Senate Democrats approve big Biden deal; House to vote nextVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage Sunday, a hard-fought compromise less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs and taxing immense corporations. The estimated $740 billion package heads next...
Russian forces begin assault on two eastern Ukraine cities
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces began an assault Saturday on two key cities in the eastern Donetsk region and kept up rocket and shelling attacks on other Ukrainian cities, including one close to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s military and local officials said. Both cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka...
Police: Suspect in slayings of 4 in Ohio arrested in Kansas
DAYTON, Ohio — A suspect wanted in Ohio in the shooting deaths of four people, including a teenage girl, has been arrested in Kansas, authorities said. Police in Montgomery County’s Butler Township said late Saturday night that 39-year-old Stephen Marlow was taken into custody by local police in Lawrence, Kansas....
Boy at heart of U.K. court battle dies after life support ends
LONDON — A 12-year-old boy who has been in a coma for four months died Saturday at a London hospital after doctors ended life-sustaining treatment that was the subject of a lengthy court battle. Archie Battersbee’s mother, Hollie Dance, said he died at 12:15 p.m., about two hours after the...
North Korea calls Pelosi ‘destroyer of international peace’
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Saturday called U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “the worst destroyer of international peace and stability,” accusing her of inciting anti-North Korea sentiment and enraging China during her Asian tour earlier this week. Pelosi traveled to South Korea after visiting Taiwan, which had prompted...
Explainer: Why final election results take days, not hours
As election workers spend long hours tallying ballots in Arizona and elsewhere in the days after Tuesday’s primary elections, some critics are arguing they should be finished counting by now. Widely shared Twitter posts this week called the delayed results “corrupt” and “unacceptable,” while Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake in...
Alex Jones ordered to pay $49.3M total over Sandy Hook lies
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten...
Critics call water quality bill moving through Pa. legislature a back door to privatization
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers are weighing legislation that would make it easier for private water companies to target municipal authorities for acquisition, purchases that new research shows can lead to higher bills for consumers. The proposal — sponsored by state Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Fayette County, and backed by two large,...
Blaze kills Pa. firefighter’s 10 relatives, 3 of them children; criminal probe underway
NESCOPECK, Pa. — Fire tore quickly through a house in northeastern Pennsylvania early Friday morning, killing seven adults and three children and horrifying a volunteer firefighter who arrived to battle the blaze only to discover the victims were his own family, authorities said. The children who died were ages 5,...
Judge rules Georgia must end statewide PSC elections
ATLANTA — A federal judge ruled Friday that Georgia’s statewide election of its five public service commissioners illegally dilutes Black voting power, ordering the state to not prepare ballots for two races that had been scheduled in November. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg, if it stands, would...
Pentagon denies D.C. request for National Guard migrant help
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon rejected a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in what the mayor has called a “growing humanitarian crisis” prompted by thousands of migrants being bused to the city from two southern states. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to provide Guard personnel and...
John Rensenbrink, U.S. Green Party co-founder, dies at 93
PORTLAND, Maine — John Rensenbrink, a Maine political scientist and conservationist who co-founded the Green Party of the United States, has died. He was 93. Rensenbrink, of Topsham, died in hospice, surrounded by his family, the national Green Party said. An obituary in the Bangor Daily News stated that Rensenbrink...
China halts climate, military ties over Pelosi Taiwan visit
WASHINGTON — China announced Friday it was ending all contact with the United States on major issues — including crucial climate cooperation that led to the international 2015 Paris accord — as tensions and public rebukes ratcheted higher over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. China’s move to freeze...
Sinema gives her nod, and influence, to Democrats’ big bill
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin sealed the deal reviving President Joe Biden’s big economic, health care and climate bill. But it was another Democratic senator, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who intently, quietly and deliberately shaped the final product. Democrats pushed ahead Friday on an estimated $730 billion package that in...
Indiana Legislature 1st to approve abortion bans post Roe
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Legislature became the first in the nation Friday to pass new legislation restricting access to abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has not indicated whether he will sign it. Indiana was among the...
Republicans pick Milwaukee to host 2024 national convention
Republicans on Friday unanimously chose Milwaukee in swing state Wisconsin for the 2024 national convention, a win for the city on the shores of Lake Michigan after its hosting of the Democratic convention in 2020 was upended by the covid-19 pandemic. The decision in favor of Milwaukee over Nashville, announced...
Elon Musk countersuit accuses Twitter of fraud over ‘bot’ count
Elon Musk accused Twitter of fraud in a countersuit over his aborted $44 billion deal for the social media company, which he claimed held back necessary information and misled his team about the true size of its user base. The countersuit by the billionaire and Tesla CEO alleges that Twitter...
Critics call water quality bill moving through Pa. legislature a back door to privatization
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 — Pennsylvania lawmakers are weighing legislation that would make it easier for private water companies to target municipal authorities for...
Explainer: Why is insulin so expensive and difficult to cap?
WASHINGTON — Reining in the soaring prices of insulin has thus far been elusive in Congress, although Democrats say they’ll try again — as part of their economic package that focuses on health and climate. The price of the 100-year-old drug has more than tripled in the last two decades,...
How Alex Jones’ bombastic behavior impacts him in court
AUSTIN, Texas — Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones bulled through the first of several trials against him that could decimate his personal fortune and media empire in his usual way: Loud, aggressive and talking about conspiracies both in and out the courtroom. It’s business as usual for the gravelly voiced,...
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 10, including senior militant
Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes in Gaza on Friday, killing at least 10 people, including a senior militant, and wounding dozens, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad militant group in response to an “imminent threat” following the arrest of another senior militant in...
Kremlin says Griner swap must be discussed without publicity
MOSCOW — The Kremlin said Friday that it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue. Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and an eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has been detained in Russia...
Autocratic Hungarian leader Viktor Orban hailed by U.S. conservativesVideo
DALLAS — Hungary’s autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged cheering American conservatives on Thursday to “take back the institutions,” stick to hardline stances on gay rights and immigration and fight for the next U.S. presidential election as a pivotal moment for their beliefs. The exuberant cheers and standing ovations at...
Republicans to announce site of 2024 national convention
MADISON, Wis. — Republicans are to announce Friday whether the 2024 national convention, where the party’s presidential nominee will be officially named, will be held in Milwaukee or Nashville. Milwaukee, in swing state Wisconsin, is the odds-on favorite to get the event given Nashville’s refusal to adopt an agreement for...
Trump ally Kari Lake wins GOP primary for Arizona governor
PHOENIX — Kari Lake, a former news anchor who walked away from her journalism career and was embraced by Donald Trump and his staunch supporters, won the Republican primary for Arizona governor on Thursday. Lake’s victory was a blow to the GOP establishment that lined up behind lawyer and businesswoman...