Senate rebukes Wisconsin congressman who yelled vulgarities at high school-age pages
WASHINGTON — A freshman Republican congressman from Wisconsin yelled and cursed at high school-aged Senate pages during a late night tour of the Capitol this week, eliciting a bipartisan rebuke from Senate leaders Thursday evening. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents western Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, used a profanity to...
Police searching apartment of Chicago man charged in man’s killing find woman dead in refrigerator
CHICAGO — Officers searching the apartment of a Chicago man accused of fatally stabbing a man on a restaurant’s roof discovered the body of a young woman in his refrigerator earlier this month, authorities said. Brandon Sanders, 33, has not been charged in the death of Iman Al-Sarraj, 18, whose...
Nearly 200 million people in U.S. are under heat or flood advisories
Dangerous heat is forecast to “engulf” much of the eastern half of the United States as extreme temperatures spread from the Midwest into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic where some residents will see their hottest temperatures of the year, according to the National Weather Service. Although much of the country does...
Biden looks to provide relief from extreme heat as record high temperatures persist across U.S.
WASHINGTON — With heat waves spreading across the United States, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new steps to protect workers — including a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay safe from extreme heat — as well as measures to improve weather forecasts and make drinking...
Trump faces new charges in classified documents case, accused of asking staffer to delete camera footage
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump faced new charges Thursday in a case accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents, with prosecutors alleging that he asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct a federal investigation into the records. The new indictment...
July has been so blistering hot, scientists already calculate that it’s the warmest month on record
WASHINGTON — July has been so hot thus far that scientists calculate that this month will be the hottest globally on record and likely the warmest human civilization has seen, even though there are several days left to sweat through. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate...
Enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich unveiled at Pennsylvania community fair
LEBANON, Pa. — An enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich billed as one of the world’s largest has been unveiled at a central Pennsylvania fair. The 150-foot-long (45.7-meters-long) sandwich was created Tuesday night at the Lebanon Area Fair by a large crew of volunteers known as the “Bologna Security.” Lebanon bologna is...
Putin claims fighting intensifies in southeastern Ukraine, with Russia inflicting heavy losses
KYIV, Ukraine — Fierce fighting raged Thursday in southeastern Ukraine, where a Western official said Kyiv has launched a major push and Russian President Vladimir Putin said “hostilities have intensified significantly.” Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 600-mile front line as Ukraine wages...
Meat allergy caused by tick spit is getting more common, CDC says
NEW YORK — More than 100,000 people in the U.S. have become allergic to red meat since 2010 because of a weird syndrome triggered by tick bites, according to a government report released Thursday. But health officials believe many more have the problem and don’t know it. A second report...
Michigan Gov. Whitmer signs laws banning conversion therapy for minors
DETROIT — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law Wednesday two bills banning the use of so-called conversion therapy on minors, prohibiting a form of counseling or therapy seeking to get gay, lesbian or transgender individuals to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. Michigan becomes the 22nd state in that...
Greek wildfires trigger blasts at ammunition dump
RHODES, Greece — Wildfires whipped on by strong winds triggered a series of major explosions Thursday at an air force ammunition dump in central Greece, but no injuries were reported as the site had been safely evacuated in advance, officials said. Fires have raged across parts of Greece during three...
Trump lawyers meet with prosecutors as potential U.S. indictment over 2020 election looms: AP source
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Donald Trump were meeting Thursday with members of special counsel Jack Smith’s team as a potential indictment loomed over the former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the matter. The meeting included Trump lawyer John Lauro,...
Supreme Court allows construction to resume on Mountain Valley Pipeline
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed construction to resume on a contested natural-gas pipeline that is being built through Virginia and West Virginia. Work on the Mountain Valley Pipeline had been blocked by the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., even after Congress ordered the project’s approval as...
21 dead and 40 rescued after a wind-tossed boat overturns in the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — At least 21 people died and 40 others were rescued after a Philippine passenger boat overturned on Thursday when it was lashed by strong winds in Laguna Lake southeast of Manila, police said. Police said rescue operations were continuing, but did not immediately provide figures for the...
Arizona teen Alicia Navarro missing for nearly 4 years shows up safe at Montana police station
GLENDALE, Ariz. — An Arizona teenager who vanished without a trace nearly four years ago is safe after walking into a police station in Montana, authorities said. Alicia Navarro, 18, of Glendale showed up alone this week in a small town about 40 miles from the Canadian border and identified...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian defense minister to discuss military cooperation
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss military issues and the regional security environment, state media said Thursday, illustrating North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine as the isolated country celebrated the 70th anniversary of an armistice...
Putin promises African summit that Russia will make maximum efforts to avert a food crisis
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin told leaders and officials from most African countries on Thursday that his nation is making full efforts to avert a global food crisis despite concerns that its withdrawal from a deal allowing grain shipments from Ukraine will cause shortages and price spikes....
22 attorneys general oppose 3M settlement over water systems contamination with ‘forever chemicals’
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Twenty-two attorneys general urged a federal court Wednesday to reject a proposed $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially dangerous chemicals, saying it lets manufacturer 3M Co. off too easily. The deal announced in June doesn’t give individual water suppliers...
Big men on campus: From snacks to sleeping pads, Steelers load in for 2023 training camp at Saint Vincent College
When Pittsburgh Steelers players are hanging out at the end of a day at training camp, even a game of Uno can get amped up quickly. “Everything you can get competitive about, it’s going to happen,” said offensive tackle Kevin Dotson. “Everybody’s trying to win. That’s part of what’s great...
Whistleblower tells Congress the U.S. is concealing ‘multi-decade’ program that captures UFOs
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims. Retired Maj. David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress’ latest foray into...
Pitt to raise in-state tuition for undergrads on its main campus by 2%
The University of Pittsburgh is increasing its base tuition for in-state undergraduate students on its main campus by 2% this fall, but will freeze tuition on its branch campuses in Hempfield, Johnstown, Bradford and Titusville. Out-of-state undergraduates will see increases of 7% on the main campus, while graduate students from...
South Florida waters hit hot tub level and may have set world record for warmest seawater
The water temperature around the tip of Florida has hit triple digits — hot tub levels — two days in a row. Meteorologists say it could be the hottest seawater ever measured, although some questions about the reading remain. Scientists are already seeing devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding...
Rudy Giuliani is not disputing that he made false statements about Georgia election workers
ATLANTA — Rudy Giuliani is not disputing that he made public comments falsely claiming two Georgia election workers committed ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential race but he argues that his words are constitutionally protected statements, according to a court filing. That assertion by Giuliani, who as part of Donald...
Jury acquits Kevin Spacey in London on sexual assault charges dating back to 2001
LONDON — A London jury acquitted Kevin Spacey on sexual assault charges on Wednesday after a four-week trial in which the actor said he was a “big flirt” who had consensual flings with men and whose only misstep was touching a man’s groin while making a “clumsy pass.” Three men...
Fire on New York construction crane causes arm to collapse and hit a building as it falls
NEW YORK—A towering construction crane caught fire high above the West Side of Manhattan on Wednesday morning, causing its long arm to snap off, smash against a nearby building and plummet to the street as people ran for their lives on the sidewalk below. At least six people suffered minor...
