Trump’s former attorney general says indictment is his own faultVideo
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said the U.S. has a “very strong” criminal case against Donald Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents and said the former president has himself to blame. “He had no right to those documents,” Barr, who served as U.S. attorney general under Trump, said Sunday on...
Heat wave triggers big storms, power outages in the Southeast, raises wildfire concerns in SouthwestVideo
Forecasters warned people celebrating Father’s Day outdoors to take precautions as triple-digit temperatures prompted heat advisories across much of the southern U.S., triggered thunderstorms that knocked out power from Oklahoma to Mississippi and whipped up winds that raised wildfire threats in Arizona and New Mexico. A suspected tornado struck early...
Stalled contract jeopardizes relations between new Disney governing body, firefighters
ORLANDO, Fla. — After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms. But that warm relationship is in jeopardy as a new district administrator has reopened negotiations on...
A Utah city violated the First Amendment in denying a drag show permit, judge rules
SALT LAKE CITY — The city of St. George must issue a permit for a Utah-based group that organizes drag performances to host an all-ages drag show in a public park, a federal judge ruled, calling the city’s attempt to stop the show unconstitutional discrimination. “Public spaces are public spaces....
1 trooper killed, 1 critically wounded in central Pennsylvania
MIFFLINTOWN — State police in Pennsylvania have identified the trooper killed and another trooper critically wounded in separate encounters Saturday with a gunman who attacked a state police barracks and was later shot and killed himself after a manhunt and a fierce gunbattle. Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr., 29, was killed...
Attorney General Garland keeps poker face as firestorm erupts after Trump charges
WASHINGTON — On his first day as attorney general, Merrick Garland pledged a return to what he called the “norms” of the Justice Department and said he would work to eliminate the perception of political interference. But in the two years since he took office, the former federal judge has...
Parking lot party shooting leaves 1 dead and 22 people hurt in suburban Chicago
WILLOWBROOK, Ill. — At least 23 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday during a gathering in a parking lot that drew hundreds of people in suburban Chicago, authorities said. TV news video showed the strip mall lot in Willowbrook filled with debris and police tape, about 20 miles (32.1...
State trooper, suspect killed in Juniata County shootout; 1 other trooper badly injured
Two people were killed, including a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and a suspect from an earlier shooting, during a gun battle in Walker Township, Juniata County shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. A second trooper was also shot in the earlier, but related incident in Mifflintown. He was being treated...
Putin meets with African leaders in Russia to discuss Ukraine peace plan, but no visible progress
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday met with a group of leaders of African countries who traveled to Russia on a self-styled “peace mission” the day after they went to Ukraine, but the meeting ended with no visible progress. The seven African leaders — the presidents of...
How a landmark school funding lawsuit is shaping Pa. budget negotiations
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A court decision requiring Pennsylvania lawmakers to make the funding system for public schools more equitable is front and...
6 key points from the scathing report on Minneapolis police after George Floyd’s killing
The Justice Department on Friday issued a scathing assessment of Minneapolis police, alleging that racial discrimination and excessive force went unchecked before George Floyd’s killing because of inadequate oversight and an unwieldy process for investigating complaints. The probe began in April 2021, a day after former officer Derek Chauvin, who...
Heat wave has U.S. South sweltering, from tornado-ravaged West Texas town to Florida beaches
Communities from Houston to New Orleans opened cooling centers to bring relief as steamy hot temperatures settled across a broad swath of the U.S. South on Saturday, and beachgoers fled a water spout that swept ashore on a Florida beach. Gov. Greg Abbott meanwhile visited Perryton in the Texas Panhandle,...
Collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to reopen within 2 weeks, governor says
PHILADELPHIA — The collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will reopen within two weeks, Pennsylvania’s governor said Saturday, after joining President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical stretch of highway closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend. “We are getting it done here in Philly,”...
Sudan officials say airstrike kills 17, including 5 children, in capital Khartoum
CAIRO — An airstrike in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Saturday killed at least 17 people, including five children, health officials said, as fighting continued between rival generals seeking to control the country. The attack was one of the deadliest of the clashes in urban areas of Khartoum and elsewhere in...
Biden urges tougher gun restrictions, 1 year after Uvalde, Texas, school massacre
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — President Joe Biden made a passionate call for tougher gun restrictions Friday, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the first significant piece of federal firearms legislation in nearly three decades but declaring it was only an “important first step.” He urged voters to defeat lawmakers who resist....
Ukrainian president urges African leaders to press Putin on release of political prisoners
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to a group of African leaders to ask his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to free political prisoners from Crimea and beyond — saying it could be an important part of their trip to Russia on Saturday. Seven African leaders — presidents of...
Greek coast guard defends actions as more than 500 migrants heading for Europe feared dead in wreck
ATHENS, Greece — The Greek coast guard on Friday defended its response to a ship that went down off the country’s south coast and left more than 500 migrants presumed drowned. Criticism mounted over Europe’s yearslong failure to prevent such tragedies. Patrol boats and a helicopter spent a third day...
Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked Pentagon Papers exposing Vietnam War secrets, dies at 92
NEW YORK — Daniel Ellsberg, the history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation, has died. He was 92. Ellsberg, who announced in February that...
In rare 3-3 decision, Iowa Supreme Court declines to reinstate law largely banning abortion
DES MOINES, Iowa — Abortion will remain legal in Iowa after the state’s high court declined Friday to reinstate a law that would have largely banned the procedure, rebuffing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and, for now, keeping the conservative state from joining others with strict abortion limits. In a rare...
After George Floyd’s killing, DOJ probe finds Minneapolis police show pattern of violating rights
MINNEAPOLIS — The Justice Department has found that Minneapolis police engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discriminating against Black and Native American people following an investigation prompted by the killing of George Floyd. The sweeping two-year civil rights investigation concluded that systemic problems in the Minneapolis Police...
Pope Francis leaves Rome hospital 9 days after operation; surgeon says ‘he’s better than before’
ROME — Pope Francis was discharged Friday from the Rome hospital where he underwent abdominal surgery to repair a hernia and remove scarring from previous operations, with his surgeon saying the pontiff was “better than before” his nine-day hospitalization. Francis, 86, left through Gemelli Polyclinic’s main exit in a wheelchair,...
German police seek images in attack of Americans pushed down steep slope
BERLIN — Police in southern Germany are appealing for photos and videos taken by witnesses of an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which an American man allegedly pushed two women down a steep slope, killing one of them. A suspect was arrested following the attack. German news agency dpa quoted...
Cleanup begins after tornadoes hit in Texas and Florida, killing 4 and destroying homes
PERRYTON, Texas — Cleanup efforts were beginning Friday morning after severe storms spawned tornadoes that left at least four dead, three in the Texas Panhandle and one in the Florida Panhandle as another series of fierce storms carved its way through Southern states. In Perryton, Texas, Ochiltree County Sheriff Terry...
Las Vegas police arrest man they say threatened mass shooting at Stanley Cup game
LAS VEGAS — Less than four hours before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was set to begin Tuesday on the Las Vegas Strip, authorities in Nevada arrested a man they say threatened to carry out a mass shooting at the arena where the Golden Knights would capture their...
Who’s running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates
With roughly a year and a half until the 2024 presidential contest, the field of candidates is largely set. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the early Republican race as the other candidates look for an opening to take them on. President Joe Biden faces...
