Biden offers $450M for clean energy projects at coal mines
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects across the country at the site of current or former coal mines, part of his efforts to combat climate change. As many as five projects nationwide will be funded through the...
France boosts military spending amid war in Ukraine
PARIS — The French government on Tuesday approved a key budget bill presented as the country’s biggest military spending spree in more than 50 years, underscoring the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The bill foresees 413 billion euros ($450 billion) in military spending or the period covering 2024-2030 -...
Finland joins NATO in major blow to Russia over Ukraine war
HELSINKI — Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted...
Trump is heading to court. Here’s what to expect
Former President Donald Trump came to a New York City courtroom Tuesday for his arraignment on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. The Republican former president, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed...
Trump charged with 34 felony counts in hush money schemeVideo
NEW YORK — A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign. The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning...
Florida Senate passes 6-week abortion ban backed by Gov. DeSantisVideo
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate on Monday approved a bill to ban abortions after six weeks, a measure supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the Republican prepares to launch his expected presidential candidacy. The vote prompted demonstrations at the state’s capital that resulted in the arrest of the leader of...
Lawyers: Ex-Maryland political aide dead after manhunt
BALTIMORE — A former Maryland political aide wanted on corruption charges died Monday after he was wounded while being confronted by law enforcement agents, his lawyer said, following a manhunt that was launched when the man failed to appear for trial. Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath’s...
Tennessee GOP members move to oust 3 Democrats after gun protest
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Republican lawmakers took the first steps Monday to expel three Democratic members from the GOP-dominant House for their role in a recent gun control protest at the state Capitol. Resolutions have been filed against Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson after they led chants from...
4 found dead in hotel area of Mexico’s Cancun beach resort
MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the Mexican resort of Cancun said Monday they have found four dead bodies in the city’s hotel zone near the beach. There was no immediate information on the nationalities or identities of the victims. The announcement of the deaths came less that a week after...
More severe weather forecast for battered South, MidwestVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — While residents across parts of the South and Midwest pummeled by deadly storms and wildfires sifted through the wreckage of their homes Monday, forecasters warned of more severe weather and fire danger in the days ahead across much of the same region. The fierce storms that spawned...
Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court race tops $42 millionVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Spending on the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race has topped $42 million, nearly triple the previous national record for a court race, with the Democratic-backed candidate having a roughly $6 million advantage, according to a report released on Monday just before polls opened. The winner in...
Nashville police: School shooter planned attack for monthsVideo
NASHVILLE — As students across Nashville walked out of class on Monday to protest gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol as a result of a school shooting last week, police said the person who killed six people, including three 9-year-old children, had been planning the massacre for months. Police have...
Nashville police: School shooter planned attack for months
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As students across Nashville walked out of class on Monday to protest gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol following a school shooting last week, police said the person who killed six people, including three 9-year-old children, had been planning the massacre for months. Police have not established...
Pa. faces staffing shortage as health coverage for thousands on the line
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 offices in Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services that help people keep their Medicaid benefits are facing staffing challenges...
Unlike in Trump case, Secret Service kept this one secret
WASHINGTON — The last time Secret Service agents escorted a U.S. leader to face criminal charges, they kept their mission a secret — even from their own bosses. It was Oct. 10, 1973, and just a few agents knew the history they would make in ensuring that Vice President Spiro...
Disney-DeSantis war of words heats up at annual meeting
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney CEO Bob Iger on Monday said any retaliatory actions by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature against the company that threaten jobs or expansion at its Florida resort is not only “anti-business but anti-Florida.” Answering a question during an online shareholders’ meeting, Iger...
DeSantis signs bill to carry concealed guns without a permit
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Monday, giving the governor another legislative victory as he prepares a campaign for president. The governor signed the bill in a private ceremony in his office. His only...
Lawyers screen potential jurors in Idaho slain kids’ trial
BOISE, Idaho — As the trial of a woman charged in three killings in what prosecutors say was a doomsday-focused plot began Monday, attorneys asked potential jurors if they would have trouble being impartial after viewing autopsy photos of children. “This is a case that deals with murder. This is...
NASA’s 1st moon crew in 50 years includes 1 woman, 3 menVideo
NASA on Monday named the four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year, including the first woman and the first African American assigned to a lunar mission. The first moon crew in 50 years — three Americans and one Canadian — was introduced during a ceremony in...
Jailed U.S. reporter’s defense appeals his arrest
MOSCOW — Lawyers for an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal arrested in Russia on espionage charges have appealed his arrest, a court in Moscow announced Monday. Evan Gershkovich, 31, was detained last week in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city. It was the first time a U.S. correspondent had been...
Nation awaits unveiling of criminal charges against Trump at historic arraignmentVideo
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s return to New York City continued this week with the news media in a frenzy, demonstrators poised to protest and a new chapter in history being written before the nation’s eyes. Trump, 76, is expected to appear before State Supreme Court Judge Juan...
Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old student files $40 million lawsuit
RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia teacher who was shot and seriously wounded by her 6-year-old student filed a lawsuit Monday seeking $40 million in damages from school officials, accusing them of gross negligence and of ignoring multiple warnings the day of the shooting that the boy was armed and in...
Hard cleanup: Montana train derailment spills beer and clay
PARADISE, Mont. — Crews could face a difficult cleanup task after a 25-car train derailment spilled powdered clay and cases of beer beside a scenic western Montana river, leaving some cars off the tracks in a narrow, century-old tunnel with limited access, officials said. “It’s a terrible spot to get...
Members of Congress on TikTok defend app’s reach to voters
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina has used it to explain the complex fight over raising the debt limit. Rep. Robert Garcia of California has used it to engage with members of the LGBTQ+ community. And Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has used it to give an overview...
Finland to join NATO military alliance this week, chief says
BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its...
