The debt ceiling crisis may look like a rerun, but it could end differently this timeVideo
The last time the U.S. government went to the brink of defaulting on its debt — in 2011 — the stock market tumbled and there was something close to a panic across the economy before Washington came to its senses and cut a deal. Much the same scenario is unfolding...
Amid US-Mexico border confusion, El Paso pastors provide migrants with shelter
EL PASO, Texas — As changing policies, rampant misinformation and exasperated, fearful crowds converge in this desert city, faith leaders are striving to provide shelter and uplift. Along with prayers, they are counseling migrants about the daunting challenges that await them on U.S. soil, with enormous backlogs in asylum hearings...
Wave of anti-transgender bills in Republican-led states divides U.S. faith leaders
As Republican-governed states across the nation advance myriad bills targeting transgender young people, America’s faith leaders are starkly divided in their assessment. Some view the legislation as reflecting God’s will; others voice outrage that Christianity is being invoked to justify laws they view as cruel and hateful. In one camp...
Idaho jury convicts Lori Vallow Daybell in murders of 2 children, romantic rival
BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho jury on Friday convicted Lori Vallow Daybell in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival, a verdict that marks the end of a three-year investigation that included bizarre claims of zombie children, apocalyptic prophesies and illicit affairs. Vallow Daybell, who wore...
Authorities capture 1 of 2 inmates who escaped from Philadelphia prison
PHILADELPHIA — One of two inmates who escaped from a Philadelphia prison was captured while dressed as a woman, authorities said, and a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force focused Friday on tracking down the other escapee. Members of the task force were conducting surveillance in an area of North...
EPA: New pollution limits proposed for coal, gas power plants reflect ‘urgency’ of climate crisisVideo
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration proposed new limits Thursday on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change. A rule announced by the Environmental Protection Agency could force power plants to...
Fishermen caught cheating at Ohio tournament sentenced to 10-day jail terms, forfeit of $100k boat
Two fishermen, including a Mercer County resident, were sentenced Thursday for their roles in a cheating scandal last year at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament in Cleveland. Chase Cominsky, 36, of Hermitage, and Jacob Runyan, 43, of Ashtabula, Ohio, were sentenced in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to...
Virginia judge says law banning sales of handguns to young adults is unconstitutional
RICHMOND, Va. — A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. The ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Payne in Richmond, if not overturned, would allow...
Ready-to-drink cocktails could be coming to any place beer and wine are sold in Pa.
A state senator is once again trying to modernize Pennsylvania’s liquor system by expanding access to pre-packaged cocktails. The legislation would allow restaurants, bars, taverns, beer distributors, grocery and convenience stores that sell beer and wine to add these popular canned cocktails such as rum punch, pina coladas and margaritas...
House Republicans pass new asylum restrictions as Title 42 ends; Biden promises vetoVideo
WASHINGTON — House Republicans passed a sweeping bill Thursday to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies just as migrants are amassing along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The bill has virtually...
Prosecutors: Man who choked NYC subway passenger to death will face manslaughter charge
NEW YORK — Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday that they will bring criminal charges against a man who used a fatal chokehold on an unruly passenger aboard a New York City subway train, a death that stirred outrage and debates about the response to mental illness in the nation’s largest transit...
Federal money won’t be enough to solve Pa.’s abandoned oil and gas well problem, advocates say
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Cheryl Thomas first asked Pennsylvania officials to cap old oil wells on her land in 1988. Abandoned by the...
McDonald’s found liable for girl’s burns from chicken nuggets. Next up: Jury to determine how much company will pay
McDonald’s is to blame for not warning customers about the dangers of its overheated Chicken McNuggets, one of which fell on a little girl’s lap and left her with second-degree burns on her upper thigh in 2019, a Broward jury ruled Thursday. A second jury will be empaneled to decide...
CNN faces backlash over chaotic Trump town hall eventVideo
NEW YORK — CNN is facing a backlash over its town hall featuring former President Donald Trump, an event that swiftly turned chaotic in a stark display of the tightrope facing journalists covering a leading 2024 Republican candidate who refuses to play by the rules. The town hall Wednesday was...
Carnegie Mellon artificial intelligence institute to receive $20M in federal funding
Carnegie Mellon University will use $20 million in federal funding to establish an artificial intelligence institute that will look for ways to use AI to deal with public health, disaster management and other societal needs. The AI Institute for Societal Decision Making will develop “human-centric AI tools” that can respond...
Metallic object that crashed into NJ home was a meteorite
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A metallic object that punched a hole in the roof of a central New Jersey home this week, smashing into a hardwood floor and bouncing around a bedroom, was a meteorite, experts announced Thursday. Scientists with The College of New Jersey determined the 6-by-4-inch object, which...
What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Gaza militant group now fighting Israel?
JERUSALEM — The cycle has become grimly familiar. Over three days, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 28 people, including senior Palestinian militants, as well as children as young as 4 years old. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired over 600 rockets toward Israel, killing one person, setting...
Sen. Tuberville criticized for remarks on white nationalists: ‘I call them Americans’
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is facing backlash for remarks he made about white nationalists in the armed forces in an interview about his blocking of military nominees. He said that while Democrats may consider such people to be racists, “I call them Americans.” Tuberville’s office later said...
What is Title 42 and what happens at the border when the immigration policy goes away?
Title 42, a decades-old public health statute used during the covid-19 pandemic to keep asylum seekers out of the U.S., will lift at 8:59 p.m. Thursday, ushering in a new era for U.S. border control. Orders under Title 42 were first implemented by the Trump administration in March 2020 and...
Supreme Court rejects challenge to California pork law mandating more space for pigs
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to a California animal cruelty law that affects the pork industry, ruling that the case was properly dismissed by lower courts. Pork producers had said that the law could force industry-wide changes and raise the cost of bacon and other...
Republicans continue push to restrict teachings on race in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Republicans are one step closer to restricting how teachers discuss race in K-12 classrooms. As conservatives nationwide push bans on so-called “critical race theory,” the state Senate passed a likeminded effort Wednesday in a late-night 27-10 vote after nearly six hours of debate. Parents could...
Buddhist monks accused of embezzling millions donated to Thailand temple
BANGKOK — Seven Buddhist monks are among nine suspects who are being held in pre-trial detention after being arrested for allegedly embezzling assets worth about $8.9 million from donations received by a temple in Thailand’s northeast, authorities said Thursday. The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said the actions...
Ukraine says its counteroffensive now delayed; Britain says it’s sent cruise missiles to Kyiv
KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in remarks broadcast Thursday that Kyiv is delaying its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces because Ukraine lacks enough Western weapons to succeed without suffering too many casualties. His remarks, in an interview with European broadcasters, were aired shortly before Britain said it...
2023 primary day election guide: Details on races, candidates, issues in Western Pa.
Primary day is today. Here’s a guide to the many local races through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling...
New blood donation rules allow more gay men to give in U.S.
WASHINGTON — Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can donate blood in the U.S. without abstaining from sex, under a federal policy finalized Thursday by health regulators. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The agency announced plans for...
