Trump announces deal with Democratic leaders on budget and debt ceilingVideo
WASHINGTON — White House officials and congressional leaders have reached a deal to lift the nation’s debt limit and boost federal spending by about $320 billion over limits set in a 2011 budget law. President Trump announced the agreement with the four congressional leaders on Twitter, calling it a “real...
Study: Millions should stop taking aspirin for heart health
WASHINGTON — Millions of people who take aspirin to prevent a heart attack may need to rethink the pill-popping, Harvard researchers reported Monday. A daily low-dose aspirin is recommended for people who have already had a heart attack or stroke and for those diagnosed with heart disease. But for the...
Trump expands fast-track deportation authority across U.S.
SAN DIEGO — The administration of President Trump announced Monday that it will vastly expand the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without allowing them to first appear before judges, its second major policy shift on immigration in eight days. Starting Tuesday, fast-track deportations can apply to anyone in...
Republican group apologizes for mocking congresswomen as ‘Jihad Squad’
WASHINGTON — Republican Party leaders in Illinois apologized over the weekend for a Facebook post that smeared the four congresswomen at the center of the President Trump’s recent verbal attacks as the “Jihad Squad.” An image shared by the Republican County Chairmen’s Association of Illinois on Friday depicts the first-term...
Lawmakers spend $10M annually on publicly funded messaging
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying nearly $10 million annually for lawmakers to get their story out through a small army of spokespeople. LNP reported Monday on the vast message machine that often produces news releases, TV shows and other content with a partisan message. The newspaper says it calculated...
Former Dem. candidate admits lying about operating on Pulse survivors
ORLANDO, Fla. — A former Democratic candidate for the Florida Legislature acknowledged to state investigators that she lied when she said she was a medical doctor who had removed 77 bullets from 32 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016. A state Department of Health report released last week...
Visits to border detention centers widen Congressional divideVideo
Detention facilities that house migrants and asylum seekers along the U.S.-Mexico border are a frequent stop for members of Congress and the Trump administration. And Democrats and Republicans increasingly return home with anecdotes supporting their often-opposing positions. They may have visited the same facilities but offer different perspectives on what...
Trump concedes he may watch ‘a little’ of Mueller testimony
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump insisted Monday that he wouldn’t be watching former special counsel Robert Mueller’s upcoming congressional testimony, then conceded he might watch “a little bit.” Mueller, whose appearance on Capitol Hill has been anticipated for months, is expected to testify for at least five hours on...
Police: 6-year-old among 4 accused in theft of handguns
WILSON, N.C. — Police in North Carolina say a 6-year-old is among four suspects identified in the theft of 10 handguns from a local store. The Wilson Times reports Wilson police say investigators also identified a 16-year-old and two 14-year-olds in the theft of the handguns, which have been recovered....
Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans demand governor resign
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Waving flags, chanting and banging pots and pans, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans filled a central expressway Monday to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in what appeared to be the biggest protest on the island in nearly two decades. The demonstration came...
Trump expands fast-track deportation authority across U.S.
SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration is expanding the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without requiring them to appear before judges ahead of deportation. The Homeland Security Department said Monday that fast-track deportations will apply to anyone in the country illegally less than two years. Until now those...
Police: Remains in store were those of man missing since ’09
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Authorities say the remains of a western Iowa man who was reported missing in 2009 were found this year inside a closed supermarket where he’d worked. The Council Bluffs Police Department said in a news release Monday that the man’s been identified through DNA analysis as...
Lottery players would get refunds under $4.3M settlement
DES MOINES, Iowa — Thousands of lottery players who bought tickets for drawings that were rigged by an insider could be eligible for refunds under a tentative $4.3 million legal settlement. A judge still must approve the deal from lawyers for plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit and the Multi-State Lottery...
Mother: Family will sue cruise company over toddler’s death
INDIANAPOLIS — The mother of an 18-month-old Indiana girl who fell to her death from an open window on a cruise ship in Puerto Rico says there are “a million things” the cruise company could have done to prevent her death. Kimberley Wiegand told NBC’s “Today” show Monday that her...
Firefighters battle wildfire in Portugal, 32 people hurt
COLOS, Portugal — More than 1,000 firefighters and 14 water-dropping aircraft battled a major wildfire Monday amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. As temperatures reached almost 104 degrees in the afternoon, and a wind blew up, the blaze that had been largely contained overnight...
Stevens praised as ‘brilliant man’ at Supreme Court ceremony
WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was remembered as a “brilliant man” with a “deep devotion to the rule of law” during a ceremony Monday at the court where he served for nearly 35 years. The 99-year-old Stevens died last week after suffering a stroke. Justice Elena...
Pa. Game Commission: Wildlife feeding ban would help curb spreading of diseases
A proposal to expand the statewide ban on feeding big game is being considered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The commission is holding a series of meetings across the state in July and August to solicit public comment on the proposal, which would extend a ban on feeding bear and...
Iran says it arrested 17 Iranians allegedly recruited by CIA
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran said Monday it has arrested 17 Iranian nationals allegedly recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to spy on the country’s nuclear and military sites, and that some of them have already been sentenced to death. The arrests took place over the past months, and...
Louisiana officer suggested U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should be shot
GRETNA, La. — A Louisiana police officer posted a comment on his Facebook page calling U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “vile idiot” and suggesting that she be shot. Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson said Friday that his officer’s post was “disturbing,” but he doesn’t believe it constitutes an actual threat....
Woman billed $100 for spilling Skittles in back seat of Uber
Next time you grab an Uber, you might want to make sure you don’t leave anything behind. Especially if the car’s owner has to clean it up. Days after her ride, a woman in England got a bill from the ride-sharing company for 80 pounds — aka $100 — to...
NYC mayor calls for probe as many wait for power in the heat
NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio called for an investigation Monday of power outages that came at the end of this weekend’s oppressive heat, saying he no longer trusts utility Con Edison after it decided to turn off power to thousands of customers. Around 30,000 customers in Brooklyn were...
In key Senate races, Democrats buck leftward tilt on issues
AUSTIN, Texas — MJ Hegar, the leading U.S. Senate challenger in Texas, rides a Harley-Davidson in viral videos and has called herself “an ass-kicking, motorcycle-riding Texas Democrat.” She is not a Democrat who promotes “Medicare for All.” She mentions that during a narrow loss for a House seat last year,...
House fire devours Baptist church in Savannah, Ga.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A house fire spread to a house of worship next door, all but destroying the First Metropolitan Baptist Church of Savannah, Georgia. Savannah Fire Rescue firefighters responding to a two-story house fire late Sunday found the flames had already spread to the First Metropolitan Baptist Church and...
A new species of shark has been discovered, and it glows
A group of researchers has discovered a new species of pocket shark, which was caught in the Gulf of Mexico nearly a decade ago. The shark is only 5.5 inches long and has been identified as the American Pocket Shark, based on its similarities to a specimen captured in the...
Authorities: 8 hurt by lightning at Florida Gulf Coast beach
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — Authorities say a lightning strike at a Gulf Coast beach in Florida has left eight people hurt, one of them critically. Clearwater Deputy Fire Chief Marvin Pettingill told local media outlets that the lightning strike occurred at Clearwater Beach after midday Sunday after lifeguards had left...
