Sen. Doug Mastriano: Trump ‘asked me’ to run for Pa. governor
HARRISBURG — A Republican state senator who has talked of possibly running for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022 said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump asked him to run and promised to campaign for him. Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, said he met with Trump on Monday in New York and,...
Boyfriend denies role in Iowa college student’s 2018 slaying
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The boyfriend of a University of Iowa student testified Wednesday that he had nothing to do with her 2018 abduction and stabbing death, saying he had been out of town for work and heartbroken by her slaying. Dalton Jack, the longtime boyfriend of Mollie Tibbetts, was...
U.S. offers $5 million reward for American woman missing in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it was offering a $5 million reward for information about an American woman kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2008. Cydney Mizell, a humanitarian aid worker and her driver, Mohammad Hadi, were kidnapped in southern Kandahar province, where Mizell was teaching English and embroidery...
Explainer: Why has the price of Bitcoin been falling?
NEW YORK — The price of Bitcoin fell as much as 29% Wednesday after the China Banking Association warned member banks of risks associated with digital currencies. Other digital currencies suffered sharp declines as well. Bitcoin’s volatility was on full display: The decline had narrowed to below 10% in early...
Diocese of Erie pays $16.6M to sexual abuse survivors
The Diocese of Erie has paid out $16.6 million to a total of 134 survivors of sexual abuse committed by clergy or laypersons of the diocese. The announcement came Tuesday as the diocese said administrators hired to oversee its independent survivors’ reparation program have completed their work and closed out...
Medicare for 60-year-olds not guaranteed to be a better deal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have proposed to lower Medicare’s eligibility age to 60, to help older adults get affordable coverage. But a new study finds that Medicare can be more expensive than other options, particularly for many people of modest means. There are two reasons: Traditional...
Pa. voters backed curtailing Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency powers in a win for Republican lawmakers
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 — Pennsylvania voters have approved two ballot questions that would curtail the governor’s emergency powers, a victory for Republican lawmakers...
Israel’s Netanyahu ‘determined’ to continue Gaza offensive
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from the United States to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead. Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift...
New York attorney general says Trump Organization probe is now criminal
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office said Tuesday that it is conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe. “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil...
Voters back bid to ban race discrimination in Pennsylvania constitution
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters are backing a proposal to amend the state constitution to outlaw discrimination based on race and ethnicity, a question added to Tuesday’s primary ballot amid worries over whether federal judges appointed by former President Donald Trump will roll back civil rights protections. The proposal had about...
U.S. encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Tuesday, as the Israeli and Palestinian death tolls mounted and pressure grew on Biden to move...
FBI probes campaign donations to Maine Sen. Susan Collins
WASHINGTON — The FBI has been reviewing a possible scheme to funnel illegal donations to the 2020 reelection campaign of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, recently unsealed court records in Washington, D.C., show. The FBI is investigating whether Martin Kao, the former chief executive officer for Hawaii-based contractor...
Mark McCloskey, St. Louis man who waved rifle at protesters, is running for U.S. Senate
Mark McCloskey, a St. Louis personal injury lawyer who gained national attention after he and his wife waved guns at racial injustice protesters who marched near their home last summer, said Tuesday he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2022. McCloskey made the announcement on Tucker Carlson’s show on...
Polling places run out of ballots in Pennsylvania primary
Pennsylvania election officials ran out of ballots in several counties on Tuesday amid higher-than-expected turnout for an off-year primary in which voters had a chance to weigh in on the governor’s emergency powers. York, Delaware and a few other counties ran short, but election officials said voters were able to...
Justice Department drops subpoena for information on Devin Nunes parody Twitter accountVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has withdrawn a subpoena filed in the final weeks of the Trump administration that sought information about a Twitter user who parodied Rep. Devin Nunes, according to people familiar with the matter. The California Republican has spent years seeking to unmask such anonymous users and...
Study: Climate change added $8 billion to Sandy’s damages
Climate change-triggered sea level rise added $8 billion in damage during 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, one of nation’s costliest weather disasters, a new study said. During Sandy — a late fall freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas — the seas were almost...
Congress OKs bill to fight hate crimes vs. Asian AmericansVideo
WASHINGTON — Congress approved legislation Tuesday intended to curtail a striking rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, sending President Joe Biden a bipartisan denunciation of the spate of brutal attacks that have proliferated during coronavirus pandemic. The bill, which the House passed on a 364-62 vote,...
House Republicans line up against bipartisan Jan. 6 commissionVideo
WASHINGTON — House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern on Tuesday questioned House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s fitness to lead after he came out in opposition to establishing a Jan. 6 commission to investigate the insurrection of that day, a measure the Rules panel teed up for floor debate on Wednesday...
Groups ask judge to block Indiana ‘abortion reversal’ law
INDIANAPOLIS — Abortion rights groups asked a federal judge on Tuesday to block a new Indiana law that would require doctors to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process. The lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis argues that the...
Virginia: Ex-gynecologist gets 59 years on fraud conviction
NORFOLK, Va. — A former gynecologist in Virginia who was convicted on fraud charges for performing unnecessary surgeries and procedures was sentenced Tuesday to 59 years in prison. Dr. Javaid Perwaiz also was ordered to pay $18.5 million to insurance companies that covered the procedures, news outlets reported. The former...
Biden reverses Trump changes to bank antidiscrimination law
NEW YORK — The Biden administration said Tuesday it will repeal changes made by the Trump administration to a law aimed at stopping banks from discriminating against racial minorities and the poor. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, one of the nation’s bank regulators, said it plans to...
Darwin’s Arch loses its top due to erosion in Galapagos
QUITO, Ecuador — The famed Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos Islands has lost its top, and officials are blaming natural erosion of the stone. Ecuador’s Environment Ministry reported the collapse on its Facebook page on Monday. The rock structure — 141 feet high, 230 feet long and 75 feet wide...
Shooting targeting party bus in California kills 2, wounds 3
OAKLAND, Calif. — Someone opened fire on a party bus on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway early Tuesday, killing two women and wounding at least three others, authorities said. The passengers were celebrating a woman’s 21st birthday when the bus was attacked around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 580...
FBI investigates Asian-American teen’s death as hate crime
DENVER — The FBI has revealed that it is now investigating the 2017 death of an Asian-American teen in Colorado as a possible hate crime. The federal agency said in a statement Monday to KCNC-TV that it was probing the death of Maggie Long a “hate crime matter.” Long’s death...
EU seeks Mideast cease-fire, concerned conflict will spread
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers called Tuesday for a cease-fire to end days of heavy fighting between the Israeli armed forces and Palestinian militants, but said that a longer-term political solution must be found to end decades of conflict between them. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed in...
