Report suggests some deputies responding to Maine mass shooting were intoxicated
PORTLAND, Maine — An independent commission investigating the deadliest shooting in Maine history plans to explore allegations that police officers arriving without orders created “chaos” during the search for the gunman. Chairman Daniel Wathen said commissioners intend to address some of the “disturbing allegations” in a report by the Portland...
‘Shocking and outrageous’: American Airlines blames 9-year-old girl for being filmed in plane bathroom
BOSTON — American Airlines, facing lawsuits after a flight attendant allegedly filmed girls using plane bathrooms, is blaming a 9-year-old girl for being secretly recorded. The airline, in a new court filing, is arguing that the young girl should have known that the airplane toilet contained a recording device. “Defendant...
Driver of pickup that collided with farmworker bus in Florida, killing 8, is arrested on DUI charges
OCALA, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a farmworker bus last week, killing eight, on charges of driving under the influence-manslaughter. Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, faces eight counts of DUI-Manslaughter, the FHP said in a statement. No further details...
New Pa. tourism slogan highlights the state as the ‘great American getaway’
Pennsylvania has invited tourists to pursue their happiness in the Keystone State since 2016 but now Gov. Josh Shapiro wants people to see it as more of an escape. On Monday, Shapiro along with Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and other officials unveiled the state’s new tourism slogan: “Pennsylvania. The Great...
Attorneys stop representing a Utah mom and children’s grief author accused of killing her husband
A team of attorneys has withdrawn from representing a Utah mother accused of killing her husband with fentanyl then publishing a children’s book about loss and grief. Why Kouri Richins’ private attorneys withdrew from the case was unclear; they cited only an “irreconcilable and nonwaivable situation” in a court filing...
Ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to felony charges in Arizona election interference case
PHOENIX — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges stemming from his role in an effort to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Arizona to Joe Biden. Ten others, including former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, also pleaded not guilty...
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim they shot down another U.S. drone
CAIRO — The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Tuesday that they shot down an American drone over the country on the Arabian Peninsula. The U.S. military acknowledged reports about the downing but didn’t comment. If confirmed, it would be the second MQ-9 Reaper drone downed by the Houthis...
Biden releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from Northeast reserve in bid to lower prices at pump
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve established after Superstorm Sandy in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer. The sale, from storage sites in New Jersey and Maine, will be allocated in increments...
Over 1 million claims related to toxic exposure granted under new veterans law, Biden announces
MERRIMACK, N.H. — President Joe Biden, aiming to highlight his legislative accomplishments this election year, traveled to New Hampshire on Tuesday to detail the impact of a law that helps military veterans get benefits as a result of burn pit or other toxic exposure during their service. In raw numbers,...
Penn State trustees approve $700M renovation of Beaver Stadium
Penn State University trustees approved a $700 million renovation to Beaver Stadium on Tuesday after a sometimes heated debate about the athletic and economic benefits versus financial risks. The 26-2 vote during a special meeting followed a 90-minute presentation and discussion. There were three abstentions. Earlier Tuesday, the project passed...
Poland arrests sabotage suspects and warns of potential hostile acts by Russia
WARSAW, Poland — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that three people were recently arrested on suspicion of links to foreign-sponsored sabotage, adding to nine others already under arrest. Tusk was speaking at a weekly news conference about what steps his government was taking to protect Poland against hostile...
British man dies, several passengers injured when turbulence hits a Singapore Airlines flight
BANGKOK — A Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean and descended 6,000 feet in a span of about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday, leaving a British man dead and more than two dozen other passengers injured. The flight was then diverted and landed in stormy...
Trump’s social media account shares a campaign video with a headline about a ‘unified Reich’
NEW YORK — A video posted to Donald Trump’s account on his social media network included references to a “unified Reich” among hypothetical news headlines if he wins the election in November. The headline appears among messages flashing across the screen such as “Trump wins!!” and “Economy booms!” Other headlines...
Trump hush money trial enters new phase after defense rests without testimony from former president
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s hush money trial moved into a new phase Tuesday, drawing closer to the moment when the jury will begin deciding his fate after testimony concluded without the former president taking the stand in his own defense. “Your honor, the defense rests,” Trump lawyer Todd Blanche...
Israeli officials seize AP equipment and take down live shot of northern Gaza, citing new media law
JERUSALEM — Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera. The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds...
London judge rejects Prince Harry’s bid to add allegations against Rupert Murdoch in tabloid lawsuit
LONDON — Prince Harry can’t expand his privacy lawsuit against The Sun tabloid publisher to include allegations that Rupert Murdoch and some other executives were part of an effort to conceal and destroy evidence of unlawful information gathering, a London judge ruled Tuesday. The decision by Judge Timothy Fancourt’s in...
Election deniers moving closer to GOP mainstream, report shows, as Trump allies fill Congress
WASHINGTON — In the hours after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Ohio’s then-Republican senator, Rob Portman, voted to accept President Joe Biden’s win over the defeated former president, Donald Trump, despite Trump’s false allegations that Biden only won because of fraud. But as Trump charges...
Trump or Biden? Either way, U.S. seems poised to preserve heavy tariffs on imports
WASHINGTON — As president, Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on foreign steel, which hurt Clips & Clamps Industries, a Michigan auto supplier — raising its materials prices, making it harder to compete with overseas rivals and costing it several contracts. Jeff Aznavorian, the company president, thought he might enjoy...
Israel tries to contain the fallout after some allies support ICC prosecutor’s request for warrants
JERUSALEM — Israel sought Tuesday to contain the fallout from a request by the chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, a move supported by three European countries, including key ally France. Belgium, Slovenia and France each said Monday they...
Sen. John Fetterman makes Caribbean trip to try to free Somerset County man, others held on ammo charges
Sen. John Fetterman was part of congressional delegation that made a trip to Turks and Caicos to discuss the release of five Americans, including one from Pennsylvania, being held on ammunition charges. The individuals, including Bryan Hagerich from Somerset County, are being detained for carrying ammunition in their luggage when...
Judge rules Ohio law that keeps cities from banning flavored tobacco is unconstitutional
An Ohio law prohibiting cities from banning the sale of flavored tobacco products is unconstitutional, a judge has ruled. The state is expected to appeal the ruling issued by Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Serrott, who had issued a temporary restraining order in April that stopped the law...
EPA warns of increasing cyberattacks on water systems, urges utilities to take immediate steps
WASHINGTON — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation’s drinking water. About 70% of utilities inspected by federal officials over...
Penn State trustee opposes $700M stadium renovation on eve of vote
Penn State University trustees are expected to vote Tuesday on whether an institution that is both a football powerhouse and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt should spend $700 million for a stadium renovation. One trustee has made it quite clear publicly how he feels. On his website, trustee...
Donald Trump’s lawyers urge the judge to throw out his hush money case after prosecution rests
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers on Monday pressed the judge overseeing his hush money trial to stop the case from going to the jury and throw out the charges after prosecutors concluded their presentation of evidence. Judge Juan M. Merchan did not immediately rule on the defense request, which...
After the only hospital in town closed, a North Carolina city directs its ire at politicians
WILLIAMSTON, N.C. — Weeds have punctured through the vacant parking lot of Martin General Hospital’s emergency room. A makeshift blue tarp covering the hospital’s sign is worn down from flapping in the wind. The hospital doors are locked, many in this county of 22,000 fear permanently. Some residents worry the...