U.S. warplanes, ships and troops ready in Middle East if conflict expands
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has kept an increased military presence in the Middle East throughout much of the past year, with about 40,000 forces, at least a dozen warships and four Air Force fighter jet squadrons spread across the region both to protect allies and to serve as a deterrent...
Titan submersible’s scientific director says the sub malfunctioned just prior to Titanic dive
The scientific director for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on its way to the Titanic wreckage testified Thursday that the sub malfunctioned just prior to the fatal dive. Appearing before a U.S. Coast Guard panel, Steven Ross told the board about a platform...
Penn State to pay $700K in gender discrimination case
Penn State University will pay $703,742 in back wages and interest to settle a U.S. Department of Labor case alleging gender pay discrimination against female staff and faculty, the parties announced. The amount will be shared among the women impacted. Penn State said the inequities found by the department were...
Alaska man charged with sending graphic threats to kill Supreme Court justices
WASHINGTON — An Alaska man accused of sending graphic threats to injure and kill six Supreme Court justices and some of their family members has been indicted on federal charges, authorities said Thursday. Panos Anastasiou, 76, is accused of sending more than 465 messages through a public court website, including...
Inmates stab correctional officers at a Massachusetts prison
LANCASTER, Mass. — Two correctional officers were stabbed by inmates at a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts, and three others were injured as they responded, a spokesperson said. The five officers at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster were taken to hospitals after the confrontation Wednesday night, Scott Croteau, a spokesperson...
2 Georgia deaths are tied to abortion restrictions. Experts say abortion pills they took are safe
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to speak about abortion Friday in Georgia, where two women’s deaths have been tied to a state law that mostly bans the procedure after roughly six weeks. Amber Thurman died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat complications that occurred after she...
Veteran CIA officer who drugged and sexually assaulted dozens of women gets 30 years in prison
WASHINGTON — A longtime CIA officer who drugged, photographed and sexually assaulted more than two dozen women in postings around the world was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Wednesday after an emotional hearing in which victims described being deceived by a man who appeared kind, educated and part...
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will stay in jail after bail is denied for a second time
NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs is staying locked up after a judge Wednesday rejected the hip-hop mogul’s proposal that he await his sex trafficking trial in the luxury of his Florida mansion instead of a grim Brooklyn federal jail. U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter ruled that Combs’ plan...
Hezbollah fires new volley at Israel as fears of greater war mount after electronic devices bombing
BEIRUT — Hezbollah fired a new barrage into northern Israel on Thursday, continuing its drumbeat of exchanges with the Israeli military as fears of a greater war rise after hundreds of electronic devices exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 3,000 others. The device explosions...
Voters view Harris more favorably as she settles into role atop Democratic ticket: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — Until recently, Lillian Dunsmuir of Bullhead City, Arizona, “didn’t really think about” Kamala Harris and had no opinion of the vice president. But now she likes what she’s seeing. “She’s funny. I think she’s very smart. She can speak well,” said Dunsmuir, a 58-year-old real estate agent. “I...
Residents of Springfield, Ohio, hunker down and pray for a political firestorm to blow over
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In the quiet corners of Springfield, Ohio — out of sight of the drumbeat of politicians and journalists, troopers and newly installed security cameras — the people who live here are taking a breath, praying and attempting to carry on. Between the morning bomb sweeps of Springfield’s...
Threats and assassination attempts come with the office Donald Trump once held and is seeking again
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump, following an apparent assassination attempt on him on Sunday, claimed that overheated rhetoric from Democrats was responsible for him being under threat. It turns out, records show, that threats come with the office that he once held and is trying to win again, and...
House rejects temporary funding bill to avoid government shutdownVideo
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal that would have linked temporary funding for the federal government with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote. Next steps on government funding are uncertain. Lawmakers are not close to completing work on...
FBI: Iranian hackers tried but failed to interest Biden’s campaign in stolen Trump info
WASHINGTON — Iranian hackers sought to interest President Joe Biden’s campaign in information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign, sending unsolicited emails to people connected to the Democratic president in an effort to interfere in the 2024 election, the FBI and other federal agencies said Wednesday. There’s no evidence that...
Search for suspect in Kentucky highway shooting ends with discovery of body believed to be his
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The body of a man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on Interstate 75 in Kentucky was found Wednesday, authorities said, ending an intense search that had residents on edge. Col. Phillip “PJ” Burnett said accessories found with the body have led authorities to conclude that...
Trump to rally at IUP venue with separate rules from campus political event ban
Former President Donald Trump is planning a campaign rally at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a state-owned campus that expressly prohibits “activities for the purpose of advancing a single political candidate or party” in any university-controlled facility. That prohibition, though, apparently does not apply to the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex,...
Americans can now renew passports online and bypass cumbersome paper applications
WASHINGTON — Americans can now renew their passports online, bypassing a cumbersome mail-in paper application process that often caused delays. The State Department announced Wednesday that its online renewal system is now fully operational, after testing in pilot programs, and available to adult passport holders whose passport has expired within...
Ship owner cut corners on repairs before deadly Baltimore bridge collapse, U.S. says in $100M lawsuit
BALTIMORE — The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse recklessly cut corners and ignored known electrical problems on the vessel, the Justice Department alleged Wednesday in a lawsuit seeking to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear the...
Teamsters union declines to endorse Trump or Harris for president
WASHINGTON — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union. “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are...
Federal Reserve cuts key rate by sizable half-point, signaling end to its inflation fightVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than...
Gallery: Photos from Sept. 18, 2024
Here is a selection of photos from Western Pa., around the country and world, for Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024....
Trump, Harris taking brief break from campaigning in battleground states
Presidential candidates typically focus much of their travel on battleground states, but Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking his message to a somewhat unlikely place: suburban New York. The Republican presidential nominee and former president is heading to Uniondale, on Long Island, an area that could be key to his...
North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles in latest military display, neighbors say
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Wednesday test-fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern seas, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, adding to its military demonstrations as tensions with Washington and neighbors escalate. The launches come days after North Korea offered a rare view into a secretive facility...
Lebanon rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a ‘new phase’ of war
Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 14 people were killed and more than...
Trump holds first event since an apparent assassination attempt while Harris does rare interview
FLINT, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday made his first public appearance since Sunday’s second apparent assassination attempt against him with an overflow crowd chanting “God bless Trump!” and “Fight, Fight, Fight” as U.S. Secret Service agents surrounded the stage to protect the Republican presidential nominee. “It’s been...
