Study: Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets contains potentially harmful chemicals
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small...
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign says incumbent raised $4M in second quarter
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign raised more than $4 million during the second quarter of this year, a quarterly fundraising record for the incumbent Democrat who plans to seek reelection next year. Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, announced April 10 that he is seeking a fourth term in Washington. Casey’s...
With lawsuit dismissed, Pa. Republicans file appeal to try and overturn mail-in voting law
Unhappy with their latest legal setback in trying to have Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law thrown out, Republicans are now appealing to the state Supreme Court. On June 27, a state Commonwealth Court judge denied the request of 14 current and former GOP legislators to invalidate Act 77, which 11 of...
Belarus says Wagner chief who staged mutiny is in Russia, raising questions about Kremlin’s strategy
MINSK, Belarus — The mercenary leader who led a short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin is in Russia and his troops are in their field camps, the president of Belarus said Thursday, raising new questions about the deal that ended the extraordinary challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Belarusian President Alexander...
U.S. releases video of Russian fighter jets harassing American drones over Syria
WASHINGTON — Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several U.S. drone aircraft over Syria, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive maneuvers, the Air Force said. U.S. Air Forces Central released a video of Wednesday’s encounter showing a Russian SU-35 fighter closing in on a...
Thousands party as firework blast begins Spain’s San Fermin bull-running festival
PAMPLONA, Spain — Tens of thousands of people packed the town hall square in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona on Thursday to celebrate the traditional “chupinazo” firework blast that starts the San Fermín bull-running festival. Nearly everyone, including many tourists, was dressed in the traditional garb of white trousers...
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China as part of efforts to soothe strained relations
BEIJING — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to tell Chinese officials that Washington wants healthy economic competition but will defend trade curbs imposed by the U.S. on security grounds and express concern about Beijing’s export controls on metals used in semiconductors and solar panels, a senior Treasury official said Thursday....
Meta’s new Twitter rival app Threads gets tens of millions of sign-ups in its first dayVideo
Tens of millions of people have quickly signed up to Meta’s new app, Threads, as it aims to compete with Twitter — a sign that users are looking for an alternative to the social media platform that has undergone a series of unpopular changes since Elon Musk bought it. Meta...
Climate talks chief urges oil-producing states to slash emissions
The president of this year’s United Nations’ climate talks urged the oil and gas industry Thursday to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2050 in a speech to oil producing states. Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna, Sultan al-Jaber...
1 in 5 United Methodist congregations in U.S. have left denomination over LGBTQ conflicts
More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations — a fifth of the U.S. total — have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination. Those figures emerge following the close of regular meetings in June...
Pence says Trump and DeSantis do not understand importance of U.S. military aid to Ukraine
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis do not grasp the broader implications of their call for limited military assistance to Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence told The Associated Press in Iowa Wednesday. “With all due respect, I think the former president and...
U.S. House control could hinge on district battles in famously liberal state
LOS ANGELES — In 2024, control of the U.S. House could hinge on congressional districts in one famously liberal state: California. Command of the narrowly divided chamber will again be in play next year, and leaders in both parties agree on this much: The outcome in a string of contested...
Father of the bride and teen who tried to save friend among 5 killed in Philadelphia shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A father preparing to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle. An aspiring actor who appeared as an extra in the “Creed” movie franchise. A teenager who tried to help a wounded friend. These are the stories of those killed in the all-too-familiar thrum of another mass shooting....
Israeli court acquits border police officer charged with killing autistic Palestinian man
JERUSALEM — An Israeli court on Thursday acquitted a border police officer charged with reckless manslaughter in the deadly shooting of an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City three years ago. The Jerusalem district court ruled that the officer was acting in self defense when he shot and killed...
Pennsylvania House approves state budget after Gov. Shapiro backs off voucher plan
HARRISBURG — Late Wednesday night, the Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania House approved a new state spending plan after a days-long stalemate in Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. The chamber approved the main bill in a $45 billion spending plan, 117-86, as the state government plowed through its fifth day without full spending authority....
Trump posted what he said was Obama’s address, prosecutors say. An armed man was soon arrested there
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day that a man with guns in his van was arrested near the property, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in revealing new details about...
Wisconsin probes how 8 roller-coaster riders became trapped upside down for hours
CRANDON, Wis. — State officials are investigating how eight people became trapped upside down on a roller coaster — some of them for more than three hours — at a festival in Wisconsin. The roller coaster’s cars got stuck near the top of a loop around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at...
Judge’s order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions
NEW ORLEANS — An order by a federal judge in Louisiana has ignited a high-stakes legal battle over how the government is allowed to interact with social media platforms, raising broad questions about whether — and how — officials can fight what they deem misinformation on health or other matters....
In Trump case, Justice Department unseals previously blacked-out portions from search warrant application
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Wednesday disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorization to search former President Donald Trump’s Florida property for classified documents. Key portions of the document had already been made public, but media organizations including...
Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes warns Trump he’s ‘going to be found guilty’
Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes warned former President Donald Trump in a jailhouse interview that he’s “going to be found guilty” in the cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith because the justice system is rigged. The imprisoned white nationalist leader suggested that he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to...
Attorney who challenged Trump’s 2020 loss gives up law license as states weigh disciplining him
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Attorney Lin Wood, who filed legal challenges seeking to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, is relinquishing his law license, electing to retire from practicing rather than face possible disbarment. Multiple states have weighed disciplining him for pushing Trump’s false claims that he defeated Joe Biden. On...
Pennsylvania governor backs off $100M private schools program in budget stalemate
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday backed off his insistence on money for a new private-school funding program after it became a sticking point in a budget stalemate between Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. Shapiro’s shift in position came as state government plowed through its fifth day without full...
Ohio man guilty of raping a 9-year-old who traveled for legal abortion gets life sentence
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man accused of raping and impregnating a 9-year-old Ohio girl, who had to travel out of state for an abortion, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of rape. Gerson Fuentes, 28, was sentenced to life in prison but, as part of his plea deal, will be...
After secret documents leak, Pentagon plans tighter controls to protect classified information
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Wednesday announced plans to tighten protection for classified information following the explosive leaks of hundreds of intelligence documents that were accessed through security gaps at a Massachusetts Air National Guard base. Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, 21, is accused of leaking the highly classified military...
A fiery plane crash in a South Carolina resort town killed all 5 people on board
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Five people are dead after a single-engine plane crashed over the weekend in a South Carolina coastal resort town. Officials said Sunday’s fiery wreck near a golf course in North Myrtle Beach killed all four passengers and the pilot, The Myrtle Beach Sun News reported....
