Florida Gov. DeSantis says Disney lawsuit is political
JERUSALEM — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday shrugged off Disney’s lawsuit against him as politically motivated, and said that it was time for the iconic company to stop enjoying favorable treatment in his state. Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republican’s appointment of a board of supervisors in...
Powerful new obesity drug poised to upend weight loss care
As a growing number of overweight Americans clamor for Ozempic and Wegovy — drugs touted by celebrities and on TikTok to pare pounds — an even more powerful obesity medicine is poised to upend treatment. Tirzepatide, an Eli Lilly and Co. drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes under the...
China pushes to digitize mines in attempt to make them safer
SHENMU, China — China is using “smart” technology to try to improve its safety record in coal mines, as part of a push by the National Energy Administration to bolster output and stem frequent accidents and collapses. Smart-mine sensors monitor aspects such as gas buildup and flooding or ventilation levels,...
Releasing leak suspect a national security risk, feds say
Federal prosecutors will urge a judge Thursday to keep behind bars a Massachusetts Air National guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents, arguing he may still have access to secret national defense information he could expose. In court papers filed late Wednesday, the Justice Department lawyers said releasing 21-year-old...
Landmark bill in fight against breast cancer headed to Gov. Shapiro’s desk
Landmark legislation is on its way to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk that represents a major step forward in the fight against breast cancer and is a sign that bipartisanship is possible in Pennsylvania’s divided General Assembly. The House on Wednesday voted 200-0 to pass a bill that won unanimous support...
Appeals court rejects Trump effort to block Mike Pence’s testimony
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Wednesday night moved former Vice President Mike Pence closer to appearing before a grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting a bid by former President Donald Trump’s lawyers to block the testimony. It was not immediately...
3 teens arrested after Colorado driver killed by thrown rock
GOLDEN, Colo. — Three teenagers have been arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection to the death of a 20-year-old Colorado woman, who was struck by a rock that investigators say was thrown through her windshield while she was driving. Alexa Bartell, of Arvada, was talking on the phone with...
Pa. House passes bill officially recognizing Diwali
The state House nearly unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to officially recognize Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights celebrated in the fall. State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, introduced the bill and celebrated its passing. Venkat is the first Indian-American representative in Pennsylvania state House history. “This legislation is important in...
Judge tosses Devin Nunes’ lawsuit against magazine, says family farm used undocumented labor
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has tossed former California Rep. Devin Nunes’ lawsuit against a journalist and magazine that suggested his family’s Iowa dairy farm knowingly employed undocumented workers. Nunes and his family had sued over a 2018 article that reporter Ryan Lizza wrote for Esquire magazine. For the piece,...
Elizabeth Holmes delays going to prison with another appeal
SAN FRANCISCO — Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has avoided starting her more than 11-year prison sentence on Thursday by deploying the same legal maneuver that enabled her co-conspirator in a blood-testing hoax to remain free for an additional month. Holmes’ lawyers on Wednesday informed U.S. District Judge Edward Davila...
We Build The Wall founder sentenced to 4 years in prison
NEW YORK — The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brian Kolfage,...
Gun control measures advance in Pennsylvania state House
HARRISBURG — Democrats advanced four gun-control bills in Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Wednesday after years of a virtual standstill on legislation amid a politically divided government. The bills passed through committees on party lines. They could go before the full House as early as next week. The measures...
Pitt names next dean of university’s School of Arts and Sciences
A nationwide search to find a new dean for the University of Pittsburgh’s largest school has led to an educator already working on campus. Adam K. Leibovich, described by Pitt officials as a prolific scholar and accomplished teacher, will become dean of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and...
Disney sues Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling park takeover ‘retaliation’Video
TALLAHASSEE — Disney sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republican’s takeover of its theme park district, alleging the governor waged a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company opposed a law critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” The lawsuit was filed in Tallahassee minutes after a Disney...
North Dakota limits bathroom use for transgender people
North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill that limits access to bathrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms for transgender and gender-nonconforming people in several state facilities, his office announced Wednesday. This includes dorms and living facilities controlled by the state board of higher education, penitentiaries and correctional facilities...
Adnan Syed asks Maryland appellate court to reconsider decision to reinstate murder conviction
BALTIMORE — Adnan Syed is asking the Appellate Court of Maryland to reconsider its decision to reinstate his murder conviction and life sentence, saying the judges who rendered the opinion last month failed to apply an important legal analysis. In an opinion March 28, two of the three judges on...
Writer tells jury in lawsuit trial: ‘Donald Trump raped me’
At first, she thought helping Donald Trump shop for a women’s lingerie gift at a luxury department store would simply be “a funny New York thing.” Even when, according to E. Jean Carroll, the then-businessman motioned her to a dressing room as they dared each other to try on a...
Company seeks restart of shuttered nuclear plant
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A company that tears down closed nuclear power plants wants to do in Michigan what has never been done in the U.S.: restore a dead one to life. Holtec Decommissioning International bought the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station last June for the stated purpose of dismantling it,...
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...
