J.D. Vance introduces himself as Trump’s running mate and makes direct appeal to his native Rust Belt
MILWAUKEE — Introducing himself to the nation after being tapped as Donald Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance used his Wednesday night address to the Republican National Convention to share the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and make the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans. The...
Ukraine defense chief says his nation will find a way no matter who wins U.S. election
ASPEN, Colorado — Ukraine will find a way to deal with whatever comes if former President Donald Trump wins a second term, throwing into doubt vital U.S. support for its defense against Russia’s invading forces, Ukraine’s defense minister said Wednesday. In carefully framed comments to an audience of U.S. policymakers...
Multiple failures, multiple investigations: Unraveling the attempted assassination of Donald Trump
BUTLER — The young man was pacing around the edges of the Donald Trump campaign rally, shouldering a big backpack and peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the former president would stand within the hour. His behavior was so odd, so unlike...
California first state to get federal funds for hydrogen energy hub to help replace fossil fuels
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will be the first state to receive federal funds under a program to create regional networks, or “hubs,” that produce hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity, officials announced Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Energy said the California Hydrogen Hub will receive...
Trump has given no official info about his medical care for days since assassination attempt
MILWAUKEE — Four days after a gunman’s attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, the public is still in the dark over the extent of his injuries, what treatment the Republican presidential nominee received in the hospital, and whether there may be any long-term effects on...
Relatives of those killed when MH17 was shot down mark 10 years since tragedy that claimed 298 lives
VIJFHUIZEN, Netherlands — Grieving families recited the names and ages Wednesday of all 298 passengers and crew killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine 10 years ago, as they marked the anniversary of the tragedy at a solemn ceremony near Amsterdam. The relatives, some weeping or...
Stegosaurus fossil fetches nearly $45M, setting record for dinosaur auctions
NEW YORK — The nearly complete fossilized remains of a stegosaurus fetched $44.6 million at auction Wednesday, Sotheby’s said. The buyer’s name was not disclosed. The fossil, dubbed “Apex,” is considered to be among the most complete ever found, according to the auction house. The price blew past a pre-sale...
Biden tests positive for covid-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — President Joe Biden tested positive for covid-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general malaise” from the infection, the White House said. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will fly to his home in Delaware, where he will “self-isolate and will...
NASA says meteor fireball was responsible for boom heard over New York and New Jersey. So what exactly is that?
It wasn’t an earthquake this time. The sky isn’t falling either. Instead, it was a meteor that shares a name with the cinnamon whiskey fans shoot outside at Eagles tailgates. Residents in New Jersey and New York reported hearing a loud boom Tuesday morning, with some even saying that they...
EPA watchdog investigating delays in how agency used sensor plane after East Palestine derailment
The EPA’s Inspector General is investigating why the agency didn’t get its specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors into the air over East Palestine until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment last year. The Associated Press reported on a whistleblower’s concerns this spring about the delays and discrepancies...
Blade collapse, N.Y. launch, N.J. research show uneven progress of offshore wind
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Three events Wednesday highlighted the uneven progress of the offshore wind industry in the Northeast, including the start of a major project in New York, research aimed at preventing environmental damage in New Jersey and a temporary shutdown of a wind farm in Massachusetts after a...
Prominent Democrat Schiff calls for Biden to withdraw: Democrats aim to nominate before convention
WASHINGTON — California Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday became the highest-profile Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, as the party pushed ahead with plans to hold a virtual vote to formally make Biden its nominee in the first week of August before the party’s...
House Oversight panel subpoenas Secret Service director to testify on Trump assassination attempt
WASHINGTON — Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has issued a subpoena to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, compelling her to appear before the committee on Monday for what is scheduled to be the first congressional hearing into the attempted assassination of former...
J.D. Vance’s 1st Republican convention will be his national introduction as Trump’s running mate
MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump ‘s running mate J.D. Vance will introduce himself to a national audience Wednesday night as he addresses the Republican National Convention. The Ohio senator’s headlining address will be his first speech as the Republican vice-presidential nominee. In fact, this year’s gathering also is the first RNC...
Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors unjustly punished in 1944 after a deadly California port explosion
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who were found to be unjustly punished in 1944 following a horrific port explosion that killed hundreds of service members and exposed racist double standards among the then-segregated ranks. On July 17, 1944, munitions being loaded onto a cargo ship...
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw, new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new poll, sharply undercutting his post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him even if some “big names” are turning on him....
Democrats will not formally nominate Biden before August
WASHINGTON — Democrats will not hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate President Joe Biden until at least August, after an outcry from some who believed the process was being rushed at his behest to head off calls for him to stand aside. The party will still undertake the...
‘Of all the places’: Deep red Butler grapples with Trump assassination attempt
BUTLER — On the streets of Butler, in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the same four words have been spoken again and again: “Of all the places.” Butler, home to just over 13,000 people, and the county whose grand courthouse graces its square are...
State System of Higher Education freezes tuition for 6th straight year
Tuition across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities will not increase this fall as the State System of Higher Education on Wednesday approved a sixth consecutive tuition freeze, this one for 2024-25. During a special meeting, held virtually, the State System’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to keep full-time undergraduate tuition for...
Germany to impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters
BERLIN — Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters, a response to incidents such as disruptive protests by climate activists. The bill, which must still be passed by lawmakers, foresees punishment ranging up to a two-year prison sentence for...
Judge’s order dismissing Trump classified docs case won’t be final word as long court fight awaits
WASHINGTON — A judge’s stunning decision to dismiss the classified documents case against Donald Trump brought an abrupt halt to what experts have considered the strongest and most straightforward of the prosecutions of the former president. But it’s hardly the final word. Special counsel Jack Smith’s planned appeal of U.S....
Movie armorer seeks dismissal of her conviction or new trial in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin
SANTA FE, N.M. — A movie armorer has asked a judge to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter conviction or convene a new trial in the shooting death of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin, alleging suppression of evidence and misconduct by the prosecution. In a court filing Tuesday, defense counsel for...
Homeland Security inspector general investigates Secret Service handling of security at Trump rally
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general says it has opened up an investigation into the U.S. Secret Service’s handling of security for former President Donald Trump on the day a gunman tried to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania rally. In a brief notice posted to the inspector...
3 days after attempted assassination, Trump shooter remains an elusive enigma
BETHEL PARK — After three days, an enigmatic portrait emerged of the 20-year-old man who came close to killing former President Donald Trump with a high-velocity bullet: He was an intelligent loner with few friends, an apparently thin social media footprint and no hints of strong political beliefs that would...
Donald Trump is feted by his former rivals in a show of Republican unity after rally shooting
MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump was celebrated Tuesday at the Republican National Convention by former rivals who just months ago leveled harsh critiques about him, a show of unity that contrasts with the divisions increasingly ripping through the Democratic Party. Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who was Trump’s final challenger...
