December 31, 2019 5:25 am
BAGHDAD (AP) – Hundreds of angry Iraqis have tried to break into the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad following deadly U.S. airstrikes this week that killed 25 fighters from an Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq. The incident came after supporters of the militia and mourners held funerals for the killed in a Baghdad neighborhood on Tuesday. They then marched on to the heavily fortified Green Zone and kept walking till they reached the sprawling U.S. Embassy complex there. AP journalists saw the crowd try to push into the embassy, shouting “Down, down USA!” The protesters apparently didn’t get beyond the outer wall of the embassy compound.
December 31, 2019 4:14 am
CHICAGO (AP) – A lawsuit filed Monday in state court in San Francisco alleges that a Jesuit priest with ties to Mother Teresa sexually abused an American boy “more than 1,000 times, in multiple states and countries.” In interviews with The Associated Press, Robert Goldberg describes sexual abuse he suffered from age 11 into adulthood while working as a valet for the late Donald McGuire. McGuire died in prison in 2017 while serving a 25-year sentence for molesting other victims. Monday’s lawsuit doesn’t currently name the defendants, but Goldberg’s attorneys say they will include top Jesuit leaders. Jesuit officials declined comment.
December 31, 2019 4:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A powerful Argentine big-game hunter and a sociable French water dog have made the American Kennel Club’s list of recognized breeds. The club announced Tuesday that the barbet and the dogo Argentino are now part of the 195-breed pack. That means they can compete starting Wednesday in many traditional, breed-judging dog shows. The newcomers can’t vie for best in show at the famous Westminster Kennel Club show until 2021, however. The curly-coated, bearded barbet (pronounced “bar-BAY’) has a long history as a hunter’s helper in France. The dogo Argentino was developed by an Argentine doctor in the last century.áThe AKC cautions that only experienced dog owners should get a dogo.á
December 31, 2019 4:12 am
NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed an anti-robocalls law that is expected to help Americans deal with the torrent of unwanted calls promising lower interest rates or pretending to be the IRS. The new law gives authorities more enforcement powers and could speed up measures the industry is already taking to identify robocalls. It also bars phone companies from charging for blocking robocalls. This should help Americans dodge many of the billions of robocalls they get each month. But experts also warn that scammers will adapt with new ways to trick people on their phones. Trump signed the law late Monday.
December 31, 2019 4:10 am
PERTH, Australia (AP) – Wildfires burning across Australia’s two most-populous states have trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions, destroyed many properties and caused at least two fatalities. About 4,000 people fled to the waterfront of a southeastern town as winds pushed an emergency-level wildfire towards their homes. The town of Mallacoota was shrouded in darkness from the smoke before turning an unnerving shade of bright red. The state’s leader said there were plans to evacuate the trapped people by sea. Two people were dead and five missing in Victoria and New South Wales states. That comes after a volunteer firefighter died Monday.
December 31, 2019 4:08 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Federal authorities say remains of an American soldier killed during the Korean War have been accounted for and will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Monday it verified the remains of 28-year-old Army 1st Lt. Robert C. Styslinger of Pittsburgh in August. It says his remains were among 55 boxes turned over by North Korea in July 2018, after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. Styslinger was reported to have been killed in action in November 1950 in North Korea.
December 30, 2019 4:50 pm
The State Supreme Court has suspended an Allegheny County attorney after he entered a guilty plea of criminal solicitation of sexual abuse of children. Authorities say Rosendo Dacal, of McCandless township, who was 73-years-old at the time of his arrest, has been placed on temporary leave. Dacal entered the guilty plea to criminal solicitation of sexual abuse of children and criminal use of a communication facility in Washington County Court. Dacal, who also served as a deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, was arrested last year by police in North Strabane township. Authorities say Dacal was charged after he made contact with who he thought was a fourteen-year-old North Strabane boy, but was actually an undercover officer. His suspension will be in place on January 29, 2020.
December 30, 2019 7:38 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – One person was taken to the hospital after a police incident early Monday outside a bar in Fayette County. It happened about 2 a.m. at McPatton’s Pub on North Gallitan Avenue in Uniontown, emergency dispatchers said. Police taped off the area while they investigated. Police haven’t released the condition of the person hurt. State police and Uniontown police and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident.
December 30, 2019 7:36 am
MOSCOW (AP) – The Kremlin says the Russian president spoke with President Donald Trump to thank him for information that helped Russia foil terrorist attacks over the New Year’s holiday. The Russian security forces say they detained two Russians suspected of preparing to carry out attacks in St. Petersburg during the upcoming holiday. Russia’s Federal Security Service says it obtained the information from its “American partners.” There is no immediate comment from the White House.
December 30, 2019 4:28 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man was being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital after police said he was shot outside a local bar. Allegheny County Police said the shooting occurred outside the Homeville Trolley Stop bar in West Mifflin. Investigators said the victim was being treated at UPMC Presbyterian hospital after he was shot in the leg and hip. He was listed in stable condition. Police said they do not have any suspects at this point and they are still investigating.
