Veterans see historic expansion of benefits for toxic exposure as new law nears anniversary
WASHINGTON — Nicole Leger always thought of the burn pits at military bases in Afghanistan as more like campfires than health hazards. Ordered to dispose of sensitive documents, she would toss the paperwork into the flames while catching up with fellow soldiers, moments of quiet bonding that provided a respite...
Vivek Ramaswamy’s Hindu faith is front and center in his GOP presidential campaign
Vivek Ramaswamy is as comfortable talking about Bible stories as he is sharing the message of the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most sacred Hindu texts. The 37-year-old biotech entrepreneur turned Republican presidential candidate has been steadily garnering support in a party dominated by conservative Christians. In many polls, he’s...
Free speech group says Penn State’s funding cut to student newspaper suggests lack of support for free expression
A group that advocates for speech and press freedoms is criticizing Penn State University’s decision to eliminate funding for its student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, saying the cut suggests the university does not truly support free expression. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression registered its concerns in a letter...
Pennsylvania man bitten on the head by bear during attack in his garage
DANVILLE — A Pennsylvania man says he’s paying a lot more attention to his surroundings after a surprise attack by a bear in the garage of his home. John Swartz, 60, and his wife Lori, 59, were watching TV at their home outside Danville on the evening of July 27...
DeSantis steps up dire warning to GOP about distraction from Biden, amid Trump’s latest indictment
VINTON, Iowa — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is increasingly urging Republicans to avoid the temptation to refight the 2020 election next year, even as former President Donald Trump remains the dominant favorite for the 2024 GOP nomination on a message of vindicating his defeat. Though DeSantis recently cast doubt on...
Black bear shot and killed by Montana man in his living room after break-in
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana couple got a late-night wakeup call from a barking dog alerting them that a black bear had broken into their living room before the man shot and killed the animal with a handgun. The confrontation with the large bruin happened in the rural community of...
Social media influencer Kai Cenat faces charges of inciting riot after thousands cause mayhem in NYC
NEW YORK — Social media influencer Kai Cenat is facing charges of inciting a riot and promoting an unlawful gathering in New York City, after the online streamer drew thousands of his followers, many of them teenagers, with promises of giving away electronics, including a new PlayStation. The event produced...
Mega Millions players spurned again as jackpot climbs to $1.55 billion
Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a jackpot winner. The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20. Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to $1.55 billion for the next...
Trump and allies boost calls for Justice Dept. takeover in new attack on democratic institutions
In the two-and-a-half years since the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, Congress passed a bipartisan law closing loopholes in the complex process of choosing a new president that Donald Trump tried to exploit in his push to stay in office after losing the 2020 election. Candidates for crucial...
Justice Department faces biggest test in its history with election conspiracy case against Trump
WASHINGTON — When the Justice Department was announcing the highest-profile prosecution in its history in Washington, Attorney General Merrick Garland was 100 miles away, meeting with local police in Philadelphia. He stepped outside briefly to speak about how the decision to indict Donald Trump for conspiracy to overturn the 2020...
Judge rules Texas’ abortion ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas judge ruled Friday the state’s abortion ban has proven too restrictive for women with serious pregnancy complications and must allow exceptions without doctors fearing the threat of criminal charges. The ruling was the first to undercut Texas’ law since it took effect in 2022 and...
Penn State works to trim deficits that have placed it in ‘vulnerable state,’ president says
A plan to phase out funding for The Daily Collegian over the next two years is part of a broader financial belt-tightening to address deficit spending at Penn State and its branch campuses. “As an institution, we have been spending more money each year than we bring in, which has...
FDA approves first postpartum depression pill
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials have approved the first pill specifically intended to treat severe depression after childbirth, a condition that affects thousands of new mothers in the U.S. each year. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted approval of the drug, Zurzuvae, for adults experiencing severe depression related...
Battle at Bushy Run set to return after ‘positive move’ by state commission
The Bushy Run reenactment will proceed as usual this weekend and in the years to come thanks to a living history policy approved by the state this week. The Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, which governs Bushy Run and all other state-owned historic sites, voted on its final living history...
Man who tried to enter Jewish school with a gun fired twice at a construction worker
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who tried to enter a Jewish school with a gun fired shots at a construction worker there and later pointed his weapon at police before an officer wounded him on a residential street, authorities said Friday. Joel Bowman, 33, went to Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone...
Actor Mark Margolis, murderous drug kingpin on ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul,’ dies at 83
NEW YORK — Emmy-nominated actor Mark Margolis, who played murderous former drug kingpin Hector Salamanca in “Breaking Bad” and then in the prequel “Better Call Saul,” has died at age 83. The actor died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City following a short illness, according to a statement...
GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie says ‘inhumanity’ of war is palpable during visit to Ukraine
BUCHA, Ukraine — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has become the second 2024 Republican presidential hopeful to visit Ukraine, meeting Friday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, touring ravaged villages and saying what he saw further impressed to him that the U.S. should continue to help the country fend...
After 27 years, authorities identify woman whose remains were found along Gilgo Beach parkway
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — A woman whose remains were among discoveries that became known as the Gilgo Beach killings has been identified after 27 years, authorities said Friday. Known until now to the public only as “Jane Doe No. 7,” she was Karen Vergata, 34, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney...
Shots again fired at site of Parkland school massacre in reenactment after lawmakers visit
PARKLAND, Fla. — Gunfire erupted again at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Friday as part of a reenactment by ballistics experts of the 2018 massacre that left 14 students and three staff members dead. The reenactment is part of a lawsuit by the victims’ families and the wounded...
Pence seizes on Trump’s latest indictment as he looks to break through in crowded GOP field
NEW YORK — As Donald Trump was being arraigned in Washington on yet another round of criminal charges, his running mate-turned-rival Mike Pence hurried to capitalize on the news. Pence’s campaign unveiled new T-shirts and baseball caps featuring the phrase “Too Honest” in big red letters — a reference to...
Debris falls from railroad bridge spanning Route 28 in Harmar; work to impact southbound lanes next week
Restrictions are planned next week for the southbound section of Route 28 in Harmar after stones fell from an overhead railroad bridge and forced the northbound lanes to close for hours early Friday. According to PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan, the stones fell because the flashing covering concrete joints, which prevents...
Biden’s inaction on death penalty may be a top campaign issue as Trump and DeSantis laud executions
CHICAGO — Capital punishment could emerge as a major campaign issue in the U.S. presidential race for the first time in 30 years, with top GOP rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis already one-upping each other by touting tougher, more far-reaching death penalty laws. Meanwhile, death penalty foes are poised...
Fall abortion battle propels huge early voter turnout for an Ohio special election next week
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A hastily called summer special election over a Republican-pushed measure that would make it harder for Ohio voters to pass future constitutional amendments, including one on the November ballot to guarantee abortion rights, has driven off-the-charts early turnout before Tuesday’s final day of voting. Early turnout has...
Western Pennsylvania senator caught calling Philly firefighter a vulgar name apologizes laterVideo
The latest shot in the cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh is a Western Pennsylvania state senator’s insult aimed at a City of Brotherly Love firefighter. According to The Keystone, which first reported the incident, Republican state Sen. Devlin Robinson, who represents Robinson Township, used a vulgarity to describe PA...
Justice Kagan supports ethics code but says Supreme Court divided on how to proceed
PORTLAND, Ore. — Justice Elena Kagan publicly declared her support for an ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court but said there was no consensus among the justices on how to proceed, suggesting the high court is grappling with public concerns over its ethics practices. “It’s not a secret for...
