Jared Kushner questions whether Palestinians can govern themselvesVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner said in an interview that the Palestinians aren’t yet able to govern themselves and declined to commit to an independent Palestinian state in the White House’s long-awaited Mideast peace plan. “The hope is that they over time will become capable...
Missing Connecticut mom’s estranged husband and his girlfriend arrested
HARTFORD — Police investigating the disappearance of a Connecticut mother of five have arrested her estranged husband and his girlfriend on charges of evidence tampering and hindering prosecution, authorities announced Sunday. Police in the wealthy New York City suburb of New Canaan said Fotis Dulos, 51, and Michelle Troconis, 44,...
Mass shootings create rippling network of stricken survivors
CHICAGO — Pardeep Singh Kaleka has surveyed the landscape of an America scarred by mass shootings. Seven years ago, a white supremacist invaded a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and killed six worshippers — among them, Kaleka’s father. Now, whenever another gunman bloodies another town, Kaleka posts a supportive message on...
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz hit by flying drink cupVideo
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Florida congressman who frequently appears on television supporting President Trump was struck by a thrown drink as he left a town hall. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz wasn’t injured Saturday when he was struck by a plastic cup lobbed by a protester in Pensacola. A woman has...
Pentagon tells White House to stop politicizing militaryVideo
Acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan had a message for the White House: Politics and the military don’t mix. Shanahan and Navy officials have faced intense scrutiny over a White House request to hide the USS John S. McCain warship during President Trump’s visit to Japan last month — a moment,...
Virginia pastor asks God to give Trump ‘wisdom’ to lead U.S.Video
VIENNA, Va. — The pastor of a Virginia church has asked God to give President Donald Trump wisdom to lead the country. Standing with Trump at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, pastor David Platt said Sunday that “fools despise wisdom and instruction.” WATCH: Trump prays at the McLean Bible Church...
Bishop Thomas Tobin faces backlash from tweet about Pride MonthVideo
PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s Roman Catholic bishop on Sunday defended a tweet urging Catholics to not support or attend LGBTQ Pride Month events, saying it was his obligation to teach the faith “clearly and compassionately, even on very difficult and sensitive issues.” Diocese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin sparked a...
Pompeo says U.S. ready to talk to Iran with ‘no preconditions’
BELLINZONA, Switzerland — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the Trump administration is ready for unconditional discussions with Iran in an effort to ease rising tensions that have sparked fears of conflict. But the United States will not relent in trying to pressure the Islamic Republic to...
Trump family to get red-carpet royal treatment on UK visit
LONDON — It’s a unique odd couple: A 93-year-old sovereign who has made a point of keeping her opinions to herself during her long reign is hosting a 72-year-old reality TV star-turned-president who tweets his uncensored thoughts daily to 60 million followers. For Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s unflappable monarch, the...
Virginia Beach attacker notified boss of plans to leave job
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The gunman who opened fire inside a Virginia Beach government building, killing 12 people, had notified a superior of his intention to leave his job, officials said Saturday. The assailant, who worked as a civil engineer, was an employee “in good standing” in his department, said...
Huge cruise ship plows into tourist boat, dock in Venice
VENICE, Italy — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning. Italian media reported that at least five people were injured in the crash. The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major...
Pa. minimum-wage hike may be big horse trade in Capitol
HARRISBURG — June in Harrisburg is when mayflies swarm from the Susquehanna River and the state Capitol teems with lobbyists and politicians horse-trading over the tens of billions of dollars that will keep Pennsylvania ticking for another year. This year, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage might be the biggest horse traded. Raising...
White House: Trump ‘deadly serious” about Mexico tariffs
WASHINGTON — A top White House official said Sunday that President Donald Trump is “deadly serious” about slapping tariffs on imports from Mexico but acknowledged there are no concrete benchmarks being set to assess whether the U.S. ally was stemming the flow of migrants enough to satisfy the administration. “We...
Rare color footage brings D-Day memories alive, 75 years onVideo
WASHINGTON — Seventy-five years ago, Hollywood director George Stevens stood on the deck of the HMS Belfast to film the start of the D-Day invasion. The resulting black-and-white films — following Allied troops through Normandy, the liberation of Paris, Battle of the Bulge, the horror of the Dachau concentration camp...
Did ‘silencer’ make a difference in Virginia Beach carnage?
The shooter who killed 12 people in a government office building in Virginia Beach used a firearm equipped with a suppressor that muffles the sound of gunfire. It’s the nightmare scenario that gun-control advocates have warned about amid efforts in recent years to ease restrictions on the devices, which they...
China vows military action if Taiwan, sea claims opposed
SINGAPORE — China’s defense minister is warning its military will “resolutely take action” to defend Beijing’s claims over self-ruled Taiwan and disputed South China Sea waters. Speaking at an annual security conference in Singapore on Sunday, Wei Fenghe says: “Should anybody risk crossing the bottom line, the PLA will resolutely...
It took 66 million years, but ‘Nation’s T. rex’ is home
FORT PECK RESERVOIR, Mont. - A long time ago, in a part of this state that is now arid desert but was then humid swampland, an egg hatched. It was the beginning of an epoch-spanning life story that continues still, beginning a new chapter this week in the nation’s capital....
Exhibits, panels, opera, more for Stonewall 50th anniversary
NEW YORK — If it’s Pride Month, there’s gotta be a parade. And there will be — in New York City and places around the country and world. But this year, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising that fueled the fire for a global LGBTQ movement, there’s also a...
Trump’s trade wars with China, Mexico signal turning point for U.S. policy
President Trump’s plan to slap new tariffs on Mexican imports, weeks after escalating his trade war with China, leaves the United States fighting a multifront campaign that threatens more instability for manufacturers, consumers and the global economy. The president’s bombshell announcement that he would impose 5% tariffs on Mexican imports,...
Woman taking photos dies in plunge off California waterfall
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A woman plunged to her death down a Northern California waterfall after she slipped and lost her footing while taking photos, authorities say. The woman died Friday at Eagle Falls, the North Tahoe Fire Protection District said in a statement. Water cascades 150 feet (45...
Rillton woman turned passion for cooking, baking into profession
Alice Ogg loved to cook, bake and make candy — so much so she turned her passion into a profession. She operated her candy and catering business, Alice’s Candy, from her Rillton home in the 1970s and 80s. “She made the candy during the holidays — Christmas and Easter. She...
Hogan will not challenge Trump, leaving president’s GOP critics with limited options
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who was considering an insurgent White House bid that would have championed traditional GOP values, will not challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican Party’s 2020 nomination. “I’m not going to be a candidate for president in 2020,” Hogan said in an interview. Hogan’s choice dashes...
Catfish, rice, Navy ships: Cochran spending leaves legacy
JACKSON, Miss. — Former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran was a master of the federal budget process, quietly shrugging off criticism about pork-barrel spending while directing billions of dollars back to his home state of Mississippi. Cochran died Thursday at age 81. He was the 10th longest-serving senator in U.S. history...
Texas struggles to keep pace as thirst for water intensifies
DALLAS — About 1,000 people arrive in Texas each day, drawn by jobs, newly built homes and other opportunities. But in a state where prolonged drought is a regular occurrence, officials are struggling to ensure they can sate everyone’s thirst. Water experts are trying to determine how “resilient” the state’s...
Voter surge in 2018 prompts voting reforms, restrictions
ATLANTA — New York voters for years have experienced some of the longest wait times in the nation on Election Day. Attempts to fix the problem routinely became casualties of the divided politics of the state Legislature. That dynamic changed last November, when Democrats won majorities in both legislative chambers,...
