Toxic exposure bill would rewrite America’s compact with veterans
WASHINGTON — In a year in which Congress has strained for legislative achievements, a big one is in sight. When senators return from a Memorial Day recess spent honoring those who gave their lives for the United States, they will take up a bipartisan bill that will dramatically broaden America’s...
John Fetterman reveals undisclosed heart condition that led to stroke
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman revealed Friday in a campaign statement that he was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2017 and didn’t follow up with a physician for years until he suffered a stroke in May. Fetterman said the condition led to his stroke. His campaign also released...
Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere shoot past key milestone
The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has shot past a key milestone — more than 50% higher than pre-industrial times — and is at levels not seen since millions of years ago when Earth was a hothouse ocean-inundated planet, federal scientists announced Friday. The National Oceanic and...
Democrats, Republicans fight to a redistricting stalemate
After nearly a year of partisan battles, number-crunching and lawsuits, the once-a-decade congressional redistricting cycle is ending in a draw. That leaves Republicans positioned to win control of the House of Representatives even if they come up just short of winning a majority of the national vote. That frustrates Democrats,...
Russia may be in Ukraine to stay after 100 days of war
When Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the Russian president vowed his forces would not occupy the neighboring country. But as the invasion reached its 100th day Friday, Russia seemed increasingly unlikely to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war. The ruble is now an...
Working through covid-19 pandemic pays off for Pa. government workers with bonuses
Most state employees who worked through the covid-19 pandemic will reap their reward this month. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is offering covid-19 retention bonuses to about 45,000 union-represented employees under his jurisdiction who remained on the job and got paid from May 1, 2020, through June 3. The bonus payments...
Envoy says U.S., allies preparing for North Korean nuclear test
SEOUL, South Korea — President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea said Friday the United States is “preparing for all contingencies” in close coordination with its South Korean and Japanese allies as it monitors North Korean arrangements for a possible nuclear test explosion that outside officials say could be...
Satellite images suggest new Chinese carrier close to launch
BANGKOK — China’s most advanced aircraft carrier to date appears to be nearing completion, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed Friday, as experts suggested the vessel could be launched soon. The newly developed Type 003 carrier has been under construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard northeast of Shanghai since...
Police say man shoots 2 females, self outside Iowa church
AMES, Iowa — A man shot two females to death and then apparently killed himself Thursday night outside a church in Ames, authorities said. The man killed the two females outside the Cornerstone Church, a megachurch on the outskirts of Ames, Story County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Nicholas Lennie told the...
Pa. court orders contested ballots counted in Senate primary
HARRISBURG — A state court agreed Thursday night in a ballot-counting lawsuit with the campaign of David McCormick, who is in a neck-and-neck Republican primary contest for the U.S. Senate against celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. In the decision, Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ordered counties to count...
Biden appeals for tougher gun laws: ‘How much more carnage?’Video
WASHINGTON — “Enough, enough,” President Joe Biden exclaimed over and over Thursday night, as he delivered an impassioned address to the nation imploring Congress to take action against gun violence after mass shootings he said had turned schools, supermarkets and other everyday places into “killing fields.” If legislators fail to...
As Amber Heard plans appeal, lawyer says she can’t pay Johnny Depp $10.4 million
Amber Heard will “absolutely” appeal the verdict reached this week in her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp, her attorney announced Thursday morning. Elaine Bredehoft, who represented the “Aquaman” actor at the trial in Fairfax, Virginia, told NBC’s “Today” show that her client has “excellent grounds” for an appeal after...
Police: Multiple victims in Wisconsin cemetery shootingVideo
RACINE, Wis. — A shooting on Thursday afternoon at a cemetery south of Milwaukee resulted in multiple victims, police said. Racine police said on social media that numerous shots were fired about 2:30 p.m. at Graceland Cemetery in Racine, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. Ascension All Saints Hospital, which...
Local governments reject $73 million in pandemic aid
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — From small towns to big cities, every government across the U.S. was offered a slice of $350 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds to help shore up their finances, cover pandemic-related costs and invest in community projects. Officials in 1,468 local governments effectively said “no,” turning...
Explainer: Can GOP gov. candidate Mastriano make voters reregister?
HARRISBURG — Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for governor, has made no secret of his endorsement of former President Trump’s assertion that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 election. A state senator and retired Army colonel, Mastriano says he wants to make everyone reregister if they want to vote again....
‘Probable’ case of monkeypox in Philadelphia likely 1st in Pennsylvania
A “probable” case of monkeypox in Philadelphia is likely the first case to be reported in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health said Thursday it has “identified a Philadelphia resident who is a probable monkeypox case based on preliminary testing at the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Bureau of Laboratories.”...
White House: 1st shots for kids under 5 possible by June 21
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Thursday that children under 5 may be able to get their first covid-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if federal regulators authorize shots for the age group, as expected. White House covid-19 coordinator Ashish Jha outlined the administration’s planning for the last...
Illinois mom killed, 2 kids hurt parasailing in Florida KeysVideo
PIGEON KEY, Fla. — A woman from Illinois was killed and two young children were injured when a sudden storm prompted a boat captain to cut loose their parasail, which then dragged them across the ocean and slammed them into a bridge in the Florida Keys, authorities said. A nearby...
New York City man charged in Pittston Township shooting
State police at Wilkes-Barre have charged Christopher Nelson Carmona with attempting to kill a woman he allegedly shot twice Wednesday afternoon outside a nail salon business. Carmona, 37, of Manhattan, N.Y., was captured during a massive police manhunt when a trooper spotted him walking about one-half mile from Pittston Crossings...
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction upheld by appeals court
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction and 23-year prison sentence, rejecting the movie mogul’s claim that the judge at his landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced him by letting women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the criminal case. The ruling by...
Mastriano willing to talk to Jan. 6 committee, spoke to FBI
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor, Doug Mastriano, has offered to sit for an interview with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and was interviewed by FBI agents last year about it, his lawyer said Thursday. Mastriano, a state senator and retired U.S....
Police: Tulsa gunman targeted surgeon he blamed for painVideo
A gunman who killed his surgeon and three other people at a Tulsa medical office blamed the doctor for his continuing pain after a recent back operation and bought an AR-style rifle just hours before the rampage, police said Thursday. The gunman called the clinic repeatedly complaining of pain and...
‘Day by day:’ Uvalde survivors recover from wounds, traumaVideo
UVALDE, Texas — Bullet fragments lodged in the children’s arms and legs. Traumatic flashbacks flooding their nightmares. For the 17 people injured during a mass shooting last week in Uvalde, Texas, healing will be slow in a community mourning the deaths of 21 others. As the tight-knit town of 16,000...
Monkeypox outbreak needs a united response, says WHO Africa
ABUJA, Nigeria — Africa must be part of a united global fight against monkeypox, the World Health Organization’s Africa office said Thursday, as countries in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere respond to unusual outbreaks of the disease. “We must have one connected global response to monkeypox to avoid it becoming...
Russia warns West of weapons repercussions, pounds Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Britain pledged Thursday to send sophisticated medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine, joining the U.S and Germany in equipping the embattled nation with advanced weapons for shooting down aircraft and destroying artillery. Western arms have been critical to Ukraine’s success in stymieing Russia’s much larger and better-equipped military...
