August 19, 2024 5:14 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Crowds of activists are expected to gather in Chicago for protests outside the Democratic National Convention. They are hoping to call attention to such issues as economic injustice, reproductive rights and the war in Gaza. While Vice President Kamala Harris has galvanized the party as she gears up to accept the Democratic nomination, activists say their plans to demonstrate haven’t changed. They’re ready to amplify their progressive message before the nation’s top Democrats. Their issues cover climate change, abortion rights and racial equality, to name a few, but many activists agree an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war is the overarching message. Organizers estimate turnout Monday to be at least 20,000.
August 19, 2024 7:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have released their initial impeachment inquiry report on President Joe Biden. The yearlong probe by Republicans stops short of alleging any criminal wrongdoing by the president over his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Instead, the almost 300-page report out Monday, before the Democratic National Convention, covers familiar ground. It asserts the Biden family traded on its “brand” in business ventures in corrupt ways that rise to the Constitution’s high bar for impeachment. But with Biden no longer running for reelection, next steps are highly uncertain. The White House has dismissed the House impeachment inquiry as a “stunt” and encouraged House Republicans to “move on.”
August 19, 2024 4:52 am
BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — As Democrats kick off their convention in Chicago, Donald Trump’s campaign is trying to regain its footing after spending the last several weeks flailing to adjust to the new reality of Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. Trump had appeared in denial of the reality of Harris’ rise, lashing out angrily as he claimed the large crowds she’s been drawing were generated by artificial intelligence and making racist attacks questioning her identity. The outbursts alarmed allies, who worried Trump was damaging his chance in what they believe is an eminently winnable race.
August 19, 2024 3:44 pm
ATLANTA (AP) — Challengers seeking to throw Robert F. Kennedy Jr. off Georgia’s presidential ballot say he must be disqualified because the New York address he used on Georgia ballot access petitions is a sham. They made the arguments Monday in a hearing before an administrative judge. It shows how a New York court decision finding Kennedy doesn’t live there is being used to attack Kennedy’s ballot access in other states. The judge ruled Kennedy shouldn’t appear on New York ballots, but Kennedy is appealing. A lawyer for Kennedy says Georgia is improperly trying to impose additional qualifications on a presidential candidate beyond those in the U.S. Constitution. (Photo: AP)
August 19, 2024 5:23 pm
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in his federal fraud case. The New York Republican entered the plea Monday in a courtroom in Long Island. His trial had been set to start in early September. Santos was indicted on charges that he stole from political donors, used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses, lied to Congress about his wealth and collected unemployment benefits while working. He was expelled from Congress after an ethics investigation found what it called “overwhelming evidence” that Santos had broken the law. Santos faces more than six years in prison under federal guidelines at sentencing in February and owes at least $370,000 in restitution. (Photo: AP)
August 19, 2024 10:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Check your freezer. Perdue Foods is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken nuggets and tenders after some customers reported finding metal wire embedded in the products. According to Perdue and the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall covers select lots of three products: Perdue Breaded Chicken Tenders, Butcher Box Organic Chicken Breast Nuggets and Perdue Simply Smart Organics Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets. As of Friday, there were no confirmed injuries or adverse reactions tied to eating these products. Consumers who have the recalled chicken are urged to throw it away or return it to its place of purchase. Perdue is offering full refunds to impacted consumers who contact the Maryland-based company.
August 19, 2024 10:14 am
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88. NBC’s ‘Today’ show, citing family members, said that Donahue died Sunday. Dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show. The decision set “The Phil Donahue Show” apart from other 1960s interview shows and influenced a format that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others. Later renamed “Donahue,” it had a 26-year national run and won 20 Emmys. Donahue lived in New York with his wife, actress Marlo Thomas.
August 19, 2024 5:02 am
ERIE, Pa. — (WPXI) -Multiple people were injured during an incident at a western Pennsylvania amusement park ride Saturday night. The incident happened at Waldameer and Water World, located in Erie, at around 7:25 p.m. NBC affiliate Erie News Now reports that multiple riders on the Flying Swings were injured while on the attraction. None of the injuries are life-threatening. Initial reports said at least three kids were hurt. “The ride will remain closed until the state investigation is complete and they release the ride to us and we, Waldameer, feel that it’s safe to reopen the ride,” Steve Gorman, the president of the park, told Erie News Now. “We are investigating the incidents to learn the cause. The State Department of Agriculture inspectors will have at least one person on site today [Sunday] to help with that investigation.” The Flying Swings is a circular ride with individual swing seats suspended from a central tower that gently rises and rotates, the park’s website said. It opened in 2011 in Waldameer’s North End.
August 18, 2024 5:12 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the time is now to conclude a Gaza cease-fire agreement that would return hostages held by Hamas back to Israel and bring relief to Palestinian civilians. He spoke Monday as he began his ninth urgent mission to the Middle East since the conflict began. Blinken said it is now the “best, maybe the last” opportunity to conclude a deal that would end the fighting. Mediators are to meet again this week in Cairo to try to cement a cease-fire. Blinken spoke as he met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv before talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Blinken will travel on Tuesday to Egypt.
August 18, 2024 5:10 am
Ernesto has regained hurricane status as the storm churns away from Bermuda and heads farther out into the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday that Ernesto’s maximum sustained winds were 75 mph, just barely Category 1 hurricane strength. But swells and dangerous surf and rip currents generated by Ernesto are affecting the U.S. East Coast and Canada’s Atlantic coast. More strengthening is forecast before Ernesto is expected to weaken and become a post-tropical cyclone on Tuesday. The storm is forecast to pass near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday and early Tuesday, bringing the threat of coastal flooding.
