December 23, 2019 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is projecting confidence that it will prevail in a constitutional spat with Democrats over the nature of the Senate’s impeachment trial, which threatens to deprive President Donald Trump of the swift acquittal he seeks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has delayed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans provide details on witnesses and testimony in hopes of shaping the upcoming trial. Democratic and Republican leaders in the chamber remain at an impasse over the question of whether witnesses will be called. The chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short, said Sunday that he believes Pelosi will eventually give in.
December 23, 2019 4:20 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Authorities have started their investigation into one of the worst fires in Las Vegas’ history after six people were killed, 13 injured and nearly 50 others displaced from a three-story apartment building in the downtown area. Some residents of the Alpine Motel Apartments told investigators there was no heat in the building and they were using their stoves to stay warm before the pre-dawn blaze broke out Saturday. Responding firefighters reporting finding the burners turned on and hearing smoke alarms going off, but not fire alarms. The State Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate for code violations including any involving fire alarms. áNevada law requires landlords to provide heat.
December 23, 2019 4:19 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – A new satellite image of a factory where North Korea makes military equipment used to launch long-range missiles shows the construction of a new structure. The release of several new images from Planet Labs comes amid concern that North Korea could launch a rocket or missile as it seeks concessions in stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States. North Korea has warned that what “Christmas gift” it gives the U.S. depends on what action Washington takes. One new satellite image shows the March 16 Factory near Pyongyang, where North Korea manufactures trucks used as mobile launchers for its long-range missiles.
December 23, 2019 4:19 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The U.S. military says an American service member has been killed in action in Afghanistan. The statement didn’t provide further details, identify the soldier or say where in Afghanistan the service member was killed. However, the Taliban said they were behind a roadside bombing in northern Kunduz province that killed the American soldier. Last month, two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan when their helicopter crashed in eastern Logar province. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for that crash, a claim the U.S military dismissed as false. Monday’s death brings the number of U.S. soldiers’deaths in Afghanistan this year to 20. There have also been three non-combat deaths this year.
December 23, 2019 4:17 am
Authorities have recovered a second body from the scene of an explosion and fire that destroyed several row homes in south Philadelphia. A fire department spokeswoman says the remains of the second victim were recovered Saturday afternoon. The first victim’s remains were recovered late Friday afternoon, more than 24 hours after the 11:30 a.m. Thursday blast not far from the city’s famed Italian Market. Three houses collapsed and others were damaged, two severely. Several dozen people were evacuated. Fire officials said emergency responders twice tried to rescue someone they saw trapped. The cause of the blast and fire remains under investigation.
December 23, 2019 4:16 am
WILKINSBURG, Pa. (AP) – Police say an officer shot and killed a man after officials say he opened fire with a gun during a foot pursuit near Pittsburgh. Allegheny County police say Wilkinsburg officers were dispatched to an intersection just after 1 a.m. Sunday after a report of a man threatening another person with a gun. They say the man fled, but after a brief pursuit he turned and fired a handgun at one of the officers. Police say the officer returned fire, striking the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene.áThe name of the man wasn’t immediately released. Allegheny County police are investigating.
December 23, 2019 4:15 am
The company that owns QVC has announced the home-shopping network’s founder, Joseph Segel, died. The Philadelphia Inquirier reports that Segel died Saturday in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, due to congestive heart failure. Remembered as a “quintessential entrepreneur,” Segel was lauded for his contributions to innovating how people shop. QVC, short for “Quality Value Convenience,” launched in 1986. Qurate Retail Group, which owns the channel, says QVC now reaches 380 million homes throughout the world.
December 23, 2019 4:14 am
DORMONT, Pa. — (WPXI)- Allegheny County police are searching for a man who they said attempted to rob a home in Dormont armed with a knife. Police said they responded to the 1500 block of Kelton Avenue around 8:45 a.m. Sunday. Detectives said a man who lives in the home heard noises at the door of his apartment, and when he went to check it out, he was confronted by a man with a knife who forced entry into his apartment. The man who lived in the home had a gun, and police said a scuffle ensued. During the scuffle, the intruder was struck in the head with the gun and the man who lived in the apartment fired the gun, but did not strike the intruder, police said. The intruder then fled the scene, according to police. Police said the man who broke into the apartment is Joel Hatfield, 28. They said he is homeless but frequents the Dormont Area. Hatfield is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs around 160 pounds and was last seen wearing a blue and white hooded sweatshirt. He may also have a laceration on his head. Police said witnesses also reported that two other people were hiding outside of the apartment and fled the area with Hatfield. Anyone who sees Hatfield should call 911 immediately.
December 22, 2019 8:32 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has convened a key ruling party meeting to decide on steps to bolster the country’s military capability. The meeting comes amid speculation thatáthe North could abandon diplomacy with the U.S. and launch either a long-range missile or a satellite-carrying rocketáif Washington doesn’t accept its demand for new incentives to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations by year’s end. North Korea is to hold a higher-level Workers’ Party gathering, a Central Committee meeting, later this month to discuss what it previously described as crucial issues in line with the changed situation at home and abroad.
December 22, 2019 8:31 am
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. (AP) – Several cars on a freight train derailed in crossing the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, sending two cars into the water. Saturday’s derailment also damaged a footbridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail. CSX said in a statement that there were no injuries as seven cars derailed early Saturday. It says all the cars were empty and no hazardous materials were involved. The cause of the derailment is under investigation and CSX says it will work swiftly to clean up and restore the area. The derailment closed access to parts of Harpers Ferry National Historic Park and the Chesapeake & Ohio National Historic Park.
