2 cargo ships collide off German coast; at least 1 sailor dead, 4 missing
BERLIN — Two cargo ships collided in the North Sea off the coast of Germany on Tuesday and one of them sank, German authorities said. At least one sailor died and rescuers were trying to find another four. The vessels collided shortly before 5 a.m. about 14 miles southwest of...
Is Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system ironclad?
JERUSALEM — Since Israel activated the Iron Dome in 2011, the cutting-edge rocket-defense system has intercepted thousands of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The system has given residents a sense of security, and Israelis can often be seen watching the projectiles flying through the skies and destroying their targets...
Trump’s lawyers file challenges to Washington election subversion case, calling it unconstitutional
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Donald Trump are raising new challenges to the federal election subversion case against him, telling a judge that the indictment should be dismissed because it violates the former president’s free speech rights and represents a vindictive prosecution. The motions filed late Monday in the case charging...
Few transplant surgeons are Black. Giving medical students a rare peek at organ donation may help
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s long after midnight when the bustling operating room suddenly falls quiet — a moment of silence to honor the man lying on the table. This is no ordinary surgery. Detrick Witherspoon died before ever being wheeled in, and now two wide-eyed medical students are about to...
U.S. state Senator Jeff Wilson arrested in Hong Kong for gun possession; granted bail
HONG KONG — A Washington state senator was arrested in Hong Kong for carrying a gun that was not registered in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, his website and local media reported. He was released on bail Monday. Jeff Wilson, a Republican from Longview, was arrested after landing at the Hong...
Theft of 2 million dimes off truckload from U.S. Mint leaves 4 facing federal charges
PHILADELPHIA — Federal authorities have released more details and unsealed charges in the theft of more than 2 million dimes earlier this year from a tractor-trailer that had picked up the coins from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The truck driver was bound for Miami when he pulled into a...
‘Superfog’ near New Orleans blamed for highway crashes that killed at least 7Video
NEW ORLEANS — At least seven people were killed Monday after a “superfog” of smoke from marsh fires and dense morning fog caused a series of wrecks on Interstate 55 near New Orleans that left a long stretch of mangled and scorched cars, trucks and tractor-trailers. An estimated 158 vehicles...
Panera Bread sued after Pa. student dies from ‘charged lemonade’
Panera Bread has been sued after the death of a University of Pennsylvania student. The student — who had a heart condition — had reportedly drank one of the chain’s “charged lemonades” prior to passing away. NBC News reports how the lawsuit was filed Monday in the Philadelphia Court of...
Sen. Bob Menendez enters not guilty plea to a new conspiracy charge
NEW YORK — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez returned to Manhattan federal court Monday to challenge a new criminal charge alleging that he conspired to act as an agent of the Egyptian government when he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Not guilty,” Menendez, 69, said when Judge Sidney H. Stein...
Bad tech, staffing shortages hinder Pa. as it reassesses health care coverage for thousands
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is struggling with faulty technology, persistent staffing shortages, and flawed procedures as it reassesses health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of...
3rd person dies after tanker truck with jet fuel hits 2 cars on Pennsylvania Turnpike, police say
WORCESTER — Authorities say a third person has died as a result of a weekend crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike involving a tanker truck carrying jet fuel and a pair of stopped cars. State police said the crash occurred in the northbound lanes of I-476 on the turnpike’s Northeast Extension...
Detroit police say they’ve identified several people of interest in synagogue president’s killing
DETROIT — Investigators have identified several people of interest in the fatal stabbing of a Detroit synagogue president but would not talk about their connections to the woman during a press conference Monday. Authorities found 40-year-old Samantha Woll’s body outside her home early Saturday after a caller told police about...
Pilots on Horizon Air jet say 3rd pilot in the cockpit tried to shut down engines
PORTLAND, Ore. — An off-duty pilot riding in the extra seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air passenger jet tried to shut down the engines in midflight and had to be subdued by the crew, according to a pilot flying the plane. Authorities in Oregon identified the man as...
It’s Day 20 with no House speaker, and lower-level names are starting to reach for the gavel
WASHINGTON — On Day 20 without a House speaker, Republicans found themselves starting over Monday — bumbling ahead with few ideas about who will lead, what they are fighting over and when they will get Congress working again. Republicans gathered late in the evening to hear quick speeches from the...
Man who lived in the woods is found guilty of murder in retired New Hampshire couple’s death
CONCORD, N.H. — A man who was living in a tent in the woods in New Hampshire was convicted of murder Monday in the fatal shooting of a retired couple who had gone out for a walk. After a day and a half of deliberation, a jury found Logan Clegg,...
Allegheny County executive, prosecutor, as well as Philly mayor race, could offer lessons for 2024 election
Local elections in Democratic strongholds at both ends of Pennsylvania next month could show how voters feel about progressive candidates and issues such as abortion and crime ahead of the 2024 election. Philadelphia will get a new mayor, and Allegheny County will see a new executive. Voters there will also...
Even with carbon emissions cuts, a key part of Antarctica is doomed to slow collapse, study says
No matter how much the world cuts back on carbon emissions, a key and sizable chunk of Antarctica is essentially doomed to an “unavoidable” melt, a new study found. Though the full melt will take hundreds of years, slowly adding nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters) to sea levels, it will...
Australians’ rejection of the Indigenous Voice in constitutional vote is shameful, supporters say
CANBERRA, Australia — Indigenous campaigners who wanted Australia to create an advisory body representing its most disadvantaged ethnic minority have said its rejection in a constitutional referendum was a “shameful act.” Many proponents of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament maintained a week of silence and flew Aboriginal flags at half-staff...
This procedure is banned in the U.S. Why is it a hot topic in fight over Ohio’s abortion amendment?
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With Election Day closing in, anti-abortion groups seeking to build opposition to a reproductive rights measure in Ohio are messaging heavily around a term for an abortion procedure that was once used later in pregnancy but that hasn’t been legal in the U.S. for over 15 years....
Hamas frees 2 Israeli women as U.S. advises delaying ground war to allow talks on captives
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas released two elderly Israeli women held hostage in Gaza on Monday, as the United States expressed increasing concern that the escalating Israel-Hamas war will spark a wider conflict in the region, including attacks on American troops. The death toll in Gaza was rising rapidly as...
Turnover has plagued local election offices since 2020. Luzerne County is trying to recover.
WILKES-BARRE — The polls had just opened for last year’s midterms in Pennsylvania when the phones began ringing at the election office in Luzerne County. Polling places were running low on paper to print ballots. Volunteers were frustrated, and voters were worried they might not be able to vote. Emily...
No evidence of hate crime, police say as slain Detroit synagogue president mourned as devoted leader
A Detroit synagogue president who was fatally stabbed at her home was remembered Sunday by family, friends and top Michigan officials as a generous, thoughtful leader who built bridges between communities. As mourners gathered to pay respects to Samantha Woll, police said their ongoing investigation of her killing found no...
These 9 Republicans are competing to be next House speakerVideo
Nine Republicans — from the party’s No. 3 leader to an up-and-coming conservative in his second term — are seeking to become the next House speaker, Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., announced shortly after a noon deadline to get in the race passed Sunday. The exact timing of a...
Israel strikes Gaza, Syria and West Bank as war against Hamas threatens to ignite other fronts
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza, two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants, as the 2-week-old war with Hamas threatened to spiral Sunday into a broader conflict. Israel has traded fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group since...
Detroit synagogue president fatally stabbed outside her home
DETROIT — A Detroit synagogue president was found stabbed to death outside her home Saturday, police said. The motive wasn’t known. Emergency medical personnel declared the woman, identified in a statement from Mayor Mike Duggan as Samantha Woll, dead at the scene, Cpl. Dan Donakowski said. “While at the scene,...
