June 30, 2026 4:50 am
ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump has tried many ways to tighten his grip on U.S. elections, from signing executive orders to pushing restrictive legislation in Congress. Monday’s Supreme Court ruling siding with states that accept late-arriving mail ballots was the latest example showing the limits of his reach. It followed a series of other setbacks for the Republican president. Still, Trump’s efforts have not been entirely fruitless. He successfully pushed Republican-run states to redraw congressional districts and the Supreme Court has essentially gutted the Voting Rights Act. He also has been directing his Department of Justice to investigate voting and election operations, which Democrats see as a possible prelude to their involvement in November.
June 30, 2026 4:48 am
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — With the window for finding survivors shrinking fast, Venezuelans combed through more ruins of buildings toppled by last week’s devastating back-to-back earthquakes. Attention also turned to the country’s humanitarian crisis that could persist for years. Relief organizations say the first 72 hours after a natural disaster is the most crucial time period for rescues, though survival can be extended if people have access to food and water. Five days after the twin quakes, questions loomed about whether the cash-strapped government will be able to coordinate the effort needed to care for thousands of people who have been left homeless. The death toll stood at more than 1,700 people.
June 29, 2026 5:49 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is rejecting a Republican-led attack on state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a target of President Donald Trump. Monday’s 5-4 decision leaves in place laws in more than half the states and the District of Columbia that permit mailed ballots to arrive and be counted days after an election, provided they’re postmarked by Election Day. The outcome spares officials the headache of changing ballot rules just months before the 2026 midterm congressional elections. The legal challenge was part of the Republican president’s broader attack on most mail balloting, which he says breeds fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and years of experience in numerous states. (Photo: AP)
June 29, 2026 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook can remain in her job for now, a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s bid to wrest control of the nation’s central bank. At the same time, the justices on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding the Republican president’s firings of the heads of other independent federal agencies. The court rejected a Trump administration plea to immediately remove Cook from the Fed based on allegations she committed mortgage fraud, which she denies. Cook was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
June 29, 2026 5:01 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump says on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though Iranian officials said no such meeting was scheduled. The U.S. president has tried to preserve an increasingly fragile interim deal as hostilities have mounted in recent days in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy supplies. Monday marked the first time both sides appeared to pause after four days of trading attacks. Iran’s president says $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released by Qatar, remarks apparently aimed at selling the Iranian public on the interim deal. So far, U.S. officials say no frozen Iranian assets have been released.
June 29, 2026 3:53 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast is planning to split itself into two separate publicly traded companies by spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky. The company said Monday that its board and management team think each company will be better positioned to pursue its own strategic priorities, invest for growth and create long-term shareholder value as independent entities. Media and entertainment company NBCUniversal includes a theme parks division, Universal film and television studios, NBC and Telemundo networks, Peacock, and Bravo. Its portfolio will now include European media business Sky.
June 29, 2026 4:47 am
Emergency crews conducted a water rescue in Fayette County on Sunday. According to the Everson Volunteer Fire Co., crews were called to the Yough River in Upper Tyrone Township for a kayak that had reportedly overturned, leaving three people in the water. The three people were found on the riverbank, but the terrain made them inaccessible, officials say. Morrell Volunteer Fire Co. crews kept an eye on the people and made contact with them over the phone. New Haven Hose Co. launched a boat from the Dunbar Township side of the river and rescued the three people. All of them declined care from medics.
June 29, 2026 4:51 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — A chain steakhouse restaurant has closed its doors here in Washington County. A spokesperson for Bloomin’ Brands confirms that the Outback Steakhouse location on Washington Road in Washington closed on June 22, ahead of its lease expiring. Some of the restaurant’s employees will be able to transfer to a nearby restaurant and will receive a transition bonus. The restaurant has served the Washington Community for 20 years. The only remaining Outback Steakhouse location in Western Pennsylvania is in Coraopolis. The McCandless location closed in 2024, as part of Bloomin’ Brands’ decision to shutter underperforming locations.
June 29, 2026 4:58 am
PARIS (AP) — A record-breaking heat wave has overwhelmed mortuaries in Paris, leaving funeral directors struggling to find space for bodies. Zouhaeir Hertelli, a mortuary owner, says he receives hundreds of calls daily but has no room left. France is counting the human cost of the heat wave, which began in mid-June. Public Health France reports a surge in deaths, particularly among older people. Last week, deaths exceeded 1,200 on Wednesday and rose to over 1,400 on Thursday and Friday. The agency expects these numbers to rise as more death certificates are processed.
June 28, 2026 7:36 am
BEAVER, Utah (AP) — Three firefighters have died and two were injured while battling fires on the Colorado-Utah border. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service says they were responding to the Knowles and Gore fires on Saturday. Wildfire activity has intensified across the western U.S. due to hot, dry, and windy weather. The largest blaze, the Cottonwood Fire, has grown to over 144 square miles in southwest Utah. Utah’s governor declared an emergency earlier this week, and Colorado’s governor on Saturday followed suit and authorized the National Guard to help. Conditions have been critical, with record-low snowpack and extreme drought fueling the fires.
