Israel presses ahead with bombarding Gaza, including areas it told Palestinians to evacuate to
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes struck parts of the Gaza Strip in relentless bombardment Saturday, hitting some of the dwindling bits of land it had told Palestinians to evacuate to in the territory’s south. The strikes came a day after the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding...
EU strikes deal to regulate ChatGPT, AI tech in landmark act
The European Union reached a hard-fought deal on what is poised to become the most comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence in the Western world. Thierry Breton, the bloc’s internal market chief, said the deal strikes a balance between fostering innovation and protecting the rights of people and companies. “We spent...
Stabbing at Newark, N.J., hospital leaves 3 medical workers wounded
A stabbing incident at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey left two nurses and one medical resident wounded Friday, following a domestic dispute with visitors in the hospital’s pediatric ICU. Hospital officials said the three staff members suffered lacerations and were rushed to the onsite emergency department...
Fox News pushes back against reporter’s lawsuit claiming he was fired for challenging Jan. 6 coverage
WASHINGTON — Fox News pushed back Friday against a former reporter’s lawsuit saying he was targeted and fired for challenging false claims about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The network argued Jason Donner had not shown he faced illegal discrimination. The nation’s capital bans discrimination...
Senators introduce legislation to protect fans from ‘dramatically overpriced’ event tickets
A bipartisan group of senators Thursday introduced legislation that seeks to address flaws in the live-event ticketing system in the U.S. and increase protections for customers. The much-awaited bill, dubbed the Fans First Act, would increase transparency in ticket sales, protect concertgoers from “fake or dramatically overpriced tickets” and go...
Kemp signs Georgia’s Republican redistricting into law
ATLANTA — Meeting a federal judge’s deadline, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law new Republican-drawn political maps Friday that redistrict Georgia’s congressional and General Assembly seats before next year’s elections. The redrawn district lines preserve Republican majorities after the judge ruled Georgia’s previous boundaries illegally weakened Black voting power in...
911 calls underscore terror of deadly Las Vegas university shooting
LAS VEGAS — Fire alarms blared in the background of 911 calls police released Friday, amplifying the terrified voices of students and faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as they hid inside locked offices and under desks while a gunman fired shots outside, killing three professors. “Someone’s shooting....
Pregnant woman in Kentucky sues for right to get abortion
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A pregnant woman in Kentucky filed a lawsuit Friday demanding the right to an abortion, the second legal challenge in days to sweeping abortion bans that have taken hold in more than a dozen states since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. The suit, filed in...
Man dies a day after exchange of gunfire with St. Paul police officer
A man who was shot in the head during an exchange of gunfire with a St. Paul police officer died early Friday, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner determined Brandon Daleshaun Keys, 24, from the eastern suburb of Maplewood, died of the gunshot wound...
Federal judge prohibits separating migrant families at U.S. border for 8 years
SAN DIEGO — A federal judge on Friday prohibited the separation of families at the border for purposes of deterring immigration for eight years, preemptively blocking resumption of a lightning-rod, Trump-era policy the former president hasn’t ruled out if voters return him to the White House next year. U.S. District...
Man who fired shotgun outside New York synagogue cited events in the Mideast, federal agent says
ALBANY, N.Y. — A man who fired a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in New York’s capital city is an Iraq-born U.S. citizen who told investigators he felt affected by events in the Middle East, a federal agent said in a court filing. No one was injured by...
Identity of 3rd victim in UNLV shooting released
LAS VEGAS — The Clark County coroner’s office has identified the third professor killed at UNLV on Wednesday as the school’s head of the Japanese Studies Program. UNLV associate professor Naoko Takemaru, 69, of Las Vegas died of multiple gunshot wounds, the coroner’s office said Friday. Takemaru oversaw UNLV’s Japanese...
Appeals court upholds gag order on Trump but narrows restrictions on his speech
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday upheld a gag order on former President Donald Trump in his 2020 election interference case but narrowed the restrictions on his speech. The three-judge panel’s ruling modifies the gag order to allow the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner to make disparaging...
Harvard president apologizes for remarks on antisemitism as pressure mounts on Penn’s president
WASHINGTON — Harvard University’s president apologized as pressure mounted for the University of Pennsylvania’s president to resign over their testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism that critics from the White House on down say failed to show that they would stand up to antisemitism on campus. In an interview...
Repairs to Pennsylvania House chamber prompt 3-month hiatus for lawmakers
After lawmakers leave Harrisburg for winter recess next week, the state House chamber will close for three months as a costly repair is made to its ornate and historic ceiling. While the House will convene on Jan. 2, as required by the state Constitution, and on Feb. 6, for Gov....
2 gene therapies for sickle cell disease approved in U.S.
Regulators on Friday approved two new gene therapies for sickle cell disease that doctors hope can cure the painful, inherited blood disorder that afflicts mostly Black people in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration said the one-time treatments can be used for patients 12 and older with severe forms...
The Census Bureau wants to change how it asks about disabilities. Some advocates don’t like it
The U.S. Census Bureau wants to change how it asks people about disabilities, and some advocates are complaining that they were not consulted enough on what amounts to a major overhaul in how disabilities would be defined by the federal government. Disability advocates say the change would artificially reduce their...
Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it to produce a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare and fleeting spectacle, late Monday into early Tuesday, should be visible to millions of people along a...
High-profile attacks on Derek Chauvin and Larry Nassar put spotlight on violence in federal prisons
Derek Chauvin was stabbed nearly two dozen times in the law library at a federal prison in Arizona. Larry Nassar was knifed repeatedly in his cell at a federal penitentiary in Florida. The assaults of two notorious, high-profile federal prisoners by fellow inmates in recent months have renewed concerns about...
Trump’s vow to only be a dictator on ‘day one’ follows growing worry over his authoritarian rhetoric
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As Donald Trump faces growing scrutiny over his increasingly authoritarian and violent rhetoric, Fox News host Sean Hannity gave his longtime friend a chance to assure the American people that he wouldn’t abuse power or seek retribution if he wins a second term. But instead of offering...
Palestinians crowd into ever-shrinking areas in Gaza as Israel’s war against Hamas enters 3rd month
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Desperate Palestinians fleeing Israel’s expanding ground offensive crowded into an ever-shrinking area of the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third month Friday. The United Nations warned that its aid operation is “in tatters” because no place in the besieged enclave is safe. Israel’s...
Putin will seek another presidential term in Russia, aiming to extend his rule of over two decades
Vladimir Putin on Friday moved to prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for at least another six years, announcing his candidacy in the presidential election next March that he is all but certain to win. Putin still commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power, despite starting...
Michigan teen gets life in prison for killing 4 students during high school attack
PONTIAC, Mich. — A teenager was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing four students, wounding more and terrorizing Michigan’s Oxford High School in 2021. A judge rejected pleas for a shorter sentence and ensured that Ethan Crumbley, 17, will not get an opportunity for parole. Life sentences for...
Biden showcases $8.2B for 10 major rail projects, including in W.Pa.
LAS VEGAS — President Joe Biden went to Las Vegas on Friday to say he’s “putting high-speed rail on the fast track,” and he used the moment to blast Donald Trump — his predecessor and likely 2024 challenger — as a do-nothing politician. “Trump just talks the talk. We walk...
A Jan. 6 rioter praised Vivek Ramaswamy at his sentencing for suggesting riot was an ‘inside job’
WASHINGTON — A former California police chief convicted of a conspiracy charge in the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Thursday to more than 11 years in prison after giving a speech that praised Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s suggestion the Jan. 6, 2021, attack could have been an “inside job.”...
