July 22, 2019 4:09 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – President Donald Trump says he’s “the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico” and he’s renewing his attacks on the U.S. territory’s officials on a day when tens of thousands are marching on the island to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Roselló. Trump didn’t respond directly Monday when asked if Rosselló should step down, but described him as “a terrible governor.” He aimed most of his fire at San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who has frequently derided him and complained about the federal response to 2017’s Hurricane Maria. Trump described her as “a horror show” and “grossly incompetent.” Trump said Congress has given Puerto Rico billions to recover from the hurricane and complained it’s “in the hands of incompetent people and very corrupt people.” The president called himself “the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico” and added, “We did a great job in Puerto Rico. They don’t like to give me the credit for it, but we did a great job. I have many Puerto Rican friends. I have a real understanding of Puerto Rico.”
July 22, 2019 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans are pledging tough questioning of special counsel Robert Mueller when he testifies before Congress this week as Democrats plan to air evidence of wrongdoing by President Donald Trump in a potentially last-ditch bid to impeach him. Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on House Judiciary Committee, said the American public is growing weary of the Russia investigation three months after the release of the special counsel’s 448-page report. Both sides seemed to agree that Mueller’s testimony could be pivotal in shifting public opinion on the question of “holding the president accountable.” New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee said Mueller’s report lays out “very substantial evidence” that Trump is guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” the constitutional standard for impeachment.
July 22, 2019 4:06 am
YORK, Pa. (AP) – Officials say nine firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and six transported to a hospital for treatment while fighting a Pennsylvania house fire in sweltering conditions. The Strinestown Fire Company said all of the firefighters were released and were home recovering by the time Saturday’s Conewago Township blaze was extinguished. Fire crews were called to the scene at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday and didn’t leave the scene until 7:40 p.m. Saturday, the fire company said on its Facebook page. About 15 fire crews assisted. WPMT-TV reported that no one was home at the time of the fire, which left the York County home a complete loss.
July 22, 2019 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying nearly $10 million annually for lawmakers to get their story out through a small army of spokespeople. LNP reported Monday on the vast message machine that often produces news releases, TV shows and other content with a partisan message. The newspaper says it calculated the annual cost by reviewing spending records from 2013 through last year. The Legislature’s equipment includes at least three TV studios built to produce state-run, news-like programs that feature lawmakers. The four caucuses – Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate – have a combined public relations staff of about 130 people.
July 22, 2019 4:03 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. (AP) – Police in western Pennsylvania say four young people were wounded in an early morning shooting at a graduation party in Clairton. Allegheny County police say multiple 911 callers reported the shooting shortly before 12:30 a.m. Saturday in a yard. Police say several dozen people fled the area as officers and emergency responders arrived. They found a 16-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to the lower extremities, and a 14-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to upper and lower extremities. All were in stable condition. Police say 100 to 125 people were at the party before the shooting began. The motive wasn’t clear and no arrests have been reported.
July 22, 2019 4:01 am
FARMINGTON, Pa. – (WPXI) – An employee was attacked by a Himalayan bear Saturday morning at Nemacolin Woodland Resort. A spokesperson for the resort said the staff associate was hurt while guiding a routine safari tour. The bear reached through a wire fence, pulled the worker toward it and bit the worker’s arm. The employee was standing in between the two levels of wire fencing at the bear enclosure when the attack happened. The worker was stabilized by a nurse and was stable and alert when airlifted from the scene to a trauma center for treatment, the resort spokesperson said. Nemacolin Woodland Resort released a statement saying: “We deeply regret this incident. Our thoughts are with our injured associate, our staff and guests as we focus on ensuring they receive the finest medical attention and counseling” – Maggie Hardy Knox, President of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort The resort has checked the bear enclosure, and it is completely secure. The incident is under review until resort officials determine what happened. The bear has been at Nemacolin for nine years, the resort spokesperson said.
July 21, 2019 8:07 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Germany’s foreign minister is warning Iran that its seizure of commercial vessels in a key Persian Gulf shipping lane is contributing to an “escalation spiral” that could lead to war. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in comments to Bild newspaper’s Sunday edition that the seizure of a British tanker Friday and the temporary detention of another has made the situation in the Gulf “a lot more serious and dangerous than it has been.” He says “there can be no winners, only losers, in a possible uncontrolled military escalation” and called on Iran’s leaders to fulfill “their responsibilities and not continue with this escalation spiral.” Maas says European efforts are focused on keeping diplomatic channels open with “voices of reason” despite the challenges involved. He says: “This is about preventing war.”
July 21, 2019 8:06 am
BERLIN (AP) – Sweden’s prime minister says he would be glad to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump about rapper A$AP Rocky’s detention but he “cannot and will not attempt to influence prosecutors or courts.” Trump tweeted Friday that he would call Prime Minister Stefan Lofven “to see what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky.” Rocky has been held in Sweden for weeks as police investigate his alleged involvement in a fight. First lady Melania Trump and celebrities including Kanye West urged Trump to intervene. The Swedish leader said Saturday he was aware Trump “has a personal interest in the case.” Lofven called Trump’s desire for a conversation “certainly positive” and said: “I will explain that the Swedish judicial system is independent. In Sweden, everyone is equal before the law, and this includes visitors from other countries.”
July 21, 2019 8:04 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence is marking the 50th anniversary of humanity’s first moon landing at the Apollo 11 launch site. Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin accompanied Pence to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday and showed him the pad where he began that momentous journey 50 years ago. Aldrin later got a standing ovation during a speech by Pence. Mission commander Neil Armstrong, the first man to step onto the moon on July 20, 1969, died seven years ago. Command module pilot Michael Collins did not attend the Florida celebration. Pence says Apollo 11 is the only event of the 20th century that “stands a chance of being widely remembered in the 30th century.” The vice president reiterated the Trump administration’s push to put Americans back on the moon by 2024.
July 21, 2019 8:02 am
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. (AP) – Authorities have dropped an attempted homicide charge against a woman in a shooting in a western Pennsylvania Walmart that critically wounded another woman. The action came after surveillance video showed two women attacking 22-year-old Rojanai Alston from behind July 5 in the electronics section of the North Versailles store. Allegheny County police say Alston opened fire, hitting a 25-year-old woman multiple times. She was later arrested and still faces an aggravated assault charge. Defense attorney Ken Haber said after Thursday’s preliminary hearing that Alston didn’t pick the fight or the location but defended herself with her legal 9mm handgun. He said his client “was cold-cocked” three times and her attackers then tried to drag her to the ground, and if unarmed could have been killed.
