Texts: Mississippi governor knew of welfare payment to Brett FavreVideo
JACKSON, Miss. — Newly revealed text messages show how deeply involved a Mississippi governor was in directing more than $1 million in welfare money to retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre. Instead of the money going to help low-income families in one of the nation’s poorest states, as intended, it was...
U.S. Senate candidates Fetterman, Oz to debate in late October
After repeated calls from his challenger for multiple debates in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate election, Democratic candidate and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has agreed to participate in one debate in late October. Fetterman’s campaign said Wednesday that the Democratic nominee has committed to an Oct. 25 debate hosted by Nexstar, a...
Explainer: What’s behind the new Armenia-Azerbaijan fighting
Border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan have killed 155 troops on both sides in the largest outbreak of fighting between the neighbors and longtime adversaries in nearly two years, fueling fears of even bigger hostilities. Here is a look at the decades-long conflict between the two countries, and the latest...
Defense suddenly rests case in Florida school shooter trial
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suddenly and surprisingly rested their case Wednesday after calling only a fraction of their expected witnesses, leading to a shouting match after the judge accused them of a lack of professionalism. Cruz’s attorneys had told the judge and prosecutors...
Former Penn State president Graham Spanier defends himself in new book
Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier has written a book alleging that he, deceased Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and two other university administrators were falsely accused of — and unjustly punished for — covering up child abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. “The book is an...
Woman with toy gun grabs trapped savings from Beirut bank
BEIRUT — A woman accompanied by activists and brandishing what she said was a toy pistol broke into a Beirut bank branch on Wednesday, taking $13,000 from her trapped savings. Sali Hafez told the local Al-Jadeed TV that she needed the money to fund her sister’s cancer treatment. She said...
Pa. law protects workers who are approved for medical marijuana — but once they use it, it’s a different story
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. Vague legal safeguards for medical marijuana users in Pennsylvania are forcing patients to choose between their job and a drug they...
Iowa teen who killed rapist sentenced, ordered to pay $150K
A teenage human trafficking victim who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her accused rapist to death was sentenced Tuesday in an Iowa court to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to the man’s family. Pieper Lewis, 17, was sentenced Tuesday...
Queen Elizabeth II lies in state after solemn procession
LONDON — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II left Buckingham Palace for the last time Wednesday, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall. There, Britain’s longest-serving monarch will...
Devastated Ukrainian village emerges from Russian occupation
HRAKOVE, Ukraine — There’s not much left of Hrakove. Its houses and shops lie in ruins, its school is a bombed-out hull. The church is scarred by rockets and shells, but the golden dome above its blasted belfry still gleams in the fading autumn light. Only about 30 people remain,...
MyPillow executive Mike Lindell says FBI agents seized his cellphone
WASHINGTON — MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell said Tuesday that federal agents seized his cellphone and questioned him about a Colorado clerk who has been charged in what prosecutors say was a “deceptive scheme” to breach voting system technology used across the country. Lindell was approached in the drive-thru of...
Package explodes on Boston campus; 1 injured, FBI involved
BOSTON — A package exploded on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston late Tuesday, and the college said a staff member suffered minor injuries. Authorities said another suspicious package was found near a prominent art museum and the FBI was assisting with the investigation. The parcel that blew up...
Judge unseals additional portions of Mar-a-Lago affidavitVideo
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Tuesday unsealed additional portions of an FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida resort, showing that agents earlier obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. A heavily redacted version of...
Dead Oklahoma inmate was suing over ‘Baby Shark’ claim
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma County inmate found dead in his jail cell over the weekend was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the county alleging that in 2019, he and other inmates were tortured by jail employees who forced them to repeatedly listen to the children’s song “Baby Shark”...
Oz backs U.S. Senate bill to protect same-sex marriage rights
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz has joined more than 400 Republican leaders who are calling on the Senate to pass legislation to protect marriage rights for same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, but Justice Clarence Thomas hinted this...
West Virginia lawmakers OK abortion ban with few exceptionsVideo
CHARLESTON — West Virginia’s Legislature passed a sweeping abortion ban with few exceptions Tuesday, approving a bill that several members of the Republican supermajority said they hope will make it impossible for the state’s only abortion clinic to continue to offer the procedure. “It is going to shut down that...
Ken Starr, whose probe led to Clinton impeachment, dies
WASHINGTON — Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, has died at age 76, his family said Tuesday. Starr died at a hospital Tuesday of complications from surgery, according to his former colleague, attorney Mark...
GOP’s Lindsey Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeksVideo
WASHINGTON — Upending the political debate, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a nationwide abortion ban Tuesday, sending shockwaves through both parties and igniting fresh debate on a fraught issue weeks before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Graham’s own Republican party leaders did not immediately embrace his...
What’s left as Jan. 6 panel sprints to year-end finish
WASHINGTON — With only three months left in the year, the House Jan. 6 committee is eyeing a close to its work and a final report laying out its findings about the U.S. Capitol insurrection. But the investigation is not over. The committee has already revealed much of its work...
They tried to modernize Congress. Now time is running out
WASHINGTON — They are the oddballs and the true believers on Capitol Hill, the ones who think civility is possible in these uncivil times. For four years, they have worked to “fix Congress” — and tried to live by their own advice. It came close to falling apart. Cool reflection...
Eiffel Tower to go dark earlier as Paris saves energy
PARIS — Lights on the Eiffel Tower will soon be turned off more than an hour earlier at night to save electricity, the Paris mayor announced Tuesday, as Russia’s war in Ukraine deepens an energy crisis in Europe. Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the iconic tower that is normally illuminated until...
Ancient skeleton found in Mexico cave threatened by train
MEXICO CITY — A prehistoric human skeleton has been found in a cave system that was flooded at the end of the last ice age 8,000 years ago, according to a cave-diving archaeologist on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Archaeologist Octavio del Rio said he and fellow diver Peter Broger saw the...
Twitter whistleblower brings his critiques to Congress
WASHINGTON — A former security chief at Twitter told Congress that the social media platform is plagued by weak cyber defenses, privacy threats and the inability to control millions of fake accounts. Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a respected cybersecurity expert, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to lay out his allegations...
Alex Jones faces second trial over Sandy Hook hoax claims
WATERBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut jury is slated to begin hearing evidence Tuesday in a trial to decide how much money conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for spreading a lie that the massacre was a hoax. The trial is...
Census meddling is targeted in bill, recommendations
Democratic lawmakers intent on making sure that unprecedented efforts by the Trump administration to politicize the 2020 census never happen again are moving forward with plans for safeguards they say will help the U.S. head count stay free of future interference. Democratic House members are preparing this week to send...
