Winless lottery streak ends — New Jersey player scores $1.13B Mega Millions jackpot
DES MOINES, Iowa — Someone in New Jersey overcame the odds Tuesday night and won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December. The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4. The winning ticket was sold...
U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas subject of a House ethics investigation
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday it has opened an inquiry into U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. The committee included no information on its investigation, but Nehls released a statement saying the inquiry was into his “campaign finances.” He denied wrongdoing and said he looked forward to assisting...
Trump is selling ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump is now selling Bibles as he runs to return to the White House. Trump, who became the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this month, released a video on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday urging his supporters to buy the “God Bless the USA...
Federal court tosses case by Pa. lawmakers against Shapiro’s voter registration order
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a case brought by conservative legislators seeking to throw out Governor Josh Shapiro’s voter registration policy, along with related initiatives from former Gov. Tom Wolf and President Joe Biden. The order by Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for the Middle District, finds that the plaintiffs...
NBC says it will cut ties with former RNC head Ronna McDaniel after days of employee objections
NEW YORK — NBC News will cut ties with former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel, hired last week as an on-air political contributor, following a furious protest by some of its journalists and commentators, according to a memo from the top official of the network’s news division. The communication...
Judge issues gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting on witnesses, others in hush money case
NEW YORK — A New York judge Tuesday issued a gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial, citing the former president’s history of “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating” remarks about people involved in his legal cases. Judge Juan...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picks Nicole Shanahan as his running mate for his independent White House bid
OAKLAND, Calif. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan on Tuesday to be his vice presidential pick, adding a wealthy but nationally unknown figure to his independent White House bid that’s trying to appeal to voters disaffected by a rematch of the 2020 election. Shanahan, 38, is a California...
What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse
BALTIMORE — A cargo ship rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Bridge early Tuesday, causing the span to collapse and rescuers to launch a massive search for at least six people who are missing. Here’s what we know so far about the disaster: What exactly happened? The operators of the Dali...
Biden and Harris team up for health care event in North Carolina
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will promote their health care agenda on Tuesday in North Carolina, a battleground state that Democrats hope to flip in their favor after falling short to Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections. Fourteen years after President Barack Obama...
Pennsylvania county joins other local governments in suing oil industry over climate change
A large suburban Philadelphia county has joined dozens of other local governments around the country in suing the oil industry, asserting that major oil producers systematically deceived the public about their role in accelerating global warming. Bucks County’s lawsuit against a half dozen oil companies blames the oil industry for...
Supreme Court seems likely to preserve access to the abortion medication mifepristone
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to preserve access to a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year, in the court’s first abortion case since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. In nearly 90 minutes of...
‘We are so excited’: Eclipse gives Edinboro, other colleges a chance to teach
David Hurd’s excitement over what’s about to happen in the skies above him is obvious when he speaks. It even comes through in his voicemail these days. “We are so excited for April 8,” says the recorded message from Hurd, a geosciences professor and director of the planetarium at PennWest...
A list of major U.S. bridge collapses caused by ships and barges
A container ship struck a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to plunge into the river below. From 1960 to 2015, there have been 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from...
China to challenge Biden’s electric vehicle plans at the WTO
BEIJING (AP) — China filed a World Trade Organization complaint against the U.S. on Tuesday over what it says are discriminatory requirements for electric vehicles subsidies. Starting this year, U.S. car buyers are not eligible for tax credits of $3,750 to $7,500 if critical minerals or other battery components were...
U.K. court says Assange can’t be extradited on espionage charges until U.S. rules out death penalty
LONDON — A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents....
Powerball jackpot climbs to $865 million as long winless drought continues
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot increased to an estimated $865 million after no one won Monday night’s drawing, continuing a winless streak that dates to New Year’s Day. The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 19, 53 68 and red ball 23. Since the last winner on Jan. 1,...
Baltimore bridge collapses after powerless cargo ship rams into support column; 6 presumed dead
BALTIMORE — A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed...
Republicans threaten to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden documents case
WASHINGTON — House Republicans threatened to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress if he did not turn over unredacted materials related to the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. In a letter Monday — obtained by The Associated Press — Reps. James...
Girl dies from gunshot wound after grabbing Los Angeles deputy’s gun, authorities say
LOS ANGELES — A girl died Sunday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after she entered a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station and grabbed a deputy’s gun, the department said. The incident was the first time in at least five years where someone shot themselves with an on-duty deputy’s gun, officials...
A London court will rule whether WikiLeaks’ Assange can challenge extradition to the US
LONDON — A London court is due to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets one final appeal in England to challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Two judges are scheduled to issue a judgment Tuesday morning in the High Court that could put an end to...
Guns, sneakers were seized from a man accused of killing a pregnant Amish woman, police say
HARRISBURG — Police investigating the killing a pregnant Amish woman in rural Pennsylvania seized six guns, a variety of ammunition and a pair of sneakers that may match tread marks left at the crime scene during searches of the suspect’s home and vehicle, documents show. Search warrant documents released over...
‘Morning Joe’ hosts add to internal NBC criticism of Ronna McDaniel’s hiring as a contributorVideo
NEW YORK — The internal furor over NBC News’ decision to hire former Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor spread Monday, with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts saying on the air that they strongly objected and wouldn’t have her on their show. “We hope NBC will reconsider...
Florida Gov. DeSantis signs one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors
TALLAHASSEE — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental...
Pricey design firm to refurbish Pa. Governor’s Residence; project donors, costs unknown
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 — Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and the Bahamas. New York, Greenwich, and London. The de la Torre Design Studio in New York City has,...
Nearly $2 billion up for grabs as Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots soar
The stars have aligned in the lottery universe like never before, with two jackpots totaling nearly $2 billion. With an estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions prize and an estimated $800 million Powerball jackpot, it’s the first time the two nearly national lottery games have each grown so large at the...
