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At least $18.7M poured into this year’s critical Pa. Supreme Court retention races
1 person is dead and another injured in midair helicopter crash in New Jersey, officials say
HAMMONTON, N.J. — Two helicopters crashed in New Jersey in what federal authorities say was a midair collision that killed one person and critically injured another. Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, and police and...
Trump welcomes Zelenskyy for talks, asserts Russia and Ukraine both want peace, however elusive
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Sunday he believes both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin truly want peace, as he welcomed the “brave” Ukrainian leader for talks at his Florida resort. “The two leaders want it to end,” Trump said at the outset...
Winter storm threatens to bring blizzards and ice to parts of the U.S., hampering holiday travel
A powerful winter storm was sweeping east from the Plains on Sunday, driven by what meteorologists describe as an intense cyclone, setting off a chain reaction of snow, ice, rain and severe weather expected to affect much of the country. Snow and strengthening winds spread across the Upper Midwest on...
New York subway ends its MetroCard era and switches fully to tap-and-go fares
NEW YORK — When the MetroCard replaced the New York City subway token in 1994, the swipeable plastic card infused much-needed modernity into one of the world’s oldest and largest transit systems. Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are following...
‘The past gives comfort’: Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas
As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea. The holdouts span the generation gaps, uniting elderly and middle-aged enclaves born in the pre-internet times with the digital natives raised in the era of online ubiquity. They are setting down their...
Brigitte Bardot, 1960s sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist, dies at 91
PARIS — Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91. Bardot died Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of...
Lawsuit accuses deputies at L.A. women’s jail of sexual abuse, watching inmates shower
LOS ANGELES — A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of dozens of current and former inmates in Los Angeles County’s women’s jail claims male correctional officers watched them shower, harassed and groped them and retaliated when the alleged abuses were reported. The suit accuses deputies of taking advantage of women...
Indonesian rescuers search for Spanish family after boat sinks near Komodo Island
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian rescuers searched for four members of a Spanish family on Saturday after a tour boat carrying 11 people sank overnight near Padar Island, a popular destination within Komodo National Park, officials said. The boat was carrying the family of six, four crew members and a local...
Italian authorities arrest 9 for allegedly funding Hamas through charities
ROME — Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organizations on suspicion of raising millions of euros in funds for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement Saturday. The suspects are accused of sending about $8.2 million to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian...
Winter storm snarls U.S. holiday travel across Northeast, Great Lakes
BOSTON — More than a thousand flights were canceled or delayed across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions due to snow as thousands took to U.S. roads and airports during the busy travel period between Christmas and New Year’s. New York City received around four inches of snow Friday night...
Russia strikes Ukraine’s capital and kills at least 1 person a day before Zelenskyy-Trump meeting
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States, authorities said. Explosions boomed across Kyiv as the attack began in early morning and continued...
Elder abuse agencies fail to mitigate risk as Shapiro admin defends system, touts changes
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In November, Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich found himself in the hot seat. He was...
At least 15 injured in a knife and chemical attack at a factory in Japan
TOKYO — A man was arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a tire factory in central Japan on Friday, officials said. There was no immediate explanation of his motive. Eight people were taken to hospitals after being stabbed by...
Massive crash on a highway in Japan kills 1 and injures 26 as the holiday season starts
TOKYO — A massive crash in snowy weather killed one person and injured 26 on an expressway in Japan late on Friday as the country kicked off its end-of-the-year holiday season. The Gunma prefectural highway police said Saturday that the pileup on the Kan-etsu Expressway started with a collision between...
California withdraws lawsuit challenging Trump’s $4 billion high-speed rail funding cut
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California this week withdrew its lawsuit against the Trump administration over the termination of about $4 billion in federal funding for its high-speed rail project, citing the federal government’s unreliability as the reason for the decision. The development follows a lawsuit filed in July, when California sued...
Kennedy Center criticizes musician who canceled performance after Trump name added to building
WASHINGTON — The president of the Kennedy Center on Friday fiercely criticized a musician’s sudden decision to cancel a Christmas Eve performance at the venue after the White House announced that President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the facility. “Your decision to withdraw at the last moment —...
Shapiro poised to become nation’s highest-paid governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is poised to get a raise of more than $8,000 in the coming year to boost his annual salary to $253,870, based on cost-of-living increases provided under state law to top officials. The raise appears to position Shapiro to become the nation’s highest-paid governor. The Democrat...
Nigerian villagers are rattled by U.S. airstrikes that made their homes shake and the sky glow red
JABO, Nigeria — Sanusi Madabo, a 40-year-old farmer in the Nigerian village of Jabo, was preparing for bed on Thursday night when he heard a loud noise that sounded like a plane crashing. He rushed outside his mud house with his wife to see the sky glowing a bright red....
Federal judge to hold hearing on whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being vindictively prosecuted
A federal judge this week canceled the trial of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported, and scheduled a hearing on whether the prosecution is being vindictive in pursuing a human smuggling case against him. Abrego Garcia has become a centerpiece of the debate over immigration after...
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pregnant with 2nd child
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that she’s expecting to become a mom for the second time. “The greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for — a baby girl coming in May 2026,” she wrote on Instagram. “My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family...
Environmental groups call $135,000 fine for U.S. Steel oil spills ‘laughable’
A six-figure expense is a big deal for a lot of businesses. Less so for U.S. Steel, a massive manufacturer with more than $15 billion in annual revenue. That’s why clean water advocates argue the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection missed the mark last month by fining U.S. Steel $135,000...
Venezuelan migrants sent to El Salvador demand justice after U.S. judge ruling
CARACAS, Venezuela — Men who were part of the group of Venezuelan migrants that the United States government transferred earlier this year to a prison in El Salvador demanded justice on Friday, days after a federal judge in Washington ruled that the Trump administration must give them legal due process....
Palestinian man kills 2 in car-ramming and stabbing attack in northern Israel; 2 others injured
JERUSALEM — A Palestinian attacker rammed his car into a man and then stabbed a young woman in northern Israel on Friday afternoon, killing both, police said. The Israeli military swiftly launched an operation in the assailant’s hometown in the occupied West Bank. The attack started in the northern city...
Delaware State Police say DMV gunman let customers leave, fired at approaching officers
A man accused of fatally shooting a Delaware State Police trooper at a DMV office allowed customers to leave and then fired at approaching officers before being killed, investigators said Friday. State Police Cpl. Matthew Snook was working an overtime assignment at the New Castle DMV reception desk on Tuesday...
At least $18.7M poured into this year’s critical Pa. Supreme Court retention races
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Special interests, organizations connected to Pennsylvania’s richest man, and groups with mysterious donors broke spending records to...
