Explainer: What spurred the bloody armed clashes in Baghdad?
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s long-running power struggle between rival Shiite camps devolved into bloody street violence this week — the culmination of months of simmering tensions and a political vacuum. For 24 hours, loyalists of powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr transformed the country’s government Green Zone into a front line, trading fire...
In new gun law, a quiet breakthrough for victims of abuse
WASHINGTON — Nikiesha Thomas was on her way to work one day when she told her sister that she was thinking about getting involved with domestic violence prevention. The idea gave Keeda Simpson pause. Her younger sister had never mentioned anything like that before, and she was bringing it up...
Diana’s death stunned the world — and changed the royals
LONDON — Above all, there was shock. That’s the word people use over and over again when they remember Princess Diana’s death in a Paris car crash 25 years ago this week. The woman the world watched grow from a shy teenage nursery school teacher into a glamorous celebrity who...
Containers are no hindrance for migrants on Arizona border
YUMA, Ariz. — Hours before Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey declared “a major step forward to secure our border” with the installation of 130 double-stacked shipping containers, hundreds of migrants found their way around them, belying his claim. They walked through tribal lands to the edge of a towering wall built...
Women race political clock, cross state lines for abortions
DAYTON, OHIO — In the dim light of a clinic ultrasound room, Monica Eberhart reclines on an exam table as a nurse moves a probe across her belly. Waves of fetal cardiac activity ripple across the screen. “The heartbeat,” the nurse says. “About 10 weeks and two days.” Eberhart exhales....
Truck hauling tomatoes crashes, spills load across California highwayVideo
VACAVILLE, Calif. — A truck hauling a load of tomatoes crashed Monday into the center divider of Northern California highway, spilling its load across several lanes of traffic that remained closed for hours, authorities said. The truck was one of three vehicles that collided on the westbound lanes of Highway...
Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches
Greenland’s rapidly melting ice sheet will eventually raise global sea level by at least 10.6 inches — more than twice as much as previously forecast — according to a study published Monday. That’s because of something that could be called zombie ice. That’s doomed ice that, while still attached to...
Sen. Lindsey Graham warns of ‘riots’ if Trump is prosecutedVideo
Sen. Lindsey Graham warned there “will be riots in the streets” if former President Donald Trump is indicted. “If they tried to prosecute President Trump … there literally will be riots in the street,” the South Carolina Republican said on Fox News. “I worry about the country.” Despite mounting evidence...
Judge denies Brian Kemp’s motion to quash grand jury testimony
ATLANTA — A judge has denied Gov. Brian Kemp’s request to avoid testifying before the special purpose grand jury investigating Donald Trump and his allies’ attempts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. But the Monday morning ruling from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney did say Kemp, the Republican...
Biden will give prime-time speech about democracy from Philadelphia
President Joe Biden will give a prime-time speech Thursday from outside Independence Hall, warning about threats to democracy, as he makes a swing of appearances to boost Democrats with roughly two months until the midterm election. Biden will speak about “how the core values of this nation — our standing...
Columbus students returning after striking teachers ink dealVideo
COLUMBUS — Students in Ohio’s largest school district returned Monday to classrooms after members of the union representing teachers and other employees approved a contract, ending a strike that began a week ago. The Columbus Education Association’s nearly 4,500 teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists and other education professionals on Sunday...
No one has claimed the $1.34B Mega Millions prize a month after winning ticket was bought in IllinoisVideo
It’s been a month since someone in Illinois won the $1.34 billion Mega Millions lottery. Though, this someone hasn’t claimed the prize just yet. Whomever the player is, they bought the winning ticket in Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago. Hence, the player matched all six correct numbers: 13, 36,...
Josh Shapiro breaks with Democrats on covid policies in governor’s race
HARRISBURG — As attorney general, Josh Shapiro went to court repeatedly to defend Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration against legal challenges to his pandemic-era mandates and shutdowns. Now, as he’s running to succeed Wolf as governor, Shapiro says he is against some of the same covid-19 containment measures that his...
Cubans flee island’s economic woes by air, land and sea
MIAMI — One Cuban man endured a trek through eight countries that lasted more than a month. Another man paid a small fortune for a furtive speedboat trip. A third decided to risk a perilous passage aboard a homemade raft rather than stay a moment longer on the island. Cubans...
Rioter who encountered senator gets over 4 years in prisonVideo
A Maryland man affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Monday to more than four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol, where he encountered Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer as his armed security detail led the New York Democrat to safety. Joshua Pruitt, 40,...
Surprise: Pa. borrowers may end up paying state taxes on forgiven student loans
Residents of Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia and 10 other states could end up with a surprise tax hit of hundreds of dollars next year on forgiven student loans. President Joe Biden’s announcement that the government would forgive some student debt for individuals earning less than $125,000 was welcome news to...
Gov. Wolf proposes $2K checks for some Pa. residents to help fight inflation
Gov. Tom Wolf and Democrats are hoping to help low- to middle-income Pennsylvanians as inflation has still led to increased costs of gas, groceries, and other goods over the last two years. Wolf visited Sharpsburg on Monday to campaign for his program to provide Pennsylvanians who make $80,000 or less...
UN agency to inspect Ukraine nuclear plant in urgent mission
KYIV — A U.N. nuclear watchdog team set off on an urgent mission Monday to safeguard the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant at the heart of fighting in Ukraine, a long-awaited trip the world hopes will help avoid a radioactive catastrophe. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the group of...
U.S. says it’s reviewed documents seized in Mar-a-Lago search
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has completed its review of potentially privileged documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate this month and has identified “a limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information,” according to a court filing Monday. The filing from the department follows a...
52 million tickets sold for ultra-cheap travel in Germany
BERLIN — About 52 million tickets allowing people to use local public transportation across Germany for just nine euros (dollars) per month were sold over the summer, a group representing transit companies said Monday, days before the project ends and amid widespread calls for some kind of successor. The “9-euro...
Man gored to death by antelope in Swedish animal park
STOCKHOLM — An employee of an animal park in southwestern Sweden was gored to death by a large antelope, the attraction’s owner said Monday. Richard Berglund told reporters that he witnessed the incident involving an eland as he was helping the victim take the animals into stables after the park...
Pakistan floods leave wrecked lives, 500,000 in campsVideo
ISLAMABAD — Nearly a half million people crowded into camps after losing their homes in widespread flooding and the climate minister warned Monday that Pakistan is on the “front line” of the world’s climate crisis after unprecedented monsoon rains wracked the country since mid-June, killing more than 1,136 people. The...
‘Free Staters’ roil New Hampshire politics in ski area spat
CONCORD, N.H. — As a former ski resort executive, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu knows something about navigating slippery slopes. But recent controversy at a county-owned ski area has raised questions about his grip on the Republican Party heading into the November elections. Sununu, who is seeking his fourth term,...
Police: Houston tenant kills 3 others, set fire to lure themVideo
HOUSTON — A man evicted from a Houston apartment building shot five other tenants — killing three of them — Sunday morning after setting fire to the house to lure them out, police said. Officers fatally shot the gunman. The incident happened at about 1 a.m. Sunday in a mixed...
The Philadelphia Police Department is short 1,300 officers. Here’s why the situation is about to get worse
The Philadelphia Police Department has faced a critical shortage of officers for months — one that’s all but certain to get worse as hundreds more cops plan to leave. With the police force already operating about 20% below its target staffing level, more than 800 officers and civilian employees have...
