Woman testifies that husband wanted 8 Ohio family members killed
WAVERLY, Ohio — A woman who helped plan the 2016 slayings of eight members of another family, a crime that shook rural southern Ohio and stymied investigators for over two years, says the massacre was her husband’s idea. Angela Wagner made the claim while testifying Tuesday at the murder trial...
Trump lawyers who fought election results saw Justice Clarence Thomas as keyVideo
WASHINGTON — Lawyers who aided former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election regarded an appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as “key” to their chances of success, according to emails provided to congressional investigators and made public Wednesday. The email exchange from Dec....
UN: Russian invasion has uprooted 14 million Ukrainians
UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven some 14 million Ukrainians from their homes in “the fastest, largest displacement witnessed in decades,” sparking an increase in the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide to more than 103 million, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday. Filippo Grandi, who...
Stocks fall after Fed says it’s too soon to pause rate hikes
Stocks fell sharply after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that interest rates will need to go even higher than previously thought in order to tame the worst inflation in decades. The Fed also raised its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a percentage point Wednesday, its fourth consecutive hike of...
Going to win $1.2B Powerball prize? Consider not taking cash
DES MOINES, Iowa — Think you’re a sure bet for Wednesday night’s estimated $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot? If so, you need to decide whether to take cash, which would actually pay out $596.7 million, or choose the $1.2 billion annuity option that is twice as large but is paid out...
Musk: People banned from Twitter won’t be restored for weeks
NEW YORK — Elon Musk said Wednesday that Twitter will not allow anyone who has been kicked off the site to return until it sets up procedures on how to do that, a process that will take at least a few weeks. That would mean people banned from the site...
Parkland school killer formally sentenced to life in prison
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz formally received a sentence of life without parole Wednesday after families of his 17 slain victims spent two days berating him as evil, a coward, a monster and a subhuman. Cruz, shackled and in a red jail jumpsuit, watched Judge Elizabeth...
21 new graves found in search for Tulsa Massacre victims
The search for remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has turned up 21 additional graves in the city’s Oaklawn Cemetery, officials said. Seventeen adult-size graves were located Friday and Saturday, Oklahoma State Archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said Monday. Additionally, the city announced Tuesday that four graves, two adult-size...
Russia rejoins key deal on wartime Ukrainian grain exports
KYIV, Ukraine — Diplomatic efforts salvaged a wartime agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain and other commodities to reach world markets, with Russia saying Wednesday it would stick to the deal after Ukraine pledged not to use a designated Black Sea corridor to attack Russian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry said...
Search for solutions drives race to save Utah salt flats
WENDOVER, Utah — In the Utah desert, a treeless expanse of pristine white salt crystals has long lured daredevil speed racers, filmmakers and social media-obsessed tourists. It’s so flat that on certain days, visitors swear they can see the curvature of the earth. The glistening white terrain of the Bonneville...
Germany to force plastic makers to help pay for cleanups
BERLIN — The German government said Wednesday that it plans to make plastic manufacturers contribute to the cost of cleaning up litter in streets and parks. The Cabinet agreed on a bill that makers of products containing single-use plastic will need to pay into a central fund managed by the...
White House: North Korea covertly shipping artillery to Russia
WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday accused North Korea of covertly shipping a “significant number” of artillery shells to Russia in support of its invasion of Ukraine. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. believes North Korea is “trying to make it appear as though they’re being...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra paid $15K to take 2 Pa. lawmakers to Europe
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 — In the waning days of summer, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra embarked on a whirlwind, nine-city European tour — its...
Biden tears into GOP, labels DeSantis ‘Trump incarnate’
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — President Joe Biden on Tuesday lashed out at Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as “Donald Trump incarnate,” zeroing in on a potential 2024 GOP presidential contender as he campaigned for Democrats facing uphill fights in next week’s midterm election. In a final-week sprint for Democrats before...
Trump 2024 campaign prepares for post-midterms launch
NEW YORK — As he played to a crowd of supporters in Robstown, Texas, former President Donald Trump drew cheers as he talked up his first two runs for the White House — and teased a third. “In order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will...
CVS, Walgreens announce opioid settlements totaling $10B
Two of the largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart is in discussions for a deal. Together, the developments amount to what could...
Judge puts narrow limit on Arizona ballot box monitoring
PHOENIX — A federal judge agreed Tuesday to put limits on a group monitoring outdoor ballot drop boxes in Arizona, but within narrow confines that would not affect its members’ constitutional right to gather. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi said he would issue a temporary restraining order requested by...
Seoul: North Korea fires more than 10 missiles after threat
SEOUL — Air raid sirens sounded in South Korea after the North fired about a dozen missiles in its direction Wednesday, at least one of them landing near the rivals’ tense sea border. The launches came hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to get the U.S. and...
Herschel Walker accuser says she felt ‘threatened’ after revealing pregnancyVideo
ATLANTA — A woman who accused Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker of pressuring her to have an abortion nearly three decades ago showed her face for the first time in an interview with “Good Morning America” and said she felt “threatened” by the football star after she revealed to him...
Chief Justice John Roberts delays handover of Trump tax returns to House panelVideo
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday put a temporary hold on the handover of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns to a congressional committee. Roberts’ order gives the Supreme Court time to weigh the legal issues in Trump’s emergency appeal to the high court, filed Monday. Without court...
Prosecutor: Iowa teens killed Spanish teacher over bad grade
DES MOINES — Two Iowa teenagers killed their high school Spanish teacher last year because of frustration over a bad grade, prosecutors said Tuesday in court documents that for the first time reveal a possible motive. The documents were filed ahead of a hearing Wednesday where a judge will hear...
Pennsylvania court: Ballots in undated envelopes won’t count
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania officials cannot count votes from mail-in or absentee ballots that lack accurate, handwritten dates on their return envelopes, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday, a week before tabulation will begin in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and the state Legislature. The court directed county boards...
Man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi held without bail
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco judge on Tuesday ordered the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home, beating her husband and seeking to kidnap her, to be held without bail. Adam Lipson, a lawyer for defendant David DePape, entered a not guilty plea on DePape’s behalf...
Kansas mom gets 20 years for leading Islamic State battalion
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Kansas native who led an all-female Islamic State battalion when she lived in Syria has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum possible sentence, after her own children denounced her in court and detailed the horrific circumstances and abuse she heaped on them. Allison...
Why Black faculty are questioning Penn State’s commitment to diversity, anti-racism
With Penn State in the spotlight for scrapping plans for a Center for Racial Justice, Black faculty members are questioning the university’s commitment to diversity and anti-racism — and a co-author of two reports that previously outlined Penn State’s shortcomings says its latest response simply isn’t good enough. At least...
