Pa. Supreme Court deals blow to outdated claims of child sexual abuse
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court on Wednesday dealt a blow to victims of child sexual abuse who had hoped to revive their otherwise outdated claims, throwing out a lawsuit by a woman whose lower court legal victory had given hope to similarly situated victims who sued in the wake of...
Explainer: What’s making mid-Atlantic songbirds sick?
WASHINGTON — A mysterious ailment has sickened and killed thousands of songbirds in several mid-Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, since late spring. While scientists are still racing to confirm the cause, it seems juvenile birds may be most susceptible. The U.S. Geological Survey, which oversees responses to some natural hazards and...
Japan, U.S., South Korea reaffirm cooperation on North Korea
TOKYO — The United States, Japan and South Korea on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to work together on North Korea’s denuclearization and other regional threats but made no progress in bringing closer together the two U.S. allies. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who held talks in Tokyo with...
Seemingly safe GOP incumbents under attack from right-wing
OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford would seem to have all the conservative credentials he’d need to coast to reelection in deep-red Oklahoma. A devout Baptist, Lankford was the director of the nation’s largest Christian youth camp for more than a decade. He speaks out regularly against abortion...
Report: U.K. border officers to stop routine covid checks
LONDON — U.K. border officers have been directed to stop routinely checking whether travelers from many countries have tested negative for covid-19, British media reported Wednesday, citing leaked government documents. While the change is designed to reduce waiting times for airport immigration checks, it has raised concerns about importing new...
Fauci, Sen. Paul trade barbs in fiery covid-19 hearing
No lost love between these two. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul accused each other of lying during a contentious Senate hearing on Capitol Hill. The world-famous pandemic doctor bristled on Tuesday when Paul insinuated that the U.S. helped fund research...
Jeff Bezos’ comments on workers after spaceflight draws rebukeVideo
NEW YORK — The world’s richest man wanted to say thanks to the people who made his brief trip into space Tuesday possible. But for some, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ expression of gratitude went over like a lead rocket. “I want to thank every Amazon employee, and every Amazon customer...
Lawsuit against Liberty University alleges mishandling of sex assaults
RICHMOND, Va. — Twelve women filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Liberty University, accusing the Christian institution of a pattern of mishandling cases of sexual assault and harassment, and fostering an unsafe campus environment. The federal lawsuit filed in New York made various claims under Title IX, the federal law that...
Troopers shoot, kill Harrisburg gunman who fired toward them
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state police shot and killed an armed man Tuesday morning near Harrisburg when he allegedly fired into two occupied homes and toward troopers who were called to the scene, an agency spokeswoman said. The police agency said 34-year-old Mitchell James Shuller of Harrisburg ignored demands to drop...
Federal appeals court nixes Indiana’s voter registration purge law
INDIANAPOLIS — A federal appeals court has sided with opponents of an Indiana law aimed at having elections officials immediately purge voter registrations for people who appear to have registered in another state. The decision released Monday upholds an order issued by an Indianapolis-based judge that blocked the law enacted...
Health officials: Coronavirus surge a ‘raging forest fire’ in ArkansasVideo
LITTLE ROCK — Public health researchers on Tuesday called the rapid rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Arkansas a “raging forest fire,” and the state’s top health official warned that he expects significant outbreaks in schools. The model by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Fay W. Boozman...
Pentagon watchdog examining security of nuclear ‘football’
If the president fumbles the nuclear football, is the military prepared to recover it? Pentagon Acting Inspector General Sean O’Donnell is investigating following a number of security lapses in recent years. The Presidential Emergency Satchel, also called the nuclear football, the button or just the football, is a briefcase that...
U.S. opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companiesVideo
The yearslong effort by state and local governments in the United States to force the pharmaceutical industry to help pay to fix a nationwide opioid addiction and overdose crisis took a major step forward Tuesday when lawyers for local governments announced they were on the verge of a $26 billion...
Schools confront more polarization with mask rules for fall
Students in Wichita, Kansas, public schools can ditch the masks when classes begin. Detroit public schools will probably require them unless everyone in a room is vaccinated. In Pittsburgh, masks will likely be required regardless of vaccination status. And in some states, schools cannot mandate face coverings under any circumstances....
California synagogue shooting suspect pleads guilty
SAN DIEGO — A 22-year-old former nursing student pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges in connection with a deadly shooting at a Southern California synagogue on the last day of Passover. John T. Earnest avoided the death penalty with his plea in San Diego Superior Court. The San...
Off-duty DEA agent arrested on Capitol riot charges
An off-duty Drug Enforcement Administration agent posed for photographs in which he flashed his DEA badge and firearm outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, according to a court filing Tuesday following the agent’s arrest. A video posted on the internet also showed Mark Sami Ibrahim carrying a...
Trump inaugural committee head Thomas Barrack accused of being UAE agentVideo
NEW YORK — The chair of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee was arrested Tuesday on charges alleging he secretly conspired to influence U.S. policy to benefit the United Arab Emirates, even while he was seeking a position as an American diplomat. Tom Barrack, 74, of Santa Monica, California,...
Russia unveils new fighter, Putin hails country’s air power
Russian aircraft makers on Tuesday unveiled a prototype of a new fighter jet that features stealth capabilities and other advanced characteristics and will be offered to foreign buyers. Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the prospective warplane displayed with much fanfare at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon, which opened...
Harvey Weinstein extradition fight ends with transfer to California
ALDEN, N.Y. — New York prison officials handed over convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein for transport to California on Tuesday to face additional sexual assault charges. The disgraced movie producer was released by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision at about 9:25 a.m., a department statement said,...
U.S. probes overheating brakes that cause fires in 500K semis
DETROIT — U.S. highway safety regulators have opened an investigation into about a half-million semis with brakes that can catch fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Tuesday that it has 11 complaints about brakes made by Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems, including seven...
Amazon to end covid testing at warehouses this month
Amazon will stop testing workers for covid-19 at its warehouses at the end of this month, citing the availability of vaccines and free testing. The company began testing warehouse workers last year when tests were more difficult to secure. Warehouse workers, who were considered essential, packed and shipped orders throughout...
U.S. Rep. Greene: Twitter timeout is ‘Communist-style’ attack
ATLANTA — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted social media companies over her temporary suspension from Twitter on Tuesday, calling it “a Communist-style attack on free speech.” Twitter imposed the 12-hour timeout on Monday, saying some of her tweets violated its policy against spreading misinformation that could cause harm during the...
Blue Origin’s Bezos reaches space on 1st passenger flightVideo
VAN HORN, Texas — Jeff Bezos blasted into space Tuesday on his rocket company’s first flight with people on board, becoming the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft. The Amazon founder was accompanied by a hand-picked group: his brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands...
What is monkeypox? Here’s what you should know about Texas’ first case of the virusVideo
A Dallas resident on Friday was diagnosed with monkeypox, the first case of the virus ever reported in a human in Texas. The patient, whose identity was not released, was in isolation at a Dallas hospital and was stable. City health officials said that the risk posed to the general...
Kevin McCarthy proposes 5 Republicans to sit on Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has picked five Republicans to sit on the new select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, signaling that Republicans will participate in the investigation that they have staunchly opposed. McCarthy has selected Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who recently visited...
