Watch: President Biden’s State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The annual speech, delivered before a joint session of Congress, typically provides a president with his single largest audience of the year, usually in the tens of millions. An estimated 38.2...
Russian shells spark hospital fire before expected assault
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian shelling hit more civilian targets in Ukraine, starting a fire at a town hospital and damaging five apartment buildings, local officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian authorities reported a Russian troop buildup in eastern areas that Kyiv suspects is preparation for a new offensive around the anniversary...
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid coverage soon
HARRISBURG — The federal government’s pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid is ending, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania face losing the free health insurance in the coming year. Many people who stand to lose Medicaid coverage don’t know the changes are coming, say officials at...
Amid soaring crime, Memphis cops lowered the bar for hiring
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Beyond the beating, kicking, cursing and pepper spraying, the video of Tyre Nichols’ deadly arrest at the hands of young Memphis police officers is just as notable for what’s missing — any experienced supervisors showing up to stop them. That points to a dangerous confluence of trends...
Lucky player in Seattle suburb wins $754.6M Powerball prize
AUBURN, Wash. — A single winning ticket for a $754.6 million Powerball jackpot was sold at a department store in a Seattle suburb, Washington state lottery officials said Tuesday. The winning numbers drawn Monday night were 5, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 7. The winning ticket was bought...
New York funeral home finds woman breathing hours after declared dead
MILLER PLACE, N.Y. — An 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead at a New York nursing home but found to be breathing three hours later at the funeral home where she had been taken, authorities said. The woman was pronounced dead at Water’s Edge Rehab and Nursing Center at Port Jefferson...
White House: Improved surveillance caught Chinese balloonVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said Monday that improvements ordered by President Joe Biden to strengthen defenses against Chinese espionage helped to identify last week’s spy balloon — and to determine that similar flights were conducted at multiple points during the Trump administration. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said...
John Fetterman’s State of the Union guest is Philly man he helped free from prison
One of two brothers who U.S. Sen. John Fetterman successfully fought to free from prison will join him Tuesday at President Biden’s State of the Union address. Dennis “Freedom” Horton and his brother, Lee, were imprisoned for nearly 28 years after being convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life...
New Jersey charges Paterson officer who shot, wounded fleeing personVideo
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s top law enforcement official brought criminal charges Monday against a police officer he said shot a fleeing person in the back, wounding him severely. Attorney General Matthew Platkin said the state filed charges of second-degree aggravated assault and official misconduct against Paterson Police Officer Jerry...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to control Disney district governing board
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis would take control over the board of a special governing district Walt Disney World operates in Florida under a bill introduced Monday, as the Republican governor punishes the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. Republican leaders in the statehouse, in...
Harry Whittington, shot by Dick Cheney in hunting mishap, dies at 95
Harry Whittington, the attorney from Texas who survived a hunting accident in 2006 when then-US Vice President Dick Cheney shot him in the face while tracking a passing bird, has died. He was 95. He died early Saturday morning at home, the New York Times reported, citing his wife. A...
Salman Rushdie gives 1st interview since 2022 stabbing
NEW YORK — Months after being stabbed repeatedly as he prepared to give a lecture, Salman Rushdie is blind in his right eye, struggles to write and, at times, has “frightening” nightmares. But, he said during his first interview since the attack, he still has a feeling of gratitude. “Well,...
Crews release toxic chemicals from derailed tankers in OhioVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Crews released toxic chemicals into the air from five derailed tanker cars that were in danger of exploding Monday and began burning it after warning residents near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line to leave immediately or face the possibility of death. Flames and black smoke billowed high...
French parliament debates Macron’s divisive pension bill
PARIS — France’s parliament on Monday started debating a fiercely contested pension bill that’s triggered recent strikes and large street demonstrations, with more protests set to come this week. The lower house, the National Assembly, began debating the plans that would raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64....
Woman plotted with neo-Nazi to attack power grid, feds say
BALTIMORE — A Maryland woman spent months conspiring with a neo-Nazi leader based in Florida to plan an attack on Baltimore’s power grid, hoping to further their racist mission, law enforcement officials said Monday. The plan was thwarted when both suspects were arrested last week, adding to a growing list...
What to watch: New political vibes this State of the Union
WASHINGTON — Look for new faces and fresh political dynamics as President Joe Biden delivers this year’s State of the Union address, coupled with attention to some old problems brought back into painful focus by recent events. The president on Tuesday night will stand before a joint session of Congress...
3 U.S. tourists stabbed in popular Puerto Rican neighborhood
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Three U.S. tourists were stabbed in Puerto Rico early Monday after police said someone told them to stop filming in a renowned seaside community known as La Perla that is popular with visitors. The confrontation began when one of the tourists, who lives in South...
Florida teen pleads guilty to fatally stabbing classmate
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A Florida teenager faces a possible life sentence after he pleaded guilty Monday to fatally stabbing a 13-year-old classmate 114 times and leaving her body in a wooded area near their homes in 2021. The plea came as jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday morning...
Super Bowl draws epic air show of private planes to Phoenix
PHOENIX — Former NFL player Jim Bob Morris is heading to the Super Bowl in Phoenix from Bloomington, Illinois, in a newly refurbished set of wheels. His ride has new paint, new seating and even a new bathroom. Morris, who played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Oilers and was...
$747M Powerball jackpot up to 9th-largest as drawing nears
A $747 million Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night for players willing to risk $2 against the long, long odds of winning the big prize. No one has won the jackpot since Nov. 19, 2022, allowing the prize to grow larger with each of the game’s three...
China accuses U.S. of indiscriminate use of force over balloon
BEIJING — China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it “seriously impacted and damaged both sides’ efforts and progress in stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations.” The U.S. shot down the balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed...
3.8 magnitude earthquake hits Buffalo
An earthquake struck near Buffalo, N.Y., early Monday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey preliminarily reported a 3.8 earthquake centered east of Buffalo in the suburb of West Seneca at about 6:15 a.m. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel said it was the region’s strongest quake in at least 40 years. UPDATE: Rare magnitude...
Rescuers scramble in Turkey, Syria after quake kills 4,000Video
ADANA, Turkey — Rescuers in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria searched through the frigid night into Tuesday, hoping to pull more survivors from the rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 4,000 people and toppled thousands of buildings across a wide region. Authorities feared the death toll from...
Summer Lee talks about her goals during 1st term in Congress
Pittsburgh has a new representative in Congress for the first time in nearly three decades. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was sworn in last month to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, who did not seek reelection. Lee said she has hit the ground running and the region will continue...
Northeast temperatures soar a day after bone-numbing coldVideo
Temperatures in many areas of the Northeast climbed to the mid-40s Fahrenheit on Sunday, a day after the region suffered through temperatures that plummeted into the negative teens and felt like minus 45 to minus 50 degrees with the wind chill. Atop 6,288-foot Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the temperature...
