‘A servant queen’: World pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Across the globe, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted reflections on the historic sweep of her reign and how she succeeded in presiding over the end of Britain’s colonial empire and embracing the independence of her former dominions. Tributes to the queen’s life...
U.N. atomic watchdog: Ukraine power plant needs safe zone to avoid disaster
KYIV, Ukraine — The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog says conditions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are increasingly precarious and a safety zone around it needs to be established immediately to prevent a nuclear accident. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in...
Wall Street futures rise on Fed Chair comments
NEW YORK — Wall Street is pointing higher before the opening bell a day after comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman indicated that interest rate increases will likely be within expectations. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 climbed 0.7%, putting them on track to...
Amid campaign, Mastriano’s disputed dissertation made public
HARRISBURG — A Canadian university has quietly made public Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s 2013 doctoral thesis about a legendary World War I hero, including six pages of recently added corrections that, in some cases, do not appear to fix anything. Researchers who have long criticized Mastriano’s investigation into U.S....
Woman beheaded on California street before bystandersVideo
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — A man stabbed and killed a woman Thursday on the street outside her Northern California apartment in front of bystanders, authorities said, and a suspect was arrested near the crime scene. Local media reported that the woman was beheaded by a sword in the attack outside...
Police in Uvalde investigating shooting, multiple people injured
DALLAS — Police were investigating a shooting Thursday evening in Uvalde, Texas. The Uvalde Police Department said on Facebook that the department got a call at 5:30 p.m. about a shooting in Uvalde Memorial Park. There are multiple injured victims, the department said. UPDATE: As many as six, but possibly...
Judge approves $2.46 billion Boy Scouts reorganization plan
A bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved a $2.46 billion reorganization plan proposed by the Boy Scouts of America, which would allow it to keep operating while compensating tens of thousands of men who say they were sexually abused as children while involved in Scouting. Though legal hurdles remain, the ruling...
Grand jury probing Trump leadership PAC, reports say
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury is reportedly seeking information about Donald Trump’s Save America leadership PAC as investigations into the former president continue to expand. ABC News first reported Thursday that subpoenas issued in recent weeks have asked recipients about the political action committee’s formation, its fundraising activities and...
Michigan’s high court puts abortion question on Nov. ballotVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Voters will determine whether to place abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution, the state Supreme Court declared Thursday, settling the issue a day before the fall ballot must be completed. Abortion rights would be guaranteed if the amendment passes on Nov. 8. A 1931 state law makes...
Trump pulls photo of Pa. troopers from atop social media after police say it was for memorabilia only
Donald Trump removed a photo from the top of his social media page Thursday of him posing with 31 uniformed Pa. troopers after police said they did not give the former president permission to publish it. Trump left the photo in his news feed on his social media account at...
Trump documents probe: Justice Department appeals ruling on special master
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Thursday that it was appealing a judge’s decision granting the appointment of an independent arbiter to review records seized by the FBI from former President Donald Trump’s Florida home. The department also asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to put on hold her directive...
Pennsylvania school directors speak out against Doug Mastriano’s education funding plan
An open letter to Pennsylvania families and voters being circulated around the state by public school board members issues a warning about the threat that they believe Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano poses to the public education system. The letter drew 59 signatures from school directors from 24 school districts...
After a lifetime of preparation, Charles takes the throne
LONDON — Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Now, at age 73, that moment has finally arrived. Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became king on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. No date has been set...
The prime ministers who served under Queen Elizabeth II
LONDON — In seven decades on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II saw 15 British prime ministers come and go, from Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher to Boris Johnson to Liz Truss. Here is a list of the leaders who served under her and their years in office: — Winston Churchill,...
10 things to know about Queen Elizabeth II’s life
LONDON — Ten things to know about the life of Queen Elizabeth II: BRITAIN’S LONGEST-REIGNING MONARCH Elizabeth, who marked 70 years on the throne this year, is the oldest and longest-reigning monarch in British history. In September 2015 she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and...
Retailers pull lobster from menus after ‘red list’ warning
PORTLAND, Maine — Some retailers are taking lobster off the menu after an assessment from an influential conservation group that the seafood poses too much of a risk to rare whales and should be avoided. Seafood Watch, which rates the sustainability of different seafoods, said this week it has added...
Bernard Shaw, CNN’s 1st chief anchor, dies at 82
NEW YORK — Bernard Shaw, CNN’s chief anchor for two decades and a pioneering Black broadcast journalist best remembered for calmly reporting the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991 as missiles flew around him in Baghdad, has died. He was 82. He died of pneumonia on Wednesday at a...
Steve Bannon pleads not guilty in ‘We Build the Wall’ schemeVideo
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon pleaded not guilty Thursday to duping donors who gave money to build a wall on the U.S. southern border. The case, brought by New York prosecutors, is a state-level reboot of a federal case cut short last year by...
Gloves off, Biden embraces tough tone on ‘MAGA Republicans’
WASHINGTON — In recent days, President Joe Biden has sharpened his attacks against Donald Trump and the so-called MAGA Republicans for posing a threat to democracy. He’s likened the philosophy undergirding the dominant strain of the modern-day GOP to “semi-fascism.” And Democrats are taking notice. The gloves-off, no-holds-barred approach from...
Blinken, in Kyiv, unveils $2B in U.S. military aid for Europe
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unscheduled visit to Kyiv on Thursday as the Biden administration announced major new military aid worth more than $2 billion for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia. In meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, Blinken said the Biden...
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s monarch for 70 years, dies
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. The palace announced she died at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland, where members of the royal family had...
Texas judge rules against required coverage of HIV prevention drug
AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that required coverage of an HIV prevention drug under the Affordable Care Act violates a Texas employer’s religious beliefs and undercut the broader system that determines which preventive drugs are covered in the U.S. The ruling was handed down by U.S. District...
Police arrest Memphis man in livestreamed shootings; 4 deadVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A gunman who livestreamed himself driving around Memphis shooting at people, killing four and wounding three others in seemingly random attacks, was finally arrested after crashing a stolen car, police said early Thursday. The hours-long rampage had police warning people across the city to shelter in place,...
Police raid elected official’s home in Vegas investigative reporter deathVideo
LAS VEGAS — Police in Las Vegas searched the home of an outgoing local elected official and towed away a vehicle similar to one sought in the criminal investigation of the fatal stabbing of a veteran investigative reporter. A Las Vegas police statement did not specify where officers searched following...
Gov. Tom Wolf announces $100 million in new funds to curb gun violence across Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced more than $100 million in new funding for community groups working to curb gun violence across the commonwealth. The governor made the announcement from Mander Playground in North Philadelphia, one of many neighborhoods that have seen firsthand the toll of rapidly...
