Infrastructure deal slips, GOP pans $1.7 trillion White House offer
WASHINGTON — Prospects for an ambitious infrastructure deal were thrown into serious doubt late Friday after the White House reduced President Joe Biden’s sweeping proposal to $1.7 trillion but Republican senators rejected the compromise as disappointing, saying “vast differences” remain. While talks have not collapsed, the downbeat assessment is certain...
Fuller picture emerges of suspected serial killer in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — A fuller picture began to emerge Friday of the apparently affable 72-year-old former butcher who hacked up one woman in the basement of his home and is suspected of killing many others. The stocky, short suspect has been identified only as “Andrés” under Mexican laws protecting a...
Biden, South Korea’s Moon ‘deeply concerned’ about North Korea
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday said he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in remain “deeply concerned” about the situation with North Korea, and announced he will deploy a new special envoy to the region to help refocus efforts on pressing Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Moon,...
Biden bestows Medal of Honor on Korean War veteran
President Joe Biden awarded his first Medal of Honor on Friday to a 94-year-old retired Army colonel for bravery under enemy fire more than a half-century ago in the Korean War. It took a policy change for retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. to receive the military’s highest honor. The 2020...
The 1995 Diana interview with BBC: A look at the pivotal moment in time
LONDON — The respected British broadcaster BBC is facing questions about its integrity following a scathing report on its explosive 1995 interview with Princess Diana. Britain’s justice secretary said Friday that the government would review the rules governing oversight of the BBC after an investigation found that one of its...
Pa. teachers union demands leadership changes at embattled PSERS pension fund
A union that represents 61,000 schoolteachers statewide called on most of the board of the Pennsylvania Public Employees’ Retirement System to resign amid an ongoing FBI investigation. “Through alleged errors and omissions, and under a shroud of secrecy, this PSERS Board appears to have jeopardized the present and future financial...
7 nooses halt construction at Connecticut Amazon warehouse
WINDSOR, Conn. — Amazon has temporarily shut down a new warehouse construction site in Connecticut after a seventh noose was found hanging over a beam, a series of incidents local police called “potential” hate crimes. Another rope tied like a noose was discovered Wednesday at the site in Windsor, about...
Wyoming senator discloses impregnating 14-year-old at 18
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, a Republican trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney next year, disclosed that he impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18, describing the relationship as “like the Romeo and Juliet” story and saying it was coming to light because of “dirty...
Covid cases rise slightly in Pennsylvania as hospitalizations drop
Pennsylvania recorded a slight rise in covid-19 cases while the number of people hospitalized with the illness continued its steady drop. The state on Friday added 1,823 cases, the most in the past six days, according to data from the state Department of Health. Those cases helped raise the seven-day...
Palestinians see victory in Gaza truce as Israel warns Hamas
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel vowed to respond with a “new level of force” to further hostilities....
New Jersey beaches paid for by all, but parking rules keep outsiders away
DEAL, N.J. — New Jersey’s wide, sandy beaches have been paid for by taxpayers across the U.S., from wheat farmers in Kansas to fishermen in Alaska. But for decades, local governments in some Jersey Shore towns — and elsewhere around the country — have used a variety of tactics to...
Maryland to offer covid-19 vaccine lottery incentive with $2 million in cash prizes
Forty daily drawings for $40,000 each and a $400,000 Fourth of July jackpot. Get at least one jab, and you’ve got a shot. Maryland’s latest effort to encourage people to get vaccinated will shower cash — a total of $2 million — on top of protection against covid-19 for those...
White House, GOP infrastructure talks hit crucial stage
WASHINGTON — Negotiations between the White House and Senate Republicans over President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan are hitting a crucial stage ahead of talks Friday after the latest GOP offer left some dismay in the administration that there wasn’t more movement off the Republicans’ initial $568 billion proposal....
Foundation raises $1 billion to fight anti-Asian hate
A foundation launched by prominent Asian American business leaders earlier this month said Thursday it has raised more than $1 billion to support Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. The announcement from The Asian American Foundation, or TAAF, came minutes after President Joe Biden signed legislation aimed at curtailing the...
Biden signs bill to counter spike in anti-Asian hate crime
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday signed legislation to curtail a dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and expressed pride that lawmakers who seem to agree on little else came together against hate and racism. Biden lavished praise on Democrats and Republicans for approving...
Trump hasn’t endorsed in Pennsylvania governor’s race, aide says
HARRISBURG — A senior adviser to Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to stress that the former president has made no endorsement of anyone to become governor of Pennsylvania. The statement by the adviser, Jason Miller, comes a day after a Republican state senator who has talked of possibly...
Feds seize 68 big cats from ‘Tiger King Park’ in Oklahoma
THACKERVILLE, Okla. — Federal authorities have seized 68 big cats from an animal park in Oklahoma featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King.” The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that the seizure of the federally protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar as part of a court-approved agreement to resolve...
Pa. health officials celebrate federal pharmacy partnership’s progress in vaccinations
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Alison Beam on Thursday thanked federal pharmacy partners for their help distributing covid vaccine to residents across the state and said the collaboration would continue for the time being. As of May 20, 50% of Pennsylvania’s adult population has been fully vaccinated, and more than 55% of...
Gov. Tom Wolf extends covid-19 disaster declaration, days after votes to curb his powers
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a renewal of the state’s disaster order related to the coronavirus pandemic. The governor announced the renewal Thursday afternoon, just two days after voters approved two measures to curb his powers in disasters. The previous covid-19 disaster order expired Thursday. “Covid-19 vaccinations have increased...
Israel, Hamas agree to cease-fire to end bloody 11-day war
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire Thursday, halting a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip, brought life in much of Israel to a standstill and left more than 200 people dead. At 2 a.m. local time, just as the...
Pennsylvania terminating vendor that mishandled virus data
Pennsylvania is firing a company that performed covid-19 contact tracing and exposed the private medical information of tens of thousands of residents, according to legislative Republicans who released a statement from the state Health Department on Thursday. Employees of Insight Global used unauthorized Google accounts — readily viewable online —...
Sewickley lawyer joins Pennsylvania’s 2022 Republican gubernatorial primaryVideo
Make it three and counting in the 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial primary after Sewickley lawyer Jason Richey threw his hat into the ring Thursday. Richey, 49, joins a growing field of Republicans, including former Rep. Lou Barletta and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, is expected...
Experts predict busy Atlantic storm season but not like 2020
The Atlantic hurricane season will be busier than normal, but it’s unlikely to be as crazy as 2020’s record-shattering year, meteorologists said Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasted that the hurricane season, which runs from June through November, will see 13 to 20 named storms. Six to 10...
Judge drops murder charges against 2 Mississippi cops
JACKSON, Miss. — A state judge in Mississippi dismissed murder charges Thursday against two police officers accused of body-slamming and beating a Black man. The ruling by Hinds County Judge Faye Peterson ended the trial of former Jackson officers Desmond Barney and Lincoln Lampley, news outlets reported. She said prosecutors...
GOP not budging on infrastructure offer in Biden talks
WASHINGTON— Senate Republicans have not substantially budged off their initial $568 billion infrastructure proposal despite overtures from the White House to work toward a compromise as President Joe Biden tries to strike a bipartisan agreement on his sweeping $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. The lack of any sizable movement beyond the...
