FBI: Steep climb in teens targeted by online ‘sextortion’
WASHINGTON — The FBI sounded the alarm Monday about an explosive increase in teenage boys being targeted online and extorted for money after being tricked into sending sexually explicit pictures. At least 3,000 children, mostly teenage boys, have been victims of the schemes that are connected to more than a...
Loved or hated, Fauci’s parting advice: Stick to the science
WASHINGTON — Long before the bobbleheads and the “Fauci ouchie,” Dr. Anthony Fauci was a straight-shooter about scary diseases — and “stick with the science” remains his mantra. Fauci steps down from a five-decade career in public service at the end of the month, one shaped by the HIV pandemic...
Man convicted in slain Ohio family case gets life in prison
WAVERLY, Ohio — A man convicted in the killings of eight members of an Ohio family was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in what one surviving relative called a “monstrous act” of mass murder. George Wagner IV was sentenced after an...
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2022
One would have to go back hundreds of years to find a monarch who reigned longer than Queen Elizabeth II. In her 70 years on the throne, she helped modernize the monarchy across decades of enormous social change, royal marriages and births, and family scandals. For most Britons, she was...
2 covid-19 deaths reported in Beijing as virus surges
BEIJING — China’s health authorities on Monday announced two covid-19 deaths — the country’s first reported fatalities in weeks — amid an expected surge of illnesses after it eased its strict “zero-covid” approach. Unofficial reports point to a widespread wave of new coronavirus cases, and relatives of victims and people...
Proud Boys Capitol trial begins as Jan. 6 panel report looms
WASHINGTON — Jury selection in the seditious conspiracy case against former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four others charged in the attack on the U.S. Capitol began Monday after the judge denied defense attorneys’ last-minute bid to delay over expected congressional action related to Jan. 6, 2021. Defense...
Jan. 6 panel urges Trump prosecution with criminal referralVideo
WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president and “a time of reflection and reckoning.” After one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes...
U.S. homeless numbers stay about the same as before pandemic
SAN FRANCISCO — President Joe Biden’s administration announced Monday that it is ramping up efforts to help house people now sleeping on sidewalks and in tents and cars as a new federal report confirms what’s obvious to people in many cities: Homelessness is persisting despite increased local efforts. The U.S....
Nighttime drone attack hits Kyiv as Putin heads to Belarus
KYIV, Ukraine — Multiple explosive drones attacked Ukraine’s capital before dawn Monday as Moscow pursues its campaign to torment the invaded country from the air amid a broad battlefield stalemate. In a sign that Russia might be seeking ways to bolster depleted forces, President Vladimir Putin traveled to Belarus, which...
Canadian man accused of killing 5 had beef with condo board
TORONTO — Canadian police identified the man who shot and killed five people and wounded another at a suburban Toronto condominium as a 73-year-old resident of the building and said three of the five people he killed were on the condo board. During a news conference Monday, Chief James MacSween...
1.2 million Ram pickups recalled because tailgates may open while driving
Chrysler has recalled more than 1.2 million Ram pickup trucks because the tailgates may not latch properly. The 1,234,657 model years 2019-2022 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks have “misaligned tailgate strikers” that cause the latch to fail and “could result in the tailgate opening while driving,” according to documents...
Dozens hurt in turbulent Hawaii flight, 11 seriously
HONOLULU — A flight from Phoenix to Honolulu carrying many people traveling for the holidays encountered severe turbulence shortly before landing, sending some unrestrained people and objects flying about the cabin and seriously injuring 11 people, officials and passengers said. In all, 36 people received medical treatment following Sunday’s turbulent...
Anti-abortion priest Frank Pavone defrocked for blasphemous posts
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has defrocked an anti-abortion U.S. priest, Frank Pavone, for what it said were “blasphemous communications on social media” as well as “persistent disobedience” of his bishop who repeatedly told him to stop his partisan activism for Donald Trump. A letter to U.S. bishops from the...
11 people seriously injured amid turbulence on Hawaii flight
HONOLULU — Nearly a dozen people were seriously injured when a flight to Hawaii was rocked by severe turbulence on Sunday about 30 minutes outside Honolulu, an emergency response agency said. Eleven people on the Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix were taken to multiple emergency rooms in serious condition, and...
Ex-Mafia boss ‘Cadillac Frank’ Salemme dies in prison at 89
BOSTON — Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Salemme died on Tuesday, according to Bureau...
Texas mayor declares state of emergency over migrant swell
EL PASO, Texas — The mayor of a Texas border city declared a state of emergency Saturday over concerns about the community’s ability to handle an anticipated influx of migrants across the Southern border. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser issued the state of emergency declaration to allow the city on...
Arctic air will blast much of U.S. just before Christmas
Forecasters are warning of treacherous holiday travel and life-threatening cold for much of the nation as an arctic air mass blows into the already-frigid southern United States. “We’re looking at much-below normal temperatures, potentially record-low temperatures leading up to the Christmas holiday,” said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National...
McCarthy’s race for speaker risks upending House on Day One
WASHINGTON — In his quest to rise to House speaker, Kevin McCarthy is charging straight into history — potentially becoming the first nominee in 100 years unable to win the job on a first-round floor vote. The increasingly real prospect of a messy fight over the speaker’s gavel on Day...
What to watch as Jan. 6 committee wraps up its investigation
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot will make its final public presentation Monday about the unprecedented effort by Donald Trump to overturn the results of the presidential election he lost in 2020. The committee has called it an “attempted coup” that warrants criminal prosecution from the Justice...
ALS patients contend with $158K price tag on new drug
WASHINGTON — For two years, Becky Mourey pushed the Food and Drug Administration to approve an experimental drug for her Lou Gehrig’s disease. She went to members of Congress and health regulators to make the case for Relyvrio, until patient-advocates finally prevailed. In September, Relyvrio became only the third drug...
Anti-LGBTQ hate thrives online, spurs fears of more violence
In the days after a gunman killed five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado last month, much of social media lit up with the now familiar expressions of grief, mourning and disbelief. But on some online message boards and platforms, the tone was celebratory. “I love waking up to...
Pa. Republicans fight to prolong House majority and pass far-reaching constitutional amendments
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 — Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state House could hold a functional majority until at least mid-February thanks to Democratic vacancies —...
‘Plastic roads’ are paved with good intention
Transportation officials in multiple states are testing whether roads made from grocery bags, juice cartons, printer ink cartridges or other discarded plastic can make pavement last longer, save money and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. On sections of a busy, four-lane road that cuts through...
Jan. 6 panel eyes recommending 3 criminal charges for Trump
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is considering recommending the Justice Department pursue an unprecedented criminal charge of insurrection and two other counts against former President Donald Trump. Besides insurrection, an uprising aiming to overthrow the government, the panel is also considering...
Want to email your doctor? You may be charged for that
WASHINGTON — The next time you message your doctor to ask about a pesky cough or an itchy rash, you may want to check your bank account first — you could get a bill for the question. Hospital systems around the country are rolling out fees for some messages that...
