January 16, 2020 4:12 am
LEMERY, Philippines (AP) – A Philippine volcano is shuddering continuously with earthquakes and opening cracks in roads as police blockade at-risk towns due to fears of a bigger eruption. A crater lake and nearby river have dried up in signs of the Taal volcano’s continuing restiveness, and officials have warned people against speculating the five-day eruption is waning. Many houses and farms have been damaged by volcanic ash, though no deaths have been reported after tens of thousands of people evacuated. The crammed evacuation shelters need more ash masks, portable toilets, bottled water and sleeping mats.
January 16, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A close associate of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer says he delivered an ultimatum in Mayáto the incoming president of Ukraine that no senior U.S. officials would attend his inauguration and all American aid to the war-torn country would be withheld if an investigation into Joe Biden wasn’t announced. Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, made several potentially explosive claims in a televised interview Wednesday. Parnas says, “President Trump knew exactly what was going on.” He also says Attorney General William Barr knew about his efforts in Ukraine. A Justice Department spokeswomanácalled such claims “false.”
January 16, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Elizabeth Warren accused Bernie Sanders of calling her a liar before a national television audience during a tense, post-debate exchange in which she refused to shake his outstretched hand. That’s according to audio released Wednesday by CNN, which aired the debate. The two have been feuding since Monday, when Warren said that, during a private meeting in 2018, he disagreed with her that a woman could win the presidency. They clashed during Tuesday’s debate in Iowa, and Warren refused to shake Sanders’ hand afterward. Audio reveals Warren said, “I think you called me a liar on national TV,” and Sanders responded, “Let’s not do it right now.”
January 16, 2020 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania House is voting to expand the state’s ban on texting while driving to also prohibit motorists from using hand-held devices to make phone calls. The chamber voted Wednesday 120 to 74 for the ban, but police wouldn’t be able to stop vehicles for that reason alone. The proposal would expand current law, which bans any texting and prohibits the use of hand-held devices to make phone calls for truckers and other commercial drivers. The proposal split both Democrats and Republicans. It goes to the state Senate for its consideration.
January 16, 2020 4:02 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY — Two more flu deaths have been reported in Allegheny County, bringing the total number of flu related-deaths to three, according to the health department. The first flu-related death in the county was reported on Jan. 8. There have been 6,145 flu cases in the county this season, compared to this time last year when there was only 333. So far, 41 people have been hospitalized.
January 16, 2020 2:41 am
A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday morning for a Washington man who is facing multiple charges for possession of child pornography. Fifty-two-year-old Matthew Alan Thompson of Fayette Street appeared before District Justice Robert Redlinger and waived his case to court. Thompson is facing sixteen felony counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of dissemination of photos or film of child sex acts and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. Thompson’s attorney, Kushel Dave, declined comment. The investigation into Thompson’s case involved the Department of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and Washington City Police. The date for Thompson’s next hearing is pending. He is free on $20,000 unsecured bond.
January 15, 2020 4:54 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two U.S. agencies say the decade that just ended was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record. And scientists say there is no doubt at all this is man-made climate change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday that the 2010s averaged 58.4 degrees Fahrenheit (14.7 degrees Celsius) worldwide, or 1.4 degrees (0.8 C) higher than the 20th century average and more than one-third of a degree warmer than the previous decade, which had been the hottest on record.
January 15, 2020 10:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democratic leaders have carried the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump across the U.S. Capitol in a formal procession to the Senate. Trump will now face trial in the Republican-controlled Senate, with arguments expected to start next Tuesday and all 100 senators as the jurors. Chief Justice John Roberts will preside. It’s only the third such trial in American history. Trump complained anew it was all a “hoax,” even as fresh details emerged about his efforts in Ukraine. He is accused of pressuring the Ukrainians to investigate Democrat Joe Biden, while withholding military aid as leverage..
January 15, 2020 9:31 am
MOSCOW (AP) – The Tass news agency says Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has submitted his resignation to President Vladimir Putin. Russian news agencies said Putin thanked Medvedev for his work. They said Putin will name Medvedev as deputy of the presidential Security Council. Putin asked Medvedev’s Cabinet to keep working until the new Cabinet is formed.
January 15, 2020 9:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed a new trade agreement with China that’s expected to boost exports from U.S. farmers and manufacturers.áTrump said during a White House ceremony that the the agreement is “righting the wrongs of the past.” And he promoted the signing as a way of delivering economic justice for American workers. The White House ceremony is giving the president a chance to cite progress on a top economic priority on the same day that the House prepares to vote to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.
