Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm
COLUMBIA, S.C. — LaJoia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden. He’s provided opportunities for Black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt. “Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and...
California reparations panel OKs state apology, payments
OAKLAND, Calif — California’s reparations task force voted Saturday to approve recommendations on how the state may compensate and apologize to Black residents for generations of harm caused by discriminatory policies. The nine-member committee, which first convened nearly two years ago, gave final approval at a meeting in Oakland to...
Yellen: ‘No good options’ if Congress fails to act on debt
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that there are “no good options” for the United States to avoid an economic “calamity” if Congress fails to raise the nation’s borrowing limit of $31.381 trillion in the coming weeks. She did not rule out President Joe Biden bypassing lawmakers and...
To improve kids’ mental health, some schools start later
DREXEL HILL, Pa. — In the hours before he’s due at Upper Darby High School, senior Khalid Doulat has time to say prayers, help his mother or prepare for track practice. It’s a welcome shift from last year for him and thousands of students at the school, which pushed its...
Police: 8 killed in Texas mall shooting, gunman also dead
ALLEN, Texas — A gunman stepped out of a silver sedan and started shooting people at a Dallas-area outlet mall Saturday, killing eight and wounding seven others — three critically — before being killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said. Authorities did not immediately provide...
‘Enough’: New Kensington pastor, others implore youth to stop the violence
Rows of black folding chairs arranged in a parking lot beside a playground in New Kensington on Saturday looked as out of place as the stuffed animals, flowers and other tributes left nearby to one more teen whose life was cut short. At a “Stop the Violence” rally held near...
Air conditioning collapse injures 6 at Colorado resort pool
AURORA, Colo. — Six people were hurt — two critically — when part of a heating and ventilation system collapsed at a resort pool in Colorado on Saturday, fire officials said. There were 50 to 100 guests in the pool when the collapse occurred about 9:50 a.m. Saturday at the...
Prince Harry an odd man out at father’s coronation spectacle
LONDON — In the fairy-tale ending to the ancient pageantry in which King Charles Ill was crowned monarch, he stepped into a gilded horse-drawn carriage with his queen and rode off to his palace. Following closely behind was Prince William, his eldest son and heir, along with his family, including...
Biden hopes strong job market means soft landing for economy
WASHINGTON — For President Joe Biden, the past few days have raised hopes that the U.S. economy can stick a soft landing—possibly avoiding a recession as the 2024 election nears. Most U.S. adults have downbeat feelings about Biden’s economic leadership, as high inflation has overshadowed a strong jobs market. It’s...
Ukraine downs Russian hypersonic missile with U.S. Patriot
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s air force claimed Saturday to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot defense systems, the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most modern missiles. Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a Telegram...
Oprah tells class of 2023 to follow ‘still, small voice’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Oprah Winfrey delighted graduates at her alma mater Tennessee State University on Saturday, telling the story of how she fell one credit short of graduating as she launched the media career that would make her a household name. Giving the commencement address at the historically Black university,...
Pro-Kremlin novelist injured in car explosion in Russia
TALLINN, Estonia — The car of a prominent pro-Kremlin novelist exploded in Russia on Saturday, injuring him and killing his driver, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency and law enforcement officials. The incident involving the car of Zakhar Prilepin, a well-known nationalist writer and an ardent supporter of...
N.Y. jury will have wide latitude to decide civil Trump claims
NEW YORK — The jury hearing an advice columnist’s claims that she was raped by Donald Trump could begin deliberations as soon as Tuesday, and it will have wide latitude in deciding the truthfulness of the allegations against the former president. The writer E. Jean Carroll, 79, testified that Trump...
California reparations task force to vote on formal apology
OAKLAND, Calif. — California’s reparations task force is set to wrap up its first-in-the-nation work Saturday, voting on recommendations for a formal apology for the state’s role in perpetuating a legacy of slavery and discrimination that has thwarted Black residents from living freely for decades. The nine-member committee, which first...
Over 200 dead, many more missing after Congo floods
KINSHASA, Congo — The death toll from flash floods and landslides in eastern Congo has risen beyond 200, with many more people still missing, according to local authorities in the province of South Kivu. Thomas Bakenge, administrator of Kalehe, the worst-hit territory, told reporters on the scene Saturday that 203...
2 Florida men sentenced for armed robbery of postal worker
TAMPA, Fla. — Two Florida men have been sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of a postal worker. Omar Rochester Miller Jr., 23, and Christopher Diaz, 27, were sentenced Thursday in Tampa federal court, according to court records. Miller received nine years and two months, and Diaz received...
1 dead, at least 6 injured at Mississippi party shooting
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — One person is dead and at least six other people were shot during a Cinco de Mayo party at a Mississippi restaurant late Friday night, police said. Ocean Springs Police Capt. Ryan LeMaire, in a news release, confirmed that seven people were shot at The Scratch...
Queen or queen consort? What to know about Camilla’s title
LONDON — Now that she has been crowned alongside her husband, King Charles III’s wife is officially known as Queen Camilla. While it sounds more official than “queen consort,” the changing of titles does not signify any practical difference in the role of the 75-year-old royal. Queen consorts do not...
King Charles III crowned in ancient rite at uncertain moment for British monarchyVideo
LONDON — King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, receiving the bejeweled St. Edward’s Crown in a ceremony built on ancient tradition at a time when the monarchy is striving to remain relevant in a fractured modern Britain. Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation shouted...
Charges in NYC chokehold death may hinge on ‘reasonableness’
NEW YORK — The potential criminal charges against a U.S. Marine veteran who put Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold aboard a New York City subway train might depend on whether a “reasonable” New Yorker would have acted similarly. Neely, a locally-known Michael Jackson impersonator who friends say suffered from...
Man gets 14 years in 1/6 case, longest sentence imposed yet
WASHINGTON — A Kentucky man with a long criminal record was sentenced Friday to a record-setting 14 years in prison for attacking police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the U.S. Capitol with his wife. The prison sentence for Peter Schwartz, who was living in Uniontown...
Proposal to update ailing Pa. rent, property tax rebate program would reverse decade of decline
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 — The number of people getting help from a state program that offsets some housing costs for older and disabled...
Riders get stuck on Cedar Point’s newest roller coaster
The debut of Cedar Point’s newest ride didn’t go as planned Thursday. The Wild Mouse, Cedar Point’s newest ride, malfunctioned and stranded riders, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. During a preview for the media and selected roller coaster enthusiasts, at least two cars stopped, with one at near the...
With detailed race question, Census may end ancestry ask
Is ancestry history? The U.S. Census Bureau is contemplating getting rid of a question about a person’s ancestry on its most comprehensive survey, saying it may duplicate a newly revised race question that allows respondents to write from where they or their antecedents came. The Census Bureau is conducting research...
Russia’s Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — The owner of Russia’s Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscow’s military command of starving his forces of ammunition. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President...
