Pa. House eyes expanding who can bring sexual misconduct complaints against lawmakers
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 House leaders are quietly negotiating a deal to close a loophole in the chamber’s rules that protects lawmakers...
‘Everything is on fire’: Ukraine region weathers bombardment
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian attacks laid down a curtain of fire Tuesday across areas of eastern Ukraine where pockets of resistance are denying Moscow full military control of the region, almost four months after the Kremlin unleashed an invasion. “Today everything that can burn is on fire,” Serhiy Haidai, the...
U.S., Iran in tense sea incident; Tehran preps new centrifuges
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. Navy warship fired a warning flare to wave off an Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboat coming straight at it during a tense encounter in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, officials said Tuesday. The incident on Monday involving the Guard and the Navy comes as...
U.K. rail strike strands commuters, pits workers against government
LONDON — Tens of thousands of railway workers walked off the job in Britain on Tuesday, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike for three decades. About 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff held a 24-hour strike, with two more planned for...
1st Native American U.S. treasurer to be appointed, head Mint
WASHINGTON — A Native American is being appointed U.S. treasurer, a historic first. The White House on Tuesday announced President Joe Biden’s intent to appoint Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba as his administration establishes an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department, which will be overseen by the U.S....
1/6 panel: Local ‘heroes’ rebuffed Trump, then faced threats
WASHINGTON — The House 1/6 committee heard chilling, tearful testimony Tuesday that Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election provoked widespread threats to the “backbone of our democracy”— election workers and local officials who fended off the defeated president’s demands despite personal risks. The panel investigating the...
Supreme Court: Religious schools must get Maine tuition aid
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Maine can’t exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money. The 6-3 outcome could fuel a renewed push for school choice programs in some of the...
Report: Police at Texas school had rifles earlier than known
UVALDE, Texas — Multiple police officers stood in a hallway at Robb Elementary School armed with rifles and at least one ballistic shield within 19 minutes of a gunman arriving at the campus, according to documents reviewed by the Austin American-Statesman, a devastating new revelation deepening questions about why police...
Nobel sold for Ukrainian kids shatters record at $103.5M
NEW YORK — The Nobel Peace Prize that Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov was auctioning off to raise money for Ukrainian child refugees sold Monday night for $103.5 million, shattering the old record for a Nobel. A spokesperson for Heritage Auctions, which handled the sale, could not confirm the identity of...
NASA fuels moon rocket for 1st time in countdown rehearsal
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA fueled its huge moon rocket for the first time Monday and went ahead with a critical countdown test despite a fuel line leak. This was NASA’s fourth crack at the all-important dress rehearsal, the last major milestone before the moon rocket’s long-awaited launch debut. The...
Facebook removes GOP Senate candidate’s ‘RINO hunting’ video
WASHINGTON — Facebook on Monday removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he’s hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only. In the ad, Greitens, a former Missouri governor who resigned in disgrace in 2018, is flanked...
Shots for tots: Covid vaccinations start for little kids
Little Fletcher Pack woke up Monday morning and asked: “Is today vaccine day?” For the 3-year-old from Lexington, South Carolina, the answer was yes. The nation’s infants, toddlers and preschoolers are finally getting their chance at covid-19 vaccination as the U.S. rolls out shots for tots this week. Shipments arrived...
Pa. House approves bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips
HARRISBURG — Test strips to help drug users identify fentanyl and other potentially deadly chemicals would no longer be classified as illegal paraphernalia under a bill passed unanimously by the Pennsylvania House on Monday. The legislation to amend the state’s Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act can help reduct...
Unlikely duo: John Fetterman, Josh Shapiro aim for united front
HARRISBURG — One candidate is unabashedly blunt, willing to embrace progressive positions, doing little to build rapport with party leaders and dominating rooms with a 6-foot-8-inch frame. The other crafts a more moderate image, a deliberate public speaker who became a congressional aide out of college and has carefully cultivated...
Canada investing billions to modernize North America defense
TRENTON, Ontario — Canada is investing $3.8 billion over the next six years to modernize North America’s aging defensive systems. Defense Minister Anita Anand said Monday the funding is the first of an estimated $31 billion that will be spent over the next 20 years to upgrade the joint U.S.-Canadian...
Sweltering streets: Hundreds of homeless die in extreme heat
PHOENIX — Hundreds of blue, green and grey tents are pitched under the sun’s searing rays in downtown Phoenix, a jumble of flimsy canvas and plastic along dusty sidewalks. Here, in the hottest big city in America, thousands of homeless people swelter as the summer’s triple digit temperatures arrive. The...
Yellowstone Park aims for quick reopening after floods
GARDINER, Mont. — Most of Yellowstone National Park should reopen within the next two weeks — much faster than originally expected after record floods pounded the region last week and knocked out major roads, federal officials said. Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said the world-renowned park will be able to accommodate...
Israel coalition agrees to dissolve, hold new elections
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced Monday that his weakened coalition will be disbanded and the country will head to new elections. Bennett has struggled to keep his unruly coalition of eight parties together since it took office one year ago, and defections have left the crumbling...
Biden says decision on gas tax holiday may come this week
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that he will decide by the end of the week whether he would support a federal gasoline tax holiday, possibly saving U.S. consumers as much as 18.4 cents a gallon. “Yes, I’m considering it,” Biden told reporters after taking a...
Taliban release several British citizens held in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban have released several British citizens who were detained in Afghanistan after an agreement was reached between the two countries, Taliban and U.K. officials said Monday. The detainees were released Sunday following a series of meetings between Afghan and British officials, said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the...
Cambodian catches world’s largest recorded freshwater fish
BANGKOK — The world’s largest recorded freshwater fish, a giant stingray, has been caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia, according to scientists from the Southeast Asian nation and the United States. The stingray, captured on June 13, measured almost 13 feet from snout to tail and weighed slightly under...
The bipartisan push to cut corporate taxes in Pennsylvania, explained
HARRISBURG — Amid budget negotiations, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Republicans are weighing a major tax cut on Pennsylvania corporations. The state levies a 9.99% tax on corporate net income, the second-highest rate in the country. Cutting that tax has become a rare area of bipartisan agreement between the...
The bipartisan push to cut corporate taxes in Pennsylvania, explained
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 — Amid budget negotiations, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Republicans are weighing a major tax cut on Pennsylvania corporations....
Japan court says ban on same-sex marriage constitutional
TOKYO — A Japanese court ruled Monday that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage does not violate the constitution, and rejected demands for compensation by three couples who said their right to free union and equality has been violated. The Osaka District Court ruling is the second decision on the...
U.K. set for national railway strike as last-ditch talks fail
LONDON — Britain is facing its biggest rail strikes for decades after last-minute talks between a union and train companies failed to reach a settlement over pay and job security. Up to 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff are due to walk out for three days this week,...
