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...
Democrats say they’ve reached agreement on economic package
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats have reached an accord on eleventh-hour changes to their top-priority economic legislation, they announced late Thursday, clearing their major hurdle to moving the measure through the chamber in coming days. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., a centrist who was seen as the pivotal vote, said in a...
4 critically injured in lightning strike near White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — Four people have been critically injured after a lightning strike outside the White House, fire officials said Thursday. The four victims — two men and two women — were injured in Lafayette Park, located directly outside the White House complex, according to the District of Columbia Fire and...
Man who threatened Dr. Fauci, other official, gets 3 years
GREENBELT, Md. — A West Virginia man was sentenced Thursday to three years in federal prison after he sent emails threatening Dr. Anthony Fauci and another federal health official for talking about the coronavirus and efforts to prevent its spread. Using an anonymous email account based in Switzerland, Thomas Patrick...
Alex Jones ordered to pay Sandy Hook parents more than $4M
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas jury on Thursday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in compensatory damages to the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, marking the first time the Infowars host has been held financially...
Trump White House lawyers subpoenaed by Jan. 6 probe grand jury
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election has subpoenaed the White House counsel under then-President Donald Trump and his top deputy, according to a person familiar with the matter. The subpoenas to Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin suggest an intensifying...
4th county adds to ballot dispute as candidate sues to quit
HARRISBURG — A judge deciding if three Pennsylvania counties have to certify May primary vote counts including ballots lacking dates on their return envelopes learned this week that a fourth county is in the same situation — and there may be more. The legal dispute has held up certification of...
U.S. declares public health emergency over monkeypox outbreak
WASHINGTON — The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak that has infected more than 6,600 Americans. The announcement will free up money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspends prosecutor over new abortion lawVideo
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended the elected state prosecutor of Tampa on Thursday for pledging not to enforce the state’s new 15-week abortion ban and for supporting gender transition treatments for minors. The Republican governor announced the suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren at a news...
Judge: Tulsa Race Massacre victims’ descendants can’t sue
An Oklahoma judge said six descendants of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre cannot sue for reparations, while allowing three known survivors of the attack in which a white mob descended on a predominantly Black neighborhood to move forward with the lawsuit. The order, signed Tuesday by Tulsa County...
Penn State did not prove its legal standing to have public court filing sealed, experts say
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — Penn State did not prove it had legal standing to request the...
Feds charge 4 police officers in fatal Breonna Taylor raidVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The federal government filed civil rights charges Thursday against four Louisville police officers over the drug raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman whose fatal shooting helped fuel the racial justice protests that rocked the nation in 2020. The charges are another...
Forecasters trim hurricane season outlook a bit, still busy
This hurricane season may be a tad quieter than forecasters initially thought, but it is still likely to be busier than normal, government forecasters and others say. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday trimmed their hurricane season outlook from a 65% chance for above normal activity to 60%...
Sandy Hook lawyer: Jan. 6 panel asked for Alex Jones’ texts
AUSTIN, Texas — An attorney for the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre who are suing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his false claims about the attack said Thursday that the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee has requested two years’ worth of records from...
7 years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen
BISBEE, Ariz. — MJ was a tiny, black-haired girl, just 5 years old, when her father admitted to his bishop that he was sexually abusing her. The father, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an admitted pornography addict, was in counseling with his bishop...
Taliban claim they were unaware of al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban said Thursday they are investigating what they described as “claims” that al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Afghan capital. However, the group insisted in a statement that it “has no knowledge of the arrival and residence” of al-Zawahri in...
Pa. police department swears in mini horse to its force
A borough in Lancaster County was looking to improve its police-community relations and swore in a new police officer to carry out that mission — a 330-pound miniature horse. On Aug. 2, Officer McGillicuddy was sworn into the Quarryville Police Department as a “community relations specialist.” Quarryville Mayor Anthony Cavallaro...
Climate migration: California fire pushes family to Vermont
PROCTOR, Vt. — Weeks after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Holden family just wanted a new home. The family of seven couldn’t find anything nearby to replace their house reduced to ashes in the 2018 Paradise fire. It proved too daunting to...
Ukrainian cities shelled, including one near nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — Powerful explosions rattled the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Thursday and a city close to the country’s biggest nuclear power plant sustained a barrage of shelling, part of a series of new Russian attacks in several regions, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian authorities said shelling of a...
