What is the independent state legislature doctrine, and why does it matter for Pa.?
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 — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case that could reshape election policy across the country, including...
Pa. Senate GOP advances constitutional amendment on abortion
HARRISBURG — Republican state senators outvoted impassioned Democratic opposition late Thursday to advance a proposal to add language to the Pennsylvania Constitution stating explicitly that the document does not guarantee any rights relating to abortion or public funding of abortions. The chamber’s Rules Committee teed up the package of proposed...
Biden signs order on abortion access after high court ruling
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to protect access to abortion as he faced mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago. The actions he outlined are intended...
Japan’s ex-leader Shinzo Abe assassinated during speech
NARA, Japan — Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech — an attack that stunned the nation with some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere. The...
Facing threats, some election workers weigh whether to stay
After polls closed in New Mexico’s primary last month, a worker returning ballots and other election materials to the clerk’s office in Santa Fe was followed by a partisan election observer driving so close that mere inches separated their bumpers. The poll worker was so rattled by the ordeal that...
Report finds ‘unnecessary’ force by agents at Rio Grande
U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback engaged in “unnecessary use of force” against non-threatening Haitian immigrants but didn’t whip any with their reins “intentionally or otherwise,” according to a federal investigation of chaotic scenes along the Texas-Mexico border last fall that sparked widespread condemnation. In a 511-page report released Friday,...
‘New normal’ for 8-year-old twin wounded in July 4 parade shooting
Sports-loving Cooper Roberts and his 8-year-old twin brother, Luke, loved the Fourth of July parade in their bucolic Chicago suburb. But now the family is envisioning a “new normal” for Cooper who was struck in the chest in a hail of gunfire that left dozens of others wounded and seven...
Oklahoma governor orders special audit of Tulsa schools
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday called for a special audit of Tulsa Public Schools for what he said was a potential mishandling of public funds. Stitt said he ordered the audit at the request of Tulsa school board members E’Lena Ashley and Jennettie Marshal, who wrote...
Pennsylvania budget would leave billions unspent, boost education funding
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House, nearly a week into the state’s new fiscal year, began passing budget legislation Thursday to add billions into surplus accounts, significantly boost education spending and fund new environmental programs. The House passed the main budget bill with little debate on a 180-20 vote hours after...
IRS asks Treasury watchdog to probe James Comey, Andrew McCabe audits
WASHINGTON — The IRS commissioner has asked the Treasury Department’s internal watchdog to immediately review the circumstances surrounding intensive tax audits that targeted ex-FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, frequent targets of Donald Trump’s ire during his presidency. IRS spokesperson Jodie Reynolds said Thursday the agency...
‘Too much gun violence in city,’ Detroit chief says as officer fatally shot
DETROIT — A Detroit officer and a suspect, who police said was “indiscriminately” firing shots, were killed Wednesday night on the city’s west side, the police chief said, prompting him and other city leaders to decry rising gun violence. Standing outside Sinai-Grace Hospital hours after what he called a “very...
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
ATLANTA — A rural Georgia monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic and others dubbed “America’s Stonehenge” was demolished Wednesday after a predawn bombing turned one of its four granite panels into rubble. The Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton was damaged by an explosive device, the Georgia Bureau of...
Yellowstone floods reveal forecasting flaws as world warms
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Yellowstone National Park area’s weather forecast the morning of June 12 seemed fairly tame: warmer temperatures and rain showers would accelerate mountain snow melt and could produce “minor flooding.” A National Weather Service bulletin recommended moving livestock from low-lying areas but made no mention of danger...
Wisconsin court rules against transgender sex offender
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled Thursday that a transgender woman cannot change her name because she is on the state’s sex offender registry and the law does not allow people on the registry to change their names. The court’s 4-3 decision upholds the rulings of...
Police officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves Tioga police position amid controversy
The small borough of Tioga in Northcentral Pennsylvania recently hired Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. But following criticism from residents and outcry on social media, Loehmann has withdrawn from the borough’s police force, according to reports. Rice’s killing led...
Pa. bill allowing police to seize illegally operated dirt bikes, ATVs heads to Wolf’s desk
The state Senate passed a bill late Wednesday allowing police in urban municipalities to seize dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles from owners who illegally drive them on roads, and the measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill passed almost unanimously in the Senate last month,...
Michigan governor hopeful pleads not guilty in Jan. 6 riot
A Republican candidate for Michigan governor pleaded not guilty Thursday for his actions during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when he says he and other supporters of then-President Donald Trump were exercising their free speech rights. Ryan Kelley appeared via video for a brief hearing...
Russia taking ‘operational pause’ in Ukraine, analysts say
KYIV, Ukraine — Foreign analysts say Russia may be temporarily easing its offensive in eastern Ukraine as the Russian military attempts to reassemble its forces for a significant - and what it hopes could prove decisive - offensive to conquer the neighboring country. On Wednesday, Russian forces made no claimed...
Former cop Derek Chauvin gets 21 years for violating George Floyd’s civil rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, a move that adds a few years to the time the former Minneapolis police officer is already serving for his murder conviction while transferring him to federal...
More Americans apply for jobless aid for 5th straight week
WASHINGTON — More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week and while layoffs remain low, it was the fifth consecutive week that claims topped the 230,000 mark. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 2 rose to 235,000, up 4,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported...
Pittsburgh International Airport to get $20 million of FAA’s $1 billion for terminals and upgrades
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is giving nearly $1 billion to 85 airports to expand and upgrade terminals and other facilities, using money approved in last year’s huge infrastructure bill. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the projects will help meet future demand for travel and make flying safer and more...
1st bull run in Pamplona in 3 years takes place; no gorings
PAMPLONA, Spain — The first bull run in three years took place Thursday at the San Fermín festival in the Spanish city of Pamplona. No one was gored, but several runners took knocks and hard falls as tens of thousands people reveled in the return of one of Europe’s most...
From Brexit to Partygate, a timeline of Boris Johnson’s career
LONDON — He was the mayor who basked in the glory of hosting the 2012 London Olympics, and the man who led the Conservatives to a thumping election victory on the back of his promise to “get Brexit done.” But Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister was marred by his...
One scandal too many: British PM Boris Johnson resigns
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday amid a mass revolt by top members of his government, marking an end to three tumultuous years in power in which he brazenly bent and sometimes broke the rules of British politics. Months of defiance ended almost with a...
Reports: Law enforcement officers shoot man on West Virginia highway
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Several law enforcement authorities shot a man on a federal highway in West Virginia, news outlets reported Wednesday, and video of the shooting was circulating on social media. Authorities did not release details or respond to requests for more information. In the video, the man walks onto...
