Russia threatens retaliation if Ukraine demands not met
MOSCOW — Russia warned Wednesday it would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands over NATO and Ukraine, raising pressure on the West amid concerns that Moscow is planning to invade its neighbor. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied it has any such designs,...
Pennsylvania fast-tracks $225M in pandemic aid to hospitals
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday fast-tracked legislation to spend $225 million to help hospitals struggling to keep staff on board as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has packed hospitals with unvaccinated patients. The bill has backing from Gov. Tom Wolf and House leaders, and was expected to...
Nancy Pelosi to seek reelection with Democratic majority at risk
LOS ANGELES — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday she will seek reelection, ending speculation that she would retire as Democrats face the threat of losing control of Congress in the 2022 midterms. “While we have made progress, much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives,” the 81-year-old...
Pennsylvania monkey truck crash spawns conspiracy theories after woman at scene falls illVideo
A Pennsylvania woman first on the scene of last week’s lab monkey truck crash near Danville is now the center of online conspiracy theories after falling ill. The Daily Mail reports the woman, Michele Fallon who lives near Danville, Montour County, is now suffering symptoms after one of the cynomolgus...
White House says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘still advocating for treatments that don’t work’Video
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis’ demand that the federal government restart the distribution of two types of monoclonal antibodies, saying the Florida Republican is advocating for a treatment that public health officials say is ineffective against the omicron coronavirus variant. “Let’s...
IMF urges El Salvador to drop Bitcoin as legal tender
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The International Monetary Fund wants El Salvador to drop the highly volatile cryptocurrency Bitcoin as legal tender and strictly regulate the electronic wallet the government has pushed adoption of across the country. The global lender’s board “urged the authorities to narrow the scope of the...
Coast Guard: 1 body recovered, 38 still missing off Florida
MIAMI — One body was recovered and crews were still searching Wednesday for 38 other people missing in the ocean off Florida days after their boat left the Bahamas in a suspected human smuggling attempt, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Capt. Jo-Ann F. Burdian told a news conference that finding...
Accused Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plotters lose bid to dismiss criminal case
DETROIT — A federal judge Tuesday refused to dismiss the indictment against five members of an alleged plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, calling defense claims of entrapment and government overreaching a “heavy burden to carry.” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker filed his order less than two months...
Trio of lawmakers calls for anti-discrimination statute after Chambersburg revokes LGBTG+ ordinanceVideo
The heads of Pennsylvania’s legislative LGBTQ+ Caucuses are calling on the General Assembly to enact a non-discriminatory statute one day after a borough became the first in the commonwealth to revoke such a measure at the local level. State Reps. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, Brian Sims, D-Phila., and Sen. Katie Muth,...
Fugitive Crystal Cruises’ luxury ship on the lam expected to stay in Bahamas’ safe haven
MIAMI — A fugitive cruise ship that was supposed to return to Miami but detoured to the Bahamas is not likely to be arrested despite a warrant issued by a federal judge in South Florida. The U.S. Marshals Service said Tuesday that it can’t seize the Bahamas-flagged Crystal Cruises ship...
2nd NYPD officer dies, days after Harlem shooting
A New York City police officer gravely wounded last week in a Harlem shooting that killed his partner has also died of his injuries, police said Tuesday. Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, died at a Manhattan hospital four days after he and Officer Jason Rivera were shot while responding to a...
RFK Jr. apologizes after condemnation for Anne Frank commentVideo
Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., apologized Tuesday for suggesting things are worse for people today than they were for Anne Frank, the teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp after hiding with her family in a secret annex in an Amsterdam house for two years. Kennedy’s comments, made...
Another delay for ex-deep-sea treasure hunter stuck in jail
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The long-running case of a former deep-sea treasure hunter marking his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of missing gold coins has hit yet another roadblock. Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015, for that...
California redwood forest returned to native tribal group
The descendants of Native American tribes on the Northern California coast are reclaiming a bit of their heritage that includes ancient redwoods that have stood since their ancestors walked the land. Save the Redwoods League planned to announce Tuesday that it is transferring more than 500 acres on the Lost...
Prosecutors: Video will show 3 cops violated Floyd’s rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Witness testimony will get underway in earnest Tuesday at the federal civil rights trial of three former Minneapolis police officers accused of failing to intervene as fellow Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by pressing his knee into the Black man’s neck as he lay facedown,...
Child abuse report: Deaths of Black children up in pandemic
The latest national child welfare report shows an increase in the number of Black children who died, even though fewer abuse-related fatalities were investigated in the yearlong period that included the first several months of the pandemic. The findings were released in the 2020 Child Maltreatment Report, issued Friday by...
SAT going digital in shifting college admissions landscape
The SAT exam will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, saying the shift will boost its relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission. Test-takers will be allowed to use their own laptops or tablets but they’ll still have to sit for...
Michigan OKs $824M in incentives for GM’s EV, battery plants
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s economic development board on Tuesday approved $824 million in incentives and assistance for General Motors Co. to put electric vehicle and battery plants in its home state, adding as many as 4,000 jobs. The Detroit-based automaker plans to spend up to $4 billion converting and expanding...
Ukraine urges calm, saying Russian invasion not imminent
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s leaders sought to reassure the nation that a feared invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and prepared to accept a shipment of American military equipment Tuesday to shore up their defenses. Russia has denied it is planning...
Biden calls Fox News reporter at White House a stupid SOB
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden responded to a question about inflation by calling a Fox News reporter a vulgarity. The president was in the East Room of the White House on Monday for a meeting of his Competition Council, which is focused on changing regulations and enforcing laws to help...
Pfizer opens study of covid shots updated to match omicron
Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original covid-19 vaccine with doses specially tweaked to match the hugely contagious omicron variant. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday. Covid-19 vaccine makers have been updating their shots to better match omicron in case global health authorities decide the...
Abortion opponents eye priorities as high court ruling looms
In the nearly two months since a conservative majority of justices on the Supreme Court indicated openness to dramatic new restrictions on abortion, money has poured into the political fundraising arm of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List. The organization secured $20 million in pledged financial contributions, five times...
London police investigating Downing Street lockdown parties
LONDON — London police said Tuesday they were investigating Downing Street parties during lockdown, putting further pressure on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick revealed that an investigation was underway in a statement before the London Assembly. Dick said that Scotland Yard is now investigating...
GOP-led Chambersburg becomes 1st Pa. town to revoke LGBTQ inclusive law
Chambersburg on Monday became the first municipal authority in the commonwealth to repeal protections for residents against discrimination based on their sexual orientation, ethnicity or gender identity. By a 7-3 Republican majority vote, the Chambersburg Borough Council made good on its pledge, repealing the ordinance citing a host of reasons,...
Chief: 3 Baltimore firefighters killed in vacant home blazeVideo
BALTIMORE — Three Baltimore firefighters were killed and a fourth was injured when part of a vacant home collapsed while they were battling a blaze early Monday, the city’s fire chief said. The Baltimore City Fire Department said in a tweet that firefighters were responding to a blaze at the...
