Italian ex-leader Berlusconi hospitalized in ICU, but alert
ROME — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalized Wednesday in intensive care because of a problem related to a previous infection, but was alert and speaking, Italy’s foreign minister said. The 86-year-old three-time premier was in the ICU at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, the clinic where he routinely receives...
Zelenskyy visit tightens bonds with Poland amid Russian war
WARSAW, Poland — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won new pledges of deeper military and economic cooperation on a state visit to Poland on Wednesday as the neighbors sought to forge a tighter relationship in defiance of Russia’s full-scale war against Kyiv that has reshaped international alliances. Polish President Andrzej Duda...
French prime minister, unions meeting fails ahead of pension protests
PARIS — French trade union leaders walked out of talks with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday after failing to find a compromise on the contentious plan to raise the country’s legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years. The heads of France’s major unions, who want the withdrawal of...
Party switch gives GOP veto-proof control in North Carolina
RALEIGH — A Democratic state lawmaker in North Carolina announced Wednesday that she is jumping to the Republican Party, giving the GOP veto-proof majorities in both the state’s legislative chambers that should make it easier to enact conservative policies over the opposition of Gov. Roy Cooper. Whether the switch by...
To counter China, U.S. trade rep seeks closer ties to allies
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is pressing its case for a new approach to global trade, arguing that America’s traditional reliance on promoting free trade pacts failed to anticipate China’s brass-knuckled brand of capitalism and the possibility a major power like Russia would go to war against one of its...
Stormy Daniels must pay $122,000 in Trump legal bills
LOS ANGELES — Stormy Daniels must pay nearly $122,000 of Donald Trump’s legal fees that were racked up in connection with the porn actor’s failed defamation lawsuit, an appeals court ruled Tuesday. The decision in California came at about the same time that that Trump became the only ex-president to...
Paying for paradise? Hawaii mulls fees for ecotourism crush
HONOLULU — Repairing coral reefs after boats run aground. Shielding native forest trees from a killer fungus outbreak. Patrolling waters for swimmers harassing dolphins and turtles. Taking care of Hawaii’s unique natural environment takes time, people and money. Now Hawaii wants tourists to help pay for it, especially because growing...
Cities will get nearly $200M in grants for pipeline upgrades
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Federal officials announced the first $196 million of grants Wednesday in a $1 billion program to repair and replace aging and sometimes leaking natural gas pipelines across the country. The Transportation Department and its Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced that the city of Las...
Brandon Johnson elected Chicago mayor in victory for progressives
CHICAGO — Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected Chicago mayor on Tuesday, a major victory for the party’s progressive wing as the nation’s third-largest city grapples with high crime and financial challenges. Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close...
Dangerous severe storms again hitting Midwest, SouthVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — People still sorting through the wreckage of their homes after deadly weather hit over the weekend braced for another wave of strong storms, including tornadoes, that began rolling into parts of the Midwest and South beginning Tuesday evening. Officials warned residents to have shelter ready before...
Janet Protasiewicz wins Wisconsin court seat ahead of abortion ruling
MADISON — A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race Tuesday, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban on the line. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60,...
Court documents: Friend kills 12-year-old boy after making fun of his mom
A 13-year-old boy fatally shot his friend in York County over the weekend after making a joke about his friend’s mother, court documents said. Pennsylvania State Police have not made any arrests in the death of 12-year-old Kain Heiland around 8:30 p.m. Saturday in Red Lion. Troopers have collected photographs,...
Legal experts say jury selection in Trump trial could be sticking point
The coverage around former President Donald Trump’s arraignment has created a media circus, and Pittsburgh legal experts expect that trend to accelerate, as it could have an effect on jury selection for the trial. An indictment unsealed Tuesday claimed Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series...
At a glance: The 3 hush money cases in Trump indictmentVideo
The criminal charges that Donald Trump is now facing in New York stem from three separate instances in which the former president and his associates are accused of making hush money payments during his 2016 campaign: to two women to suppress information about extramarital sexual encounters they said they had...
Supporters hope Pa.’s new legislature will embrace open primaries, but at least one big hurdle remains
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 — Lawmakers and advocates who support opening Pennsylvania’s primary elections to over a million independent voters hope the legislature will...
Trump’s expected surrender creates New York spectacle
NEW YORK — A small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond was ground zero for the frenzy surrounding former President Donald Trump’s expected surrender Tuesday at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few politicians swarmed into the confines...
About 5K GM salaried workers take buyouts, avoiding layoffs
DETROIT — About 5,000 white-collar workers at General Motors took the company’s buyout offers, which the automaker says is enough to avoid layoffs at this time. GM said Tuesday that the offers will save about $1 billion per year in costs, about half of the $2 billion it wants to...
Officials reach deal to restart northern Iraq oil exports
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s central government and officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region reached a deal Tuesday to resume oil exports from northern Iraq via a pipeline to Turkey. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, announced the deal at a press...
Biden offers $450M for clean energy projects at coal mines
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects across the country at the site of current or former coal mines, part of his efforts to combat climate change. As many as five projects nationwide will be funded through the...
France boosts military spending amid war in Ukraine
PARIS — The French government on Tuesday approved a key budget bill presented as the country’s biggest military spending spree in more than 50 years, underscoring the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The bill foresees 413 billion euros ($450 billion) in military spending or the period covering 2024-2030 -...
Finland joins NATO in major blow to Russia over Ukraine war
HELSINKI — Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted...
Trump is heading to court. Here’s what to expect
Former President Donald Trump came to a New York City courtroom Tuesday for his arraignment on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. The Republican former president, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed...
Trump charged with 34 felony counts in hush money schemeVideo
NEW YORK — A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign. The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning...
Florida Senate passes 6-week abortion ban backed by Gov. DeSantisVideo
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate on Monday approved a bill to ban abortions after six weeks, a measure supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the Republican prepares to launch his expected presidential candidacy. The vote prompted demonstrations at the state’s capital that resulted in the arrest of the leader of...
Lawyers: Ex-Maryland political aide dead after manhunt
BALTIMORE — A former Maryland political aide wanted on corruption charges died Monday after he was wounded while being confronted by law enforcement agents, his lawyer said, following a manhunt that was launched when the man failed to appear for trial. Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath’s...
