Pence says Trump and DeSantis do not understand importance of U.S. military aid to Ukraine
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis do not grasp the broader implications of their call for limited military assistance to Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence told The Associated Press in Iowa Wednesday. “With all due respect, I think the former president and...
U.S. House control could hinge on district battles in famously liberal state
LOS ANGELES — In 2024, control of the U.S. House could hinge on congressional districts in one famously liberal state: California. Command of the narrowly divided chamber will again be in play next year, and leaders in both parties agree on this much: The outcome in a string of contested...
Father of the bride and teen who tried to save friend among 5 killed in Philadelphia shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A father preparing to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle. An aspiring actor who appeared as an extra in the “Creed” movie franchise. A teenager who tried to help a wounded friend. These are the stories of those killed in the all-too-familiar thrum of another mass shooting....
Israeli court acquits border police officer charged with killing autistic Palestinian man
JERUSALEM — An Israeli court on Thursday acquitted a border police officer charged with reckless manslaughter in the deadly shooting of an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City three years ago. The Jerusalem district court ruled that the officer was acting in self defense when he shot and killed...
Pennsylvania House approves state budget after Gov. Shapiro backs off voucher plan
HARRISBURG — Late Wednesday night, the Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania House approved a new state spending plan after a days-long stalemate in Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. The chamber approved the main bill in a $45 billion spending plan, 117-86, as the state government plowed through its fifth day without full spending authority....
Trump posted what he said was Obama’s address, prosecutors say. An armed man was soon arrested there
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day that a man with guns in his van was arrested near the property, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in revealing new details about...
Wisconsin probes how 8 roller-coaster riders became trapped upside down for hours
CRANDON, Wis. — State officials are investigating how eight people became trapped upside down on a roller coaster — some of them for more than three hours — at a festival in Wisconsin. The roller coaster’s cars got stuck near the top of a loop around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at...
Judge’s order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions
NEW ORLEANS — An order by a federal judge in Louisiana has ignited a high-stakes legal battle over how the government is allowed to interact with social media platforms, raising broad questions about whether — and how — officials can fight what they deem misinformation on health or other matters....
In Trump case, Justice Department unseals previously blacked-out portions from search warrant application
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Wednesday disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorization to search former President Donald Trump’s Florida property for classified documents. Key portions of the document had already been made public, but media organizations including...
Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes warns Trump he’s ‘going to be found guilty’
Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes warned former President Donald Trump in a jailhouse interview that he’s “going to be found guilty” in the cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith because the justice system is rigged. The imprisoned white nationalist leader suggested that he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to...
Attorney who challenged Trump’s 2020 loss gives up law license as states weigh disciplining him
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Attorney Lin Wood, who filed legal challenges seeking to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, is relinquishing his law license, electing to retire from practicing rather than face possible disbarment. Multiple states have weighed disciplining him for pushing Trump’s false claims that he defeated Joe Biden. On...
Pennsylvania governor backs off $100M private schools program in budget stalemate
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday backed off his insistence on money for a new private-school funding program after it became a sticking point in a budget stalemate between Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. Shapiro’s shift in position came as state government plowed through its fifth day without full...
Ohio man guilty of raping a 9-year-old who traveled for legal abortion gets life sentence
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man accused of raping and impregnating a 9-year-old Ohio girl, who had to travel out of state for an abortion, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of rape. Gerson Fuentes, 28, was sentenced to life in prison but, as part of his plea deal, will be...
After secret documents leak, Pentagon plans tighter controls to protect classified information
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Wednesday announced plans to tighten protection for classified information following the explosive leaks of hundreds of intelligence documents that were accessed through security gaps at a Massachusetts Air National Guard base. Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, 21, is accused of leaking the highly classified military...
A fiery plane crash in a South Carolina resort town killed all 5 people on board
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Five people are dead after a single-engine plane crashed over the weekend in a South Carolina coastal resort town. Officials said Sunday’s fiery wreck near a golf course in North Myrtle Beach killed all four passengers and the pilot, The Myrtle Beach Sun News reported....
Explosion destroys Lancaster County road crew’s building, equipment
A Wednesday morning explosion destroyed a Lancaster County government building, spewed black smoke and sent earthquake-like shakes through homes miles away. The explosion stemming from a propane leak also led emergency responders to evacuate six homes on the 900 block of North Colebrook Road in Rapho Township, where the explosion...
Tuesday set unofficial record for hottest day on Earth — Wednesday may break it
The planet’s temperature spiked Tuesday to its hottest day in at least 44 years and likely much longer, and Wednesday could become the third straight day Earth unofficially marks a record-breaking high, the latest in a series of climate-change extremes that alarm but don’t surprise scientists. The globe’s average temperature...
Rip currents prompted 200 rescues in Virginia and Outer Banks over the Fourth weekend
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Strong rip currents prompted lifeguards to pull about 200 swimmers from the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia and the Outer Banks area of North Carolina over the holiday weekend. Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service, told The Virginian-Pilot that the city’s more than 180...
Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of planning to attack Europe’s biggest nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine and Russia accused each other Wednesday of planning to attack one of the world’s largest nuclear power plants, but neither side provided evidence to support their claims of an imminent threat to the facility in southeastern Ukraine that is occupied by Russian troops. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear...
Suicide bomber attacks security post in Pakistan, killing 3 soldiers and 10-year-old boy
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber riding in a vehicle targeted a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least three soldiers and a 10-year-old boy and wounding 14 other civilians, officials said. The bombing occurred in Miran Shah, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan...
Exonerated member of ‘Central Park Five’ wins primary, nearly assuring seat on NYC Council
NEW YORK — Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” has won the Democratic primary, all but assuring him a seat on the New York City Council. It’s an improbable feat for a political novice who was wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned as a teenager for the rape...
Woman dies while hiking in triple-digit heat in Grand Canyon
A woman has died after attempting a day hike in Grand Canyon National Park when the temperature was in the triple digits. In a news release, officials with the national park in Arizona, said park rangers received a report about a distressed hiker around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 2....
Ohio abortion rights backers submit nearly double needed signatures for fall ballot measure
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Groups hoping to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution delivered nearly double the number of signatures needed to place an amendment on the fall statewide ballot, aiming to signal sweeping widespread support for an issue that still faces the threat of needing a significantly increased victory margin....
Mass shootings claim lives at gatherings over the July Fourth holiday
SHREVEPORT, La. — Mass shootings broke out at festivals, block parties and other gatherings in a handful of cities this week as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July. Gun violence that flared in Washington, D.C, Louisiana, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Texas and Florida left more than a dozen dead and almost...
Philadelphia suspect left a will and was acting agitated days before shootings, prosecutors sayVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The man accused in the fatal shooting spree in Philadelphia that left five people dead and four others wounded Monday night left a will at his house, and according to a roommate had acted agitated and wore a tactical vest around his house in the days before the...
