Some Americans will get their student loans canceled in February as Biden accelerates his new plan
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will start canceling student loans for some borrowers starting in February as part of a new repayment plan that’s taking effect nearly six months ahead of schedule. Loan cancellation was originally set to begin in July under the new SAVE repayment plan, but it’s being...
Was D.B. Cooper really a Pittsburgh-area steel plant employee? An amateur sleuth thinks so.
The decades-long D.B. Cooper mystery has a Pennsylvania connection that might have finally led to the culprit after more than 52 years, according to an amateur investigator. Eric Ulis recently told the Fox news station in Seattle that he has pinpointed links between three microscopic particles found on Cooper’s clip-on...
Head of Pa. House Freedom Caucus vies for open state Senate seat
The head of the Pennsylvania State Freedom Caucus is vying for the state Senate seat that represents Cumberland and York counties. Rep. Dawn Keefer has announced she is running for the Republican nomination in the race for the 31st District, currently held by Sen. Mike Regan. Regan has announced he...
U.S., British militaries launch massive retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, U.S. officials said. The U.S. Air Force’s Mideast command said it struck over 60...
Democrats’ education funding report says Pennsylvania owes $5B more to school districts
HARRISBURG — A commission reviewing how Pennsylvania distributes money to public schools narrowly approved a report Thursday that suggests the state is underfunding districts by more than $5 billion and should begin immediately to close that gap. The vote on the report by the Basic Education Funding Commission was backed...
Murder trial begins months after young woman driven into wrong driveway shot in upstate New York
FORT EDWARD, N.Y. — An attorney for an upstate New York man accused of fatally shooting a 20-year-old woman who was with a group of friends who mistakenly turned into his backcountry driveway called it a “terrible accident” involving a defective gun as arguments in his murder trial began Thursday....
Ohio woman who miscarried at home won’t be charged with corpse abuse, grand jury decides
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio woman facing a criminal charge for her handling of a home miscarriage will not be charged, a grand jury decided Thursday. The Trumbull County prosecutor’s office said grand jurors declined to return an indictment for abuse of a corpse against Brittany Watts, 34, of Warren,...
NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan’s 19-year-old daughter is fighting cancerVideo
The 19-year-old daughter of NFL Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan is undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Isabella Strahan appeared on a prerecorded videotape segment sitting next to her father while discussing her diagnosis of medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor, with fellow GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts....
Pennsylvania police officer, suspect critically wounded in Scranton shooting
SCRANTON — A police officer in Pennsylvania was shot and critically wounded early Thursday as he helped investigate two other shootings, authorities said. The shooting in Scranton occurred around 4:30 a.m. and also left a suspect wounded, state police said. Both were treated at a hospital and were listed in...
Feds charge eBay over employees who sent live spiders and cockroaches to couple; company to pay $3M
BOSTON — Online retailer eBay Inc., will pay a $3 million fine to resolve criminal charges over a harassment campaign waged by employees who sent live spiders, cockroaches and other disturbing items to the home of a Massachusetts couple, according to court papers filed Thursday. The Justice Department charged eBay...
President Joe Biden’s record age, 81, is an ‘asset,’ first lady Jill Biden says
WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden says her husband’s age is an “asset,” as President Joe Biden — at 81 already the oldest American leader in history — faces persistent questions from voters about his decision to seek another term. In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” released Thursday, Jill...
South Africa asks UN court to order Israel to end Gaza strikes
South Africa called on the United Nations’ International Court of Justice to order Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza and rule that its military actions constitute genocide. “Genocide is never declared in advance,” but the court should have enough evidence from the weeks...
$100 million gift from Lilly Endowment to United Negro College Fund will support HBCU endowments
The United Negro College Fund announced a donation of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the single largest unrestricted gift to the organization since its founding 80 years ago. The gift announced Thursday will go toward a pooled endowment for the 37 historically Black colleges and universities that form...
Efforts to restrict transgender health care endure in 2024, with more adults targeted
Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits. As legislatures begin their work for the year, lawmakers in...
Elderly couple found dead in their home after heater hit 1,000 degrees
An elderly South Carolina couple was found dead Saturday in what local officials are calling an “extremely hot” house. On Jan. 6, a police officer went to a home in Spartanburg to conduct a wellness check after family members said they hadn’t heard from the people living there in three...
Jamaica probes police killings of four people in 24 hours, including a teenage boy
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A government agency in Jamaica says it is investigating four fatal shootings by police officers in the span of 24 hours, including that of a 14-year-old boy. The Independent Commission of Investigations says police killed three people on Tuesday and another on Wednesday, with authorities...
The tribes wanted to promote their history. Removing William Penn’s statue wasn’t a priority
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The National Park Service’s proposal to remove a William Penn statue from a historic site in Philadelphia —- quickly withdrawn amid a backlash — wasn’t a priority for some of the Native Americans the agency was required to consult with as it prepared to renovate the deteriorating...
U.S. inflation edges up, fueled by food and housing prices, but many other costs rise only mildly
WASHINGTON — Higher rents and food prices boosted overall U.S. inflation in December, a sign that the Federal Reserve’s drive to slow inflation to its 2% target will likely remain a bumpy one. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that overall prices rose 0.3% from November and 3.4% from...
Chris Christie ends his Republican presidential bid, criticizing his rivals on his way out
WINDHAM, N.H. — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday suspended his Republican presidential bid just days before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, ceding to growing pressure to drop out of the race from those desperate to deny Donald Trump a glidepath to the nomination. Addressing supporters at a New Hampshire...
Takeaways from the DeSantis-Haley debate in Iowa
There were only two Republicans on the presidential debate stage Wednesday, as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met for the highest-stake faceoff yet just five days before the nominating process formally starts with Iowa’s caucuses. Haley and DeSantis’ spirited debate came in the shadow...
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to federal tax charges after earlier deal imploded
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s son pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that could have spared him the spectacle of a criminal trial during the 2024 campaign. Hunter Biden has been accused of nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. The...
Donald Trump enjoys a relaxed Fox News town hall while top Republican rivals have fiery debate
NEW YORK — As Donald Trump’s two main Republican rivals slugged it out Wednesday on an Iowa debate stage, the former president appeared across town on a Fox News Channel town hall in a counterprogramming move where few discouraging words were heard. Trump walked onstage to cheers and chants of...
Donald Trump defies judge, gives courtroom speech on tense final day of New York civil fraud trial
NEW YORK — Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump wrested an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks in a six-minute diatribe before being cut off by the judge. In an extraordinary move...
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio 1st Democrat calling for resignation of Defense Secretary Austin
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has come under fire recently for failing to disclose a recent hospitalization, and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, is joining the chorus in calling for Austin’s resignation. Deluzio, a Navy veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, is likely the first Democrat in...
Chris Christie will announce at New Hampshire town hall he’s ending presidential bid
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is planning to announce he’s dropping his Republican presidential bid on Wednesday night at his New Hampshire town hall. That’s according to a person with direct knowledge of the former New Jersey governor’s plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity...
