U.S. to probe Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s road safety agency is again investigating Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The National Highway Safety Administration says in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday with the company reporting...
Hundreds gather at Penn State to hear from former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
UNIVERSITY PARK — Hundreds of Penn State students and community members stood in line on campus to hear former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speak and do a Q&A with audience members Thursday evening as part of Turning Point USA’s “You’re Being Brainwashed” tour. The event room in the Sparks...
A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution sells for $9 million at auction
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution printed 237 years ago and sent to the states to be ratified was sold for $9 million at an auction Thursday evening in North Carolina. Brunk Auctions sold the document, the only copy of its type thought to be privately...
Texas appeals court reverses judge’s order to delay execution in shaken-baby case, last appeal filed
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas appeals court lifted a judge’s order that had delayed Thursday night’s planned execution of a man who would become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. The reversal left supporters of...
Equipment, staffing make Allegheny County faster counting votes than Philadelphia area
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat’s free newsletters here. A few relatively minor changes would allow Philadelphia to process mail ballots much faster and finish counting them much sooner after polls...
Daily photo gallery: Fall foliage
This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors of scenic fall foliage photos....
Panel looking into Trump assassination attempt says Secret Service needs ‘fundamental reform’
WASHINGTON — An independent panel investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally says the Secret Services needs fundamental reform” and that “another Butler can and will happen again” without major changes in how candidates are protected. The review faulted the Secret Service for poor communications...
Trump is consistently inconsistent on abortion and reproductive rights
CHICAGO — Donald Trump has had a tough time finding a consistent message to questions about abortion and reproductive rights. The former president has constantly shifted his stances or offered vague, contradictory and at times nonsensical answers to questions on an issue that has become a major vulnerability for Republicans...
McConnell called Trump ‘stupid,’ ‘despicable’ in private after 2020 election, according to new book
WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell said after the 2020 election that then-President Donald Trump was “stupid as well as being ill-tempered,” a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist,” according to excerpts from a new biography of the Senate Republican leader that will be released this month. McConnell made the remarks in...
Harris and Trump say America tanks if they lose. So why the exuberance at their rallies?
Shortly after taking the stage 91 minutes late for his Atlanta rally this week, Donald Trump did what he can’t help doing — go off on a tangent. This was clearly going to be a night at the improv. He marveled at length about how Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket booster...
Uphill battles that put abortion rights on ballots are unlikely to end even if the measures pass
Voters in nine states are deciding next month whether to add the right to abortion to their constitutions, but the measures are unlikely to dramatically change access — at least not immediately. Instead, voter approval would launch more lawsuits on a subject that’s been in the courts constantly — and...
With time running out, Harris keeps focus on ‘blue wall’ states
MILWAUKEE — With three weeks left in the presidential campaign, Democrat Kamala Harris is spending most of her days trying to shore up support in the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as she tries to avoid a repeat of Hillary Clinton’s collapse there eight years ago. The...
Biden administration has now canceled loans for more than 1 million public workers
WASHINGTON — A student loan cancellation program for public workers has granted relief to more than 1 million Americans — up from just 7,000 who were approved before it was updated by the Biden administration two years ago. President Joe Biden announced the milestone on Thursday, saying his administration restored...
Analysis: Harris, Trump offer new details about policies and strategy in dueling interviews
WASHINGTON — As the presidential race moves into its final weeks, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump embarked on an interview blitz that offered new details about their policy priorities and their political strategies. In recent days, Harris has sat with Charlamagne tha God, whose radio show is especially...
Harris’ interview with Fox News marked by testy exchanges
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a combative first interview with Fox News on Wednesday, sparring on immigration policy and shifting policy positions while asserting that, if elected, she would not represent a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency. Harris’ interview with Fox’s Bret Baier marked her first foray...
A man arrested with guns outside a Trump rally in California is suing the sheriff
LAS VEGAS — A Nevada man who was arrested over the weekend with guns at a security checkpoint outside a Donald Trump rally in the southern California desert has filed a lawsuit accusing the sheriff of falsely characterizing his arrest as a thwarted assassination attempt for his own personal gain....
3 states renew effort to reduce access to the abortion drug mifepristone
Three states are renewing a legal push to restrict access to the abortion medication mifepristone, including reinstating requirements it be dispensed in person instead of by mail. The request from Kansas, Idaho and Missouri filed Friday would bar the drug’s use after seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10 and...
Prosecutors say father of Georgia shooting suspect knew son was obsessed with school shooters
WINDER, Ga. — The father of a teenager accused of a deadly high school shooting in Georgia was aware his son was obsessed with school shooters and even had a shrine in his bedroom for the gunman in the 2018 massacre in Parkland, Fla., prosecutors said at a Wednesday court...
CDC reports record drop in drug overdose deaths
WASHINGTON — Drug overdose deaths dropped a record amount during the past year, according to provisional data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday. The CDC reported 94,758 individuals died because of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending May 2024 — a 15% drop from the previous...
Jimmy Carter, at 100, casts his 2024 ballot by mail
PLAINS, Ga. — Jimmy Carter cast his ballot in the 2024 election Wednesday. The former president voted by mail, the Carter Center confirmed in a statement. It happened barely two weeks after Carter celebrated his 100th birthday Oct. 1 at his home in Plains, Ga., where he’s been living in...
More than a dozen relatives of brother Erik and Lyle Menendez call for their release from prison
LOS ANGELES — More than a dozen family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez on Wednesday called for the release of the brothers from prison after the killings of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion 35 years ago. The news conference in downtown Los Angeles was the largest gathering...
Rallies, fries and Steelers game? Here are 5 things to know about Trump’s next visit
Former President Donald Trump is coming to Westmoreland County for a rally, and he is reportedly adding a few new twists to his typical campaign schedule. Trump is scheduled to speak at 6 p.m. Saturday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. Rallies at airport hangars have been a frequent...
New Kensington Democrat seeks to unseat Murrysville’s Jill Cooper in 55th State House race
In a divisive political atmosphere both locally and nationally, Democrat Davon Magwood is proud to be running a race against incumbent state Rep. Jill Cooper that puts negativity aside. “I love that we’re running campaigns where we’re not attacking one another,” said Magwood, 38, of New Kensington, who has worked...
Zelenskyy’s ‘victory plan’ includes a big hurdle for the West: An invitation to Ukraine to join NATOVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that Western partners are ramping up pressure to negotiate with Russia, hinting that such talks may not be favorable to Kyiv, as he unveiled to lawmakers the main points of his victory plan - his...
People with felony records can vote in Nebraska. Ruling could help tip the balance on Nov. 5
OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska’s top election official had no authority to strip voting rights from people convicted of a felony, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that could add hundreds of new voters to the rolls and potentially help tip the balance on Nov. 5. The order...
