Russian strike on cafe kills 51, Ukrainian officials say, as Zelenskyy seeks more Western supportVideo
HROZA, Ukraine — A Russian rocket blast turned a village cafe and store in eastern Ukraine into rubble Thursday, killing at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv. Rescuers searched for survivors...
Not having a House speaker is threatening these key areas
WASHINGTON — Work in Congress has ground to a halt as Republicans search for a new speaker, threatening Ukraine aid and delaying consequential business legislation. Among the items now stalled are a measure to extend federal banking protections to marijuana companies operating in states where the drug is legal and...
Gov. Shapiro offers first public remarks about the sexual harassment claims involving a former top aide
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday voiced his commitment to a “healthy, safe, professional work environment” for employees who work for his administration as he struggles to address a sexual harassment complaint involving a former top aide. Shapiro, in his first public remarks about the matter, declined to comment directly about...
Trump ‘temporarily’ drops lawsuit against former lawyer-turned-witness Michael Cohen
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has dropped his $500 million lawsuit against Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer who is now a key witness in a criminal case against him, Cohen and a Trump spokesperson said Thursday night. But the former president did not waive his right to sue...
Ex-treasurer for Rep. George Santos pleads guilty to conspiracy, tells of bogus loan and fake donorsVideo
NEW YORK — The ex-treasurer for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Thursday to a fraud conspiracy charge and implicated the indicted New York Republican in a scheme to embellish his campaign finance reports with a fake loan and fake donors. Nancy Marks, who was a close aide to Santos...
Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign touts strong start to 2024 fundraising
U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. is staring down the barrel of the toughest re-election he’s ever faced, and he’s trying to raise funds like he knows it. The Casey campaign on Thursday announced a top-line number of $3.2 million in contributions through the just-completed third quarter reporting period, which...
Pennsylvania chocolate factory fined for failing to evacuate before fatal natural gas explosion
WEST READING — A Pennsylvania chocolate factory was fined more than $44,000 by the federal workplace safety agency on Thursday for failing to evacuate before a natural gas explosion that killed seven people. R.M. Palmer Co. did not heed warnings from employees about a natural gas leak, according to the...
Black voting power gets boost in Alabama as new U.S. House districts chosen by federal judges
MONTGOMERY — Federal judges on Thursday selected new congressional lines for Alabama to give the Deep South state a second district where Black voters comprise a substantial portion of the electorate. The judges stepped in to pick a new congressional map after ruling that one drawn by Alabama illegally diluted...
Donald Trump may visit the Capitol to address Republicans as they pick a new speaker
WASHINGTON — Former President and GOP front-runner Donald Trump is in talks to visit Capitol Hill next week as Republicans debate who should be the next speaker of the House following Kevin McCarthy’s stunning ouster, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The trip would be Trump’s first to...
Report of fatal New Jersey car crash fills in key gap in Menendez federal bribery investigation
BOGOTA, N.J. — The then-future wife of powerful U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, Nadine Menendez, killed a man with her car in December 2018 and was sent from the scene without being charged, according to new details that match an auto “accident” that prosecutors cite in their sweeping federal indictment of...
Israel is perennially swept up in religious conflict, yet many of its citizens are secular
MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Israel is a nation perennially swept up in religious fervor and conflict. And yet, strikingly, a large portion of its population is secular, and even its insular ultra-Orthodox community loses a steady stream of members who tire of its strict religious rules. The country is home...
The Biden administration says it is using executive power to allow border wall construction in TexasVideo
McALLEN, Texas — The Biden administration announced they waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration’s first use of sweeping executive power to pave the way for building more border barriers — a tactic used often during the Trump presidency. The...
September sizzled to records and was so much warmer than average scientists call it ‘mind-blowing’
After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported Thursday. Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September. That’s...
Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as House speaker could cost GOP its best fundraiser heading into 2024
WASHINGTON — Kevin McCarthy spent years raising mountains of Republican campaign cash, flying around the country to recruit top candidates in key districts and painstakingly building political relationships as he worked his way toward becoming speaker of the House. Now that he’s been ousted from the post after less than...
Powerball jackpot up to $1.4 billion after no one matches all the numbers
PINEVILLE, N.C. — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.4 billion after no players matched all six numbers and hit it rich Wednesday night. The winning numbers announced were: 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1. Players will next have a shot at the Powerball jackpot Saturday...
Trump’s intensifying rhetoric offers insight into how he might govern again as president
Over the past two weeks, Donald Trump said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed and mocked a political opponent’s husband who was beaten with a hammer. The former president and current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination also in recent weeks encouraged the...
Greensburg Central Catholic principal and director of admissions resigned last month, search is ongoing
Three high-level administrators have left Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School since June. Principal Kevin Frye resigned without warning effective immediately Sept. 6, two weeks into the academic year. Director of Admissions Elyse Bogner resigned in the same fashion Sept. 8. The assistant principal, Nicole Marchese, left in June —...
Pennsylvania could go after lottery winnings, tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday that would authorize the Department of Revenue to go after the lottery winnings and income tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. The Associated Press reported in 2021 that an internal study by...
3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say; suspect dead
PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening, authorities said. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they were in...
Aggravated assault charges filed in case of Philly motorcyclist seen smashing in back of woman’s carVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of being the motorcyclist seen smashing in the back of a woman’s car while her two young children were inside near Philadelphia’s City Hall and then waving a gun at her after she confronted him has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. Prosecutors...
A $19,000 lectern for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparks call for legislative audit
LITTLE ROCK — Sarah Huckabee Sanders rose to national prominence in part during her time at the lectern as White House press secretary, but the purchase of a $19,000 lectern for the Arkansas governor is undergoing scrutiny and prompting claims that records about it have been altered. A legislative panel...
Attack ads and millions of dollars flow into race for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat
HARRISBURG — Spending in the campaign for an open Pennsylvania state Supreme Court seat is picking up, with millions of dollars flowing into the race as the sides sharpen their attacks over questions about ethics and abortion rights. The race between Democrat Dan McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio won’t change...
Mining company employee killed in Somerset County mine accident
HOLLSOPPLE — A mining company employee was crushed to death in an accident involving a shuttle car in a Somerset County mine, authorities said. LCT Energy said in a statement that the man became trapped between the car and an interior wall of the company’s Maple Springs mine on Monday...
Penn State suspends fraternity over alleged hazing incident
A Penn State University fraternity has been suspended for four years following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident. The sanction imposed on the Delta Theta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity runs through fall 2027. Details of the incident were not released by the university. The fraternity chapter was...
Say goodbye to the covid-19 vaccination card. The CDC has stopped printing them
It’s the end of an era for a once-critical pandemic document: The ubiquitous white covid-19 vaccination cards are being phased out. Now that the federal government is not distributing covid-19 vaccines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped printing new cards. The federal government shipped more than...
