Donald Trump wants future GOP debates to be canceled
Donald Trump’s campaign is calling on the Republican National Committee to cancel all remaining presidential primary debates, saying the RNC must instead “refocus its manpower” on defeating Joe Biden next year. In a statement late Monday, top Trump advisers also repeated debunked falsehoods about election fraud, claiming without evidence that...
Pennsylvania House proposes April 2 for presidential primary, 2 weeks later than Senate wants
HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers want to move their state’s presidential primary election up from late April, but disagreements arose in the House on Tuesday over whether to embrace a Senate-backed plan that would shift the election to mid-March. A House committee first rejected, but later passed, a bipartisan Senate...
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to 3 federal gun charges filed after plea deal collapsed
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three federal firearms charges filed after his earlier deal imploded, setting the case on a track toward a possible trial in 2024 while his father is campaigning for reelection. President Joe Biden’s son has been charged with lying about...
Here’s where all the cases against Trump stand as he campaigns for a return to the White House
The civil fraud trial that kicked off against Donald Trump this week in a New York courtroom is just one of many legal problems facing the former president as he campaigns for a return to the White House. The judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, resolved the lawsuit’s top claim...
Biden says that all 10 drugs targeted for the first Medicare price negotiations will participate
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the manufacturers of all of the first 10 prescription drugs selected for Medicare’s first price negotiations have agreed to participate, clearing the way for talks that could lower their costs in coming years and give him a potential political win heading into...
Pa.’s ‘snot otter’ gets prime spot on new state license plateVideo
The official state amphibian, despite its slimy appearance and a name — and nicknames — that can make young kids snicker, now appears on a Pennsylvania license plate. License plates featuring the Eastern Hellbender — aka the snot otter and Allegheny alligator — are now available for sale through PennDOT...
U.S. Rep. Cuellar of Texas back at work after being carjacked by 3 armed attackers near Capitol
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was back at work on Tuesday after being carjacked the night before by three armed attackers less than a mile from the Capitol. Cuellar said he was “good” and even joked about the frightening experience. He said the robbers “came out of...
After fiery first day, Donald Trump returns to court as his fraud trial gets down to business
NEW YORK — After a fiery first day of opening statements, lawyers in Donald Trump’s business fraud trial in New York will move on Tuesday to the more plodding task of going through years of his financial documents in what’s expected to be a weekslong fight over whether they constitute...
Shooting at major Bangkok shopping mall kills 3; suspect in police custody
BANGKOK — A shooter opened fire inside a major shopping mall in the center of Thailand’s capital Tuesday afternoon, killing three people before being apprehended, authorities said. Police said a suspect was apprehended less than an hour after the first reported gunshots at the Siam Paragon Mall, long been seen...
Powerball jackpot rises to $1.2B after another drawing without big winner
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.2 billion after no players hit it big Monday night. The winning numbers announced were: 12, 26, 27, 43, 47 and the Powerball 5. The jackpot for the next drawing Wednesday night will be among the largest lottery prizes...
Your cellphone, TV and radio will sound alarms today — here’s why
On Wednesday afternoon, your cellphone, TV and radio will all sound alarms. While it may give a jolt of surprise, there is no reason to worry. It is just a test. Two tests, actually. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a nationwide test at...
A 9-year-old girl who vanished from a New York state park has been found safe, police say
MOREAU, N.Y. — A 9-year-old girl who vanished during a family camping trip in upstate New York was found safe Monday following a two-day search, authorities said. Charlotte Sena was located “in good health” and “a suspect is in custody” in connection with her disappearance Saturday evening, New York State...
Edgewood’s Bhavini Patel announces Democratic challenge to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee
After a roughly contested primary in 2022, Western Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District could be in for another competitive spring race. Bhavini Patel, 29, a Democrat from Edgewood, said Monday that she plans to challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, in next year’s primary. Less than two years ago, Lee...
Rep. Matt Gaetz’s motion to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy throws House into new turmoilVideo
WASHINGTON — Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing an extraordinary referendum on his leadership of the House after a conservative member of his own Republican majority, a longtime critic, moved to launch a vote to oust him from the helm. Late Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., rose in the chamber as...
Philadelphia journalist who advocated for homeless and LGBTQ+ communities shot and killed at home
PHILADELPHIA — A journalist and advocate who rose from homelessness and addiction to serve as a spokesperson for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable was shot and killed at his home early Monday, police said. Josh Kruger, 39, was shot seven times at about 1:30 a.m. and collapsed in the street after seeking...
Clarence Thomas recuses from Supreme Court case on House Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas bowed out of a case at the center of a congressional committee’s power to investigate, an announcement made on the first day of a new term where the justices face increased scrutiny from Congress and the public over ethics rules. The court, without...
Ward rips Shapiro over handling of sexual harassment complaint against top aide
Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward lashed out at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration Monday over its handling of a sexual harassment allegation made by a female worker against a top aide of the governor. Ward, R-Hempfield, said it was “unacceptable” that Mike Vereb, Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs, remained...
Prosecutors reveal a reason for Capitol rioter’s secretive sentencing: His government cooperation
A Pennsylvania man’s guilty plea and prison sentence for attacking police during the U.S. Capitol riot has remained under seal for months, but a court filing on Monday reveals a reason for the unusual secrecy: He cooperated with federal authorities after the Jan, 2021, siege. Prosecutors want to keep certain...
Pa. court says state-owned universities violated pact by cutting faculty without discussion beforehand
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court has issued a split opinion in a case with implications for faculty cuts imposed at 10 state-owned universities since 2021 and any future professor layoffs. In an opinion that partly affirmed an arbitrator’s earlier decision, the court said Friday that the State System of Higher Education failed...
Grizzly bear attack leaves 2 people dead in western Canada; park rangers kill the bear
CALGARY, Alberta — An attack by a grizzly bear has left two people dead in a national park in western Canada, and the bear was later killed by park rangers, officials said. The attack took place Friday in Banff National Park in Alberta Province. The Parks Canada agency received an...
Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiverVideo
OTTAWA, Ill. — A 104-year-old Chicago woman is hoping to be certified as the oldest person to ever skydive after making a tandem jump Sunday and landing 13,500 feet (4,100 meters) later at a northern Illinois airport. “Age is just a number,” Dorothy Hoffner told a cheering crowd moments after...
Forced kiss claim leads to ‘helplessness’ for accuser who turned to Olympics abuse-fighting agency
DENVER — When Kirsten Hawkes, a one-time elite fencer, reached out to her childhood coach for advice about starting her own fencing club, their meeting turned awkward right away. It began, she said, with an unwanted kiss on the lips when the two met at a bar during a fencing...
U.S. health officials propose using cheap antibiotic as ‘morning-after pill’ against STDs
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials plan to endorse a common antibiotic as a morning-after pill that gay and bisexual men can use to try to avoid some increasingly common sexually transmitted diseases. The proposed CDC guideline was released Monday, and officials will move to finalize it after a 45-day...
UAW union reaches a tentative contract agreement with Mack Trucks
The United Auto Workers union has reached a tentative contract agreement with Mack Trucks that covers about 4,000 workers in three states. Mack Trucks confirmed a tentative agreement on a five-year contract early Monday after the UAW announced the deal just before midnight Sunday. “The terms of this tentative agreement...
Nobel in medicine goes to 2 UPenn scientists whose work enabled creation of mRNA vaccines against covid-19
STOCKHOLM — Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against covid-19 and could be used in the future to create other shots. Katalin Karikó, a professor at Sagan’s University in Hungary and an adjunct professor at the University...