God, country and chickenpox: How outbreak entangled school in vaccine showdown
Bill Kunkel used to vaccinate his kids, before he read where some vaccines come from. He is skeptical of the pharmaceutical industry’s motives and came across anti-vaxxer theories online, though they aren’t supported by science. But his main objection is about abortion. Decades ago, cells were taken from legally aborted...
Stories of the victims of the New Zealand mosque attack
Fifty people were killed in a terror attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday. Some information about the victims: HUSNA AHMED Farid Ahmed refuses to turn his back on his adopted home, despite losing his 45-year-old wife, Husna Ahmed, in the Al Noor mosque attack. They had...
Floodwaters threaten millions in crop and livestock losses
DES MOINES — Farmer Jeff Jorgenson looks out over 750 acres of cropland submerged beneath the swollen Missouri River, and he knows he probably won’t plant this year. But that’s not his biggest worry. He and other farmers have worked until midnight for days to move grain, equipment and fuel...
Search warrants provide inside look at the investigation into Michael Cohen
WASHINGTON — The USB drive was black and red, and its white label seemed inscrutable — Tracking #: 180208140208. But on Feb. 8, 2018, the tiny digital storage device helped change history when special counsel Robert Mueller gave it to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan. The drive contained Michael...
Jury: Roundup weed killer major factor in man’s cancer
SAN FRANCISCO — Roundup weed killer was a substantial factor in a California man’s cancer, a jury determined Tuesday in the first phase of a trial that attorneys said could help determine the fate of hundreds of similar lawsuits. The unanimous verdict by the six-person jury in federal court in...
Dr. Don L. Fisher, pioneering cardiologist at Allegheny General Hospital, dead at 100
Jeff Fisher’s memories of his father, Dr. Don L. Fisher, are intertwined with the place where his father spent most days for 66 years — Allegheny General Hospital. “He was at work quite a bit,” Jeff Fisher, 65, of Peachtree City, Ga., said of his father. “Actually, he included us...
Fish in Cuyahoga River that famously caught fire now OK’d for consumption
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fish in the Cuyahoga River, which became synonymous with pollution when it caught fire in Cleveland in 1969, are now safe to eat, federal environmental regulators say. The easing of fish consumption restrictions on the Cuyahoga was lauded Monday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine as an important...
Rep. Devin Nunes sues for $250 million over parody Twitter accountVideo
WASHINGTON — A parody Twitter account purporting to be owned by an unhappy cow living on one of Rep. Devin Nunes’ Iowa farms attacked the California Republican as a “treasonous cowpoke” and “udder-ly worthless” during the 2018 campaign. Now Nunes wants $250 million in damages from Twitter for failing to...
Report: U.S. renewable energy use has doubled since 2008
Americans relied on renewable energy sources for 17.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018, setting a new record, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The federal agency said renewable sources — solar, wind and hydroelectric power — provided 742 million megawatt hours of electricity in 2018, nearly double...
Pa. House votes for tougher public pension forfeiture rules
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to make it harder for officials and government employees convicted of crimes related to their jobs to retain their public pensions. The state House voted 194 to 1 to approve legislation that applies the pension forfeiture law to state and federal felonies...
Trump praises Brazil’s far-right president Bolsonaro at White House
WASHINGTON — President Trump praised Brazil’s new far-right leader Tuesday as he welcomed him to the White House, saying the man who’s been described as the “Trump of the Tropics” has done “a very outstanding job.” Trump said President Jair Bolsonaro had run “one of the incredible campaigns,” saying he...
Patriots owner Robert Kraft offered plea deal in prostitution case
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida prosecutors have offered a plea deal to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men charged with paying for illicit sex at a massage parlor. The Palm Beach State Attorney confirmed Tuesday it has offered Kraft and 24 other men charged with soliciting prostitution...
Police: Unicorn-costumed robbery suspect has been unmasked
BALDWIN, Md. — The robbery suspect wore a unicorn costume, and police in Maryland say he has been unmasked. News outlets report that Baltimore County police say 28-year-old Jacob William Rogge donned a pink-and-white unicorn costume and smashed a convenience store register with a crowbar Saturday. Police say 27-year-old Joseph...
Dutch prosecutors consider terror motive in fatal tram shooting
UTRECHT, Netherlands — Investigators probing the deadly tram shooting in the Dutch city of Utrecht sharpened their focus Tuesday on a possible extremist motive, as judicial authorities revealed that the main suspect was released from jail this month and faces a rape trial in July. The nature of Monday’s attack...
Iowa sues to shut down national puppy-laundering ring
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office is suing to shut down what it describes as a national puppy-laundering ring that sells dogs from illegal breeding operations at inflated prices while pretending the animals are rescues. The lawsuit filed Monday seeks an injunction to dissolve breeder J.A.K.’s Puppies,...
Passengers restrain woman who tried to open plane door during flight
ROMULUS, Mich. — Officials say fellow passengers restrained a woman after she allegedly tried to open an exit during a flight from Indianapolis to Detroit. Detroit Metropolitan Airport spokeswoman Erica Donerson says the woman may have been suffering from a medical issue. Donerson says the woman was restrained until the...
West Virginia lawsuit accuses diocese of knowingly employing pedophilesVideo
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey sued the Catholic diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and its former bishop Michael Bransfield on Tuesday, charging that they “knowingly employed pedophiles and failed to conduct adequate background checks” for people working in Catholic schools and camps, a news release from Morrisey’s office says. The lawsuit,...
Are we alone in the universe? New Penn State center searches for answer
Is anyone out there? Or are we alone in the universe? Penn State intends to make its newly created Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center (PSETI) a global leader and worldwide hub for research aimed at answering that question. For most people, SETI - the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - conjures images of...
Cal U readies for annual robotics competition
The robots are coming, again. More than 1,000 high school students, representing 52 robotics teams, will gather at California University of Pennsylvania later this week for Destination: Deep Space, the annual Greater Pittsburgh Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. The competition on Thursday, Friday and Saturday that challenges students to build and...
Elizabeth Warren wants to kill the electoral college
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Monday endorsed ending the electoral college, arguing for a system where “every vote matters.” Many Democrats, including Warren, have disparaged the electoral college following the presidential election results in 2000 and 2016, when Al Gore and Hillary Clinton both won the national popular vote, yet...
Facebook says no one flagged New Zealand mosque shooting livestream
LONDON — Facebook says none of the 200 or so people who watched live video of the New Zealand mosque shooting flagged it to moderators, underlining the challenge tech companies face in policing violent or disturbing content in real time. The social media giant released new details about its response...
Statue of Liberty climber gets 5 years’ probation
NEW YORK — A woman who climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty last July 4 to protest the separation of families at the Mexican border has been sentenced to five years’ probation and 200 hours of community service. Therese Okoumou entered the Manhattan federal courthouse on Tuesday with...
Sen. Edward Markey to give away campaign donations from Robert Kraft
BOSTON— U.S. Sen. Edward Markey planned to donate campaign contributions he received from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is charged with soliciting prostitution in Florida, to an organization that works to end human trafficking. Markey received $3,600 in donations from Kraft during the Massachusetts Democrat’s first campaign for...
Mike Pence heads to flooded Midwest amid concerns about levees
OMAHA, Neb. — Vice President Mike Pence is headed to the Midwest to view flood damage as farmers raise concerns that busted levees won’t be fixed before the traditional spring flood season. Pence is scheduled to visit Omaha, Nebraska, late Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of homes are damaged, and tens of...
Trump’s 2 Supreme Court picks on opposite sides in 2 cases
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s two Supreme Court appointees were on opposite sides of two of three cases that the justices decided Tuesday. The two new justices have solidified conservative control of the Supreme Court, but they do not march in lockstep, at least in the small corners of the...
