Can you refuse to take a breathalyzer test? These are your rights under Pennsylvania law
If you’ve ever been pulled over by a law enforcement officer in Pennsylvania and needed to test your breath or your reflexes, you may be wondering if you’re within your rights to refuse those requests — whether you had been drinking or not. Pennsylvanians may sometimes choose not to comply...
Pope, looking strong, washes feet of 12 women at Rome prison from wheelchair
ROME — Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 women inmates at a Rome prison during a Holy Thursday ritual meant to emphasize his vocation of service and humility. The 87-year-old Francis performed the ritual from his wheelchair, after recent ailments have compounded his mobility problems. The Rebibbia...
UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into Gaza to tackle crippling shortages in the war-ravaged enclave. The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures...
Putin says he won’t start a war with NATO but Western bases hosting Ukraine F-16s would be targets
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the possibility of his country launching an attack on a NATO member, calling it “sheer nonsense,” but warned that any Western air base hosting U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets that are slated for deployment in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for...
White House expects about 40,000 participants at its ‘egg-ucation’-themed annual Easter egg roll
Some 40,000 people are expected to participate in Monday’s “EGG-ucation”-themed White House Easter Egg Roll, about 10,000 more people than last year. A teacher for more than 30 years, Jill Biden is transforming an annual tradition first held in 1878 into an “EGG-ucational” experience. Various stations on the South Lawn...
4 Canadian school boards sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for disrupting students’ education
TORONTO — Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario said Thursday they launched lawsuits against TikTok, Meta and Snapchat alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning. The lawsuits claim platforms like Facebook and Instagram are “designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way...
Philippine president warns of countermeasures in response to Chinese aggression at sea
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine president said Thursday that his government would take action against what he called dangerous attacks by the Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships in the disputed South China Sea, saying “Filipinos do not yield.” Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not provide details of the actions...
‘Dark money’ groups would be forced to disclose how they spend on Pa.’s elections under advancing bill
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House is advancing modest campaign finance reforms during an election year that will likely see a torrent of hard-to-trace political spending...
Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot dating rule is legal under civil rights law, appeals court says
HARRISBURG — A requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots does not run afoul of a civil rights law, a federal appeals court panel said Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling. A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled...
‘A town that you’re proud to be from’: Family thanks Jeannette community for support following fatal house fire
Dan Cooper is not looking for thank-you’s. Collecting clothing and monetary donations for a family affected by a fatal fire is just what the Jeannette community does. Four of Miranda John’s children — Kyson, 7; Kinzleigh, 6; Keagan, 3; and Korbyn, 1 month — were killed in a fire March...
‘Potentially explosive’ hurricane season coming, predicts AccuWeather
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — AccuWeather on Wednesday released its seasonal forecast, predicting a “potentially explosive” hurricane season this summer and fall. The season runs June 1 to the end of November, but there is the potential for tropical systems — storms that gain their energy from hot sea surface temperatures...
Judge: Ex-Trump lawyer Eastman should lose state law license for efforts to overturn election
LOS ANGELES — A judge has recommended conservative attorney John Eastman lose his California law license over his efforts to keep former President Donald Trump in power after the 2020 election. Eastman, a former law school dean, faces 11 disciplinary charges in the state bar court stemming from his development...
Pa. House approves bill to aid state inmates re-entry into society
Legislation that would help to ease state inmates’ transition into society and give them an opportunity to get out sooner won passage in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. One bill would require the state to assist inmates in obtaining identification before leaving prison, and another would allow inmates...
4 killed, 5 wounded in stabbings in northern Illinois; suspect in custody
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Four people were killed and five were hurt in stabbings in northern Illinois on Wednesday, authorities said. A suspect is in police custody and was being questioned Wednesday afternoon, according to Rockford police Chief Carla Redd. She said one of the people who was wounded remained in...
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dies at 82
NEW YORK — Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain’s running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family....
West Virginia animal shelter pleads for help fostering dogs after truck crashes into building
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia animal shelter put out an urgent plea for people to foster its dogs after a vehicle plowed into its building Wednesday, shelter officials said. The Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association said on Facebook that a rental truck struck the building as workers were cleaning. One dog’s...
Analysis: Race to House majority runs through the 10 toss-ups
WASHINGTON — Even with President Joe Biden’s job approval rating stuck underwater, Democrats have a path to the House majority. It just involves winning virtually all of the “toss-up” races. On the other hand, even though Republicans are seeing their House majority shrink with each passing resignation, the GOP is...
Pennsylvania House advances measure to prohibit ‘ghost guns’
HARRISBURG — A proposal to ban the purchase, sale and production of untraceable gun parts passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives on Wednesday, with Democrats in the House using their majority to propel gun control after years of stagnation in a divided state government. The legislation passed the House...
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in New York hush-money criminal case
NEW YORK — Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order ahead of his April 15 hush-money criminal trial, suggesting, without evidence, that the veteran jurist was kowtowing to his daughter’s interests as a Democratic political consultant. The former president objected...
Covid-19 can damage the heart, even without infecting it, study says
Covid-19 can damage your heart, even when the virus doesn’t directly infect cardiac tissue. That’s the latest from a recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Published in the journal Circulation, the study observed the damaged hearts of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with the virus...
Bernie Sanders endorses Summer Lee for reelection
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, announced Wednesday he is endorsing U.S. Rep. Summer Lee in her reelection battle. Sanders has supported Lee, a Democrat from Swissvale, throughout her political career, including rallying for her in Pittsburgh in 2022. Lee is one of the most progressive lawmakers in Congress and has championed...
Biden leans on his Democratic predecessors as Trump remains isolated from other Republican leaders
WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden needs advice, there are two people he can turn to who know what it’s like to sit in his chair. Sometimes he will invite Barack Obama over to the White House for a meal or he will get on the phone with Bill Clinton....
Hezbollah launches rockets into Israel after Israeli strike kills 7 in Lebanon
Around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Wednesday morning, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah took responsibility for the launches and said they were in response to an Israeli airstrike on a paramedic center linked to a Lebanese Sunni Muslim group in south Lebanon that killed...
Police had about 90 seconds to stop traffic before Baltimore bridge fell. 6 workers are feared dead
BALTIMORE — It was the middle of the night when a dispatcher’s warning crackled over the radio: A massive cargo ship had lost its steering capabilities and was heading toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Within about 90 seconds, police officers responded that they had managed to stop vehicle traffic...
Texas’ migrant arrest law is on hold for now under latest court ruling
NEW ORLEANS — A Texas law that allows the state to arrest and deport migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S. will remain on hold for now, a federal appeals court ruled. The order late Tuesday from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals followed a March 20 hearing by...
