Chuck Todd leaving NBC political panel show ‘Meet the Press’ and being replaced by Kristen Welker
NEW YORK — Chuck Todd said Sunday he’ll be leaving “Meet the Press” after a tumultuous near-decade of moderating the NBC political panel show, to be replaced in the coming months by Kristen Welker. Todd, 51, told viewers that “I’ve watched too many friends and family let work consume them...
What led Capitol Police to stop a youth performance of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’
Video of a children’s choir singing the national anthem in the U.S. Capitol, only to be unceremoniously cut off by police, spread across social media on Friday. Capitol Police say singers from Rushingbrook Children’s Choir from Greenville, South Carolina, were stopped May 26 because of a miscommunication. Musical performances in...
Biden signs debt ceiling bill that pulls U.S. back from brink of unprecedented default
WASHINGTON — With just two days to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt. It was a decidedly low-key denouement to a monthslong drama that unnerved financial markets at home and abroad and caused...
Key suspect in Natalee Holloway’s case moved to new prison ahead of extradition to U.S.
LIMA, Peru — The chief suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway is being transferred to a prison near Peru’s capital ahead of his pending extradition to the United States to face charges linked to her vanishing, officials said Saturday. The government of Peru, where Dutch...
India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in one of nation’s worst rail disasters
BALASORE, India — Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday. Chaotic scenes erupted on Friday night...
West Virginia state trooper fatally shot, suspect being sought
BEECH CREEK, W.Va. — A state police officer was fatally shot Friday in southern West Virginia, and a suspect was being sought, authorities said. Sgt. Cory Maynard was killed in the shooting, Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement, adding that he was “absolutely heartbroken.” He and first lady Cathy...
Report: Buffalo’s snow-removal equipment, communications fell short during deadly blizzard
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo’s snow-removal fleet was no match for the historic Christmas week blizzard that left 31 people dead in the city, and officials fell short in issuing warnings and providing shelter, according to a report released Friday. The 175-page review of the city’s response by New York University’s...
Biden orders 20-year ban on oil, gas drilling to protect tribal sites outside New Mexico’s Chaco
SANTA FE, N.M. — Hundreds of square miles in New Mexico will be withdrawn from further oil and gas production for the next 20 years on the outskirts of Chaco Culture National Historical Park that tribal communities consider sacred, the Biden administration ordered Friday. The new order from Secretary of...
CCAC tuition to go up 3.3% next school year
Tuition for full-time students attending the Community College of Allegheny County is going up 3.3% for the 2023-24 school year. Tuition for students from Allegheny County will go from $1,830 to $1,890 per semester. Students from other Pennsylvania counties will pay $3,780 per semester in tuition, up from $3,660. Out-of-state...
Protests erupt outside Los Angeles elementary school’s Pride month assembly
LOS ANGELES — Police officers separated groups of protesters and counterprotesters Friday outside a Los Angeles elementary school that has become a flashpoint for Pride month events across California. People protesting a planned Pride month assembly outside the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Saticoy Elementary School wore T-shirts emblazoned with...
As legal gambling surges, some states want to teach teens about the risks
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — As a high school senior, Nick was blessed with a deadly accurate jump shot from the three-point range — something he was quick to monetize. He and his gym classmates not far from the Jersey Shore would compete to see who could make the most baskets,...
Pa.’s Democratic U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, Bob Casey split votes over debt ceiling bill
Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. senators split their votes on the debt ceiling bill Thursday night, with Sen. Bob Casey voting for it and Sen. John Fetterman opposing it. “Last night, I voted for legislation to prevent the nation from defaulting on its debt and to stop extreme MAGA Republicans from gutting...
Newly discovered stone tools drag dawn of Greek archaeology back by a quarter-million years
ATHENS, Greece — Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country’s oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans’ hominin ancestors. The find announced Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much...
Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term aid for Ukraine, won’t be ready for upcoming offensive, U.S. says
PARIS — America’s top military officer says training for Ukrainian forces on advanced U.S. Abrams tanks has started, but those weapons crucial over the long term in trying to expel Russia from occupied territory will not be ready in time for Kyiv’s imminent counteroffensive. The tank training got underway as...
Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty
FORT LIBERTY, N.C. — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members. The change was part of a broad Department of...
Disney lawsuit judge removes himself from case but not for reasons cited by DeSantis
ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge overseeing the First Amendment lawsuit that Walt Disney Parks filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis and others is disqualifying himself, but not because of bias claims made by the Florida governor. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a court filing Thursday that it...
Jill Biden arrives in Cairo as part of Mideast tour aiming to empower women
CAIRO — Jill Biden arrived in Cairo on Friday, on the second leg of her six-day trip across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe that seeks to empower women and promote education for young people. The first lady arrived in the Egyptian capital from Amman, Jordan, where she attended...
Drought, water overuse prompt Arizona to limit construction in some fast-growing parts of Phoenix
PHOENIX — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the restrictions that could affect some...
Just days to spare, Senate gives final approval to debt ceiling deal, sending it to BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline. The...
High-profile Texas lawyers brought on to lead Texas AG Ken Paxton impeachment
AUSTIN, Texas — The House has tapped two high-profile lawyers to make the case to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton in a Senate trial this summer. Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin will prosecute the case against Paxton, a third-term Republican impeached for alleged bribery, abuse of office and other misdeeds....
Man pleads guilty to picking up Yellowstone bison calf that was rejected by herd, euthanized
MAMMOTH, Wyo. — A man from Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge alleging he picked up a bison calf in Yellowstone National Park, causing the animal’s herd to reject it and leading park officials to kill it rather than allow it to be a hazard to visitors. A federal...
Beloved New York swan babies rescued after mother was eaten by family, police say
The village of Manlius in upstate New York is mourning the loss of Faye, a swan who was stolen from the town’s pond over the weekend along with her four cygnets. The cygnets, or baby swans, were recovered, but officials say the mama swan was eaten. “The mother swan was...
Oath Keeper who guarded Roger Stone before Jan. 6 attack gets more than 4 years in prison
WASHINGTON — A member of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group who was part of a security detail for former President Donald Trump ‘s longtime adviser Roger Stone before storming the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Thursday to more than four years in prison. Roberto Minuta, who was seen on...
Man pleads guilty to assaulting Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota in D.C. apartment building
WASHINGTON — A man pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota in the elevator of her Washington apartment building in February, according to court records. Kendrid Khalil Hamlin pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a member of Congress and assaulting law enforcement officers, according to the...
Biden tells Air Force Academy graduates their leadership needed; trips after speechVideo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — President Joe Biden on Thursday thanked U.S. Air Force Academy graduates for choosing “service over self” but said they now have the “great privilege” of leading in a world that will only get more confusing in the years to come. His appearance was punctuated by a...
