Humans had dogs before they had farming, ancient DNA confirms
In the waning days of the last ice age, when humans were still hunting with spears and using cave walls as canvases, a hot new trend was spreading through the Paleolithic landscape. By roughly 14,000 years ago, hunter-gatherer societies across Europe had discovered dogs, scientists reported in two new papers,...
U.S. eases Belarus sanctions as Trump says he’ll help U.S. farmers impacted by Iran war
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday announced it had eased restrictions on a group of Belarus-linked financial and potash companies in the latest sign of improving ties between the country’s autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, and Washington. The war with Iran has largely stopped the export of nitrogen fertilizers manufactured...
Nicolás Maduro’s lawyer argues against U.S. blocking funding for drug trafficking case defense
NEW YORK — Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were back in a New York courtroom Thursday as they seek to have their drug trafficking indictments thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees. The hearing opened with the defense and prosecution arguing over whether Maduro should...
Trump says he’ll sign order to pay TSA agents as Congress struggles to reach funding deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a deal to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks. Trump announced his decision in...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate leaps to 6.38%, the highest level in more than 6 months
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than six months, driving up borrowing costs during what’s typically the busiest time of the year for prospective home buyers. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.38% from 6.22% last week, mortgage...
Mandatory life in prison for 2nd-degree murder is unconstitutional, Pa. Supreme Court rules
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that mandatory life in prison without parole for those convicted of second-degree, or felony, murder is unconstitutional. In a 72-page opinion, Chief Justice Debra Todd, writing for the majority, said such an automatic sentence is “inconsistent” with the protection guaranteed under the state constitution...
EU lawmakers approve trade deal with U.S. but add safeguards
BRUSSELS — The European Parliament voted Thursday to approve a trade deal between the European Union and the United States but with amendments added to protect European interests should the U.S. fail to hold up its end of the bargain. The deal was negotiated last July in Turnberry, Scotland, by...
Iran war deflects attention from Ukraine as an emboldened Russia starts spring offensive
The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive. The past week showed that neither side is easing up. Russia on Tuesday fired almost...
Italy seizes millions in assets allegedly stolen from Bond co-star Ursula Andress
MILAN — Italian authorities have impounded 20 million euros ($23 million) worth of property, artworks and financial assets in and around Florence that were allegedly purchased with money stolen from original Bond girl Ursula Andress, Italy’s financial police said in a statement on Thursday. The seizures were the result of...
EU targets Snapchat over child safety and accuses porn sites of failing to block minors
LONDON — European Union regulators are investigating Snapchat over concerns the platform isn’t doing enough to protect kids and exposing them to risks such as increased vulnerability to child predators or recruitment by criminals. The 27-nation EU’s executive Commission said Thursday it was opening a formal investigation into Snapchat under...
Iran and the U.S. harden their positions over talks to end the nearly month-old war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran and the United States appeared at an impasse Thursday, hardening their positions over ceasefire talks and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the Middle East war as thousands more U.S. troops neared the region. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump extended his deadline for...
U.S. troop movements fan fears of a risky ground attack on IranVideo
WASHINGTON — Even as President Donald Trump pushes for talks to end the war against Iran, the U.S. has ordered thousands of troops to the region, fueling fears that the president is gearing up for exactly the sort of risky ground invasion that he once campaigned against. Iran has publicly...
At Pentagon Christian service, Pete Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark.” “Every month it is fitting to be right here,” he told the gathered civilian employees and uniformed military personnel. “All...
Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez push bill to impose AI data center moratorium
WASHINGTON — Two high-profile progressive lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment. The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and...
Democratic lawmaker asks judge to take Trump’s name off Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON — A Democratic lawmaker is asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts venue. In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent...
Trump to delay nominating new CDC director
The White House plans to delay naming a candidate to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency that has been roiled by a string of high-level departures and has had three different leaders since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to people familiar with...
‘A fundamental right’: Pa. House again passes bill to end state’s unenforced gay marriage ban
A bill to repeal Pennsylvania’s currently-unenforceable same-sex marriage ban cleared the state House for the second time on Wednesday, with the partisan divide on the issue little changed in two years. The measure, which would strike the line in state law saying that marriage is “between one man and one...
Army raises enlistment age limit to 42 and eases marijuana rules
The United States Army has officially raised its enlistment age limit to 42 from 35 and eased restrictions for people with marijuana convictions, a move that comes years after a period in which it struggled to meet its recruitment goals and as the country is engaged in a war with...
Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit from Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat and was later pardoned....
John Fetterman’s support for Trump’s DHS secretary has made his bad relationship with Democrats even worse: ‘He needs to go’
When Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta lost a bitter U.S. Senate primary to then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in 2022, he immediately threw his support behind the Democratic nominee — vowing to campaign vigorously for Fetterman, who went onto win the general election as he was recovering from a stroke. Fetterman...
McKeesport behavioral intervention specialist on paid leave following incident with daughter, a student
A McKeesport Area behavioral intervention specialist is on paid leave following an incident between the employee and their daughter, who is a high school student in the district, Superintendent Donald MacFann said Wednesday. The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon and school officials were made aware within minutes, MacFann said. The employee,...
Record-high passenger wait times at airports, but no deal yet on the 40th day of the shutdown
WASHINGTON — Air travelers are experiencing the highest wait times ever under the Transportation Security Administration, the agency’s acting head told Congress on Wednesday, as the latest offer to end a funding impasse and put restraints on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda met fierce resistance. The TSA’s Ha Nguyen...
Pa. teens get probation after using AI to create fake nudes of classmates
LANCASTER — Two teenage boys who used artificial intelligence to create fake nude photos of their classmates at an exclusive private school in Pennsylvania received probation Wednesday after dozens of victims described the images’ traumatizing effect on them. The boys were 14 at the time. They admitted this month that...
Jury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialVideo
LOS ANGELES — Meta and YouTube must pay millions in damages to a 20-year-old woman after a jury decided the social media giant and video streamer designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence...
Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over the Iran war
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran. While Trump maintains broad support among conservatives, the war in Iran is more than a...
