Melania Trump silently forges path through impeachment
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton spent the morning of her husband’s impeachment visiting Capitol Hill to rally Democrats to his side. Pat Nixon kept assuring reporters her husband wouldn’t quit — right up until he did. Eliza Johnson, frail from tuberculosis, kept watch over her husband during his impeachment while sitting...
Queen Elizabeth II to admit ‘bumpy’ year in Christmas speech
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II plans to acknowledge that both Britain and her family have endured a difficult year by saying during her Christmas message that it has been a “bumpy” time. The pre-recorded message will be broadcast in Britain and the Commonwealth nations on Christmas Day. It was recorded...
San Francisco cafes are banishing disposable coffee cups
SAN FRANCISCO — A new cafe culture is brewing in the San Francisco area, where a growing number of coffee houses are banishing paper to-go cups and replacing them with everything from glass jars to rental mugs and BYO cup policies. What started as a small trend among neighborhood cafes...
Operation Holiday Express brings gifts to U.S. troops in Syria
SHADDADEH, Syria — Hundreds of American troops based in Syria have received Christmas gifts thanks to Operation Holiday Express, launched by U.S.-led coalition forces from across the border in neighboring Iraq. This year, Santa’s sleigh and reindeer were apparently swapped for a workhorse CH-47 Chinook helicopter. But coalition forces still...
No Christmas at Notre Dame, as fire forces Mass into exile
PARIS — Notre Dame Cathedral is unable to host Christmas services for the first time since the French Revolution, because the Paris landmark was too deeply damaged by this year’s fire. So its exiled clergy, choir and congregation are celebrating the holiday in another Gothic church next to the Louvre...
28 killed as bus plunges into ravine in Indonesia
PALEMBANG, Indonesia — A bus plunged into a ravine on Indonesia’s Sumatra island after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 28 people and injuring 13 others, police and rescuers said Tuesday. The accident occurred just before midnight Monday on a winding road in South Sumatra province’s Pagaralam district. Palembang...
It takes a tech village to track Santa on Christmas Eve
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus. But they all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on...
Thousands mark Christmas in West Bank town of Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Visitors converged on the town’s large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus’ birthplace. Uniformed Palestinian scouts wearing...
To battle opioid crisis, some track overdoses in real time
Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York’s Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too. The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides near real-time glimpses...
Pre-existing conditions can cost you, even if you don’t know about them yet
Peter LaFrance was getting winded. The 57-year-old plumber initially dismissed his shortness of breath as an inevitable consequence of getting older and having smoked as a younger man. But when his symptoms worsened in early 2017, he went to his doctor, who told him to go to the hospital immediately....
Mayo Clinic Q&A: LASIK eye surgery — understanding the risks, complications
Dear Mayo Clinic: What are the risks of LASIK surgery, and will my vision deteriorate again over time, even after surgery? Answer: It is not typical for a person’s vision to regress after LASIK, or laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, and complications that result in a loss of vision after LASIK are...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 23
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 12:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road, Jeannette. — Noon-4:30 p.m. Friday, Export Italian American Club, 5930 Kennedy Ave. — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 31, Frick Hospital, 508 S. Church St., Mt. Pleasant Appointments: 800-733-2767...
Police: Texas man confessed to killing pregnant sister
THE COLONY, Texas — A 19-year-old Texas man has been charged with capital murder after allegedly confessing to killing his pregnant sister, writing a fake suicide note in her name and leaving her body in an alley, authorities said Monday. Officers arrested Eduardo Arevalo Sunday evening after finding the lifeless...
York County man accused of killing parents says he was off medicationVideo
YORK — A Pennsylvania man accused of killing his father and stepmother with a sword last week has told investigators he was off his schizophrenia medication at the time, authorities said. Levar Fountain, 38, is charged with criminal homicide in the slayings of John Fountain, 74, and Mary Fountain, 65,...
Saudis sentence 5 people to death for Jamal Khashoggi’s killingVideo
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced five people to death Monday for the killing of Washington Post columnist and royal family critic Jamal Khashoggi, whose grisly slaying in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul drew international condemnation and cast a cloud of suspicion over Crown Prince Mohammed...
Visine eye drops were murder weapon North Carolina man used to kill wife, cops say
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A paramedic from Gaston County is accused of using Visine eye drops to kill his wife last year for a hefty life insurance payout, according to the North Carolina Department of Insurance. The eye drops can cause heart failure when ingested in large quantity, which is what...
House committee raises prospect of more impeachment articles
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee held open the possibility Monday of recommending additional articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump as it pressed anew for the testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn. The committee wants a federal appeals court to order McGahn to testify as it examines...
Report looks at impact of coal mining on ‘neighbors on the surface’
Pennsylvania’s coal mining industry has more active mines than five years ago but is causing less damage to water supplies and surface structures a new report on the industry shows. The report, which covers the years 2013 to 2018, is required by the Bituminous Mine Subsidence and Land Conservation Act...
Trump signs measure to preserve Native languages
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — President Donald Trump has signed a measure that extends federal grant programs aimed at preserving indigenous languages and expands eligibility so more tribes can participate. The president’s signature came Friday, after the measure cleared the U.S. House with bipartisan support. Senate approval came earlier this year. The...
Joe Biden’s new endorsement reflects battle for Latino support
Joe Biden’s presidential bid got a boost Monday from one of the leading Latinos in Congress, with the chairman of the Hispanic Caucus’ political arm endorsing the former vice president as Democrats’ best hope to defeat President Donald Trump. “People realize it’s a matter of life and death for certain...
Report: Popular United Arab Emirates chat app ToTok a government spy tool
NEW YORK — A chat app that quickly became popular in the United Arab Emirates for communicating with friends and family is actually a spying tool used by the government to track its users, according to a newspaper report. The government uses ToTok to track conversations, locations, images and other...
Pacific seashell washes up on Outer Banks shores, stumping park service
A lot of crazy things have washed up on the shores of the Outer Banks. But it’s rare to have something show up that baffles the locals. What’s this strange object? A 3½-inch-long yellowish seashell. Of course, it’s not just any seashell. Turns out, it’s one that the National Park...
Pentagon says New Jersey soldier killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — A 33-year-old American soldier was killed in combat Monday in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. The Taliban claimed they were behind a fatal roadside bombing in northern Kunduz province. In a statement Monday night, the Pentagon identified the casualty as Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Goble of...
Mitch McConnell not ruling out witnesses in impeachment trial
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that he was not ruling out calling witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial — but indicated he was in no hurry to seek new testimony either — as lawmakers remain at an impasse over the form of the...
Ukraine, rebels agree on prisoner exchange before year’s end
MOSCOW — Russia’s envoy at talks between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists said Monday that they agreed on conditions for a prisoner exchange following a deal reached by the two nations’ presidents. Boris Gryzlov, who represents Russia in the so-called Contact Group on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, said after Monday’s...
