Western Pa. 2022 primary day election guide: Information on races, candidates and issues
Primary election day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, May 17. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling place by entering their address. For more information...
Reversing Trump, Biden acts to deploy U.S. troops to Somalia
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday signed an order to deploy U.S. troops to Somalia amid heightened concerns about the country’s Islamic extremist rebels, known as al-Shabab. The move is a reversal of President Donald Trump’s decision last year to remove nearly all 700 special operations forces that had...
U.S. deaths from covid hits 1 million — less than 2½ years in
The U.S. death toll from covid-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal...
Video of racist remarks to Lyft driver outside Pa. bar goes viral, police investigating
A Lyft driver’s video of passengers making racist comments and being kicked out of the car in the Lehigh Valley is going viral as local police confirm they are investigating the incident. The driver, James Bode, posted the video on his personal Facebook page late Friday night of the incident...
Starbucks will cover travel for workers seeking abortions
Starbucks said Monday it will pay the travel expenses for U.S. employees to access abortion and gender-confirmation procedures if those services aren’t available within 100 miles of a worker’s home. The Seattle coffee giant said it will also make the travel benefit available to the dependents of employees who are...
Biden offers logistics support to ease formula shortage
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is offering formula manufacturers and retailers transportation and logistics support to ease the nationwide shortage of baby formula, as the administration works to bring the largest domestic plant back on line after it was shut down early this year due to safety issues. The White...
Ukraine: More than 260 fighters evacuated from Mariupol mill
KYIV, Ukraine — More than 260 Ukrainian fighters, including some who are badly wounded, were evacuated Monday from a steel plant in the ruined city of Mariupol and taken to areas under Russia’s control, the Ukrainian military said. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said 53 seriously wounded fighters were taken...
In U.S., states struggle to replace fossil fuel tax revenue
SANTA FE, N.M. — Government budgets are booming in New Mexico: Teacher salaries are up, residents can go to an in-state college tuition-free, moms will get medical care for a year after childbirth, and criminal justice initiatives are being funded to reduce urban violence. The reason behind the spending spree...
Buffalo shooter’s prior threat, hospital stay under scrutiny
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The white gunman accused of committing a racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket made threatening comments that brought police to his high school last spring, but he was never charged with a crime and had no further contact with law enforcement after his release from a hospital,...
McDonald’s to sell its Russian business, try to keep workers
McDonald’s said Monday that it has started the process of selling its Russian business, which includes 850 restaurants that employ 62,000 people, making it the latest major Western corporation to exit Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February. The fast food giant pointed to the humanitarian crisis caused by the...
Greece: Man, believed homeless, crushed in ‘robot dumpster’
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Authorities in northern Greece say a man has been killed in an automated dumpster after opening the bin and looking inside, apparently in search of food. Police said the unidentified man, believed to be homeless and aged around 40, was was trapped in the bin and crushed...
JetBlue goes hostile in bid for Spirit after 2 rejections
JetBlue is going hostile in its bid for Spirit Airlines and asking shareholders of the low-cost carrier to reject a proposed $2.9 billion acquisition by Frontier Airlines. JetBlue is going straight to shareholders of the Florida airline in hopes of pushing its board to the negotiating table. Shares of Spirit...
Maryland’s Sen. Chris Van Hollen treated for minor stroke
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen says he has suffered a minor stroke and is being treated at George Washington University Hospital. The Maryland Democrat says he has been told there are no long-term effects or damage. In a statement Sunday night, Van Hollen said he has been advised...
Sheriff: 2 dead, 3 hospitalized in Houston market shooting
HOUSTON — Two people were killed and three more were taken to a hospital with injuries after a shooting Sunday at a bustling Houston flea market, authorities. The shooting at the open-air market arose from an “altercation” that involved at least two guns and all five of the people, according...
California churchgoers detained gunman in deadly attack
LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. — A man who opened fire during a lunch reception at a Southern California church on Sunday was detained by parishioners, according to a sheriff’s official who called their intervention an act of “exceptional heroism and bravery.” One person was killed and four others were critically wounded...
Campaign: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman had stroke but is on way to ‘full recovery’Video
LANCASTER — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the leading Democrat in the state’s high-profile Senate contest, suffered a stroke just days before the primary election but was on his way to a “full recovery,” his campaign said on Sunday. The 52-year-old Fetterman, who confirmed that he had been hospitalized all...
Tom Ridge receives award from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge accepted the 2022 William Oliver Baker Award from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. The dinner and ceremony took place on Saturday evening at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. He spoke for around 20 minutes in what was his first public event in...
McConnell: Finland, Sweden ‘important additions’ to NATO
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday that Finland and Sweden would be “important additions” to NATO as he led a delegation of GOP senators to the region in a show of support against Russia’s aggression. McConnell also called on President Joe Biden to designate Russia as state...
Finland, Sweden inch closer to seeking NATO membership
BERLIN — Finland’s government declared a “new era” is underway as it inches closer to seeking NATO membership, hours before Sweden’s governing party on Sunday backed a plan to join the trans-Atlantic alliance amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia has long bristled about NATO moving closer to its borders, so...
Small wins buoy Ukraine; West says Russians losing momentum
KYIV, Ukraine — Almost three months after Russia shocked the world by invading Ukraine, its military faced a bogged-down war, the prospect of a bigger NATO and an opponent buoyed Sunday by its wins on and off the battlefield. Finland decided to seek NATO membership as top diplomats from the...
In early primaries, voters favor polling places over mail
ATLANTA — The great vote-by-mail wave appears to be receding just as quickly as it arrived. After tens of millions of people in the United States opted for mail ballots during the pandemic election of 2020, voters in early primary states are returning in droves to in-person voting this year....
Buffalo shooter targeted Black neighborhood, officials say
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The white 18-year-old who shot and killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket had researched the local demographics and arrived in the area a day in advance to conduct reconnaissance with the “express purpose” of killing as many Black people as possible, officials said Sunday. The chilling...
What price will candidates pay to emerge from Pa. primaries?
Pennsylvania’s Republican primary races for governor and U.S. Senate have been rugged affairs, with infighting among the crowded fields of GOP candidates and millions of dollars pouring in to fund a barrage of attack ads. On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has built a sizable lead in polls...
UAE prince who reshaped region named ruler of oil-rich power
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the man who has long controlled the levers of power in the United Arab Emirates, has succeeded his late brother as ruler. The UAE’s federal council elected Sheikh Mohammed, commonly referred to as MBZ, as the country’s president, according to state media on Saturday....
No sea serpents or mobsters, but Tahoe trash divers strike gold
STATELINE, Nev. — They found no trace of a mythical sea monster, no sign of mobsters in concrete shoes or long-lost treasure chests. But scuba divers who spent a year cleaning up Lake Tahoe’s 72-mile shoreline have come away with what they hope will prove much more valuable: tons and...
