Researchers say inbreeding a big problem for endangered orcas
SEATTLE — People have taken many steps in recent decades to help the Pacific Northwest’s endangered killer whales, which have long suffered from starvation, pollution and the legacy of having many of their number captured for display in marine parks. They’ve breached dikes and removed dams to create wetland habitat...
Trump calls for protests, but even supporters dismiss idea
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap. The ambivalence raises questions about...
Biden issues first veto, taking on new Republican House
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden issued the first veto of his presidency Monday in an early sign of shifting White House relations with the new Congress since Republicans took control of the House in January — a move that serves as a prelude to bigger battles with GOP lawmakers on...
World on ‘thin ice’ as U.N. climate report gives stark warningVideo
BERLIN — Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst of climate change’s future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday. But doing so requires quickly slashing nearly two-thirds of carbon pollution by 2035, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said. The...
School library book bans are seen as targeting LGBTQ content
DES MOINES, Iowa — Teri Patrick bristles at the idea she wants to ban books about LGBTQ issues in Iowa schools, arguing her only goal is ridding schools of sexually explicit material. Sara Hayden Parris says that whatever you want to call it, it’s wrong for some parents to think...
‘Ted Lasso’ visits White House, promotes mental health careVideo
WASHINGTON — Fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso used a White House visit Monday to encourage people, even in politically divided Washington, to make it a point to check in often with friends, family and co-workers to “ask how they’re doing, and listen, sincerely,” Comedian Jason Sudeikis, who plays the title...
Digital literacy: Can the republic ‘survive an algorithm’?
SEATTLE — Shawn Lee, a high school social studies teacher in Seattle, wants to see lessons on the internet akin to a kind of 21st century driver’s education, an essential for modern life. Lee has tried to bring that kind of education into his classroom, with lessons about the need...
Trump silent on abortion as 2024 campaign pushes forward
DAVENPORT, Iowa — No elected Republican has done more to restrict abortion rights in the U.S. than Donald Trump. But in the early days of the 2024 presidential contest, no Republican has worked harder to avoid the issue than the former president. Far more than his GOP rivals, Trump is...
China’s Xi makes 1st Moscow visit as Putin wages Ukraine war
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit that shows off Beijing’s new swagger in world diplomatic affairs and offers a welcome political lift for Russian President Vladimir Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for him on war crimes charges related...
Central Pa. school board rejects ‘Addams Family’ musical
A Central Pennsylvania school board last week voted against allowing high school students to perform “The Addams Family” musical next year, according to WITF. School directors debated for about 30 minutes before the majority concluded that the musical promotes bad values and is inappropriate for families, the news outlet reported....
Opponents of Saturday deer opener cite negative economic, social impacts
A few years ago, Randy Santucci’s deer hunting season would begin at a leisurely pace once Thanksgiving was over. “People would start trickling into camp on Saturday, we’d do a campfire Saturday night, my brother would fly in from South Carolina with a bunch of dove breasts from hunting, and...
Slippery Rock’s incoming president says university is well-positioned for success
The woman poised to become Slippery Rock University’s next president said she passionately believes that education is fundamental to success in life. “It changes lives,” said Karen Riley, whose career in education has spanned nearly four decades. Currently the provost of Regis University in Denver, Riley, 60, began her career...
Source: Lawyer invited to testify before Trump grand jury
WASHINGTON — A lawyer who previously advised Michael Cohen, the key government witness in the hush money payment investigation into Donald Trump, has been invited to appear Monday before a Manhattan grand jury that is considering potential charges against the former president, according to a person familiar with the matter....
DA leading Trump case says rhetoric won’t intimidate office
NEW YORK — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is standing firm against Donald Trump’s increasingly hostile rhetoric, telling his staff that the office won’t be intimidated or deterred as it nears a decision on charging the former president. Bragg sent an internal memo late Saturday hours after Trump unleashed a...
5 Connecticut children, ages 8-17, dead after New York car crash
SCARSDALE, N.Y. — Five children from Connecticut, ranging in age from 8 to 17, were killed in a fiery early morning crash Sunday on a New York highway, police said. Police believe the vehicle was being driven by a 16-year-old boy when it veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway in...
Florida may ban girls’ period talk in elementary grades
TALLAHASSEE — Legislation moving in the Florida House would ban discussion of menstrual cycles and other human sexuality topics in elementary grades. The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Stan McClain would restrict public school instruction on human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and related topics to grades 6 through 12. McClain...
Miami Beach sets spring break curfew after 2 fatal shootingsVideo
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach officials imposed a curfew beginning Sunday night during spring break as a result of two fatal shootings and rowdy, chaotic crowds that police have had difficulty controlling. The city said in a news release the curfew would be from 11:59 p.m. Sunday until 6...
Some Trump rivals rally to his side as possible charges loom
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Top Republicans, including some of Donald Trump’s potential rivals for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, rushed to his defense Saturday after Trump said he is bracing for possible arrest. “The idea of indicting a former president of the United States is deeply troubling to me as...
Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews
WASHINGTON — A Pentagon study has found high rates of cancer among military pilots and for the first time has shown that ground crews who fuel, maintain and launch those aircraft are also getting sick. The data had long been sought by retired military aviators who have raised alarms for...
How to shop for new insurance if you lose Medicaid coverage
Medicaid coverage will end for millions of Americans in the coming months, and it will push many into unfamiliar territory: the health insurance marketplace. States will start cutting people from the government-funded plans when they no longer qualify based on income, a process that has been paused since shortly after...
Millions of dead fish wash up amid heat wave in Australia
CANBERRA, Australia — Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in a die-off that authorities and scientists say is caused by depleted oxygen levels in the river after recent floods and hot weather. Residents of the Outback town of Menindee in New South Wales state complained of...
Mysterious streaks of light seen in the sky over California
Mysterious streaks of light were seen in the sky in the Sacramento area Friday night, shocking St. Patrick’s Day revelers who then posted videos on social media of the surprising sight. Jaime Hernandez was at the King Cong Brewing Company in Sacramento for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration when some...
North Korea launches missile into sea amid U.S. – South Korea drills
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, ramping up testing activities in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The North’s continuation of missile tests showed its determination not to back...
Russia’s Putin makes surprise trip to occupied Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September and a show of defiance after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on war crimes charges. Putin arrived in Mariupol...
Supervisor in Tyre Nichols’ death retired before firing
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis police supervisor on scene when Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by officers retired the day before a hearing to fire him, according to documents filed to revoke his law enforcement certification. Lt. DeWayne Smith was identified Friday in records obtained by media outlets as...
