Biden to nominate Philly federal prosecutor for U.S. District Court judge
President Joe Biden has chosen a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia who is a Temple University alum and U.S. Air Force veteran to be a nominee for judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mary Kay Costello, 56 and a Bucks County native, has served as...
Florida’s 2024 hurricane season arrives with a rainy delugeVideo
Dangerous flooding from a tropical disturbance inundated much of southern Florida on Wednesday, blocking roads, floating vehicles and delaying the Florida Panthers on their way to Stanley Cup games in Canada against the Edmonton Oilers. The disorganized storm system was pushing across Florida from the Gulf of Mexico at roughly...
Republicans stick to attacking criminal justice system, echoing Trump, after Hunter Biden conviction
PHOENIX — Republicans are responding to Hunter Biden’s conviction on federal gun charges with some version of, “That’s it?” Loyal to Donald Trump, they largely echoed the former president’s claim that the Justice Department has treated President Joe Biden’s son with kid gloves while zealously prosecuting Trump. Using the attention...
Biden, Zelenskyy will sign security agreement between U.S., Ukraine at G7
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Joe Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a bilateral security agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine on Thursday when they meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy, aiming to send a signal to Russia of American resolve in...
Blinken says some of Hamas’ proposed changes to a cease-fire plan in Gaza are workable and some not
BEIRUT — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday mediators would keep trying to close an elusive cease-fire deal for Gaza after Hamas proposed changes to a U.S.-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” and some not. The back-and-forth laid bare frustration over the difficulty of reaching...
3 deputies shot while responding to northern Illinois home, suspect also wounded, official says
DIXON, Ill. — Three sheriff’s deputies were shot Wednesday while responding to a northern Illinois home, and the suspect was also wounded, authorities said. Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the deputies were responding to a report that someone inside the home in the Lost Lake community near Dixon was...
Senators blast health and law enforcement officials over illegal e-cigarettes used by teensVideo
WASHINGTON — Senators on Wednesday blasted top health and law enforcement officials for not doing more to combat the rise of illegal electronic cigarettes in the U.S., a multibillion-dollar business that has flourished amid haphazard enforcement. Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee expressed frustration and exasperation while questioning...
Federal court dismisses appeal of lawsuit contesting transgender woman in Wyoming sorority
DENVER — A federal court on Wednesday dismissed the appeal of a lawsuit that challenged a transgender woman’s acceptance into a sorority at the University of Wyoming, ruling it had no jurisdiction to hear the case. The lawsuit could not be appealed because a lower court judge in Wyoming left...
Southern Baptists narrowly reject formal ban on churches with any women pastors
INDIANAPOLIS — Southern Baptists narrowly rejected a proposal Wednesday to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the denomination’s constitution after opponents argued it was unnecessary because the denomination already has a way of ousting such churches. The vote received support from 61% of the delegates, but it...
Jerry West, a 3-time Hall of Fame selection and the NBA logo, dies at 86
Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch”...
Thefts of charging cables pose yet another obstacle to appeal of electric vehicles
DETROIT — Just before 2 a.m. on a chilly April night in Seattle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup stopped at an electric vehicle charging station on the edge of a shopping center parking lot. Two men, one with a light strapped to his head, got out. A security camera recorded them...
What’s next for Hunter Biden after his conviction on federal gun charges
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s legal woes are not over after his conviction on three felony firearms charges in a trial that put a spotlight on his drug-fueled past. Now, President Joe Biden’s son faces sentencing, and another criminal trial on tax charges in the middle of his father’s reelection...
Hezbollah fires scores of rockets at northern Israel as Gaza cease-fire talks hang in the balance
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired a massive barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday to avenge the killing of a top commander, further escalating regional tensions as the fate of an internationally-backed plan for a cease-fire in Gaza hung in the balance. The retaliatory attack came as U.S. Secretary...
Michael Rulli’s win in Ohio will grow GOP’s razor-thin majority in the U.S. House
COLUMBUS — Republican state Sen. Michael Rulli won a special election Tuesday in eastern Ohio for a U.S. House seat that has sat vacant for months, expanding the GOP’s narrow majority in the congressional chamber. Rulli, 55, defeated Democrat Michael Kripchak to fill the remainder of Republican Bill Johnson’s unexpired...
North Carolina lawmakers approve mask bill that allows health exemption after pushback
RALEIGH — A new, reworked version of a bill that originally caught flak for removing a pandemic-era health exemption for wearing a mask in public was approved by North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday. The amended bill still increases punishments for people wearing masks while committing a crime. It was brought...
Southern Baptists expel Virginia church for believing women can serve as pastors
INDIANAPOLIS — Even as they prepare to vote on a formal ban on churches with women pastors, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to boot one such church from its ranks. Messengers, as voting representatives are known, voted 6,759 to 563 to oust First Baptist...
8 with suspected ISIS ties arrested in Philly, New York and Los Angeles
Eight foreign nationals with suspected ties to ISIS were arrested in recent days in a series of coordinated raids in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles, authorities said. But officials remained tight-lipped Tuesday on the identities of the people detained and the circumstances that brought them to the attention of...
Gunman wounds 3 in Atlanta food court before being shot by officer, police say
ATLANTA — A gunman shot three people at a food court in downtown Atlanta before he was shot by a police officer Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. All four people who were shot at the Peachtree Center food court are expected to survive, including the suspect, according to Atlanta Police Chief...
Federal judge throws out Florida law blocking treatment for transgender children
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and severely restricted such treatment for adults, calling the statute unconstitutional. Senior Judge Robert Hinkle said the state went too far when it barred transgender minors from being...
‘It was gaslighting’: Students upset over Pittsburgh Technical College closure
Bryce Bladen of Gettysburg didn’t mince words Tuesday about having moved across state to pursue a degree in graphic design at Pittsburgh Technical College — a degree he suddenly must finish elsewhere. “It was gaslighting,” the 20-year-old said of what turned out to be dubious reassurances. For months, college leaders...
TribLive app: How to get the most out of your experience
The TribLive app offers the latest news, weather and sports from throughout Western Pennsylvania, but it also allows users to personalize their experience. Upon installing the free app, users will receive a prompt to subscribe to news alerts directly on their phones. You can select “All” or pick from 18...
Manhattan DA and Trump prosecutor set to appear before Congress on July 12, AP source says
WASHINGTON — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is scheduled to testify before Congress on July 12, a day after former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money trial, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bragg is set to appear before the House Select Committee on weaponization alongside...
Pamela Smart, serving life, accepts responsibility for her husband’s 1990 killing for the 1st time
CONCORD, N.H. — Pamela Smart, who is serving life in prison for plotting with her teenage student to have her husband killed in 1990, accepted full responsibility for his death for the first time in a videotaped statement released Tuesday as part of her latest sentence reduction request. Smart, 56,...
Michigan couple, attorney announced as winners of $842.4 million Powerball jackpot
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A mid-Michigan couple and a lawyer from the west side of the state were announced Tuesday as winners of an $842.4 million Powerball lottery jackpot from a ticket purchased on New Year’s Day. The Breakfast Club lottery club opted for a cash lump sum of...
NYC bird group drops name of illustrator and slave owner Audubon
NEW YORK — The conservationist group known as NYC Audubon has changed its name to NYC Bird Alliance to distance itself from the pro-slavery views of ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon, the organization announced. The name change, which was formalized by a June 5 membership vote, follows similar moves...