China calls for Russia-Ukraine cease-fire, peace talks
BEIJING — China, a firm Russian ally, has called for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Moscow and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the conflict. The plan issued Friday morning by the Foreign Ministry also urges the end of Western sanctions imposed on...
Republicans set opening presidential debate for August
NEW YORK — The opening Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election season will take place in Milwaukee this August, the Republican National Committee decided Thursday. The rough time and location were the only details finalized as a small group of RNC members met behind closed doors in Washington this...
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry argues for constitutional protections in phone seizure case
Attorneys for U.S. Rep. Scott Perry argued in court Thursday that federal investigators should not have unfettered access to Perry’s cellphone communications because of Constitutional protections against questioning a sitting Congressman for his or her legislative activities. Perry, a Republican from Carroll Township, York County, is one of several Republican...
Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty in shooting, can still work
Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie and waived his first formal court appearance, in court documents filed Thursday. Baldwin and a weapons supervisor were charged last month with felony...
Pa. House set to vote on bill giving childhood sexual abuse survivors chance for justice
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse who have been waiting for a chance to seek justice may see positive movement in that direction Friday in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The chamber has positioned two separate pieces of legislation for a vote that would lift the statute of limitations on childhood...
$11.5M preservation of Heinz Memorial Chapel’s spire planned
Generations of Pittsburghers know it as an exquisite wedding and worship space, a limestone cathedral that has 23 imposing yet beautiful stained-glass windows and an organ with 4,272 pipes. But that’s not what is drawing the most attention at the University of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Memorial Chapel these days. It’s the...
Lawsuit: Steve Bannon owes $480K for unpaid legal bills
NEW YORK — Steve Bannon’s latest legal trouble: a lawsuit alleging he stiffed his former lawyers out of more than $480,000. Bannon, a conservative strategist and longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was sued for breach of contract last week by a Manhattan law firm that defended him in...
United Nations approves resolution calling for Russia to leave UkraineVideo
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution Thursday that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and demands the withdrawal of its forces, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that Moscow’s aggression must end. The 141-7 vote...
White House urging higher fines for train safety violations
WASHINGTON — The White House is calling on congressional Republicans to increase the fines levied on rail companies for safety violations, as a fiery Feb. 3 train derailment in Ohio has become a political lightning rod. There are still safety and health concerns among residents of East Palestine after dozens...
Harvey Weinstein gets 16 years for rape, sexual assault
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles judge on Thursday sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2013 rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model. The sentence comes on top of the more than 20 years the 70-year-old Weinstein has...
Northern border immigrant death highlights crossing spike
The death of a Mexican man who had just entered the United States from Canada illegally is highlighting the spike in illegal crossings along the border between Quebec and parts of New England, officials say. The number of illegal border crossers is tiny compared with those entering the country illegally...
For donors, wartime Ukraine aid creates blurry ethical line
NEW YORK — Bulletproof vests and drones. Pickup trucks, walkie-talkies and tourniquets. These are just some of the items that individuals and nonprofits have donated to buy and ship to Ukraine, where sometimes they are then used by those fighting Russia’s invasion. “We’ve had these discussions countless times,” said Igor...
1 year on, Ukrainians in U.S. cope with war, displacement
PORT READING, N.J. — In New York, far from her home in northern Ukraine, Valeriya Roshkovan tries to do what she can to end Russia’s invasion of her country. “I cannot sit and do nothing,” she said earlier this month in a New Jersey warehouse where she volunteers with the...
U.S. nominates Ajay Banga for World Bank president
WASHINGTON — The United States is nominating former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday, crediting him with critical experience on global challenges including climate change. The news comes days after Trump appointee David Malpass announced plans to step down in June...
NTSB: Train crew got safety alert too late to prevent derailment
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The crew operating a freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, did not receive a critical warning about an overheated axle until just before dozens of cars went off the tracks, federal safety investigators said in a report Thursday as U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg...
U.S. ending extra help for groceries that started during covid
Nearly 30 million Americans who got extra government help with grocery bills during the pandemic will soon see that aid shrink — and there’s a big push to make sure they’re not surprised. Officials in 32 states and other jurisdictions have been using texts, voicemails, snail mail, flyers and social...
On stand, Alex Murdaugh denies killings but admits lying
Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh denied killing his wife and son but admitted lying to investigators about when he last saw them alive as he took the stand in his own defense Thursday. Murdaugh, 54, is charged with murder in the fatal shootings of his wife, Maggie, 52, and...
Jan. 6 rioter who threatened Rep. Ocasio-Cortez gets 3 years
A Texas man who threatened U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter after he stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Wednesday to more than three years in prison. Garret Miller was wearing a shirt that read “I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021” with a...
Toxic wastewater from Ohio train derailment headed to Texas
DEER PARK, Texas — Toxic wastewater used to extinguish a fire following a train derailment in Ohio is headed to a Houston suburb for disposal. “I and my office heard today that ‘firefighting water’ from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment is slated to be disposed of in our county,”...
Aldi groceries can now be ordered on-demand via DoorDash
Aldi customers can now have their groceries delivered on-demand by DoorDash. DoorDash said Aldi has been one of the most requested grocer by its customers since it launched in 2020. The delivery service, DoorDash said, will be available for nearly all Aldi locations in 38 states. Customers can shop for...
Buttigieg visits East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment site
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday to tour the site where a train wrecked nearly three weeks ago as the government faces growing criticism over the federal response to the derailment. The Feb. 3 derailment led to evacuations and fears of air...
U.S. gets OK for cattle-shooting operation in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A U.S. district judge on Wednesday cleared the way for federal officials to move ahead with plans to take to the air and shoot dozens of wild cattle in a rugged area of southwestern New Mexico. Ranchers had sought a delay, arguing that the potential mass slaughter...
Latest TikTok challenge resurrects Kool-Aid Man
Anyone old enough to remember TV in the 1970s surely recalls the giant red drink pitcher that crashed through walls with the whopping exclamation, “Oh Yeah.” The Kool-Aid Man, the anthropomorphic mascot for the powdered drink mix, smashed his way through fences, furniture and outfield walls to answer the calls...
Former Arizona AG Mark Brnovich sat on records refuting election fraud
PHOENIX — Arizona’s former attorney general suppressed findings by his investigators who concluded there was no basis for allegations that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud, according to documents released Wednesday by his successor. Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, who took office last month, said the records show...
Mike Pompeo’s PAC made bulk book order on the same day his memoir was released
A political action committee founded by the former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spent more than $42,000 on a bulk order of books the same day his memoir “Never Give An Inch” went on sale. Champion American Values, Pompeo’s PAC launched in 2021, reported spending $42,181.97 at Bulkbooks.com, a site...
