U.S. officials offer Congress briefing on Trump documents
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials have offered to brief congressional leaders on their investigation into the classified documents found at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Sunday. A briefing could come as soon as this week. But it may not meet demands from lawmakers who...
Ohio officials urge evacuation near derailment, fearing explosionVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Officials monitoring the smoldering, tangled wreckage of a train derailment in northeastern Ohio urgently warned hundreds of nearby residents who had declined to evacuate to do so Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of a potential explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel as...
Europe bans Russian diesel, other oil products over Ukraine
FRANKFURT, Germany — Europe imposed a ban Sunday on Russian diesel fuel and other refined oil products, slashing energy dependency on Moscow and seeking to further crimp the Kremlin’s fossil fuel earnings as punishment for invading Ukraine. The ban comes along with a price cap agreed by the Group of...
U.S. states take control of abortion debate with funding focus
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Though the Insight Women’s Center sits at the epicenter of a reinvigorated battle in the nation’s culture wars, the only hint of its faith-based mission to dissuade people from getting abortions is the jazzy, piano rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” playing in a waiting room. The Republican-controlled...
Powerball jackpot grows to $747 million after no winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $747 million after no one beat the odds and won the top prize in Saturday night’s drawing. The numbers drawn were: 2, 8, 15, 19, 58 and Powerball 10. The $747 million Powerball jackpot up for grabs Monday night...
Balloon bickering over Biden’s actions, China’s intentionsVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers on Sunday accused China of deliberately surveilling sensitive U.S. military sites with a suspected spy balloon and said the Biden administration had given Beijing an intelligence opening by not downing the balloon during its high-altitude drift through American airspace. The balloon’s presence in the sky above...
Crash averted at Austin airport; FAA, NTSB to investigate
AUSTIN, Texas — A FedEx cargo airplane attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday morning had to change course after a second plane was cleared to depart from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. “The pilot of the FedEx airplane discontinued the landing and initiated...
Downing of suspected China spy balloon draws threat from Beijing
WASHINGTON — China responded with harsh words Saturday to the U.S. military’s downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and threatened repercussions. In its statement Sunday,...
Mars Area basketball coach describes scene when gunman reported outside school
The high school basketball gym had been packed for a game that took three overtimes to decide. After passing through a handshake line, the visiting South Fayette and the home Mars Area boys varsity teams headed downstairs to their locker rooms. It had been an near-ideal Friday night high school...
U.S. downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
WASHINGTON — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing. An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters to recover debris from the...
Tesla hikes price of Model Y after U.S. alters tax credit rule
DETROIT — Tesla has raised prices on its Model Y in the U.S., apparently due to rising demand and changes in U.S. government rules that make more versions of the small SUV eligible for tax credits. The Austin, Texas, electric vehicle company bumped up the price of the Model Y...
Dangerously cold temperatures envelop Northeast
BOSTON — Arctic air descended into the Northeast on Saturday morning, bringing dangerously cold sub-zero temperatures and wind chills that dropped to minus 45 to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 to minus 45 C) in many areas. Atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the overnight wind chill...
‘Died suddenly’ posts twist tragedies to push vaccine lies
Results from 6-year-old Anastasia Weaver’s autopsy may take weeks. But online anti-vaccine activists needed only hours after her funeral this week to baselessly blame the covid-19 vaccine. A prolific Twitter account posted Anastasia’s name and smiling dance portrait in a tweet with a syringe emoji. A Facebook user messaged her...
Why a new Alzheimer’s drug is having a slow U.S. debut
The first drug to show that it slows Alzheimer’s is on sale, but treatment for most patients is still several months away. Two big factors behind the slow debut, experts say, are scant insurance coverage and a long setup time needed by many health systems. Patients who surmount those challenges...
Electronic pollbook security raises concerns going into 2024
ATLANTA — They were blamed for long lines in Los Angeles during California’s 2020 presidential primary, triggered check-in delays in Columbus, Ohio, a few months later and were at the center of former President Donald Trump’s call for supporters to protest in Detroit during last November’s midterms. High-profile problems involving...
Disney World unions vote down offer covering 45,000 workers
ORLANDO, Fla. — Union members voted down a contract proposal covering tens of thousands of Walt Disney World service workers, saying it didn’t go far enough toward helping employees face cost-of-living hikes in housing and other expenses in central Florida. The unions said that 13,650 out of 14,263 members who...
State of the Union: Biden sees economic glow, GOP sees gloom
WASHINGTON — Going into Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden sees a nation with its future aglow. Republicans take a far bleaker view — that the country is beset by crushing debt and that Biden is largely responsible for inflation. And the GOP now holds a House...
Democrats set to shake up start of 2024 presidential primary
PHILADELPHIA — Democrats are poised to reorder their presidential primary schedule beginning next year, replacing Iowa with South Carolina in the leadoff spot as part of a major overhaul meant to empower Black and other minority voters critical to the party’s base of support. The Democratic National Committee has worked...
No storms? What hurricane hunters and forecasters do the other 6 months of year
TAMPA, Fla. — Between the hum of the plane’s engine and the blasting winds outside, Cmdr. Adam Abitbol listens to what he calls his playlist du jour. It’s sometimes made up of hip-hop. Or Indie. Or classical. But never country. This is a routine for Abitbol, who spent about 250...
50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below. About 50 cars derailed in East Palestine as a train...
A surprising burst of U.S. hiring in January: 517,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — For nearly a year, the Federal Reserve has been on a mission to cool down the job market to help curb the nation’s worst inflation bout in four decades. The job market hasn’t been cooperating. Consider what happened in January: The government said Friday that employers added a...
Report: Navy ships face growing maintenance delays, costs
WASHINGTON — Navy ships are getting fewer steaming hours because of growing maintenance delays and costs, a troubling trend that comes as at time when the U.S. is struggling to keep pace with China’s growing fleet. Operating and support costs grew by about $2.5 billion across 10 ship classes while...
Biden sounds ready to seek 2nd term while rallying Democrats
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden sounded like a candidate making his case for a second term Friday night as he rallied a raucous meeting of national Democrats who chanted, “Four more years!” The only thing missing was an official announcement — that’s not expected for at least several weeks. Speaking...
Feds say cyberattack caused suicide helpline’s outage
WASHINGTON — A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation’s new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials told The Associated Press Friday. Lawmakers are now calling for the federal agency that oversees the program to prevent future attacks. “On December 1, the voice calling functionality...
Ex-prosecutor’s new book details fight over indicting Trump
NEW YORK — As the Manhattan district attorney’s office again ramps up its yearslong investigation of Donald Trump, a new book by a former prosecutor who once led the probe details just how close the former president came to getting indicted — and laments friction with the new D.A. that...
