December 23, 2019 5:50 pm
(AP)-Democrat Amy Klobuchar says she will become the first major 2020 candidate to have visited all 99 Iowa counties after stops scheduled for Friday in the leadoff caucus state. The Minnesota senator argues she is the best candidate to take on President Donald Trump in 2020 because she has a history of winning across her home state, including in Republican areas, by going to places where Democrats don’t typically campaign.áKlobuchar wrapped up a four-day bus tour Monday that made stops in 27 counties. She will return Friday to complete the statewide tour with stops in three northwest Iowa counties
December 23, 2019 5:47 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House Judiciary Committee is holding open the possibility of recommending additional articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. It says that will depend on the testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn. A judge last month directed McGahn to comply with a subpoena and testify. A federal appeals court argument is scheduled to hear arguments next week on whether McGahn can be forced to testify. The Democratic-led Judiciary Committee says in a court filing Monday that it may recommend additional articles of impeachment depending on any testimony that McGahn provides.
December 23, 2019 7:55 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Flash flooding and heavy rains have delayed dozens of flights and disrupted some services at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. The airport tweeted early Monday that it was closed due to flash flooding and severe rains. It tweeted at about 6:30 a.m. that flight operations were resuming. The airport had issued an advisory late Sunday that said more than 150 of its flights were experiencing weather delays and 11 flights had been canceled. WPTV-TV reports areas around the airport had been hit with about 6 inches of rain since midnight.
December 23, 2019 7:18 am
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death for the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year by a team of Saudi agents. Saudi Arabia’s state TV reported that three others were sentenced to prison. All can appeal the verdicts. The kingdom’s crown prince drew international condemnation for the killing because several Saudi agents involved had worked directly for him. The kingdom has carried out the trials of the accused in near total secrecy.
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.
