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California withdraws lawsuit challenging Trump’s $4 billion high-speed rail funding cut
U.S. pledges $2 billion for UN humanitarian aid as Trump warns agencies must ‘adapt or die’
GENEVA — The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration slashes U.S. foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities. The money is a small fraction of what...
Judge orders release of transcript from closed hearing for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk
A Utah judge on Monday ordered the release of a transcript from a closed-door hearing in October over whether the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk must be shackled during court proceedings. State District Judge Tony Graf said the transcript must be posted on the court docket by the end...
2 pilots killed after helicopters collided in New Jersey are identified
Authorities on Monday identified two pilots who died after their helicopters collided midair in southern New Jersey. Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71, were friends who both lived in New Jersey and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site in Hammonton, about 35 miles...
Iran Central Bank governor resigns as protests erupt over currency drop
TEHRAN, Iran — The head of Iran’s Central Bank resigned Monday as protests erupted in Tehran and several other cities after the country’s currency plummeted to a new record low against the U.S. dollar. The resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin was reported by state TV, as hundreds of traders and...
A bomb cyclone brings blizzards and dangerous wind chills to the Midwest
A strengthening bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. on Monday, unleashing severe winter weather in the Midwest as it took aim at the East Coast. The storm brought blizzard conditions, treacherous travel and widespread power outages to parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday as sharply colder...
Trump and Netanyahu are to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as Washington looks to create fresh momentum for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that could be in danger of stalling before a complicated second phase. Trump could use the face-to-face at...
Train derails in southern Mexico, killing at least 13 and injuring dozens
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Officials said a train accident in southern Mexico killed at least 13 people and injured dozens, halting traffic along a rail line connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico. The Interoceanic Train linking the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz went off the rails Sunday...
U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says
KYIV, Ukraine — The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts...
China stages military drills around Taiwan to warn ‘external forces’ after U.S., Japan tensions
HONG KONG — China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and rocket troops to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was placing its forces on alert and called the Chinese government “the...
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted political parties because they were ‘in charge,’ memo says
WASHINGTON — The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol told investigators after his arrest that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen and that he...
Midair helicopter crash in New Jersey leaves 1 dead and another critically injured
HAMMONTON, N.J. — Two helicopters crashed midair in New Jersey on Sunday, killing one person and critically injuring another, authorities say. Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Video from the scene shows a helicopter spinning rapidly to...
Trump says Ukraine and Russia are ‘closer than ever’ to peace after talks with Zelenskyy
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Sunday insisted Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace deal as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort, but he acknowledged that negotiations are complex and could still break down, leaving the war dragging...
Winter storm threatens to bring blizzards and ice to parts of the U.S., hampering holiday travel
A powerful winter storm was sweeping east from the Plains on Sunday, driven by what meteorologists describe as an intense cyclone, setting off a chain reaction of snow, ice, rain and severe weather expected to affect much of the country. Snow and strengthening winds spread across the Upper Midwest on...
New York subway ends its MetroCard era and switches fully to tap-and-go fares
NEW YORK — When the MetroCard replaced the New York City subway token in 1994, the swipeable plastic card infused much-needed modernity into one of the world’s oldest and largest transit systems. Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are following...
‘The past gives comfort’: Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas
As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea. The holdouts span the generation gaps, uniting elderly and middle-aged enclaves born in the pre-internet times with the digital natives raised in the era of online ubiquity. They are setting down their...
Brigitte Bardot, 1960s sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist, dies at 91
PARIS — Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91. Bardot died Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of...
Lawsuit accuses deputies at L.A. women’s jail of sexual abuse, watching inmates shower
LOS ANGELES — A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of dozens of current and former inmates in Los Angeles County’s women’s jail claims male correctional officers watched them shower, harassed and groped them and retaliated when the alleged abuses were reported. The suit accuses deputies of taking advantage of women...
Indonesian rescuers search for Spanish family after boat sinks near Komodo Island
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian rescuers searched for four members of a Spanish family on Saturday after a tour boat carrying 11 people sank overnight near Padar Island, a popular destination within Komodo National Park, officials said. The boat was carrying the family of six, four crew members and a local...
Italian authorities arrest 9 for allegedly funding Hamas through charities
ROME — Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organizations on suspicion of raising millions of euros in funds for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement Saturday. The suspects are accused of sending about $8.2 million to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian...
Winter storm snarls U.S. holiday travel across Northeast, Great Lakes
BOSTON — More than a thousand flights were canceled or delayed across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions due to snow as thousands took to U.S. roads and airports during the busy travel period between Christmas and New Year’s. New York City received around four inches of snow Friday night...
Russia strikes Ukraine’s capital and kills at least 1 person a day before Zelenskyy-Trump meeting
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States, authorities said. Explosions boomed across Kyiv as the attack began in early morning and continued...
Elder abuse agencies fail to mitigate risk as Shapiro admin defends system, touts changes
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In November, Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich found himself in the hot seat. He was...
At least 15 injured in a knife and chemical attack at a factory in Japan
TOKYO — A man was arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a tire factory in central Japan on Friday, officials said. There was no immediate explanation of his motive. Eight people were taken to hospitals after being stabbed by...
Massive crash on a highway in Japan kills 1 and injures 26 as the holiday season starts
TOKYO — A massive crash in snowy weather killed one person and injured 26 on an expressway in Japan late on Friday as the country kicked off its end-of-the-year holiday season. The Gunma prefectural highway police said Saturday that the pileup on the Kan-etsu Expressway started with a collision between...
California withdraws lawsuit challenging Trump’s $4 billion high-speed rail funding cut
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California this week withdrew its lawsuit against the Trump administration over the termination of about $4 billion in federal funding for its high-speed rail project, citing the federal government’s unreliability as the reason for the decision. The development follows a lawsuit filed in July, when California sued...
