July 21, 2024 3:12 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to united behind her. Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account. Nearly 30 minutes later, Biden throw his support behind Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.” Biden’s decision came as he has been isolating at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, huddling with a shrinking circle of close confidants and family members about his political future. Biden said he would address the nation later this week to provide “detail” about his decision. A party’s presumptive presidential nominee has never stepped out of the race so close to the election. The closest parallel would be President Lyndon Johnson who, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term. (Photo: AP)
July 21, 2024 6:12 am
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Republican Donald Trump held his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt, an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate. The joint rally with Ohio Sen. JD Vance on Saturday was the first for the pair since they became the GOP’s nominees at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. After appearing uncharacteristically subdued and emotional during the Republican convention, Trump on Saturday returned to his usual rally mode, insulting his Democratic rivals, repeating his lies about the 2020 election, and peppering his address with jokes that sparked laughter from an enthusiastic audience.
July 20, 2024 6:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are not only split on whether President Joe Biden should quit his reelection race, they’re also not on the same page about what to do if he goes. Some Democrats want the president to tap Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him on the ticket. Other Democrats favor an open process at the party convention next month in Chicago to nominate their candidate, with Harris among those participating. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is among those who favor an open process, her thinking being that whoever emerges as the candidate will be in the strongest position to challenge Republican Donald Trump for the presidency.
July 20, 2024 6:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign released an update on the former president’s health Saturday, one week after he survived an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The memo, from Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as Trump’s White House physician, offers new details on the nature of the GOP nominee’s injuries and the treatment he received in the immediate aftermath of the attack. According to Jackson, Trump sustained a gunshot wound to the right ear that came “less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear.” He also received a CT scan at the hospital.
July 21, 2024 6:06 am
SPRING, Texas (AP) — A rising number of heat-related deaths in Texas among residents who lost power during Hurricane Beryl has pushed the number of storm fatalities to at least 23. Most Houston-area residents had their power back after more than a week of widespread outages across the nation’s fourth-largest city. Beryl knocked out electricity to nearly 3 million people in Texas at the height of the outages. Hospitals reported a spike in heat-related illnesses. Experts say that while it may be weeks or even years before the full human toll of the storm in Texas is known, understanding that number helps plan for the future.
July 21, 2024 6:03 am
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Israeli army says it has struck several Houthi targets in western Yemen following a fatal drone attack by the rebel group in Tel Aviv the previous day. Saturday’s strikes appeared to be the first by Israel on Yemeni soil since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. The Israeli army says a number of “military targets” were hit in the port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold. The army adds that its attack was in response to “hundreds of attacks” against Israel in recent months. A Houthi spokesman says the “blatant Israeli aggression” targeted fuel storage facilities and the province’s power station.
July 20, 2024 3:39 am
Community activists are concerned about possible damage to Peters Lake Park due to a proposed development in North Strabane Township. Friends of Peters Lake is holding a Community Walk on Sunday July 21 at 9:00 AM at Rolling Hills Park. The group is advocating against a 41 home development that would border the lake. Their fear is that construction activities and residential fertilizers and other chemicals will harm the water quality of the lake and upset the fragile ecosystem that has been found to contain several rare and unusual species of plants and animals. Their goal is to do everything possible to preserve the natural resource of the lake and preserve the tranquil nature of the preserve that has become a regional treasure. Several North Strabane Township residents filed a Land Use Appeal challenging the decision of North Strabane Township to approve a conditional use to develop a conservation subdivision of single family residences in the township and against the developer Laurel Communities, LLC. Briefs have been filed by both parties and a hearing on the matter has yet to be scheduled. (Photo: Friends of Peters Lake Facebook Page)
July 21, 2024 5:56 am
PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)-The City of Pittsburgh hosted a special event celebrating the life of a beloved iceball stand owner. Gus Kalaris, owner of Gus & YiaYia’s Cart on the city’s North Side, died on June 29. He had served flavored iceballs for decades. The stand opened in 1934 and he took over in 1951. Pittsburgh officials and community members decided to take some time on Saturday to officially honor Kalaris with a celebration of life event on Saturday. Visitors left flowers on the stand at Allegheny Commons Park and shared photos of Kalaris as they had some flavored iceballs. Mayor Ed Gainey attended the event and later made a special statement about Kalaris. “Gus Kalaris embodied Pittsburgh. You got more than just an ice ball when you came to see Gus. You had someone to care about you, even if he didn’t know you. It takes somebody special to make others feel special, and Gus did that for so many people,” Gainey said. Gainey encouraged others to continue Kalaris’s legacy by treating others with kindness and wished everyone a Happy Gus Kalaris Day.
July 21, 2024 1:43 am
Multiple emergency responders were called out Friday afternoon to Speers Borough for reports of a vehicle that had left the roadway and went into the Monongahela River. Charleroi fire officials say one female was trapped in the vehicle. Rescue boats were called and a landing zone was set up. Crews worked what they said was a complicated rescue for approximately 30 minutes when the woman was extricated from the vehicle and loaded onto a boat, where she was transported down river to the landing zone. There’s been no word on the extent of her injuries. (Photo: Charleroi Fire Department Facebook Page)
July 21, 2024 5:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is believed to have flown a drone around the Pennsylvania rally site ahead of time in an apparent attempt to scope out the site before the event. That’s according to a law enforcement official familiar with the situation. The drone has been recovered by the FBI, which is leading the investigation into last Saturday’s shooting at the rally by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Details of the drone were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
