Gaza cease-fire and hostage release talks appear to stall as Netanyahu blames Hamas
JERUSALEM — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas suffered a setback on Wednesday as Israel reportedly recalled its negotiating team and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of hobbling the high-stakes negotiations by sticking to “delusional” demands. Netanyahu’s remarks came hours after local media reported that...
Judge to consider whether to remove District Attorney Fani Willis from Georgia election case
ATLANTA — A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of the state’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump has set a hearing for Thursday that is expected to focus on details of Willis’ personal relationship with a special prosecutor...
Pond hockey in New Hampshire brightens winter for hundreds. But climate change threatens the sport
MEREDITH, N.H. — Every winter, Pete Kibble and the guys he plays social hockey with in Massachusetts make the trek up to New Hampshire to play in an outdoor tournament many believe embodies the sport in its purest form. They are among the 2,200 players who descend on Meredith each...
Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. Here’s what you need to know
Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision of events. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday,...
Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress
Democrat Tom Suozzi has won a special election in New York for the U.S. House seat that was left vacant when Republican George Santos was expelled from Congress. Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to retake a seat he held for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for...
1 person killed, 5 injured when vehicle crashes into emergency room in Austin, TexasVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — A car crashed into a Texas hospital’s emergency room Tuesday, killing the driver and injuring five other people, including a child with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The car smashed into the lobby of the ER at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center shortly after 5:30 p.m., fire...
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin released from hospital, has resumed his full duties
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday and has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December to treat prostate cancer. He was taken back to Walter Reed on...
Chicago to stop using controversial gunshot detection technology this year
CHICAGO — Chicago won’t renew its ShotSpotter contract and plans to stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced Tuesday. The system, which relies on an artificial intelligence algorithm and network of microphones to identify gunshots, has been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias...
GOP-led House impeaches Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas — by 1 vote — over border managementVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with the Republican majority determined to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border after failing last week in a politically embarrassing setback. The evening roll call proved tight, with Speaker Mike Johnson’s...
Fake Michigan Certificate of Votes mailed to U.S. Senate after 2020 presidential vote, official says
A fake Certificate of Votes was submitted to the U.S. Senate following Michigan’s 2020 presidential election, an official testified Tuesday during a preliminary hearing for six people facing forgery and other charges for allegedly serving as false electors. The “purported” Certificate of Votes didn’t match an official document signed by...
What’s that sound on Facebook? A glitch, Meta confirms.
Why is Facebook chirping at you? Apparently, it’s not supposed to. And you’re not imagining it. Some Facebook users have been complaining about a new chirping sound that occurs when scrolling through the cellphone app. Turns out it’s just a glitch. Andy Stone, Meta’s communications director, confirmed via the X...
Notre Dame cathedral’s spire revealed in Paris as reconstruction continues after fireVideo
PARIS — Scaffolding that shrouded the top of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire in April 2019 is being removed, marking a milestone in its reconstruction. As the shell at the summit has been taken down in recent days, it has revealed the cathedral’s new spire for the first...
Flight attendants hold airport rallies to protest lack of new contracts, pay raises
Three separate unions representing flight attendants at major U.S. airlines are picketing and holding rallies at 30 airports on Tuesday as they push for new contracts and higher wages. The flight attendants are increasingly frustrated that pilots won huge pay raises last year while they continue to work for wages...
Beyoncé acknowledges country music roots with 2 singles, upcoming album
During the Super Bowl, Beyoncé used a commercial to announce her next album — a country-themed follow-up to “Renaissance” being referred to as “Act II.” The new album will drop March 29, according to her website, which updated after the Verizon ad played shortly after halftime, saying “Drop the new...
Mental health emerges as a dividing line in abortion rights initiatives planned for state ballots
CHICAGO — The weeks after Kaniya Harris found out she was pregnant were among the hardest in her life. Final exams were fast approaching for the college junior. Her doctors told her she had an ovarian cyst, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy was high. The wait times for abortion...
Ukraine needs nearly $9 billion to rebuild its cultural sites and tourism industry, UN agency says
PARIS — Ukraine will need nearly $9 billion over the next decade to rebuild its cultural sites and tourism industry following Russia’s invasion and war, the United Nations’ cultural agency said Tuesday. UNESCO estimated that the country’s interlinked culture and tourism sector have lost over $19 billion in revenue during...
Quick-moving winter storm brings snow to Northeast, disrupting travel and schoolsVideo
HARTFORD, Conn. — A quick-moving winter storm battered cities in the Northeast with snowfall, sending huge waves crashing into the New England coastline and forcing New York City schools into glitch-filled remote learning reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic. Airlines canceled or delayed flights while accidents were reported...
White House rules out cognitive test for Biden’s upcoming physical, saying he’s ‘sharp’
President Joe Biden’s annual doctor’s physical is coming up soon, but it won’t include a cognitive test for the 81-year-old democrat seeking a second term. As Fox News reports, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday the mental acuity exam isn’t necessary, as determined by Biden’s physician, Dr....
4 dead, 5 in critical condition after drive-by shooting at a Puerto Rico bar
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Four people were killed and five others were in critical condition after a drive-by shooting at a streetside bar in Puerto Rico, police said Tuesday. Authorities believe the shooting late Monday is tied to drug trafficking. While Puerto Rico has long served as a transit...
Trump’s threat to NATO allies draws little condemnation from GOP
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s claim that he once told a NATO ally that he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to “delinquent” members of the group sent shockwaves through Europe over the weekend. But in Washington, most Republicans downplayed or defended remarks that seemed to invite...
Democrats retain majority in Pa. House with a 102-100 partisan divide
HARRISBURG — Democrats retained their slim majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday after voters elected a former school board member to represent them in a Philadelphia suburb that has been trending more to the left. Jim Prokopiak’s election to the Bucks County seat will give Democrats a...
Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage release talks, officials say
CAIRO — Israel and Hamas are making progress toward a deal that aims to bring about a cease-fire and free hostages held in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the talks, as key meetings continue Tuesday between the sides in the Egyptian capital. Talks...
Russia puts leader of NATO member Estonia on wanted list over removal of WWII monuments
Estonia’s prime minister has been put on a wanted list in Russia because of her efforts to remove Soviet-era World War II monuments in the Baltic nation, officials said Tuesday as tensions between Russia and the West soar amid the war in Ukraine. Russian media reported Tuesday that Kaja Kallas’...
Biden warns opposing Ukraine funding plays ‘into Putin’s hands,’ but faces resistance in HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for House Republicans to urgently bring a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan to a vote, warning that refusal to take up the bill, passed by the Senate in the morning, would be “playing into Putin’s hands.” “Supporting this...
Police: Penn State professor on video partially nude crawling around park, masturbating
A longtime and award-winning Penn State professor was charged Monday after dozens of videos showed him performing sexual acts in Rothrock State Forest, the same place he was caught on camera last year enticing a dog to lick his anus. Themis Matsoukas, 64, of Patton Township, was accused of recording...
