Judge in Trump’s classified files case agrees to redact witness names, granting prosecution request
WASHINGTON — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump granted a request by prosecutors on Tuesday aimed at protecting the identities of potential government witnesses. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon refused to categorically block witness statements from being disclosed, saying there was...
Former Ohio utility regulator, charged in a sweeping bribery scheme, has died
COLUMBUS — A former top utility regulator awaiting trial on charges he took millions in bribes in conjunction with the largest corruption scandal in Ohio’s history died by suicide on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Franklin County Coroner’s Office said. Sam Randazzo, 74, the one-time chair of the Public Utilities...
Pennsylvania makes a push to attract and approve carbon capture wells
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania state Senate on Tuesday approved legislation aimed at helping the nation’s No. 2 natural gas-producing state attract carbon capture projects and enable federally-funded hydrogen hubs, but critics say the bill lacks important safeguards. The Republican-penned bill lays out a framework for how Pennsylvania would regulate underground...
Florida woman sentenced to a month in jail for selling Biden’s daughter’s diary
NEW YORK — A Florida mother was sentenced Tuesday to a month in prison and three months of home confinement for stealing and selling President Joe Biden’s daughter’s diary four years ago to the conservative group Project Veritas. Aimee Harris was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Laura Taylor...
Conservative hoaxers to pay up to $1.25M under agreement with New York over 2020 robocall scheme
ALBANY, N.Y. — Two conservative political operatives who orchestrated a robocall campaign to dissuade Black people from voting in the 2020 election have agreed to pay up to $1.25 million under a settlement with New York state, Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday. The operatives, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman,...
Pennsylvania poised to become the next state to ban using a handheld device while driving
Pennsylvania is on its way to becoming the next state to ban the use of handheld cellphones while driving. The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 124-77 to approve an amended version of a Senate-passed bill championed by Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe County, that would make it illegal for a...
Carnegie Mellon announces $110M AI initiative
Carnegie Mellon University has joined Japanese higher education institutions and the University of Washington in a $110 million partnership for AI research and innovation. CMU and Keio University in Japan will collaborate on ways to advance AI technology. The partnership includes faculty, researchers and students. They will also collaborate with...
Appeals court rejects Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay April 15 hush money criminal trial
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court judge Tuesday rejected Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay his hush money criminal trial, taking just 12 minutes to swat aside an argument that it should be postponed while the former president fights a gag order. Justice Cynthia Kern’s ruling was the...
Arizona can enforce an 1864 law criminalizing nearly all abortions, court says
PHOENIX — Arizona can soon enforce a long-dormant law criminalizing all abortions except when a mother’s life is at stake, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, opening the door to prosecuting doctors who perform the procedures. Under the decision, a long-dormant law that predates Arizona’s statehood would take effect. It...
Judge dismisses lawsuit of injured Dakota Access pipeline protester
BISMARCK, N.D. — A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed the excessive-force lawsuit of a New York woman who was injured in an explosion during the protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. In orders on Wednesday and Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor granted motions to dismiss...
Michigan school shooter’s parents sentenced to at least 10 years in prisonVideo
PONTIAC, Mich. — The parents of a Michigan school shooter were each sentenced to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to take steps that could have prevented the killing of four students in 2021. Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents convicted in a U.S. mass...
Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion, which U.S. says would be a mistake
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying a date has been set for the ground offensive into the city filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip. The United...
GOP’s Marjorie Taylor Greene delivers fresh threats of ousting Speaker Johnson in scathing rebuke
WASHINGTON — Hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene escalated her criticism Tuesday of House Speaker Mike Johnson, blistering his leadership in a lengthy letter to colleagues and renewing threats of a snap vote that could remove him from office. As lawmakers returned to work from a two-week spring recess, the fresh...
Can’t get enough of the total solar eclipse or got clouded out? Here are the next ones to watch for
DALLAS — Whether you saw the moon completely block the sun, were foiled by cloudy weather or weren’t along the path of Monday’s total solar eclipse, there are still more chances to catch a glimpse. Here’s what to know about upcoming solar spectacles: When is the next total solar eclipse?...
Simon Harris installed as Ireland’s new prime minister — the country’s youngest leader
LONDON — Lawmaker Simon Harris was elected Ireland’s prime minister by a vote in parliament Tuesday, becoming at 37 the country’s youngest-ever leader. Harris takes over as head of Ireland’s three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise resignation last month. Harris, who served as higher education minister...
Norfolk Southern agrees to pay $600M in settlement related to East Palestine train derailment
Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement for a fiery February 2023 train derailment in Ohio, but residents worry the money not only won’t go far enough to cover future health needs that could be tremendous but also won’t amount to much once divvied...
Verdict saying Switzerland violated rights by failing on climate action could ripple across Europe
STRASBOURG, France — Europe’s highest human rights court ruled Tuesday that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change, siding with a group of older Swiss women against their government in a landmark ruling that could have implications across the continent. The European Court of Human...
Explosive device thrown onto porch of Satanic Temple in Massachusetts, no injuries reported
SALEM, Mass. — Someone threw an explosive device onto the porch of The Satanic Temple in Massachusetts at a time when no one was inside, and the device and damage it caused were not found until nearly 12 hours later, police said. No injuries were reported. State police bomb technicians...
Over 200 women, several men accuse doctor in lawsuit of sexual abuse, unnecessary exams
BOSTON — More than a decade ago, Kristin Fritz was struggling with pain in her spine and saw a rheumatologist recommended by her doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The visit with Dr. Derrick Todd started normally for the 37-year-old New Hampshire woman. But as Todd progressed, he...
Olympic rings for Paris Games will be displayed on Eiffel Tower
PARIS — The Olympic rings will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower, organizers said in a statement on Tuesday, as the French capital prepares to mark 100 days until the start of the Paris Games. A 95-foot-long and 49-foot-high structure of five Olympic rings, made entirely of recycled French steel,...
Conservative Christians praise Trump’s anti-abortion record but say he’s stopped short of the goal
For conservative, anti-abortion Christians, former President Donald Trump delivered in four years what no other Republican before him had been able to do: A conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court that would go on to overturn Roe v. Wade, a Holy Grail of the movement. With abortion rights now controlled by...
Prosecutors urge Supreme Court to reject Trump’s immunity claims in election subversion case
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith’s team urged the Supreme Court on Monday night to reject former President Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The brief from prosecutors was submitted just...
‘Absolutely amazing’: Solar eclipse wows watchers in Western Pa.
For a few moments Monday afternoon, thousands of people around Southwestern Pennsylvania were doing the same thing — looking up at the sky. Many were left with wonder and excitement at witnessing a solar eclipse, even if it was sometimes obscured by clouds and just shy of totality. “It’s so...
3 dead, including suspect, after shooting inside Las Vegas law office, police say
LAS VEGAS — A shooting Monday inside a law office in the affluent Summerlin neighborhood of Las Vegas left three people dead, including the shooter, police said. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that investigators believe the shooter killed himself. “I want to make sure our...
Totality plunges Erie, surrounding region into darknessVideo
ERIE — The timing in Erie couldn’t have been better for a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, which shrouded the city in darkness for a few minutes Monday afternoon. A dreary morning gave way to sunshine and clear skies around 2 p.m. as the moon began carving ever-larger chunks out of...
