One-third of Americans under heat alerts as blistering weather spreads from Southwest to CaliforniaVideo
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — More than a third of Americans were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings Thursday as a blistering heat wave that’s been baking the nation spread further into California, forcing residents to seek out air conditioning or find other ways to stay cool in triple-digit temperatures....
Rioter who hurled bow like a spear at police during Jan. 6 attack gets more than 7 years in prison
WASHINGTON — A professional butcher whose bloody, wild-eyed face became one of the most memorable images of the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Thursday to more than seven years in prison for hurling a bow like a spear at police and attacking several other officers. Kyle Fitzsimons, 39, of Maine,...
Soda sweetener aspartame now listed as possible cancer cause. But it’s still considered safe
The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has deemed the sweetener aspartame — found in diet soda and countless other foods — as a “possible” cause of cancer, while a separate expert group looking at the same evidence said it still considers the sugar substitute safe in limited quantities. The differing...
Secret Service: No fingerprints, DNA sample or leads from cocaine found at the White House
WASHINGTON — No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the baggie of cocaine found in a lobby at the White House last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn’t identify a suspect, according to a summary of the Secret Service investigation obtained...
Justice Department urges judge to not postpone Trump’s classified documents trial
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department urged a judge Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s efforts to postpone his classified documents trial, saying there was no basis for an “open-ended” delay sought by his lawyers. Federal prosecutors last month proposed a Dec. 11 trial for Trump, who is charged with 37 felony...
Digital divide hurts pocketbooks of Pa. residents, roundtable participants say
The digital divide leads to lost opportunities for people in underserved broadband areas, officials said Thursday as they discussed how to spend $1.16 billion expected from the federal government to help solve the problem. “People have been talking about the digital divide for decades,” said Evan Feinman, director of the...
Vermont braces for more rain in wake of historic floodingVideo
Vermont prepared for the next round of storms — and possibly a tornado — as people took advantage of calm weather Thursday to clean up from historic flooding that damaged thousands of homes, businesses and roads, and left some residents stranded. As floodwaters receded, the good news was that there...
First Amendment group sues Texas Governor and others over the state’s TikTok ban on official devices
NEW YORK — A First Amendment group sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott and others on Thursday over the state’s TikTok ban on official devices, arguing the prohibition — which extends to public universities — is unconstitutional and impedes academic freedom. The complaint was filed by The Knight First Amendment Institute...
Deadly bomb ambush of police in Mexico has endangered mothers who search for the missing
MEXICO CITY — A drug cartel bomb attack that allegedly used a fake report of a mass grave to lure police into a deadly trap has had devastating collateral damage: It has led authorities to abandon the volunteers who search for some of Mexico’s 110,000 missing people. Most of the...
Thousands of Ukraine civilians are being held in Russian prisons. Russia plans to build many more
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers. Many were forced to...
Powerball jackpot climbs to $875 million for Saturday after no winner in latest drawing
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot soared to an estimated $875 million after no winning ticket was sold for the latest drawing. No ticket for Wednesday’s $750 million jackpot matched the white balls 23, 35, 45, 66, 67 and red Powerball 20. The new jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is...
First over-the-counter birth control pill gets FDA approvalVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eyedrops. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it cleared Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill to be sold without a prescription, making it...
Tornado touches down near Chicago’s O’Hare airport amid severe weather warningsVideo
CHICAGO — The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday following warnings of severe weather for the city. There were no immediate reports of injuries. A confirmed tornado was on the ground around 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in...
Former Trump supporter who got caught up in Jan. 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox NewsVideo
DOVER, Del. — A former Donald Trump supporter who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday, saying the network made him a scapegoat for the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Raymond Epps, a former Marine who said he was...
Pennsylvania budget still in turmoil over school vouchers and equity funding case
HARRISBURG — A court’s ruling earlier this year that the way Pennsylvania funds public schools is unconstitutional helped make education spending one of the thorniest issues in state budget negotiations. Along with a partisan divide over spending taxpayer money to help students attend private and religious schools, education funding has...
Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama’s home will remain jailed until trial, judge rules
WASHINGTON — A man charged in the Capitol riot who had guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested near former President Barack Obama’s Washington home will remain in jail while he awaits trial, a federal magistrate judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia...
West Virginia state health officer to join board overseeing opioid fund distribution
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s state health officer was selected Wednesday to represent one of the hardest-hit regions of the state for drug overdoses on the board of a private foundation that will be distributing the majority of the state’s more than $1 billion in opioid settlements. Dr. Matthew Christiansen,...
Suspect in Larry Nassar stabbing said ex-doctor made lewd remark watching Wimbledon
WASHINGTON — A prisoner suspected of stabbing Larry Nassar at a federal penitentiary in Florida said the disgraced former sports doctor provoked the attack by making a lewd comment while they were watching a Wimbledon tennis match on TV, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The...
Russia’s Defense Ministry: Wagner mercenaries surrendering their weapons to military
MOSCOW — Mercenaries of the Wagner Group are completing the handover of their weapons to the Russian military, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday, a move that follows the private army’s brief rebellion last month that challenged the Kremlin’s authority. The disarming of Wagner reflects efforts by authorities to defuse the...
From airfares to used cars to groceries, slowing U.S. inflation eases pressure on households
WASHINGTON — Squeezed by painfully high prices for two years, America’s households have gained some much-needed relief with inflation reaching its lowest point since early 2021 — 3% in June compared with a year earlier — thanks in part to easing prices for gasoline, airline fares, used cars and groceries....
Webb Space Telescope reveals moment of stellar birth, dramatic close-up of 50 baby starsVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Webb Space Telescope is marking one year of cosmic photographs with one of its best yet: the dramatic close-up of dozens of stars at the moment of birth. NASA unveiled the latest snapshot Wednesday, revealing 50 baby stars in a cloud complex 390 light-years away....
U.S. inflation falls to 3%, lowest level in over 2 years, as price pressures ease
WASHINGTON — After two years of painfully high prices, inflation in the U.S. has reached its lowest point in more than two years — 3% in June compared with 12 months earlier — a sign that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have steadily slowed price increases across the economy....
FBI Director Chris Wray defends the ‘real FBI’ against criticism from House RepublicansVideo
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Chris Wray defended the “real FBI” during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday, rejecting a litany of grievances from angry Republicans who are harshly critical of the bureau, threatening to defund some operations and claiming the Justice Department is unfair to political conservatives, including Donald Trump. Wray...
3 dead, 14 injured in Illinois crash of Greyhound bus and commercial vehicles
HIGHLAND, Ill. — Three people were killed and 14 others injured, some seriously, early Wednesday when a Greyhound bus crashed into three commercial motor vehicles along a highway in southern Illinois, state police said. Illinois State Police said an initial investigation indicates a Greyhound passenger bus and three commercial vehicles...
Few U.S. adults support full abortion bans, even in states that have them, an AP-NORC poll finds
The majority of U.S. adults, including those living in states with the strictest limits on abortion, want it to be legal at least through the initial stages of pregnancy, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds. The poll was conducted in late June, one...
