In devotion to Trump, House GOP taps Stefanik for a top post
House Republicans elevated Rep. Elise Stefanik to a leadership post Friday, highlighting how the party whose lodestar has long been conservative policies increasingly views allegiance to Donald Trump as its indispensable key to electoral success. Stefanik, a Trump stalwart from upstate New York, was elected to the No. 3 leadership...
What insurrection? Growing number of Republican lawmakers downplay Jan. 6 siege at Capitol
WASHINGTON — What insurrection? Flouting all evidence and their own first-hand experience, a small but growing number of Republican lawmakers are propagating a false portrayal of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, brazenly arguing that the rioters who used flagpoles as weapons, brutally beat police officers and chanted that...
Afghan police say Kabul mosque bombing kills 12 worshipers
KABUL, Afghanistan — A bomb ripped through a mosque in northern Kabul during Friday prayers killing 12 worshippers, Afghan police said. Spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said the mosque’s imam, Mofti Naiman, was among the dead. Another 15 people were wounded. The bomb exploded as prayers had begun. No one claimed responsibility...
Salvation Army, UnitedHealthcare answer your covid questionsVideo
If you have covid-19 questions, UnitedHealthcare and The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania have answers. The organizations collaborated on a video that features doctors and health care providers addressing common inquiries about virus vaccines. It’s called “Understanding Your Options: Covid-19 Vaccine Educational Townhall.” The video is below. There is also...
West Bank erupts in protest amid more Israel-Hamas fighting
Turmoil from the battle between Israel and Hamas spilled over into the West Bank on Friday, sparking the most widespread Palestinian protests in years as hundreds of young demonstrators in multiple towns clashed with Israeli troops, who shot and killed at least 11 people. Israel intensified bombardment of the Gaza...
Rep. Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenburg expected to plead guilty in federal case
ORLANDO, Fla. — A change of plea hearing has been scheduled for Monday in federal court for Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector who resigned in disgrace last June in a case that has reportedly since taken aim at his friend and ally U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. Greenberg...
Congress provided $28 billion to save restaurants. It’s running out
WASHINGTON — Restaurants and bars desperate for a lifeline during covid-19 swarmed to apply for a new government grant to help them pay for rent, utilities, supplies and payroll. In just 10 days, the Small Business Administration has received 266,000 applications asking for $65 billion in aid, more than twice...
Police: 9 wounded in Rhode Island shooting
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Nine people were wounded Thursday evening in Rhode Island’s capital in what police there believe to be the largest shooting in city history. Of the nine, three had serious injuries and were “maybe critical,” Providence Police Chief Col. Hugh T. Clements told reporters at the scene. He...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene berates Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on House floor for backing ‘terrorists’Video
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene confronted New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the House floor and reportedly berated her for supporting “terrorists” — prompting AOC’s staff to call for better security in Congress. The confrontation on Wednesday, first reported by the Washington Post, began when Greene tried to get the...
Philly health official forced to resign over MOVE cremationsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s top health official was compelled to resign Thursday after the city’s mayor said he learned human remains from the 1985 bombing of the headquarters of a Black organization had been cremated and disposed of without notifying family members. Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that Health...
Gas crunch continues across much of U.S. after pipeline hackVideo
CLEMMONS, N.C. — Gas pumps remained shrouded by plastic bags Thursday at thousands of service stations across more than a dozen U.S. states, but the situation could improve as a pipeline company reported “substantial progress” in resuming operations after a computer hack led to its shutdown. Nearly 70% of North...
Marine Corps officer arrested for assault in Jan. 6 riot
An active-duty Marine Corps officer seen on camera scuffling with a police officer and helping other members of the pro-Trump mob force their way into the Capitol on Jan. 6 has been charged in the riot, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Maj. Christopher Warnagiris, 40, of Woodbridge, Virginia, is the first...
Texas lawmakers approve abortion ban as early as 6 weeks
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas would ban abortions after as early as six weeks — before many women even know they are pregnant — and allow private citizens to enforce the rule through civil lawsuits against doctors and others under a measure given final approval by state lawmakers Thursday. The Senate...
Prosecutors in LA announce sweep in fentanyl overdose deaths
LOS ANGELES — At least 11 suspected drug dealers face charges in Southern California that they sold fentanyl and other opioids that led to overdose deaths, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The cases, which are unrelated, are the result of a federal law enforcement task force focused on combating fatal overdoses...
Video shows San Diego police repeatedly punching Black manVideo
SAN DIEGO — A video shot by a bystander shows San Diego police officers repeatedly punching a man in the face, head and leg after tackling him to the ground in the upscale neighborhood of La Jolla, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. Nicole Bansal told the newspaper she witnessed...
California and the West are in for another tough fire year, federal officials forecast
WASHINGTON — Following a 2020 fire season that shattered records and killed 33 people in California, federal wildfire experts predict another tough year for the state due to widespread and worsening drought conditions. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told reporters Thursday they had been briefed...
Acting Boston mayor signs ordinance limiting use of tear gas
BOSTON — Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey signed into law a city ordinance Thursday that limits how police use tear gas and other crowd-control techniques. The measure, approved by the Boston City Council last month on a 7-5 vote, restricts the use of chemical crowd control agents and kinetic impact...
For Muslims, joyous celebrations and lavish meals mark the end of Ramadan
Muslims everywhere on Thursday were marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The holiday - known as Eid al-Fitr - is considered one of the most festive and joyous occasions in the Muslim calendar. Eid is marked with prayer, family gatherings and lavish meals. “This is the...
Missouri passes bill to limit police use of chokeholds
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s Legislature on Thursday passed a wide-ranging bill that would, among other things, limit when police can use chokeholds, in an effort to respond to the outcry over police violence. The Republican-led House voted 140-4 to send the bill to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a former...
‘Amazing’: Pilots, passenger uninjured after midair crash
DENVER — The pilot of an airplane that collided with another midair near Denver requested emergency landing for engine failure, not knowing that his plane was nearly ripped in half, according to air traffic control audio. Miraculously, both planes landed and no one was hurt, officials said. The planes were...
Judge to review Arbery’s mental health records under seal
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A judge said Thursday he will review under seal mental health records of Ahmaud Arbery to decide whether they can be used by defense attorneys to support their case that the slaying of the 25-year-old Black man was an act of self-defense. Superior Court Judge Timothy...
Gunman opens fire at memorial site, killing man, wounding 3
PHILADELPHIA — A gunman opened fire on a small crowd gathered at a memorial site for a shooting victim in Philadelphia, killing one man and wounding three others. The shooting occurred around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, as some crowd members were painting a mural on the side of a corner store...
CDC: Masks no longer needed for fully vaccinated people in most settings
WASHINGTON — In a striking move to send the country back toward pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday eased indoor mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to safely stop wearing masks inside in most places. The new guidance still calls for wearing masks...
Colonial Pipeline paid hackers nearly $5 million in ransom
Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers on Friday, contradicting reports earlier this week that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the country’s largest fuel pipeline, according to two people familiar with the transaction. The company paid the hefty...
Inside one network cashing in on vaccine disinformation
The couple in the website videos could be hawking any number of products. “You’re going to love owning the platinum package,” Charlene Bollinger tells viewers, as a picture of a DVD set, booklets and other products flashes on screen. Her husband, Ty, promises a “director’s cut edition,” and over 100...
