April 20, 2026 5:00 am
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran has granted its commanders more autonomy over militias in Iraq, allowing some to act without Tehran’s approval. Three militia members and two other officials described the shift to The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity to speak freely about sensitive matters. It comes amid the pressures of the Iran war. Many Iran-backed militias are funded through Iraq’s state budget and embedded within Iraq’s security apparatus. The conflict in the Middle East has exposed the fragility of Iraq’s institutions. Baghdad has struggled to control the militias. Officials and experts say that even if a fragile ceasefire deal holds, the U.S. is expected to intensify efforts against them. A decentralized structure allows factions to operate independently, complicating efforts to rein them in.
April 21, 2026 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to chair the Federal Reserve says that he never promised the White House he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed his calls for the central bank to do so. The comments underscore the challenge faced by Kevin Warsh, 56, a former top Fed official whom Trump named in January to replace the current Fed chair, Jerome Powell. Democrats on the committee accused Warsh on Tuesday of flip-flopping on interest rates over the years, supporting higher interest rates under Democratic presidents and advocating rate cuts during Trump’s time in office. (Photo: AP)
April 21, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet after multiple allegations of abusing her position, including an affair with a subordinate and drinking on the job. She is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave recently. Reports of investigations into her conduct began surfacing in January. A New York Times report last Wednesday revealed that the Labor Department’s inspector general was reviewing inappropriate communications involving Chavez-DeRemer and her aides. The White House initially dismissed the allegations, but as more emerged, her job security became uncertain. At least four Labor Department officials have already been forced from their jobs as the investigation progressed.
April 21, 2026 3:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is resigning rather than being formally disciplined by the House as part of an ethics investigation into her use of campaign funds. The Florida Democrat on Tuesday said a House committee denied her adequate time to prepare a defense. Cherfilus-McCormick says rather than play political games, she’s stepping away. Members of the House Ethics Committee had been set to weigh what punishment to recommend after an investigative panel found Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards. Republicans had already called for her expulsion. Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal criminal charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in coronavirus disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick denies any wrongdoing.
April 21, 2026 3:35 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Alan Osmond, the eldest member of the million-selling family act The Osmonds, has died after decades with multiple sclerosis. He died Monday at his Utah home at the age of 76. According to a family spokesperson, Alan’s wife and their eight sons were with him at the time of his death. The Osmond Brothers became regulars in the 1960s on “The Andy Williams Show,” where they made their name and forged their wholesome and peppy image. They peaked as a quintet in the early 1970s, as younger brother Donny Osmond became the breakout star. Alan Osmond helped write some of the Osmond Brothers’ biggest hits, including “One Bad Apple.”
April 20, 2026 4:59 am
Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down from the job that he inherited from the late Steve Jobs, ending a 15-year reign that saw the company’s market value soar by more than $3.6 trillion during an iPhone-fueled era of prosperity. The 65-year-old Cook will hand the CEO duties to Apple’s head of hardware products, John Ternus, on Sept. 1 while remaining involved with the Cupertino, California, company as executive chairman. Although he never shook the perception that he lacked Jobs’ vision, Cook leveraged the popularity of the iPhone and other breakthroughs orchestrated by his predecessor to lift Apple to heights that seemed unfathomable when it was on the brink of bankruptcy during the mid-1990s.
April 20, 2026 1:28 am
A Butler County man is facing charges after police said a gun was found in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday. Transportation Security Administration officers found the loaded handgun in the passenger’s bag at the main security checkpoint and alerted Allegheny County Police. Police determined that the passenger, Garrett Beattie, 43, of Cranberry Township, did not have a valid concealed carry permit. He is charged with carrying a firearm without a license. The FBI was also notified. According to Allegheny County police, passengers who bring firearms into an airport security checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the Transportation Security Administration up to $10,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $13,910.
April 20, 2026 4:56 am
Hope you didn’t put away your winter weather gear. There is a Freeze Warning in effect from eleven o’clock Monday night until nine o’clock Tuesday morning. Lows will be in the upper twenties. If you have outdoor plants that can be brought in – better safe than sorry and if you have plants in the ground, it may be a good idea to cover them. On the upside though, more sunshine and warmer temperatures are on the way this week. Highs will return to near average temperatures in the 60s and warmer air is expected later this week with highs in the 70s and even low 80s by Friday.
April 20, 2026 5:05 am
The State Police Fire Marshal is investigating a fire in North Franklin Township that sent one person to UPMC Washington Hospital with burns. The blaze broke out Saturday around 4:30 p.m in the 200-block of Park Avenue. Heavy fire was reported in the rear of the home. Two people were treated at the scene. There is no word on the identity or condition of the person hospitalized. Meanwhile, crews battled a pair of fires in Fayette County on Sunday. The first was reported around 4 a.m. along Back Street in German Township. The fire marshal is also investigating the cause of this fire. The third fire was in Uniontown Saturday afternoon. A home along Wilbur Avenue was damaged. Reportedly, the fire was accidentally sparked by burning outside the home. No injuries were reported in either fire in Fayette County.
April 20, 2026 9:42 am
MILL HALL, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a mother and six children ranging in age from 3 to 11 were killed in an explosion and fire at a central Pennsylvania home. Pennsylvania State Police say firefighters responding to a report of an explosion and fire at a home in Clinton County on Sunday morning confirmed that seven people were trapped, but they couldn’t search the building engulfed in flames. All seven died. Police identified them as 34-year-old Sarah Stolzfus, four sons and two daughters. The cause is under investigation. Police say a propane leak inside the home may have caused the explosion and fire, however exterior propane tanks did not explode and were not contributing factors.
