Hezbollah and Hamas’ military wings in Lebanon exchange fire with Israel; tension rises along border
RMEISH, Lebanon — The military wing of Palestinian group Hamas said Monday it fired rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel, triggering Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese side of the border. The Qassam Brigades said in a statement its militants fired 16 rockets on the town of Nahariya and the southern...
Don’t put that rhinestone emblem on your car’s steering wheel, U.S. regulators say
NEW YORK — U.S. regulators are warning drivers to steer clear of aftermarket decals used to embellish a car’s logo on the center of its steering wheel. Such metal or plastic emblems — which are typically adorned with rhinestones or other decorations and attached to the steering wheel with an...
‘Amtrak Joe’ Biden visits Delaware to promote $16 billion for passenger rail projects
BEAR, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden, arguably the nation’s biggest Amtrak fan, visited a train maintenance shop in his home state of Delaware on Monday to showcase more than $16 billion in federal investments for rail travel along the busy Northeast Corridor, saying of long-delayed improvements, “we’re finally getting...
Can a Floridian win the presidency? It hasn’t happened yet as Trump and DeSantis vie to be 1st
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida governor wins reelection by record numbers and later finds himself running as a party conservative in a crowded presidential primary. In New Hampshire, he tip-toes around the explosive abortion rights issue, discusses ongoing Israeli military operations, promises he’ll secure the Mexican border and warns that...
Abortion debate has dominated this election year. Here are Tuesday’s races to watch
WASHINGTON — The most-watched races in Tuesday’s off-year general election have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights. From a reelection bid for governor in Kentucky to a statewide ballot measure in Ohio to state legislative elections in Virginia, access to abortion has been a frequent topic...
Father of July 4th parade shooting suspect pleads guilty to misdemeanors linked to son’s gun license
WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The father of a man charged in a deadly Fourth of July parade shooting in suburban Chicago pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanors Monday in a case that centered on how his son obtained a gun license. Robert Crimo Jr. entered the plea as his trial was about...
Blinken wraps up frantic Mideast tour with tepid, if any, support for pauses in Gaza fighting
ANKARA, Turkey — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a grueling Middle East diplomatic tour on Monday in Turkey after only limited success in efforts to forge a regional consensus on how best to ease civilian suffering in Gaza as Israel intensifies its war against Hamas. In the...
U.S. senators seek answers from Army after reservist killed 18 in Maine
LEWISTON, Maine — Two senators from Maine asked the U.S. Army inspector general on Monday to provide a full accounting of interactions with a reservist before he killed 18 people and injured 13 others in the deadliest shooting in the state’s history. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus...
Why 1 survivor of domestic violence wants the Supreme Court to uphold a gun control law
WASHINGTON — Ruth Glenn knows from harrowing personal experience the danger of putting a gun in the hands of a violent spouse or partner, the issue at the heart of a case before the Supreme Court. On a beautiful June evening in 1992, Glenn was shot three times, twice in...
Mind-altering ketamine becomes new pain treatment, despite little research or regulation
WASHINGTON — As U.S. doctors scale back their use of opioid painkillers, a new option for hard-to-treat pain is taking root: ketamine, the decades-old surgical drug that is now a trendy psychedelic therapy. Prescriptions for ketamine have soared in recent years, driven by for-profit clinics and telehealth services offering the...
Trump lashes out from the witness stand at judge, NY attorney general as he testifies in fraud trial
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump vigorously defended his wealth and business on Monday, tangling from the witness stand with the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial and denouncing as a “political witch hunt” a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth. Trump’s long-awaited testimony about property...
Climate activists smash glass protecting Velazquez’s Venus painting in London’s National Gallery
LONDON — Two climate change protesters smashed a protective glass panel covering a famous Diego Velázquez oil painting at London’s National Gallery, the group Just Stop Oil said Monday. The two activists targeted Velázquez’s “The Toilet of Venus,” also known as “The Rokeby Venus,” with small hammers. Photos showed the...
Israeli forces cut off north Gaza as Palestinian death toll from monthlong war passes 10,000
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with intense airstrikes overnight into Monday, setting the stage for an expected push into the dense confines of Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war. Already,...
Election HQ: Western Pennsylvania voter guide to 2023 general election
General election day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling place by entering their address here. For more...
Trump’s decades of testimony provide some clues about how he’ll fight for his real estate empire
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has testified in court as a football owner, casino builder and airline buyer. He bragged in a deposition that he saved “millions of lives” by deterring nuclear war as president. Another time, he fretted about the dangers of flung fruit. Conditioned by decades of trials...
Inside the Joe Biden-Mike Johnson relationship: Greetings, briefings and clashes over foreign aid
WASHINGTON — Inside the White House Situation Room, new House Speaker Mike Johnson made clear to Biden administration officials his demands when it came to foreign assistance: Aid to Israel for its war against Hamas would have to be separated out from support for Ukraine, defending itself from a Russian...
Californians bet farming agave for spirits holds key to weathering drought and groundwater limits
MURRIETA, Calif. — Leo Ortega started growing spiky blue agave plants on the arid hillsides around his Southern California home because his wife liked the way they looked. A decade later, his property is now dotted with thousands of what he and others hope is a promising new crop for...
Hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ends with man in custody and 4-year-old daughter safe
BERLIN — The hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended Sunday afternoon, around 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his 4-year-old daughter inside, authorities said. The man was arrested and the girl appears to be unharmed. Hamburg police tweeted that “the hostage...
Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel’s military announces it has surrounded Gaza City
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza came under the third total communications outage since the start of the war, while Israel’s military announced late Sunday that it had encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip into two. “Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” Rear Adm. Daniel...
‘His impact is almost immeasurable’: Longtime YMCA leader bids job farewell in pursuit of foundation position
After 27 years of working for the YMCA, Larry Stormer will pursue his goal of foundation work with a local nonprofit benefiting children and families in need. Stormer, 54, of Ligonier, has worked at YMCA branches in Greensburg, Erie, Plum and Ligonier Valley. He has served as fitness director, executive...
Norway spruce from West Virginia headed to U.S. Capitol to be this year’s Christmas tree
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A 63-foot Norway spruce from the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia is on its way to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to be the Christmas tree for 2023. Snow fell on the crew members Wednesday in Monongahela National Forest as they harvested the tree selected...
Protest marches from U.S. to Berlin call for halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza
WASHINGTON — From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The marches reflected growing disquiet about the mounting civilian casualty toll and suffering from the Israel-Hamas war. Protesters, particularly in countries with large Muslim populations,...
Republican defense hawks have had it with party populists
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans who favor a strong U.S. military have begun to directly challenge party populists over national security, raising the odds for more Ukraine aid and an end to a monthslong blockade on Pentagon promotions. The so-called defense hawks, once the power center of a party that has...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee among Democrats who could face challenges over stance on Israel
ST. LOUIS — Most members of Congress have stood firmly behind Israel since the Hamas attack last month, but not Cori Bush. The Missouri Democrat called Israel’s response a “war crime” and an “ethnic cleansing campaign” and was among the few House members who opposed a resolution supporting Israel. Her...
Trump calls DeSantis ‘wounded, falling baby bird’ at Florida GOP summit
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis made his case for the presidential nomination at the Florida Republican Party’s annual summit Saturday, only for Donald Trump to compare him to a “wounded, falling baby bird” in casually dismissing the governor’s chances. “He asked me for the endorsement,” Trump said of DeSantis...
