First image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals thousands of galaxies in stunning detail
Billions of years ago, long before a swirling cloud of gas and dust coalesced to form the sun, light left the earliest stars and began a long journey through space. The light has been traveling ever since, covering trillions upon trillions of miles. It hurtled by galaxies and their nascent...
Western Pa. dentist on trial for wife’s 2016 safari death in ZambiaVideo
DENVER — A shotgun blast that shattered the early-morning tranquility of a remote southern Africa national park nearly six years ago, killing a U.S. woman, resonates again in a Denver courtroom this week as the founder of a dental franchise goes on trial for allegedly killing his wife and collecting...
How will the loss of stadium naming rights affect the Heinz legacy in Pittsburgh?
The decision by Kraft Heinz not to get into a bidding war with Acrisure for the naming rights to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stadium could signal more than a change in signage on the North Shore, several business and marketing onlookers said Monday. “I think it’s kind of remarkable that it’s...
California firefighters gain against Yosemite wildfire
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — California firefighters gained ground Monday in the battle against a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada had scorched about 3.6 square...
Biden admin: Docs must offer abortion if mom’s life at risk
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday told hospitals that they “must” provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk, saying federal law on emergency treatment guidelines preempts state laws in jurisdictions that now ban the procedure without any exceptions following the Supreme Court’s decision to...
Biden’s economic plan hits crunch time, now with Manchin as ally
Crunch time has finally arrived for President Joe Biden’s economic agenda as congressional Democrats scramble for a deal on a slimmed-down version of what was once a multi-trillion-dollar overhaul of domestic policy. The Senate aims to pass the revised package before its summer recess begins Aug. 8, a move that...
Penn State calls on employees to help stop the spread of an ‘invasive insect’
An invasive pest spreading throughout North America is now posing a direct threat to Penn State’s flagship campus, according to university officials. Last week, Penn State reported the discovery of two spotted lanternfly nymphs on its University Park campus. The university is now calling on its employees to take action...
Gov. Wolf, nursing homes come to agreement to boost staff
HARRISBURG — Nursing home trade associations in Pennsylvania said Monday they have agreed to boost staffing levels as part of a deal with Gov. Tom Wolf to increase aid to an industry struggling with high turnover. With Pennsylvania awash in surplus tax collections, Wolf on Monday signed legislation authorizing nearly...
Texas woman says unborn baby counts as passenger in HOV lane
DALLAS — When an officer pulled Brandy Bottone over for driving by herself in a high occupancy vehicle lane in Texas just days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she pointed to her pregnant belly and told him her unborn daughter now counts as a person. “I...
Gas pipeline shutdown starts amid German suspicion of Russia
BERLIN — A major gas pipeline from Russia to western Europe shut down for annual maintenance on Monday as Germany prepared to give the green light for 10 coal-fired power plants to restart amid concerns that Russia may not resume the flow of gas as scheduled. The Nord Stream 1...
Many Democrats would prefer another candidate than Biden, poll shows
Most Democrats want to see a candidate other than President Joe Biden on the ballot in 2024, according to a new poll. A separate analysis shows Biden has a lower approval rating at this point in his presidency than any president since Harry S. Truman in the 1940s. A New...
Putin expands fast-track Russian citizenship to all Ukraine
KHARKIV, Ukraine — As Russian missiles struck a key Ukrainian city, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Monday expanding a fast-track procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship available to all Ukrainians, yet another effort to expand Moscow’s influence in war-torn Ukraine. Until recently, only residents of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and...
Biden to reveal 1st image from NASA’s new space telescope
President Joe Biden on Monday will reveal the first image from NASA’s new space telescope — the deepest view of the cosmos ever captured. The first image from the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is going to show the farthest humanity has ever seen in both time and distance,...
Pa. lawmakers agreed to a big election funding deal — with strings attached
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 lawmakers have agreed to give counties $45 million in new election funding as part of the state budget,...
There’s another chance to catch a supermoon on Wednesday
If you missed last month’s supermoon, you have another chance. This month’s full moon is Wednesday. At the same time, the moon’s orbit will bring it closer to Earth than usual. This cosmic combo is called a supermoon. That can make the moon appear slightly bigger and brighter, weather permitting....
Biden celebration of new gun law clouded by latest shooting
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is hosting a “celebration” of a new bipartisan law meant to reduce gun violence that, after just 16 days in effect, already has been overshadowed by yet another mass shooting. The bill, passed after recent gun rampages in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, incrementally...
Trump associates’ ties to extremists probed by Jan. 6 panel
After members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, their leader called someone on the phone with an urgent message for then-President Donald Trump, another extremist told investigators. While gathered in a private suite at the Phoenix Park Hotel, an Oath Keeper...
Police: 1 dead, 5 hurt in shooting outside Kansas City bar
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A shooting outside a bar in Kansas City where off-duty police officers were working security has left one person dead and five others hurt, authorities said. The shooting happened about 11 p.m. Sunday following a disturbance inside Westport Ale House, TV stations KCTV and KMBC reported...
Over-the-counter birth control? Drugmaker seeks FDA approval
WASHINGTON — For the first time, a pharmaceutical company has asked for permission to sell a birth control pill over the counter in the U.S. HRA Pharma’s application on Monday sets up a high-stakes decision for health regulators amid legal and political battles over women’s reproductive health. The company says...
15 killed in Russian strike in Ukraine, 20 believed trapped
CHASIV YAR, Ukraine — Dozens of Ukrainian emergency workers labored Sunday to pull people out of the rubble after a Russian rocket attack smashed into apartment buildings in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 15 people. More than 20 people were believed still trapped. The strike late Saturday destroyed three buildings...
Trump ally Bannon now willing to testify before Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, a former White House strategist and ally of Donald Trump who faces criminal charges after months of defying a congressional subpoena over the Capitol riot, has told the House committee investigating the attack that he is now willing to testify. Bannon’s turnabout was conveyed in a...
Biden says he’s mulling health emergency for abortion access
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — President Joe Biden said Sunday he is considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote abortion access even though the White House has said it doesn’t seem like “a great option.” He also offered a message to people enraged by the...
Highland Park business area opens for 1st time since July 4 parade attack
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — A business district that had been blocked since a July 4 parade mass shooting that left seven people dead reopened Sunday morning in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. The 2-block by 3-block area consists largely of small shops and restaurants. It had been blocked off...
Crypto plunge is cautionary tale for public pension funds
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund bought $25 million in cryptocurrencies, with the fund’s chief investment officer touting their potential, retired fire Capt. Russell Harris was concerned. Harris, 62, has attended the funerals of 34 firefighters killed in the line of duty. He was already worried...
In Mideast, Biden struggling to shift policy after Trump
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden took office looking to reshape U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, putting a premium on promoting democracy and human rights. In reality, he has struggled on several fronts to meaningfully separate his approach from former President Donald Trump’s. Biden’s visit to the region this week...
