Disney faces losing control of its kingdom with Florida bill
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney’s government in Florida has been the envy of any private business, with its unprecedented powers in deciding what to build and how to build it at the Walt Disney World Resort, issuing bonds and holding the ability to build its own nuclear plant if it wanted....
5 Pa. Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of child sex abuse following grand jury investigationVideo
Five members from Jehovah’s Witness congregations from across Pennsylvania are facing child sex abuse charges as the state’s acting attorney general continues to urge survivors to come forward and report their abuse. The charges against the five men are the result of an investigating grand jury, and in each case...
Newspapers dying? Ralph Nader’s giving birth to one
NEW YORK — At age 88, Ralph Nader believes his neighbors in northwest Connecticut are tired of electronics and miss the feel of holding a newspaper to read about their town. So at a time when local newspapers are dying at an alarming rate, the longtime activist is helping give...
Newborn, toddler saved from rubble in quake-hit Syrian town
JINDERIS, Syria — Residents in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble of a five-story apartment building leveled by this week’s devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday. The newborn girl was found buried...
Study: 15 million people live under threat of glacial floods
As glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes, 15 million people across the globe live under the threat of a sudden and deadly outburst flood, a new study finds. More than half of those living in the shadow of the disaster called glacial lake outburst floods...
Court denies aid for Hiroshima A-bomb survivors’ children
TOKYO — A Japanese court on Tuesday rejected a damage suit filed by a group of children of Hiroshima atomic bombing survivors seeking government support for medical costs, saying the hereditary impact of radiation exposure is still unknown. A group of 28 plaintiffs whose parents suffered radiation exposure in the...
LGBTQ groups demand Japan adopt equal rights law by G-7
TOKYO — Japanese LGBTQ people and rights groups condemned a recent discriminatory remark by a senior aide of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, demanding his government enact laws to ban discrimination against sexual minorities, legalize same-sex marriage and guarantee equal rights before Japan hosts a Group of Seven summit in May....
Biden to focus on vets, cancer patients, others in speech
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will outline some new steps Tuesday to go after illegal drugs, help veterans and cancer patients, and provide more access to mental health care. It will be a somewhat new version of steps Biden outlined in these four areas during last year’s State of the...
Residents worry about going home, toxic gas from derailmentVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Brittany Dailey stood outside her hotel watching black smoke darken the sky 10 miles to the west as crews burned toxic chemicals from tanker cars that derailed just down the street from her home. The faint smell of chlorine hung in the air Monday night while...
Watch: President Biden’s State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The annual speech, delivered before a joint session of Congress, typically provides a president with his single largest audience of the year, usually in the tens of millions. An estimated 38.2...
Russian shells spark hospital fire before expected assault
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian shelling hit more civilian targets in Ukraine, starting a fire at a town hospital and damaging five apartment buildings, local officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian authorities reported a Russian troop buildup in eastern areas that Kyiv suspects is preparation for a new offensive around the anniversary...
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid coverage soon
HARRISBURG — The federal government’s pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid is ending, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania face losing the free health insurance in the coming year. Many people who stand to lose Medicaid coverage don’t know the changes are coming, say officials at...
Amid soaring crime, Memphis cops lowered the bar for hiring
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Beyond the beating, kicking, cursing and pepper spraying, the video of Tyre Nichols’ deadly arrest at the hands of young Memphis police officers is just as notable for what’s missing — any experienced supervisors showing up to stop them. That points to a dangerous confluence of trends...
Lucky player in Seattle suburb wins $754.6M Powerball prize
AUBURN, Wash. — A single winning ticket for a $754.6 million Powerball jackpot was sold at a department store in a Seattle suburb, Washington state lottery officials said Tuesday. The winning numbers drawn Monday night were 5, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 7. The winning ticket was bought...
New York funeral home finds woman breathing hours after declared dead
MILLER PLACE, N.Y. — An 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead at a New York nursing home but found to be breathing three hours later at the funeral home where she had been taken, authorities said. The woman was pronounced dead at Water’s Edge Rehab and Nursing Center at Port Jefferson...
White House: Improved surveillance caught Chinese balloonVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said Monday that improvements ordered by President Joe Biden to strengthen defenses against Chinese espionage helped to identify last week’s spy balloon — and to determine that similar flights were conducted at multiple points during the Trump administration. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said...
John Fetterman’s State of the Union guest is Philly man he helped free from prison
One of two brothers who U.S. Sen. John Fetterman successfully fought to free from prison will join him Tuesday at President Biden’s State of the Union address. Dennis “Freedom” Horton and his brother, Lee, were imprisoned for nearly 28 years after being convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life...
New Jersey charges Paterson officer who shot, wounded fleeing personVideo
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s top law enforcement official brought criminal charges Monday against a police officer he said shot a fleeing person in the back, wounding him severely. Attorney General Matthew Platkin said the state filed charges of second-degree aggravated assault and official misconduct against Paterson Police Officer Jerry...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to control Disney district governing board
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis would take control over the board of a special governing district Walt Disney World operates in Florida under a bill introduced Monday, as the Republican governor punishes the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. Republican leaders in the statehouse, in...
Harry Whittington, shot by Dick Cheney in hunting mishap, dies at 95
Harry Whittington, the attorney from Texas who survived a hunting accident in 2006 when then-US Vice President Dick Cheney shot him in the face while tracking a passing bird, has died. He was 95. He died early Saturday morning at home, the New York Times reported, citing his wife. A...
Salman Rushdie gives 1st interview since 2022 stabbing
NEW YORK — Months after being stabbed repeatedly as he prepared to give a lecture, Salman Rushdie is blind in his right eye, struggles to write and, at times, has “frightening” nightmares. But, he said during his first interview since the attack, he still has a feeling of gratitude. “Well,...
Crews release toxic chemicals from derailed tankers in OhioVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Crews released toxic chemicals into the air from five derailed tanker cars that were in danger of exploding Monday and began burning it after warning residents near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line to leave immediately or face the possibility of death. Flames and black smoke billowed high...
French parliament debates Macron’s divisive pension bill
PARIS — France’s parliament on Monday started debating a fiercely contested pension bill that’s triggered recent strikes and large street demonstrations, with more protests set to come this week. The lower house, the National Assembly, began debating the plans that would raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64....
Woman plotted with neo-Nazi to attack power grid, feds say
BALTIMORE — A Maryland woman spent months conspiring with a neo-Nazi leader based in Florida to plan an attack on Baltimore’s power grid, hoping to further their racist mission, law enforcement officials said Monday. The plan was thwarted when both suspects were arrested last week, adding to a growing list...
What to watch: New political vibes this State of the Union
WASHINGTON — Look for new faces and fresh political dynamics as President Joe Biden delivers this year’s State of the Union address, coupled with attention to some old problems brought back into painful focus by recent events. The president on Tuesday night will stand before a joint session of Congress...
