Democrat Dan McCaffery wins open seat on Pennsylvania Supreme Court
HARRISBURG — Democrat Dan McCaffery won an open seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court in Tuesday’s general election, preserving a strong Democratic majority on a panel that has produced several critical election-related rulings in the presidential battleground state. The seven-member bench, which will be made up five Democrats and two Republicans,...
Syphilis cases in U.S. newborns skyrocketed in 2022. Health officials suggest more testing
NEW YORK — Alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, U.S. health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. More than 3,700 babies were born with congenital syphilis...
Pennsylvania county promises accurate tally after clerical error appears to flip votes for judges
A voting machine company’s clerical error caused votes in an eastern Pennsylvania county to appear to be flipped on a ballot question that asked whether a pair of incumbent state appeals judges should be retained, officials said Tuesday. Voters were asked to decide whether Pennsylvania Superior Court Judges Jack Panella...
Judge: Lawsuit denouncing conditions at a West Virginia jail has been settled
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A lawsuit filed by inmates who described conditions at a southern West Virginia jail as inhumane has been settled, a federal judge said Tuesday, a week after a magistrate judge said some records in the suit had been intentionally destroyed. U.S. District Judge Frank Volk said in...
Virginia Democrats sweep legislative elections after campaigning on abortion rights
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats who campaigned on protecting abortion rights swept Tuesday’s legislative elections, retaking full control of the General Assembly after two years of divided power. The outcome is a sharp loss for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who exerted a great deal of energy, money and political capital...
Millions of retired Americans aren’t coming back to work as predicted
More than three-and-a-half years after covid struck, the U.S. still has around 2 million more retirees than predicted, in one of the most striking and enduring changes to the nation’s labor force. The so-called Great Retirement induced by covid-19 is evident in the divergence between the actual number of retirees...
Man with gun arrested in park near U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON — A man with a gun was arrested near the U.S. Capitol Tuesday afternoon, police said. The man was in a park outside Senate office buildings and across from Washington’s Union Station when he was arrested, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement posted to X, formerly known...
The Supreme Court seems likely to preserve a gun law that protects domestic violence victims
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to preserve a federal law that prohibits people under domestic violence restraining orders from having guns. In their first guns case since last year’s expansion of gun rights, the justices suggested that they will reverse a ruling from an appeals court in...
911 caller was involved in fight with Jewish pro-Israel demonstrator who died, sheriff saysVideo
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Southern California authorities investigating the death of a Jewish man following a fight with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator over the Israel-Hamas war haven’t determined whether a crime occurred and on Tuesday asked for the public’s help to unravel what happened. Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said deputies...
Nobel peace laureate Bialiatski has been put in solitary confinement in Belarus, his wife says
TALLINN, Estonia — Nobel Peace Prize laureate and activist Ales Bialiatski has been transferred to solitary confinement at his prison in Belarus, his wife said Tuesday. Natalia Pinchuk told The Associated Press that prison authorities have toughened conditions for the 61-year-old Bialiatski, who is serving a 10-year sentence, despite his...
At least 7 civilians killed, 20 wounded after minibus explodes in Afghan capital
ISLAMABAD — A minibus exploded in a mostly Shiite Muslim neighborhood in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, killing at least seven civilians and wounding 20 others, authorities said Tuesday. This is the second blast to have struck the area in as many weeks. Police spokesman, Khalid Zadran, said the explosion took place...
Drugs aren’t required to be tested in people who are obese. Here’s why that’s a problem
More than 40% of American adults are considered obese, yet the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. That’s because they are not required to be included in drug studies. And often, they’re explicitly excluded. “Clinical trials and dosing instructions don’t always ensure that drugs will be safe...
Special counsel in the Hunter Biden case insists he was the ‘decision-maker’ in rare testimony
WASHINGTON — The prosecutor overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation testified Tuesday that he had the ultimate authority in the yearslong case as he made an unprecedented appearance before Congress to rebut Republicans’ explosive claims that the probe has been plagued with interference. David Weiss’ interview with the House Judiciary Committee...
Ohio is the lone state deciding an abortion rights question, providing hints for 2024 races
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio becomes the latest flashpoint on Tuesday in the nation’s ongoing battle over abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to the procedure last year. Voters will decide whether to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other forms...
EU set to move ahead on Ukraine membership bid with conditions
The European Union’s executive arm will meet later Tuesday to finalize a decision on whether to recommend formally opening Ukraine’s membership talks, with expectations of a positive outcome for Kyiv but with conditions attached. The European Commission will likely recommend that member states open formal negotiations upon the completion of...
NATO freezes a Cold War-era security pact after Russia pulls out, raising questions on arms control
BRUSSELS — NATO member countries that signed a key Cold War-era security treaty froze their participation in the pact on Tuesday just hours after Russia pulled out, raising fresh questions about the future of arms control agreements in Europe. Many of NATO’s 31 allies are parties to the Treaty of...
Gov. Shapiro signs bill repealing ban on religious garb worn by teachers
Public school teachers in Pennsylvania will soon be allowed to wear jewelry or clothing bearing a religious emblem or symbol while on the job. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill Monday that repeals a section of the state’s school code from 1949 that penalized a teacher for such religious displays...
Ex-Philadelphia labor leader on trial on federal charges of embezzling from union
PHILADELPHIA — Longtime former Philadelphia labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty is on trial on embezzlement charges, accused of having stolen from the union he led for nearly three decades. Dougherty and others are accused of having embezzled more than $650,000 from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical...
House GOP prepares stopgap bill to avert Nov. 18 shutdown
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are preparing a temporary spending bill to avert a Nov. 18 government shutdown and could vote on it this week, lawmakers said after leaving a meeting with newly installed Speaker Mike Johnson. One option would create two new “funding cliff” dates of Dec. 7 and Jan....
‘Mom, there’s a fire!’: Point Park student makes frantic call when scooter catches fire in off-campus apartment
There are phone calls home to mom that college students never want to make. And then there’s the one placed early Saturday by Point Park University sophomore Aidan McFarlane, 19, barefoot, barely awake and frantic, as he realized his battery-powered electric scooter was ablaze in his studio apartment. Billowing smoke...
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sued by book publisher for breach of contract
NEW YORK — Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is being sued by his publisher for contradicting his book’s claim about the 2020 election. All Seasons Press alleges that sworn testimony by Meadows undermined “The Chief’s Chief,” in which he wrote that the election was stolen from former...
2nd police officer acquitted in death of Elijah McClain, who was put in a neck hold, given ketamine
BRIGHTON, Colo. — A second Denver-area police officer was acquitted Monday in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who was put in a neck hold and injected with ketamine after being stopped by police as he walked home from a convenience store. The jury found Aurora officer Nathan Woodyard not...
Carnegie Mellon receives $25M gift for computational biology from trustee and wife
Carnegie Mellon University has received a $25 million gift from longtime Trustee Ray Lane and his wife, Stephanie, to support the institution’s Computational Biology Department. Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian announced the gift in a note to campus Monday afternoon. He called it a “monumental investment” in an expanding area...
Trump has edge in Pa. polling a year from election, but a Trump conviction would boost Biden
With the 2024 presidential election a year away, a poll of battleground states shows former President Donald Trump with a lead over President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania in a potential rematch of 2020, though Trump’s legal trials could have an effect on the race. Trump has a 4 percentage point...
Broadcast, audio companies will be eligible for Pulitzer Prizes, for work on digital sites
NEW YORK — The Pulitzer Prizes, considered the premier award for print journalists, are opening eligibility to broadcast and audio companies that also offer digital news sites. But the work these companies can submit for prize consideration must primarily be written journalism, the Columbia University-based Pulitzer Prize Board said on...
