Rep. Matt Gaetz faces probe by House ethics over potential misconduct
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, citing reports of sexual and other misconduct by the Florida Republican. The committee said in a statement Friday that it has begun the investigation and will gather additional information about the allegations. “The committee is aware...
Transgender woman seeks transfer from Georgia men’s prison
ATLANTA — A transgender woman held in a Georgia men’s prison says she has been sexually assaulted repeatedly and denied necessary medical treatment and that prison officials retaliated against her after she filed complaints and a lawsuit. Lawyers for Ashley Diamond asked a federal judge in court filings Friday to...
Federal appeals court sides with Evers over press access
MADISON, Wis. — A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers can exclude members of a conservative think tank from attending press briefings and keep them off his email list sent to other reporters, upholding a ruling from a lower court. The MacIver Institute for Public...
Medical examiner blames police pressure for George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — The chief county medical examiner who ruled George Floyd’s death a homicide testified Friday that the way police held him down and compressed his neck “was just more than Mr. Floyd could take,” given the condition of his heart. Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County medical examiner, took...
As Pa. covid cases rise, hospitalizations drop for 1st time in nearly 3 weeks
With the latest numbers released Friday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, coronavirus cases are continuing to increase across the state. However, state hospitalizations for covid declined for the first time in nearly three weeks. That, combined with the fact that more than 20% of the state population has been...
Airlines pull Boeing Max jets to inspect electrical systems
Airlines pulled dozens of Boeing Max 737s out of service for inspections after the aircraft maker told them about a possible electrical problem, the latest setback for the plane. Boeing said Friday that the issue affected planes used by 16 airlines. The company did not say how many planes are...
U.S.-Russian trio blast off on mission to space station
MOSCOW — A Russian-U.S. trio of space travelers launched successfully Friday, heading for the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov blasted off as scheduled at 3:42 a.m. EDT aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in...
Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dead at 99
LONDON — Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99. His life spanned nearly a century of European history,...
Explosive eruption rocks volcano on Caribbean’s St. Vincent
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday following mandatory evacuation orders from the local government. Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies Seismic Center, said the ash column is estimated to have...
Reigning Mrs. World arrested over onstage melee in Sri LankaVideo
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Police in Sri Lanka on Thursday arrested the reigning Mrs. World for pulling the crown off the head of the winner of a Mrs. Sri Lanka beauty pageant and allegedly causing injuries. She was later released on bail. Caroline Jurie, who won the Mrs. World 2020...
North Carolina sites halt Johnson & Johnson shots after adverse reactions
RALEIGH — North Carolina health officials said on Thursday that they stopped administering Johnson & Johnson doses at a mass vaccination site in Raleigh and at clinics in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill after at least 26 people experienced adverse reactions, including fainting. Four people were taken to hospitals for further...
Police: Employee kills 1, wounds 5 at Texas cabinet business
BRYAN, Texas — A man opened fire Thursday at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper prior to his arrest, authorities said. Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske told reporters he believes the suspect, whose name wasn’t...
Northern Ireland leaders seek calm after violence escalatesVideo
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Authorities in Northern Ireland sought to restore calm Thursday after Protestant and Catholic youths in Belfast hurled bricks, fireworks and gasoline bombs at police and each other. It was the worst mayhem in a week of street violence in the region, where Britain’s exit from the...
Records: Kansas lawmaker’s blood alcohol twice legal limit; called cop ‘donut boy’
LIBERTY, Mo. — A powerful Kansas lawmaker accused of drunken driving had a blood alcohol level that was twice the legal limit and taunted the Highway Patrol officer who arrested him last month for allegedly speeding the wrong way on an interstate, according to documents released Thursday. Kansas GOP Senate...
Ohio paint plant explosion and fire kill 1, hurt 8; cause unclearVideo
COLUMBUS — An explosion and fire rocked a paint manufacturer early Thursday in Ohio’s capital, killing one person and injuring eight others. Some of the injured were able to get out of the Yenkin-Majestic Paint plant in Columbus, authorities said. Others were rescued and taken to the hospital. All of...
Background checks no longer required for Tennessee gunowners
NASHVILLE — Tennessee has become the latest state to allow most adults 21 and older carry handguns without first clearing a background check and training after Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed the measure into law. “I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to...
Pennsylvania promises quicker, easier jobless claims system
HARRISBURG — After a year of frustration over long waits for checks, jammed phone lines and confusing online filing procedures, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry is promising a much quicker and easier unemployment compensation claims filing system in two months. The new system, scheduled to launch on June 8,...
State College construction firm accused of stealing $20 million from workers
HARRISBURG — A major Pennsylvania construction contractor was charged Thursday with stealing tens of millions of dollars from its own workers by systematically violating state and federal prevailing wage laws on taxpayer-funded public infrastructure projects. Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. of State College, a 70-year-old company that booked $1.7 billion in...
Gaetz associate working toward plea deal with prosecutors
ORLANDO, Fla. — An associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz’s is working toward a plea deal with federal prosecutors investigating a sex trafficking operation, potentially escalating the legal and political jeopardy facing the Florida congressman. The revelation that a political ally of Gaetz’s, Joel Greenberg, is seeking to strike a plea...
Number of kids alone at U.S.-Mexico border hits all-time high
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March, authorities said Thursday, the largest monthly number ever recorded and a major test for President Joe Biden as he reverses many of his predecessor’s hardline immigration tactics. A complex mix of factors...
Pennsylvania sees rise in covid cases, hospitalizations
Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania continue to rise overall, while cases in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties remain cautiously steady according to the latest data available from the state. Hospitalizations also continue to be a concern as the numbers rise. The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 4,746 additional cases; the...
Derek Chauvin kept knee on neck for 3 1/2 minutes after George Floyd drew last breath, expert saysVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — A medical expert testified Thursday that George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen as Derek Chauvin, a now-fired Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck and then held that position for more than three minutes after Floyd drew his last breath. Dr. Martin Tobin, a Chicago physician...
Australia halts AstraZeneca vaccine for most people under 50
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia on Thursday become the latest country to restrict use of the AstraZeneca vaccine by recommending that it not be given to people under age 50. The announcement came after Australian drug regulators held a series of urgent meetings earlier in the day. The recommendation came after...
Authorities: NFL player Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Former NFL player Phillip Adams fatally shot five people, including a prominent doctor, his wife and their two grandchildren before killing himself early Thursday. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson told a news conference that investigators had not yet determined a motive for Wednesday’s mass shooting. “There’s...
Students lead U.S. push for fuller Black history education
TRENTON, N.J. — Ebele Azikiwe was in the sixth grade last year when February came and it was time to learn about Black history again. She was, by then, familiar with the curriculum: Rosa Parks, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a discussion on slavery. Just like the year...
