A look at high-profile political assassinations this century
ATHENS, Greece — Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday by a gunman who opened fire on him as he delivered a campaign speech on a street in western Japan, shocking the country. Here’s a global look at other high-profile political assassinations in the 21st century: — Oct....
Trump White House counsel Cipollone meets with Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON — Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone arrived Friday on Capitol Hill for a private interview with the Jan. 6 committee about his role in trying to prevent then-President Donald Trump from challenging the 2020 presidential election and joining the violent mob that laid siege to the Capitol. Cipollone...
Hersheypark is retiring a roller coaster, giving fans one last chance to ride
If you want to take one last spin on the Wildcat, you have until July 31. Hersheypark has announced via their Twitter page that the wooden coaster, which opened in 1996, will be shutting down at the end of the month. “Wildcat will close Sunday, July 31 so be sure...
900 firefighters battle massive fire in southeast France
PARIS — Hundred of firefighters backed by water-dropping planes battled a large forest fire Friday in southeastern France that has forced the evacuation of nearby villages. Thirteen firefighters have been injured in Bordezac — the village where the fire started. Overall, 18 firefighters have been injured amid several forest fires...
Ford expands recall for possible engine fires
DETROIT — Ford is expanding a recall of SUVs and telling owners to park them outside after a series of engine fires that can happen even when the ignition switches are off. The company also announced Friday that it’s recalling another 100,000 SUVs in the U.S. for a different problem...
Pennsylvania’s covid phone app ends its run
Pennsylvania’s smartphone app that updates covid-19 cases and deaths will stop operating as of Wednesday. The state health department says covid Alert PA, in use since early in the pandemic, is no longer an essential tool, even though the threat isn’t over. “As we move forward through this phase of...
Prince Harry wins first stage in suit against U.K. tabloid
LONDON — Prince Harry won the first stage of a libel suit against the publisher of Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper as a judge ruled Friday that parts of a story about his fight for police protection in the U.K. were defamatory. High Court Justice Matthew Nicklin hasn’t yet considered...
Wisconsin Supreme Court disallows absentee ballot drop boxes
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court ruled Friday that absentee ballot drop boxes may be placed only in election offices, dealing critical defeats to Democrats in the battleground state. The court did not address the question of whether anyone other than the voter can return his or her own...
U.S. employers add a solid 372,000 jobs in sign of resilience
WASHINGTON — America’s employers shrugged off high inflation and weakening growth to add 372,000 jobs in June, a surprisingly strong gain that will likely spur the Federal Reserve to keep sharply raising interest rates to cool the economy and slow price increases. The unemployment rate in June remained at 3.6%...
What is the independent state legislature doctrine, and why does it matter for Pa.?
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 U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case that could reshape election policy across the country, including...
Pa. Senate GOP advances constitutional amendment on abortion
HARRISBURG — Republican state senators outvoted impassioned Democratic opposition late Thursday to advance a proposal to add language to the Pennsylvania Constitution stating explicitly that the document does not guarantee any rights relating to abortion or public funding of abortions. The chamber’s Rules Committee teed up the package of proposed...
Biden signs order on abortion access after high court ruling
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to protect access to abortion as he faced mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago. The actions he outlined are intended...
Japan’s ex-leader Shinzo Abe assassinated during speech
NARA, Japan — Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech — an attack that stunned the nation with some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere. The...
Facing threats, some election workers weigh whether to stay
After polls closed in New Mexico’s primary last month, a worker returning ballots and other election materials to the clerk’s office in Santa Fe was followed by a partisan election observer driving so close that mere inches separated their bumpers. The poll worker was so rattled by the ordeal that...
Report finds ‘unnecessary’ force by agents at Rio Grande
U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback engaged in “unnecessary use of force” against non-threatening Haitian immigrants but didn’t whip any with their reins “intentionally or otherwise,” according to a federal investigation of chaotic scenes along the Texas-Mexico border last fall that sparked widespread condemnation. In a 511-page report released Friday,...
‘New normal’ for 8-year-old twin wounded in July 4 parade shooting
Sports-loving Cooper Roberts and his 8-year-old twin brother, Luke, loved the Fourth of July parade in their bucolic Chicago suburb. But now the family is envisioning a “new normal” for Cooper who was struck in the chest in a hail of gunfire that left dozens of others wounded and seven...
Oklahoma governor orders special audit of Tulsa schools
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday called for a special audit of Tulsa Public Schools for what he said was a potential mishandling of public funds. Stitt said he ordered the audit at the request of Tulsa school board members E’Lena Ashley and Jennettie Marshal, who wrote...
Pennsylvania budget would leave billions unspent, boost education funding
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House, nearly a week into the state’s new fiscal year, began passing budget legislation Thursday to add billions into surplus accounts, significantly boost education spending and fund new environmental programs. The House passed the main budget bill with little debate on a 180-20 vote hours after...
IRS asks Treasury watchdog to probe James Comey, Andrew McCabe audits
WASHINGTON — The IRS commissioner has asked the Treasury Department’s internal watchdog to immediately review the circumstances surrounding intensive tax audits that targeted ex-FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, frequent targets of Donald Trump’s ire during his presidency. IRS spokesperson Jodie Reynolds said Thursday the agency...
‘Too much gun violence in city,’ Detroit chief says as officer fatally shot
DETROIT — A Detroit officer and a suspect, who police said was “indiscriminately” firing shots, were killed Wednesday night on the city’s west side, the police chief said, prompting him and other city leaders to decry rising gun violence. Standing outside Sinai-Grace Hospital hours after what he called a “very...
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
ATLANTA — A rural Georgia monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic and others dubbed “America’s Stonehenge” was demolished Wednesday after a predawn bombing turned one of its four granite panels into rubble. The Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton was damaged by an explosive device, the Georgia Bureau of...
Yellowstone floods reveal forecasting flaws as world warms
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Yellowstone National Park area’s weather forecast the morning of June 12 seemed fairly tame: warmer temperatures and rain showers would accelerate mountain snow melt and could produce “minor flooding.” A National Weather Service bulletin recommended moving livestock from low-lying areas but made no mention of danger...
Wisconsin court rules against transgender sex offender
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled Thursday that a transgender woman cannot change her name because she is on the state’s sex offender registry and the law does not allow people on the registry to change their names. The court’s 4-3 decision upholds the rulings of...
Police officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves Tioga police position amid controversy
The small borough of Tioga in Northcentral Pennsylvania recently hired Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. But following criticism from residents and outcry on social media, Loehmann has withdrawn from the borough’s police force, according to reports. Rice’s killing led...
Pa. bill allowing police to seize illegally operated dirt bikes, ATVs heads to Wolf’s desk
The state Senate passed a bill late Wednesday allowing police in urban municipalities to seize dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles from owners who illegally drive them on roads, and the measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill passed almost unanimously in the Senate last month,...
