Vermonters, pummeled by floods exactly a year apart, are assessing damage, beginning cleanup
PLAINFIELD, Vt. — Gov. Phil Scott said Friday it’ll take several more days to fully assess damage from flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, but he said Vermont is better positioned to recover quickly after enduring heartbreak, federal red tape and an extensive cleanup from massive floods exactly...
2 buses carrying more than 50 people were swept into a river by a landslide in Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A landslide swept two passenger buses carrying more than 50 people into a swollen river in central Nepal early Friday, while continuous rain and more landslides were making rescue efforts difficult. Three survivors apparently swam to safety, but rescuers by late morning had not found any trace...
Emergency workers uncover dozens of bodies in a Gaza City district after Israeli assault
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Civil defense workers on Friday dug bodies out of collapsed buildings and pulled them off rubble-covered streets, as they collected dozens of Palestinians killed this week by an Israeli assault in a district of Gaza City. The discovery of the bodies came after Israeli troops...
Republicans are gathering in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump again. Here’s what to expect
For all the usual stagecraft, the Republican National Convention that opens Monday is different from Donald Trump’s previous nominating affairs. In 2016 and 2020, Trump was the underdog heading into fall and faced criticism from within his own party. This year, he will accept the Republican nomination with his party...
In ‘blue wall’ push, Biden defiantly says ‘I’m not going anywhere’ as he slams Trump, Project 2025
DETROIT — President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the growing number of critics in his own party who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was “not done yet.” As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted...
Traveler caught with over $36K in undeclared cash at Philadelphia airport
It wasn’t a loaded gun going through an airport checkpoint this time, but loaded luggage, according to Customs and Border Patrol. Officials reported seizing $36,834 from a Columbus, Ohio, man at Philadelphia International Airport recently after the man claimed to have $15,000. The man, a U.S. citizen, flew back into...
British police arrest man on suspicion of crossbow murders of 3 women near London
LONDON — British police said Friday that they have arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of killing two sisters and their mother in a crossbow attack. In a statement Friday, Hertfordshire Police said that they arrested the suspect on Thursday evening. He remains in a serious condition in a hospital....
Germany says it won’t be intimidated by Russian threats after report on alleged assassination plot
BERLIN — The German government said Friday that it “won’t be intimidated” by Russian attempts to undermine the country’s support of Ukraine, but refused to comment on a report that Moscow planned to assassinate the chief executive of a leading defense company. CNN reported Thursday, citing five unidentified U.S. and...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: July 12
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
A 2nd person has died in Vermont flooding from Hurricane Beryl’s remnants, officials sayVideo
PLAINFIELD, Vt. — A second person has died in Vermont in the flooding from Hurricane Beryl’s remnants, officials said Thursday. John Rice, 73, died when he drove his vehicle through a flooded street Thursday morning in Lyndonville, police Chief Jack Harris said. The floodwaters’ current swept the vehicle off the...
Arkansas election officials reject petitions submitted for an abortion-rights ballot measure
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas election officials rejected petitions submitted for an abortion-rights ballot measure that organizers hoped to put before voters this fall in a predominantly Republican state. The secretary of state’s office rejected the petitions submitted on Friday by supporters of the proposal, saying the group didn’t submit statements...
The U.S. says the end of its pier for Gaza aid is coming soon
WASHINGTON — Battling rough seas around Gaza, the United States now is considering abandoning efforts to reinstall the pier that has been used to get badly needed humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians, two U.S. officials said Thursday. The initial plan earlier this week had been to reinstall the pier for...
Pennsylvania lawmakers approve sale of canned alcoholic drinks in grocery stores and more retailers
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians will be able to buy canned alcoholic drinks, called ready-to-drink cocktails, from a wider variety of retailers under legislation approved Thursday. The state Senate approved the bill, 32-17, and sent it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Under the bill, the approximately 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery...
West Virginia, Idaho asking Supreme Court to review rulings allowing transgender athletes to compete
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia and Idaho are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review rulings that blocked the enforcement of state laws prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in sports. “If the Supreme Court takes this up, it will determine the fate of women’s sports across the entire country for...
Watch: Biden speaks at press conference
President Joe Biden will hold a news conference Thursday, the key event in a monumental week during which the Democratic incumbent is fending off calls for him to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee following a shaky debate performance. Biden is scheduled to take questions from the White House...
Trump lawyers press judge to overturn hush money conviction after Supreme Court immunity ruling
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers are urging the judge in his New York hush money case to overturn his conviction and dismiss the case in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. The former president’s lawyers wrote in papers made public Thursday that prosecutors rushed...
Pennsylvania lawmakers pass nearly $48B budget almost 2 weeks late
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers ground through a flurry of votes Thursday to approve a budget deal, nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year after being slowed by disagreements during closed-door negotiations over Democrats’ push for more public schools aid. The $47.6 billion plan for the fiscal year that started...
Pennsylvania’s electric vehicle owners soon will have to pay fees of $200+ per year
A bill that would establish a new annual fee for owners of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to offset the loss of gas tax revenue on those vehicles is headed to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. The new fee, which Shapiro is expected to enact, is seen as a way to...
Here’s how to watch Biden’s news conference as he tries to quiet doubts after his poor debate
President Joe Biden will hold a news conference Thursday, the key event in a monumental week during which the Democratic incumbent is fending off calls for him to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee following a shaky debate performance. It’s just the type of event that many political watchers...
Lawsuit filed against Hershey, Walgreens and others in a case of teen who died after eating spicy chip as part of online challenge
BOSTON — A lawsuit was filed Thursday against Hershey, Walgreens and several others in the case of a Massachusetts teen who died after he participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge that was widely promoted on social media. Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died Sept....
Lawsuit filed in case of teen who died after eating spicy chip as part of online challenge
BOSTON — A lawsuit was filed Thursday against Hershey, Walgreens and several others in the case of a Massachusetts teen who died after he participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge that was widely promoted on social media. Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died Sept....
Houston utility says 500K customers still won’t have electricity next week as Beryl outages persist
AUSTIN, Texas — About 500,000 customers still won’t have electricity into next week as wide outages from Hurricane Beryl persist and frustration mounts over the pace of restoration, an official with Houston’s biggest power utility said Thursday. Jason Ryan, executive vice president of CenterPoint Energy, said power has been restored...
House rejects GOP effort to fine Attorney General Garland for refusal to turn over Biden audio
WASHINGTON — The House rejected a GOP effort Thursday to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland $10,000 a day until he turns over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case as a handful of Republicans resisted taking an aggressive step against a sitting Cabinet official. Even if...
Biden says during news conference he’s going to ‘complete the job’ despite calls to bow outVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his closely watched news conference Thursday to deliver a forceful defense of his foreign and domestic policies and batted away questions about his ability to serve another four years, declaring: “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job.”...
Sale of U.S. Steel kicks up a political storm, but Pittsburgh isn’t Steeltown USA anymore
PITTSBURGH — Generations of Pittsburgh residents have worked at steel mills, rooted for the Steelers or ridden the rollercoaster at Kennywood amusement park, giving them a bird’s eye view of the massive Edgar Thomson Works, the region’s last blast furnace. Now, Steeltown USA’s most storied steel company, U.S. Steel, is...