Explainer: Dirty bombs sow fear and panic, cause few deaths
KYIV, Ukraine — Dirty bombs have long been feared as a potential weapon of terrorists because their main objective is to sow panic, confusion and anxiety by hurling radioactive dust and smoke into the atmosphere. The Kremlin alleges that Ukraine is preparing to detonate a dirty bomb in order to...
Michigan teen pleads guilty to fatal school shooting
PONTIAC, Mich. — A teenager pleaded guilty Monday to terrorism and first-degree murder in a Michigan school shooting that killed four students and may be called to testify against his parents, who’ve been jailed on manslaughter charges for their alleged role in the tragedy. Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty to...
U.K.’s ex-Treasury chief Rishi Sunak to become Britain’s next prime minister
LONDON — Rishi Sunak ran for Britain’s top job and lost. Then he got another shot — and the chance to say “I told you so.” The former U.K. Treasury chief was runner-up to Liz Truss in the contest to replace the scandal-plagued Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and...
Trump company set for criminal trial in off-books pay scheme
NEW YORK — More than three years after Manhattan prosecutors started investigating Donald Trump — after going to the Supreme Court twice to gain access to his tax records — the only criminal trial to arise from their efforts is about to begin. No, the former president isn’t going on...
NASA forms handpicked team to study unexplained UFO sightings
NASA has named 16 individuals to participate in the much-awaited study of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), or what are more commonly referred to as UFOs. In June, the space agency announced that it had commissioned a panel to investigate UFOs or, as they have recently been rebranded, ” unidentified aerial...
Dismissal of DUI case against ex-attorney general Kathleen Kane sought
SCRANTON — The attorney for Pennsylvania’s former top law enforcement officer is arguing that a drunken-driving case against her should be dismissed because prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence. The (Scranton) Times-Tribune reports that defense attorney Jason Mattioli also seeks to bar prosecutors from presenting results of a field sobriety...
Boris Johnson out of race to be next U.K. prime ministerVideo
LONDON — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday he will not run to lead the Conservative Party, ending a short-lived attempt to return to the prime minister’s job he was ousted from little more than three months ago. His withdrawal leaves former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak the strong...
GOP voters told to hold onto mail ballots until Election Day
ATLANTA — Republican activists who believe the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have crafted a plan that, in their telling, will thwart cheating in this year’s midterm elections. The strategy: Vote in person on Election Day or — for voters who receive a mailed ballot —...
Biden: ‘Legitimate’ for voters to weigh age as he nears 80
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — President Joe Biden joked that it’s difficult acknowledging he’s about to turn 80, but said he’s physically and mentally capable of serving a potential second term in the White House. Biden, who turns 80 on Nov. 20, said it’s “totally legitimate” for voters to question whether...
Companies lure hourly workers with college tuition perks
NEW YORK — When Daniella Malave started working for Chipotle at 17, the main benefit she was seeking was free food. As it turned out, she also got a free college education. While working full time for the chain, Malave completed two years of community college with annual stipends of...
Cheney: Jan. 6 panel has not ruled out Trump’s live TV testimony
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot won’t give Donald Trump the chance to turn a possible live TV appearance of his subpoenaed testimony into a “circus” and “food fight” as lawmakers try to ensure he complies with their demands, the panel’s vice chair said Sunday. The committee...
Wisconsin parade suspect’s court antics won’t help appeal, experts say
MADISON, Wis. — He stripped his shirt off in court. He complains that the prosecutors are “slick.” He won’t let the judge get a word in. He won’t even answer to his own name. The Wisconsin man accused of killing six people by driving his SUV through a Christmas parade...
Report: Salman Rushdie lives, but loses use of eye and hand
NEW YORK — Salmon Rushdie’s agent says the author has lost sight in one eye and the use of a hand as he recovers from an attack from a man who rushed the stage at an August literary event in western New York, according to a published report. Literary agent...
Where governor candidates Mastriano, Shapiro stand on rural health care, broadband and agriculture
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 — People who live in rural Pennsylvania face unique barriers to health care, broadband, and economic opportunities. About 3.4 million...
Illegal border crossings to U.S. from Mexico hit annual high
SAN DIEGO — A surge in migration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in September brought the number of illegal crossings to the highest level ever recorded in a fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The year-end numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in some countries, the...
Politicians seek to leverage celebrities to reach voters
ATLANTA — A beer garden near downtown Atlanta filled for a recent event hosted by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock aimed at Latino voters. Some said they came to seek Warnock, who is seeking reelection in the midterm elections on Nov. 8 against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. But others came...
Genes link bipolar, schizophrenia, once thought unrelated
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — When Chastity Murry had her first psychotic break, she went into her bathroom and downed a whole bottle of pills, hoping to die. Her teenage daughter had to perform CPR to save her life. Around that same time more than a decade ago, the man who would...
Alex Jones seeks new trial after $1B Sandy Hook verdict
HARTFORD, Conn. — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has asked a Connecticut judge to throw out a nearly $1 billion verdict against him and order a new trial in a lawsuit by Sandy Hook families, who say they were subjected to harassment and threats from Jones’ lies about the 2012 Newtown...
Venezuelans expelled from U.S. decide next steps in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — In a shelter on Mexico City’s east side, Venezuelan mechanic José Cuicas is waiting anxiously for an American friend to answer his request to sponsor him for one of the 24,000 visas the Biden administration says it will give to Venezuelans. Cuicas was one of some 1,700...
Explainer: Why the British public is not choosing its leader
LONDON — Observers of Britain’s governing structure can be forgiven for scratching their heads in recent weeks as they watch the country reel through a succession of prime ministers without holding an election. While the opposition Labour Party is demanding an election, the governing conservatives are pushing on with choosing...
Russian-installed authorities order evacuation of Kherson
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine told all residents of the city of Kherson to leave “immediately” Saturday ahead of an expected advance by Ukrainian troops waging a counteroffensive to recapture one of the first urban areas Russia took after invading the country. In a post on the Telegram...
Jail officials across Pa. sound alarm as mental health crisis puts people at risk, survey finds
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. County jails across Pennsylvania lack the resources to address a growing mental health crisis, putting some of the most vulnerable incarcerated...
Most outside spending on Pa. governor’s race has one aim: to defeat Doug Mastriano
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 nationally watched race for Pennsylvania governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro has outspent Republican rival Doug Mastriano by tens...
Biden student debt relief plan blocked by appeals court
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court late Friday issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay while it considers a motion from six Republican-led states to block the loan cancellation...
Tennessee GOP leaders vow to ban transgender youth care
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Top Tennessee Republicans on Friday vowed to push for some of the strictest anti-transgender policies in the United States at a rally Friday, where hundreds of people cheered in support as LGBTQ rights activists yelled back in protest. The rally comes nearly a month after video surfaced...
