Mike Pence spars with Joe Biden over administration’s trade record
DURYEA — Vice President Mike Pence headed to the presidential battleground of Pennsylvania on Monday to tout a pending trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, and in the process sparred with Joe Biden over the Trump administration’s record on trade. Pence visited a high-tech glass maker near Scranton, where the...
Facebook ramps up election security efforts ahead of 2020
With just over a year left until the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Facebook is stepping up its efforts to ensure it is not used as a tool to interfere in politics and democracies around the world. The efforts outlined Monday include a special security tool for elected officials and candidates...
Israel’s Netanyahu gives up on forming new coalition
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he had failed to form a majority government in parliament, marking a major setback for the embattled Israeli leader that plunges the country into a new period of political uncertainty. In a statement, Netanyahu said he had worked “tirelessly” to establish...
Former Trib editor loved running and caring for animals
Lance Kristan was a calming influence in a not-so-calm profession. A longtime copy editor at the Tribune-Review, Mr. Kristan was “the last set of eyes on a story before it went into print,” said former city editor Frank Myers. “He was a very quiet, studious wordsmith. He started out as...
Pennsylvania representative introduces ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill
Freshman state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-Centre/Clinton, introduced a so-called “heartbeat” abortion bill on Monday alongside Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Fayetteville. House Bill 1977 and its companion legislation, Senate Bill 912, would require all physicians to determine if a fetus has a heartbeat before performing an abortion and immediately stop if one...
‘You people with this phony Emoluments Clause’: Cabinet meeting devolves into 71 minutes of Trump grievancesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, trying to dig out from political holes of his own making on top of the expanding House impeachment inquiry, held forth for 71 minutes Monday during what was ostensibly a Cabinet meeting but ended up being a familiar torrent of grievance, defensiveness and bold statements...
Shapiro, other attorneys general detail proposed $48 billion national opioid settlement
The nation’s three largest drug distribution companies and two drug companies have agreed to a tentative national settlement of opioid lawsuits valued at $48 billion, including $22 billion in cash and $26 billion in the form of treatment drugs and delivery services, a team of attorneys general announced Monday. Pennsylvania...
Fire at large garage prompts Philadelphia school evacuationVideo
A raging fire destroyed a large car garage in West Philadelphia and led a nearby high school and day care to evacuate. There are no reports of any injuries and Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel says he doesn’t believe anyone remains inside. However, he says the fire has been dangerous...
Trump defends Gabbard in Clinton spat, says she’s no agent
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is attacking Hillary Clinton for suggesting Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian agent. Trump says of Gabbard, “she’s not a Russian agent.” Clinton appeared to call Gabbard “the favorite of the Russians” in a recent interview, saying she believes the Russians have...
Authorities charge officer who opened fire on couple’s car
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut police officer who opened fire on an unarmed couple’s car and wounded a 22-year-old woman has been charged with felony assault and reckless endangerment. A state prosecutor on Monday announced the charges against Hamden officer Devin Eaton, who authorities say fired his handgun 13...
Tornado slams Dallas; 4 killed in Arkansas, OklahomaVideo
DALLAS — A tornado tossed trees into homes, tore off storefronts and downed power lines but killed no one in a densely populated area of Dallas, leaving Mayor Eric Johnson to declare the city “very fortunate” to be assessing only property damage. A meteorologist said people took shelter thanks to...
Wisconsin school guard not mad over firing, credits support
MADISON, Wis. — A black Wisconsin security guard who was fired for repeating a racial slur while telling a student not to use it says he’s not angry because he’s received “a busload of love” from supporters. Marlon Anderson told WMTV-TV on Sunday that he hasn’t had time to be...
Lyme group will host congressional lunch forum on tick-borne disease
In addition to a rally Tuesday in Harrisburg aimed at drawing attention to the treatment of tick-borne illness in Pennsylvania, the Center for Lyme Action will host a congressional lunch forum to push for more efforts to address what center officials call “an invisible epidemic.” “Lyme is a frustrating and...
Negotiations for massive opioid settlement continue
Although the tentative settlement reached Monday of a federal opioid crisis lawsuit stopped short of a global agreement, it triggered growing optimism that communities devastated by drug abuse and overdose deaths may soon see relief. Shortly after the Associated Press reported that the nation’s three largest drug distributors — AmerisourceBergen,...
Mt. Pleasant man dies 2 weeks after losing wife
Although they grew up “across the pond” from each other, George Farrell and his wife, Pat, were as close as a husband and wife could be. The couple met in Pat Farrell’s native England while George was in the Air Force. They got married in 1960 and lived all over...
Family: Toddler who was severely beaten improving, still in critical conditionVideo
SUNBURY — Arabella Parker has made significant improvements but continues to fight for her life a family spokesperson said. Sarah Delcamp, the aunt of Parker, told The Daily Item on Saturday the 3-year-old has made huge strides over the last 10 days. Delcamp said doctors have removed various medical devices...
Trump’s allies craft list of potential Mick Mulvaney replacementsVideo
WASHINGTON — Some of Donald Trump’s closest associates are assembling a roster of possible replacements if the president decides to replace Mick Mulvaney, his acting chief of staff, said three people close to the situation. Among those said to be on the list are former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker,...
3 U.S. soldiers killed in crash at Fort Stewart in Georgia
FORT STEWART, Ga. — U.S. Army officials say three soldiers were killed and three others were injured when the armored vehicle they were riding in rolled over into water during training at Fort Stewart in Georgia. Officials with the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield’s 3rd Infantry Division said in a news...
Hong Kongers use masquerade as new protest tacticVideo
HONG KONG — Winnie the Pooh, Guy Fawkes, Pepe the Frog — these are the new faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement. Demonstrators masqueraded Friday night as their favorite characters in defiance of the government’s ban this month on face coverings at public gatherings. Protesters in the semi-autonomous Chinese...
California relishes role as liberal trendsetter, Trump foe
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Democrats who rule California took on homegrown tech giants Uber and Lyft over their workforces, convinced some of the world’s biggest automakers to buck the president on fuel emissions and passed a law that could change college sports nationwide. On issues big and small — hotels...
Cemetery cancels Halloween movie night after criticism by families
A cemetery in North Carolina has canceled a Halloween-themed movie night after receiving criticism by families of loved buried there. Lafayette Memorial Park in Fayetteville, N.C. planned a free, kid-friendly film night with snacks scheduled for Oct. 26, according to a Facebook event post. The post said that the movie...
Row home explosion in Allentown, Pa. sparks fire that spreads to other homes
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Authorities say an early morning house explosion in Allentown blew off the front of the row home and led to a fire that spread to nine other homes, but no serious injuries were immediately reported. Allentown fire officials said the 3 a.m. Sunday blast and fire displaced...
Killing took place in New York, but Nicaragua hosts trial
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Witnesses have gathered in a small city in upstate New York over the past three weeks to testify in the trial of a man accused of strangling a young nursing student to death. But there is no jury, no American judge and the man accused is seated...
11-month-old shot, wounded inside a car in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Police in Philadelphia say an 11-month-old boy was shot four times and critically wounded while inside a car. A police release says the baby was shot once in the back of the head, once in the chest, and twice in the buttocks Saturday night. The baby’s stepmother drove...
U.S. troops in Syria going to Iraq, not home as Trump claims
KABUL, Afghanistan — While President Donald Trump insists he’s bringing home Americans from “endless wars” in the Mideast, his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the American military will continue operations against the Islamic State group. They aren’t coming home and the...
