December 2, 2023 4:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court says lawsuits against Donald Trump brought by Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the U.S. Capitol riot can move forward. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court has knocked down Trump’s sweeping claims that presidential immunity shields him from liability in the lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and police officers. The panel says the 2024 Republican presidential primary frontrunner can continue fighting to prove that his actions were taken in his official capacity as president. A Trump campaign spokesperson called the decision “limited, narrow and procedural.”
December 2, 2023 3:59 am
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s war with Hamas resumed after a weeklong truce expired, with each side blaming the other for the resurgence of hostilities. Israeli airstrikes hit houses and buildings in the Gaza Strip, while militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel. Health authorities in the besieged territory report dozens of Palestinians were killed Friday. Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave, urging civilians to flee to avoid the fighting. The fighting threatens to compound the suffering in Gaza and has heightened concerns for hostages still held captive by Hamas and other militants.
December 2, 2023 3:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York following a blistering ethics report on his conduct that included converting campaign donations for his own use. He’s just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues, the third since the Civil War. Friday’s vote to expel him was 311-114. Expulsion required support from two-thirds of the House, a purposely high bar. A scathing House Ethics Committee report that found substantial evidence Santos violated federal laws proved decisive. As it became clear he would be expelled, Santos placed his overcoat over his shoulders, shook hands with conservative members who had voted against his expulsion and then departed the House chamber.
December 1, 2023 12:51 pm
UNDATED (AP) — U.S. health officials say consumers should not eat pre-cut cantaloupe if they don’t know the source. That comes as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows. At least 117 people in 34 states are sick after eating contaminated cantaloupe in the U.S. That tally includes 61 who were hospitalized and two who died. Another 63 illnesses, 17 hospitalizations and one death tied to the outbreak have been reported in Canada. Previous recalls of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes are expanding. Kwik Trip markets, Bix Produce and a distributor named GHGA are now involved. The distributor sent recalled products to Kroger, Sprouts Farmer’s Markets and Trader Joe’s stores.
December 1, 2023 11:40 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, has died. She was 93. O’Connor’s nomination in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and subsequent confirmation by the Senate ended 191 years of male exclusivity on the high court. She was an unwavering voice of moderate conservativism on the court. She retired in 2006 and was replaced by Samuel Alito. Chief Justice John Roberts says she blazed a historic trail as the first female justice and “met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.” The court says O’Connor died in Phoenix on Friday of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.
December 1, 2023 9:27 am
A local supervisor has been charged with a misdemeanor theft by unlawful taking. North Franklin Township supervisor chairman Bob Sabot was turned in by incumbent prothonotary Laura Hough for taking one of her campaign signs while he was cleaning up signs for his wife Sandy Sabot, who lost to Hough in the November race for prothonotary. Sabot says that Hough was filming him cleaning up signs along route 40 in Centerville Borough on November 8, the day after the November general election. Sabot claims to have had signs for other candidates both republican and democrat. He says that he spoke with Register of Wills James Roman and told him that he would return his ten or so signs when he was done. Sabot says he handed the sign in question to Hough during the incident. Sabot will appear for a preliminary hearing on the matter on January 3. Laura Hough says that she will reserve comment until after the preliminary hearing.
December 1, 2023 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an alternate reality, the prime-time showdown between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis could have been a preview of a 2024 general election debate. Instead, Thursday’s 90-minute meeting was a hard-to-explain event that pitted one struggling Republican presidential hopeful against a Democratic rival who may or may not seek the presidency in four years. DeSantis called Newsom “a slick, slippery politician whose state is failing.” Newsom defended California and shifted the discussion to DeSantis’ stagnant 2024 presidential bid. The governors were eager to represent their parties on the national stage as they battled over the economy, pandemic restrictions and President Joe Biden’s leadership and traded personal insults.
December 1, 2023 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York following a critical ethics report on his conduct that included converting campaign donations for his own use, making him just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by his colleagues. Expulsion requires support from two-third of the House. That’s a purposefully high bar, but a blistering House Ethics Committee report accusing Santos of breaking federal law proved decisive. Santos’ challenge to colleagues was to take the “hard vote,” an appeal to those lawmakers who worried that a new precedent was being set for the chamber’s harshest punishment.
December 1, 2023 4:06 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli fighter jets hit targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired on Friday, signaling that the war with Hamas has resumed in full force. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory and Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza urging people to leave their homes, signaling it was preparing to widen its offensive. Renewed hostilities heightened concerns for the about 140 hostages who remain in Gaza, after than 100 were freed as part of the truce. It came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli officials and urged them to do more to protect Palestinian civilians as it seeks to destroy Hamas. Meanwhile, negotiators continued talks to restart the truce, according to mediator Qatar.
December 1, 2023 3:00 am
A priest at the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Canonsburg has been arrested on more than two-hundred felony charges related to the alleged theft of over 117-thousand-dollars from his parish. Thirty-four-year-old Father George Athanasiou was arrested and arraigned on 223 counts of theft by unlawful taking, forgery, bad checks and access device usage. According to Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh, his office was notified by church leaders after they noticed discrepancies in their ledgers along with missing bank checks. Walsh says bank records showed that over a period of time, nearly 220 unauthorized ATM withdrawals were made from the church’s account. Authorities say Athanasiou was the only person during that period of time who had a bank card and a search of his apartment turned up the card. Police say he has admitted to stealing the money, due to “personal hardships.’ Athanasiou is currently free on 250-thousand-dollars unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on December 18th. He has also been suspended from the ministry without pay, pending the outcome of the investigation. (Photo: All Saints Greek Orthodox Church)
