December 20, 2019 7:26 am
PARIS (AP) – France’s competition authority has fined Google 150 million euros ($166 million) for “abusing its dominant position” in the online ad market. The agency announced the fine Friday, saying the methods used by Google Ads are “opaque and difficult to understand.” It also ordered Google to clarify how it uses Google Ads and its procedures for suspending accounts. It’s the latest of several European fines against Google, which faces very little competition for search engine business in Europe. Google said in a statement that it would appeal, and that its advertising policies are designed to protect consumers “from exploitative and abusive ads.”
December 20, 2019 7:25 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Boeing’s new Starliner capsule is rocketing toward the International Space Station on its first test flight. Friday’s liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, marks the start of a crucial dress rehearsal for next year’s inaugural launch with astronauts. The Starliner carries Christmas treats and presents for the six station residents and a mannequin named Rosie in the commander’s seat. The test dummy, named after the World War II riveter, is wearing a red polka dot bandanna just like the original Rosie and Boeing’s custom blue spacesuit. The Starliner should reach the space station Saturday morning.
December 20, 2019 4:56 am
After eight years as a Washington County Commissioner, Harlan Shober has said goodbye. The Democrat lost his seat on the board to Republican Nick Sherman in last months election. Fellow Commissioners Diana Irey Vaughn and Larry Maggi thanked Shober for his hard work and dedication to the County. Shober says it was “a great eight years” and that “it was not a job”. He says he will take some time and reflect but wants to keep busy. Shober also admits that he will be “watching from the sidelines and speaking out when he needs to”.
December 20, 2019 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump will deliver the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 4. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the president on Friday formally inviting him to deliver the address at the U.S. Capitol. The invitation was extended just two days after House adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump. A date for the Senate impeachment trial has not yet been set.
December 20, 2019 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal government is reporting a 2.7% increase in the nation’s homeless population based on its annual count taken in January 2019. The Department of Housing and Urban Development says it is the third consecutive uptick in homelessness and was driven by a 16.4% increase in California. President Donald Trump has been highly critical of the homeless problem in California, and HUD Secretary Ben Carson says homelessness is at a crisis level in the state. While the overall homeless count increased, there are pockets of progress. The HUD count found declines in the number of homeless veterans and homeless families.
December 20, 2019 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is celebrating the launching of Space Force, the first new military service in more than 70 years. It is authorized in the 2020 national defense bill that President Donald Trump is signing into law Friday. Space Force has been a priority for Trump, who speaks of it as part of his vision for reinvigorating America’s role in space. Although historic, Space Force will start out small. In its first year it will likely have only about 200 people and a budget of $40 million. By comparison, the Army has 480,000 active-duty soldiers and a budget of $181 billion.
December 20, 2019 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is closely watching North Korea for signs of a possible missile launch or nuclear test in the coming days that officials are referring to as a “Christmas surprise.” A substantial launch or test could signal a decision by Pyongyang to end its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. That would deal a significant blow to one of the Trump administration’s major foreign policy initiatives: the drive to get North Korea back to negotiations on ending its nuclear weapons program.
December 20, 2019 4:07 am
The National Weather Service has added snow squalls to the dangerous events that trigger cellphone warnings, along with tornadoes and flash floods. The goal is to prevent deadly highway crashes like the one triggered by a whiteout on Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania in February 2016. Cellphones from Maine to West Virginia buzzed a startling warning Wednesday afternoon as a cold front from Canada triggered squalls as it moved through the Northeast. Researchers say improvements in radar technology and computer modeling are allowing better short-term forecasting that enables the warnings.
December 20, 2019 4:06 am
ECORSE, Mich. (AP) – U.S. Steel Corp. says it will indefinitely idle major operations at factories near Detroit. The company said it would send notices to 1,545 employees at Great Lakes Works, although it anticipates that the actual number of people affected will be lower. Great Lakes Works, which serves the auto industry, is along the Detroit River in River Rouge and Ecorse. U.S. Steel said it expects to begin idling the iron and steel-making facilities around April 1 and the hot strip mill rolling facility before the end of 2020.
December 20, 2019 3:53 am
DETROIT (AP) – A Pittsburgh-area official accused of obstructing police at a Detroit hotel will face a second trial in April on the felony charge. A jury in November couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Chelsa Wagner, the elected controller in Allegheny County. She was acquitted of disturbing the peace, a separate misdemeanor. Wagner, a Democrat, was accused of interfering with police as officers tried to remove her husband from the Westin Book Cadillac hotel last March. They were in Detroit to attend a concert. A judge set a new trial for April 20.
