Trump seethes through the start of trial in New York lawsuit accusing him of lying about his wealth
NEW YORK — Aggrieved and defiant, former President Donald Trump spent a day in court Monday for the sometimes testy start of a trial in a fraud lawsuit that could cost him control of Trump Tower and other prized properties. “Disgraceful trial,” he declared during a lunch break, after listening...
Few Americans say conservatives can speak freely on college campuses, poll shows
WASHINGTON — Americans view college campuses as far friendlier to liberals than to conservatives when it comes to free speech, with adults across the political spectrum seeing less tolerance for those on the right, according to a new poll. Overall, 47% of adults say liberals have “a lot” of freedom...
California governor to name Laphonza Butler, former Kamala Harris adviser, to Feinstein Senate seat
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will name Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a spokesman in his office said Sunday. In choosing Butler, Newsom fulfilled his pledge to...
Attorney General Garland says in interview he’d resign if Biden asked him to take action on TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an interview that aired Sunday that he would resign if asked by President Joe Biden to take action against Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. But he doesn’t think he’ll be put in that position. “I am sure that that will not happen,...
Trump aims to lock down supporters in Iowa counties that he flipped from Democrats in 2016
OTTUMWA, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump will be in southeast Iowa on Sunday in the middle of a fall campaign push aimed at locking in supporters with large organizing events. As he has with his other recent travels to the leadoff caucus state, Trump will campaign in an area...
Matt Gaetz says he will seek to oust McCarthy as speaker this week. ‘Bring it on,’ McCarthy saysVideo
WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Gaetz said Sunday he will try to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican, from his leadership position this week after McCarthy relied on Democratic support to pass legislation that avoided a government shutdown. “Bring it on,” McCarthy responded. Gaetz, a longtime McCarthy nemesis, said...
Federal student loan payments are starting again. Here’s what you need to know
NEW YORK — Federal student loan borrowers will need to start making payments again this month after a three-year-plus pause due to the pandemic. You should expect a bill that lays out how much you have to pay each month at least 21 days before your due date. It’s likely...
Pennsylvania governor’s voter registration change draws Trump’s ire in echo of 2020 election clashes
HARRISBURG — Donald Trump has a familiar target in his sights: Pennsylvania’s voting rules. He never stopped attacking court decisions on mail-in ballots during the covid-19 pandemic, falsely claiming it as a reason for his 2020 loss in the crucial battleground state. Now, the former Republican president is seizing on...
Jimmy Carter turns 99 at home with Rosalynn, family
ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter has always been a man of discipline and habit. But the former president broke routine Sunday, putting off his practice of quietly watching church services online to instead celebrate his 99th birthday with his wife, Rosalynn, and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Plains. The gathering...
$1.04 billion Powerball jackpot tempts players to brave long odds
DES MOINES, Iowa — An estimated $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night, tempting players to spend a couple dollars on a long shot at instant riches. The prize is the world’s ninth-largest lottery prize behind earlier drawings of Powerball and Mega Millions, the other nearly...
Does the 2010s stink bug invasion hold any spotted lanternfly lessons?
Tracy Leskey remembers when the brown marmorated stink bug became “explosively invasive” in the early 2010s. “We had significant crop losses, some homeowners had thousands trying to overwinter in their houses,” said Leskey, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Appalachian Fruit Research Station in West Virginia. Leskey...
Government shutdown averted with little time to spare as Biden signs funding before midnight
WASHINGTON — The threat of a federal government shutdown suddenly lifted late Saturday as President Joe Biden signed a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open with little time to spare after Congress rushed to approve the bipartisan deal. The package drops aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed...
Donald Trump’s rivals search for paths to stop him as he blazes his own trail
DES MOINES, Iowa — Having stood out in two presidential debates, Nikki Haley has booked her largest venue in Iowa since launching her campaign. She’s hoping to fill a 600-person hall in a western Des Moines suburb on Saturday. That would be a huge number for most of her rivals....
On the brink of a federal shutdown, House passes a 45-day funding plan and sends it to Senate
WASHINGTON — On the brink of a federal government shutdown, the House on Saturday swiftly approved a 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open as Speaker Kevin McCarthy dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for passage to send the package to the Senate. The...
The Flying Scotsman locomotive collided with another train in Scotland. Several people were injured
LONDON — Several people were injured after the Flying Scotsman, the historic steam locomotive that’s celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, was involved in a low-speed crash with another heritage train in the Scottish Highlands on Friday, authorities said. The National Railway Museum said the “shunting incident” took place at...
Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals who will help him to reform the church and cement his legacy
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals at a ritual-filled ceremony Saturday, including key figures at the Vatican and in the field who will help enact his reforms and cement his legacy as he enters a crucial new phase in running the Catholic Church. On a crisp sunny...
Putin marks anniversary of annexation of Ukrainian regions as drones attack overnight
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday insisted that the residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed a year ago “made their choice — to be with their Fatherland.” In an address released in the early hours to mark the first anniversary of the annexation, Putin...
Almost all of Nagorno-Karabakh’s people have left, Armenia’s government says
YEREVAN, Armenia — An ethnic Armenian exodus has nearly emptied Nagorno-Karabakh of residents since Azerbaijan attacked and ordered the breakaway region’s militants to disarm, the Armenian government said Saturday. Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, said that 100,480 people had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh,...
Pitt trustees OK $100 million in campus renovations
University of Pittsburgh trustees on Friday elected a new chairman, received their first full report from Chancellor Joan Gabel on university progress and approved $100 million in campus building renovation projects. Board members meeting in the William Pitt Union in Oakland also encountered protests. They ranged from a boisterous but...
7,000 more workers at 2 plants join picket line in United Auto Workers strike
DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union expanded strikes against Detroit automakers Friday, ordering 7,000 more workers to walk off the job in Illinois and Michigan to put more pressure on the companies to improve their offers. It was the second time the union has widened the walkouts, which started...
Baltimore Archdiocese files for bankruptcy before new law on abuse lawsuits takes effect
BALTIMORE — The Archdiocese of Baltimore on Friday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization days before a new state law goes into effect removing the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims and allowing victims to sue their abusers decades after the fact. The step will allow the oldest...
McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, making a shutdown almost certain
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain. McCarthy’s right-flank Republicans refused to support the bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly...
New York City area gets one of its wettest days in decades, as rain swamps subways and streets
NEW YORK — Rain walloped the New York metropolitan area with a startling punch Friday, knocking out several subway and commuter rail lines, stranding drivers on highways, flooding basements and shuttering a terminal at LaGuardia Airport in one of the city’s wettest days in decades. As much as 6.7 inches...
Top Shapiro staffer was accused of sexual harassment before resigning
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A top official and longtime ally of Gov. Josh Shapiro who abruptly resigned this week had been accused months earlier of sexually...
McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep government open collapses, making shutdown almost certain
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed on Friday as a robust faction of hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain. McCarthy’s right-flank Republicans refused to support the bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to...
