July 10, 2019 9:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden is releasing his presidential financial disclosure, which shows that the former vice president earned millions of dollars, including more than $2.7 million for book deals and speaking engagements over the past year and a half. During a four-decade political career, Biden brought home little more than his government salary. But since leaving the White House in January 2017, Biden has become a millionaire. His newfound wealth stems from a lucrative publishing deal, publicity tours and other speaking engagements. Biden’s first book, an account of his son Beau’s death from cancer, briefly topped bestseller lists in 2017. Biden also earned $540,000 as a professor and namesake of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. He is now seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president.
July 10, 2019 9:31 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Diplomats are gathering in Vienna for a special meeting of the board of the U.N. atomic watchdog requested by the United States to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. and Iranian envoys to the International Atomic Energy Agency are expected to address the group Wednesday. The U.S. called for the meeting after Iran announced last week that it had exceeded the amount of low-enriched uranium it is allowed to stockpile under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Since then, it also announced it has started enriching uranium past the 3.67% purity allowed, to 4.5%. The IAEA has verified both developments. Iran says it is justified in breaching the limits because the U.S. withdrew from the agreement last year and imposed sweeping sanctions. The other parties to the deal – Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and the European Union – have called for Iran to stick to its commitments.
July 10, 2019 7:28 am
LONDON (AP) – The U.K. Foreign Office says Britain’s ambassador to the United States has resigned just days after diplomatic cables criticizing President Donald Trump were leaked. Kim Darroch said in a letter Wednesday that even though his posting was due to end this year, he believed “in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador.” Darroch said he is “grateful to all those in the UK and the US, who have offered their support during this difficult few days.” Prime Minister Theresa May said it was a “matter of regret” that Darroch resigned. Darroch’s forthright, unfiltered views on the U.S. administration – meant for a limited audience and discreet review – appeared in leaked diplomatic documents that were published in Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper.
July 10, 2019 4:40 am
A Weirton, West Virginia man will serve six-and-a-half to 13 years in prison followed by ten years probation for the deaths of two people at a Washington Health Center building back in June of 2018. 44 year old Chad Spence was sentenced Tuesday by Washington County Judge Valarie Costanzo. His jeep smashed through a wall at the building along Leonard Avenue killing 57 year old Kimberly Dollard of Amwell Township who was working inside. A patient in the building, 86 year old David Adams died back in January at South HIlls Rehabilitation Center where he had been a patient since the crash. Spence entered a ‘no contest’ plea to the charges. He told police he was in town for an appointment at a suboxone clinic on Locust Street.
July 10, 2019 4:10 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia is now a key election battleground in the long-running fight over gun laws. Interest groups and activists on both sides are gearing up for a major clash after Republicans on Tuesday adjourned a special legislative session that had been called by the governor to consider gun-control measures in the wake of a mass shooting in Virginia Beach.
Virginia is the only state where control of the Legislature is up for grabs this year. The GOP currently holds a narrow majority. Republican lawmakers abruptly ended the session after less than two hours and postponed any movement on gun laws until after the November election. Democrats and gun-control advocates vowed to force them from office.
July 10, 2019 4:08 am
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (AP) – Award-winning television, film and theater actor Rip Torn has died at the age of 88, according to his publicist. Publicist Rick Miramontez says Torn died Tuesday afternoon at his home with his wife, Amy Wright, and daughters Katie Torn and Angelica Page by his side. No cause of death was given. Torn was a free-spirited Texan who overcame his quirky name to become a distinguished actor who won an Emmy late in his career for his comedy turn on TV’s “The Larry Sanders Show.” Torn made his film debut in 1957 as a former prisoner of war who breaks down at a court-martial in “Time Limit.” Other film credits included “Sweet Bird of Youth,” “Critics Choice” and “The Cincinnati Kid.” His career on stage and screen spanned seven decades, ranging from an early career of dark, threatening roles to iconic comedic performances later in life.
July 10, 2019 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Labor Secretary Alex Acosta plans to make a statement Wednesday regarding his handling of a sex trafficking case involving now-jailed billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Labor Department said Acosta will “make a statement and answer questions” from reporters at 2:30 p.m. Acosta, a former federal prosecutor in south Florida, is under fire for his role in a secret 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution after allegations he molested teenage girls. Epstein pleaded not guilty on Monday to new child sex-trafficking charges and could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted. President Donald Trump has praised Acosta’s work in his Cabinet and said he feels “very badly” for him, but said he’ll be looking “very closely” at the matter.
July 10, 2019 4:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A New York judge says the Justice Department can’t change lawyers so late in the dispute over whether to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Judge Jesse Furman ruled Tuesday, saying lawyers must cite satisfactory reasons for withdrawing. Furman said the urgency to resolve legal claims in the case and the need for efficient judicial proceedings had only grown. The Justice Department sought to change its lawyers after the Supreme Court barred the inclusion of the question, at least temporarily. The Justice Department formally asked Furman Monday to let them switch lawyers after an embarrassing episode last week when lawyers seemed to be giving up the legal fight as President Donald Trump vowed to keep trying to include the question on the census. The Justice Department declined comment.
July 10, 2019 4:01 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium says its 10-year-old African lion has died. Razi’s death was announced Wednesday. Officials say the lion had suffered for years from seizures. He had a grand mal seizure on Sunday and fell in his exhibit, breaking his jaw. Veterinary and zoo staff determined that it wasn’t in Razi’s best interest to attempt the difficult surgery he would need. Razi was first diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy after experiencing a seizure in the spring of 2013, a year after he arrived at the zoo with his brother, Ajani, who is still at the facility.
July 10, 2019 3:57 am
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say portions of two sawn-off human legs found on a central Pennsylvania riverbank earlier this year are believed to have belonged to a woman, but she still hasn’t been identified. State police in Lycoming County said Tuesday that an “extensive examination” by a forensic anthropologist indicates the legs are those of an adult white female about 5 feet to 5-feet-6-inches tall. Police said her toenails were painted pink and released photos of white Polo Jeans ankle socks found on both feet. A fisherman found the legs May 11 along the Susquehanna River near the Hepburn Street Dam in Williamsport. The county coroner said they appeared to have been cut near the knee joint by a hand-held saw, and death occurred up to six months before the discovery.
