North Korean troops encouraged by Kim Jong Un, his daughter
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded the “irresistible might” of his nuclear-armed military as he visited troops with his daughter to mark the 75th founding anniversary of his army, state media said Wednesday. The visit came amid indications North Korea is preparing to stage a...
U.S., states weigh farmland restrictions after Chinese balloon
HARLOWTON, Mont. — Near the banks of Montana’s Musselshell River, cattle rancher Michael Miller saw a large, white orb above the town of Harlowton last week, a day before U.S. officials revealed they were tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the state. The balloon caused a stir in the...
Toxic gases connected to Ohio train derailment cause concern
Days after crews released and burned toxic chemicals transported by a wrecked train in Ohio, residents remain concerned about the toxic substances that could be lingering in their evacuated neighborhoods. About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash Friday in East Palestine, according to rail...
Ex-Twitter execs to face GOP questioning on Hunter Biden
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are expected to question former Twitter executives about the platform’s handling of reporting on Hunter Biden, the president’s son, fulfilling a party promise to investigate what they have long asserted is anti-conservative bias at social media companies. Three former executives will be appearing Wednesday before the...
Arkansas Gov. Sanders slams Biden for ‘woke fantasies’
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a dystopian portrait of the country in her rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, leaning heavily into Republican culture war issues and accusing Biden of pursuing “woke fantasies.” Speaking from the governor’s mansion in...
In State of the Union, a feisty Biden calls for bipartisanshipVideo
WASHINGTON — In a State of the Union address that began as a bipartisan appeal, President Biden appeared combative and feisty at times as he sparred with Republicans over his legislative record, the federal deficit and border security. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at one point tried to quiet hecklers...
Memphis officer took, shared photos of bloodied Tyre Nichols
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Documents released Tuesday provided a scathing account of what authorities called the “blatantly unprofessional” conduct of five officers involved in the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month — including new revelations about how one officer took and shared pictures of the...
Florida Gov. DeSantis floats legislation that would make it easier to sue news outlets
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised the possibility Tuesday of passing legislation that could lower the bar for prominent people to successfully sue news outlets for defamation. In a roundtable discussion that featured complaints about the unfair “narrative” of the news media, DeSantis sat behind a desk similar to one of...
Poorer districts win challenge to Pennsylvania public school funding
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania judge ruled Tuesday that the state’s system of funding public schools falls woefully short and violates students’ constitutional rights, siding with poorer districts in a lawsuit launched nearly a decade ago in pursuit of billions of dollars in additional annual aid. Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn...
Conservative groups look beyond Trump for 2024 GOP nominee
NEW YORK — Two major conservative groups have signaled they are open to supporting someone other than Donald Trump in the 2024 race for the White House, the latest sign from an increasingly vocal segment of the Republican Party that it’s time to move on from the former president. David...
West Virginia House OKs bill to encourage more birth centers
CHARLESTON — Months after passing a near-total ban on abortion, West Virginia lawmakers are advancing a bill that would eliminate some of the red tape involved with opening birthing centers in the state. The state House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday that would remove birthing centers from the state’s...
Penn State lands on group’s 10-worst list for free speech
On top of the fallout Penn State University experienced after a tumultuous Proud Boys appearance on campus last fall, now an individual rights group is labeling the university weak on free speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) placed Penn State on its latest national “10 Worst Colleges...
Navy divers begin pulling up Chinese spy balloon debrisVideo
WASHINGTON — Navy divers began pulling pieces of the downed Chinese spy balloon from the depths of the ocean floor on Tuesday, using sophisticated reconnaissance drones dubbed the Kingfish and the Swordfish to locate the debris. After collecting all of the balloon’s white fabric and shell structure found floating on...
Check out the guest list for local elected officials at State of the Union address
The State of the Union speech is a tradition that surrounds the presidency, but members of the House and Senate participate in their own traditions. Members of Congress can bring a guest to the State of the Union speech. Local representatives from Southwestern Pennsylvania are bringing guests to Tuesday’s speech,...
Biden aims to deliver reassurance in State of Union address
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night, seeking to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership. His...
Race to find survivors as quake aid pours into Turkey, Syria; death toll soars above 7,200Video
NURDAGI, Turkey — Search teams and aid poured into Turkey and Syria on Tuesday as rescuers working in freezing temperatures and sometimes using their bare hands dug through the remains of buildings flattened by a powerful earthquake. The death toll soared above 7,200 and was still expected to rise. But...
Disney faces losing control of its kingdom with Florida bill
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney’s government in Florida has been the envy of any private business, with its unprecedented powers in deciding what to build and how to build it at the Walt Disney World Resort, issuing bonds and holding the ability to build its own nuclear plant if it wanted....
5 Pa. Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of child sex abuse following grand jury investigationVideo
Five members from Jehovah’s Witness congregations from across Pennsylvania are facing child sex abuse charges as the state’s acting attorney general continues to urge survivors to come forward and report their abuse. The charges against the five men are the result of an investigating grand jury, and in each case...
Newspapers dying? Ralph Nader’s giving birth to one
NEW YORK — At age 88, Ralph Nader believes his neighbors in northwest Connecticut are tired of electronics and miss the feel of holding a newspaper to read about their town. So at a time when local newspapers are dying at an alarming rate, the longtime activist is helping give...
Newborn, toddler saved from rubble in quake-hit Syrian town
JINDERIS, Syria — Residents in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble of a five-story apartment building leveled by this week’s devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday. The newborn girl was found buried...
Study: 15 million people live under threat of glacial floods
As glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes, 15 million people across the globe live under the threat of a sudden and deadly outburst flood, a new study finds. More than half of those living in the shadow of the disaster called glacial lake outburst floods...
Court denies aid for Hiroshima A-bomb survivors’ children
TOKYO — A Japanese court on Tuesday rejected a damage suit filed by a group of children of Hiroshima atomic bombing survivors seeking government support for medical costs, saying the hereditary impact of radiation exposure is still unknown. A group of 28 plaintiffs whose parents suffered radiation exposure in the...
LGBTQ groups demand Japan adopt equal rights law by G-7
TOKYO — Japanese LGBTQ people and rights groups condemned a recent discriminatory remark by a senior aide of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, demanding his government enact laws to ban discrimination against sexual minorities, legalize same-sex marriage and guarantee equal rights before Japan hosts a Group of Seven summit in May....
Biden to focus on vets, cancer patients, others in speech
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will outline some new steps Tuesday to go after illegal drugs, help veterans and cancer patients, and provide more access to mental health care. It will be a somewhat new version of steps Biden outlined in these four areas during last year’s State of the...
Residents worry about going home, toxic gas from derailmentVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Brittany Dailey stood outside her hotel watching black smoke darken the sky 10 miles to the west as crews burned toxic chemicals from tanker cars that derailed just down the street from her home. The faint smell of chlorine hung in the air Monday night while...
