Russian police raid Moscow nightclubs in LGBTQ+ crackdown
MOSCOW — Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Saturday as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported. Smartphones, laptops and video cameras were seized, while clubgoers had their documents inspected by officers, Russia’s Tass news agency said, citing sources in law enforcement....
Trump and Republicans in Congress eye an ambitious 100-day agenda, starting with tax cuts
WASHINGTON — A tax break for millionaires, and almost everyone else. An end to the covid-19-era government subsidies that some Americans have used to purchase health insurance. Limits to food stamps, including for women and children, and other safety net programs. Rollbacks to Biden-era green energy programs. Mass deportations. Government...
As hunt begins, drought may be a factor in size of harvested deer, quality of antlers, meat
Despite being hunted each fall, deer find ways to survive. The months of dry weather likely will not affect hunting, according to state game officials. But processor Melinda Weimer has noticed a difference in the size and quality of antlers and the amount of quality meat Weimer Meats in Loyalhanna...
On the range with Pennsylvania’s professional farm sitters
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Linda Then and her wife Sandy have a lot of mouths to feed. There’s the Jersey steer, the burly Clydesdale, the...
Lake-effect snow heading for New York state could disrupt travel and football
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Black Friday was giving way to a white weekend in parts of New York state, with the first big snow of the season threatening to bury towns along lakes Erie and Ontario during a hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend. As flakes began flying Friday, forecasters warned...
3 people wounded in Black Friday shooting at mall in Little Rock, Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Three people were wounded in a shooting at an Arkansas mall on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, authorities said. Little Rock police called the shooting at Park Plaza an isolated incident rather than an active shooter situation. Chief Heath Helton...
Deputy kills shooter after being fired at in West Virginia, officials say
BOLT, W.Va. — A West Virginia sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a person Friday who fired at him as he was responding to a 911 call, authorities say. The individual who died wasn’t immediately identified by the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, which released a statement about the shooting on Facebook....
FEMA to Florida cities hit by hurricanes: Rebuild higher or lose flood insurance
MIAMI — The Gulf of Mexico invaded thousands of homes on Florida’s west coast this year, and many will have to be gutted and rebuilt higher — some a full story off the ground. The process makes communities safer the next time a storm comes aground, but it’s expensive and...
China releases 3 Americans it imprisoned for years, and Beijing says US returned 4 people to China
WASHINGTON — Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China arrived back in the United States late Wednesday. Their release, announced earlier by the White House, was the result of a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration. The Chinese government also announced Thursday...
Israelis are wary of returning to the north because they don’t trust the ceasefire with Hezbollah
KIBBUTZ MALKIYA, Israel — Dean Sweetland casts his gaze over a forlorn street in the Israeli community of Kibbutz Malkiya. Perched on a hill overlooking the border with Lebanon, the town stands mostly empty after being abandoned a year ago. The daycare is closed. The homes are unkempt. Parts of...
Wisconsin officials certify Trump’s victory in back-to-the-routine teleconference
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s election commission leader quietly certified Donald Trump ‘s victory on Friday, moving past the chaos that surrounded the 2020 election results in the battleground state. Commission Chair Ann Jacobs certified results that show Trump won the state with 1,697,626 votes compared to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 1,668,229...
As Trump’s lead in popular vote shrinks, does he really have a ‘mandate’?
In his Nov. 6 victory speech, President-elect Donald Trump claimed Americans had given him an ” unprecedented and powerful mandate.” It’s a message his transition team has echoed in the past three weeks, referring to his “MAGA Mandate” and a “historic mandate for his agenda.” But given that Trump’s lead...
Police: Armed man dies after being shot by Akron officer on Thanksgiving night
AKRON, Ohio — A police officer in Akron shot and killed an armed man after hearing gunshots on Thanksgiving night, authorities said. Police said in a news release that two patrol officers were in a parked police cruiser in the Sherbondy Hill neighborhood as they worked on a report from...
Notre Dame Cathedral 5 years later: World gets first look of renovations after devastating fire
PARIS — Five years after a catastrophic fire reduced Notre Dame Cathedral to a smoldering shell, The Associated Press entered the Gothic masterpiece for a first glimpse of its fully restored interiors during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron that was broadcast to the public. The transformation is nothing...
Atlantic hurricane season comes to an end, leaving widespread damage in its wake
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close Saturday, bringing to an end a season that saw 11 hurricanes compared to the average seven, and death and destruction hundreds of miles from where storms came ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Meteorologists called it a ” crazy busy ”...
Supreme Court will hear arguments over Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors
WASHINGTON — Advocates for transgender rights are turning to a conservative-dominated Supreme Court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people. The justices on Wednesday are taking up the issue of gender-affirming care for transgender minors, which has been...
British lawmakers give initial approval to a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives
LONDON — British lawmakers gave initial approval Friday to a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales following an impassioned debate that saw personal stories of loss and suffering shared. Members of Parliament approved the assisted dying bill by a vote of 330 to...
U.K. transport secretary quits over decade-old cellphone fraud case
LONDON — British Transport Minister Louise Haigh resigned on Friday over a decade-old fraud conviction for claiming her cellphone had been stolen. In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Haigh said, “I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by...
Thousands of workers march across Italy in general strike demanding better pay and services
MILAN — Thousands of teachers, health care workers, trash collectors and others walked off their jobs across Italy on Friday to protest a decline in spending power, persistently low salaries and government policies they say have weakened public services. Italy’s most powerful trade unions called the eight-hour strike and mobilized...
Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s
MELBOURNE, Australia — A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Parliament on Friday in a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to...
Footprints suggest 2 species of early humans were neighbors in Kenya 1.5M years ago
WASHINGTON — Muddy footprints left on a Kenyan lakeside suggest two of our early human ancestors were nearby neighbors some 1.5 million years ago. The footprints were left in the mud by two different species “within a matter of hours, or at most days,” said paleontologist Louise Leakey, co-author of...
Trump promised federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe. Will he follow through?
OKLAHOMA CITY — When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina, both candidates courted a state-recognized tribe there whose 55,000 members could have helped tip the swing state. Trump in September promised that he would sign legislation to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, a distinction that...
Trump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks
NEW YORK — A number of President-elect Donald Trump ‘s most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks,” Trump’s transition team said Wednesday. The FBI said it was investigating. “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees...
Trump’s tariffs in his first term did little to alter the economy, but this time could be different
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump loved to use tariffs on foreign goods during his first presidency. But their impact was barely noticeable in the overall economy, even if their aftershocks were clear in specific industries. The data show they never fully delivered on his promised factory jobs. Nor did they provoke...
Trump claims a win on immigration after a call with Mexico’s president. But she suggests no change
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump declared a win on stopping illegal immigration through Mexico on Wednesday after talking with that country’s leader. But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Mexico was already doing its part and had no interest in closing its borders. The two spoke just days...
