanicVideo
The company that owned a submersible that imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five onboard, said Thursday it has suspended operations. OceanGate announced the action in a brief statement posted atop its website. Contacted for additional information, a spokesperson declined to comment further....
Trump valet Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents caseVideo
MIAMI — Donald Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he helped the former president hide classified documents from federal authorities, appearing with a new Florida-based lawyer to represent him as the case moves forward. Nauta was charged alongside Trump in June in a 38-count indictment...
Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi has full FDA approval now and that means Medicare will pay for it
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease. The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia...
Study: Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets contains potentially harmful chemicals
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small...
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign says incumbent raised $4M in second quarter
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign raised more than $4 million during the second quarter of this year, a quarterly fundraising record for the incumbent Democrat who plans to seek reelection next year. Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, announced April 10 that he is seeking a fourth term in Washington. Casey’s...
With lawsuit dismissed, Pa. Republicans file appeal to try and overturn mail-in voting law
Unhappy with their latest legal setback in trying to have Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law thrown out, Republicans are now appealing to the state Supreme Court. On June 27, a state Commonwealth Court judge denied the request of 14 current and former GOP legislators to invalidate Act 77, which 11 of...
Belarus says Wagner chief who staged mutiny is in Russia, raising questions about Kremlin’s strategy
MINSK, Belarus — The mercenary leader who led a short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin is in Russia and his troops are in their field camps, the president of Belarus said Thursday, raising new questions about the deal that ended the extraordinary challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Belarusian President Alexander...
U.S. releases video of Russian fighter jets harassing American drones over Syria
WASHINGTON — Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several U.S. drone aircraft over Syria, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive maneuvers, the Air Force said. U.S. Air Forces Central released a video of Wednesday’s encounter showing a Russian SU-35 fighter closing in on a...
Thousands party as firework blast begins Spain’s San Fermin bull-running festival
PAMPLONA, Spain — Tens of thousands of people packed the town hall square in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona on Thursday to celebrate the traditional “chupinazo” firework blast that starts the San Fermín bull-running festival. Nearly everyone, including many tourists, was dressed in the traditional garb of white trousers...
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China as part of efforts to soothe strained relations
BEIJING — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to tell Chinese officials that Washington wants healthy economic competition but will defend trade curbs imposed by the U.S. on security grounds and express concern about Beijing’s export controls on metals used in semiconductors and solar panels, a senior Treasury official said Thursday....
Meta’s new Twitter rival app Threads gets tens of millions of sign-ups in its first dayVideo
Tens of millions of people have quickly signed up to Meta’s new app, Threads, as it aims to compete with Twitter — a sign that users are looking for an alternative to the social media platform that has undergone a series of unpopular changes since Elon Musk bought it. Meta...
Climate talks chief urges oil-producing states to slash emissions
The president of this year’s United Nations’ climate talks urged the oil and gas industry Thursday to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2050 in a speech to oil producing states. Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna, Sultan al-Jaber...
1 in 5 United Methodist congregations in U.S. have left denomination over LGBTQ conflicts
More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations — a fifth of the U.S. total — have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination. Those figures emerge following the close of regular meetings in June...
