U.S. to dock nuclear subs in South Korea for 1st time in 40 years
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol announced Wednesday the two nations will bolster the response to North Korea’s persistent nuclear threat with an agreement that includes plans to dock U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in over 40 years, bolster training...
Blue states help trans health coverage
PORTLAND, Ore. — For most of her life in New Mexico, Christina Wood felt like she had to hide her identity as a transgender woman. So six years ago she moved to Oregon, where she had readier access to the gender-affirming health care she needed to live as her authentic...
Chernobyl anniversary rouses specter of Ukraine nuke threatVideo
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday used the 37th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster to repeat his warnings about the potential threat of a new atomic catastrophe in Ukraine amid his country’s war with Russia. Zelenskyy drew a parallel between the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986,...
Norfolk Southern estimates that Ohio derailment cost $387M
OMAHA, Neb. — Norfolk Southern expects February’s fiery Ohio derailment to cost it $387 million, but that total will likely increase over time and that doesn’t reflect how much the railroad’s insurance companies will eventually cover. The railroad provided a detailed estimate of the cost of Feb. 3 derailment outside...
China tries to act as mediator in Russia’s war with Ukraine
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible “political settlement” to Russia’s war with the country. Beijing has previously avoided involvement in conflicts between other countries but appears to be trying to assert itself as a global...
Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr barred from 2023 sessionVideo
HELENA, Mont. — Transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr was barred from participating on the House floor as Republican leaders voted Wednesday to silence her for the rest of 2023 session after she protested GOP leaders’ decision earlier in the week to silence her. The punishment of the freshman lawmaker caps a...
Trial opens in E. Jean Carroll’s rape lawsuit against Trump
NEW YORK — A nearly 30-year-old rape claim against Donald Trump went to trial Tuesday as jurors in the federal civil case heard a former advice columnist’s allegation of being attacked in a luxury department store dressing room. The former president says nothing happened between them. E. Jean Carroll will...
House Republicans pass U.S. debt bill, push Biden on spending
WASHINGTON — House Republicans passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government’s legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. The bill...
Pope allows women to vote at upcoming bishops’ meeting
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops, an unprecedented change that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church. Francis approved changes to the norms...
2024 race won’t be like 2020. That’s good and bad for Biden
WASHINGTON — No honking geese are likely to interrupt his speeches this time. As President Joe Biden seeks a second term, he won’t have to depend on glitchy Zoom connections, or deliver remarks in largely vacant theaters with attendees in chairs ringed by circle markings on the floor to ensure...
U.S. to send nuclear ballistic submarines to Korean Peninsula
WASHINGTON — Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday will sign an agreement that includes plans to have U.S. nuclear-armed submarines dock in South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years, a conspicuous show of support to Seoul amid growing concern about nuclear threats by...
Tuition discounting by private colleges and universities reaches new high
Sticker prices at private colleges may be sky high, but what many students actually pay has been lower as those schools aggressively compete by dangling deep tuition discounts. Now, a new study finds that for the first time, entering and returning undergraduates at those schools, on average, are paying less...
Chief Justice John Roberts declines Senate request to testify on court ethics
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts has declined a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a hearing next week on ethical standards at the court, instead providing the panel with a statement of ethics reaffirmed by the court’s nine justices. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill.,...
Jury to deliberate in major Jan. 6 case against Proud Boys
WASHINGTON — The seditious conspiracy case against former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants went to the jury on Tuesday after dozens of witnesses over more than three months in one of the most serious cases to emerge from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol....
Taliban kill mastermind of suicide bombing at Kabul airport
WASHINGTON — The Taliban have killed the senior Islamic State group leader behind the August 2021 suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport that left 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghans dead, according to the father of a Marine killed in the attack who was briefed Tuesday by military...
Florida GOP set to remove hurdle to Ron DeSantis White House bid
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republicans are poised to change state law to allow GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president without having to leave office, according to legislation filed Tuesday. The proposal would exempt presidential candidates from Florida’s so-called resign to run law, which prohibits elected officials from qualifying as...
Pa. House passes 4th bill on child sex abuse lawsuit window
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday passed — for the fourth time this year — a measure that would open up a window in the commonwealth’s statute of limitations in order to allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse a two-year legal window to file suit. House Bill 1 —...
Drug for rare form of Lou Gehrig’s disease OK’d by FDA
WASHINGTON — Food and Drug Administration regulators on Tuesday approved a first-of-a-kind drug for a rare form of Lou Gehrig’s disease, though they are requiring further research to confirm it truly helps patients. The FDA approved Biogen’s injectable drug for patients with a rare genetic mutation that’s estimated to affect...
Tokyo company loses contact with moon lander in likely crash
A Japanese company lost contact with its spacecraft moments before touchdown on the moon Wednesday, saying the mission had failed. Communications ceased as the lander descended the final 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph). Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as the minutes...
Sen. Scott bill would fund armed officers in all U.S. schools
Money earmarked for thousands of new IRS employees would be transferred to a grant program allowing schools nationwide to hire armed law enforcement personnel under legislation outlined Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. The School Guardian Act would take about $80 billion that Congress previously approved to expand...
Bill allowing counties to process mail ballots early clears 1st hurdle in Pa. House
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 — After years of advocacy and political deadlock, Pennsylvania counties could be a step closer to getting more time to...
Switch to Pa.’s corporate filing system led to backlog and longer waits for business owners
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 — Business owners trying to register new companies in Pennsylvania faced unusually long waits this winter, after the state switched...
Trump gets endorsed by Daines, GOP’s Senate campaign chief
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump has gotten his most high-profile endorsement from a Senate Republican yet, winning the backing of Montana’s Steve Daines, chief of the Senate’s GOP fundraising arm. “I’m proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for president of the United States,” Daines, chair of the National...
U.S. consumer confidence falls for 3rd time in 4 months
Consumer confidence dipped again in April as anxiety over a slowing economy and possible recession weighed on American households. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 101.3 in April from 104 in March. It’s the third time in four months that overall U.S. consumer confidence...
Feds: Man tried to firebomb Ohio church to stop drag show
CLEVELAND — An eastern Ohio man told investigators that he tried to burn down an Ohio church because he wanted to prevent a drag show that was scheduled to take place there, federal prosecutors allege in newly unsealed charges. Aimenn Penny, a 20-year-old from Alliance who is a member of...
