January 17, 2025 10:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. Friday’s clemency actions give Biden the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. The Democrat says he’s seeking to undo “disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today.” Biden also says he’ll use the time before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Monday to “continue to review additional commutations and pardons.” That could potentially include preemptive pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by Trump’s Republican administration. Advocates cheer the prisoners’ clemencies, saying Biden is leaving a “lasting legacy on criminal justice reform.”
January 17, 2025 5:02 am
The super-rich have long played a role in U.S. politics but have an unusually prominent spot in incoming President Donald Trump’s new administration. President Joe Biden’s farewell warning about a tech-fueled “oligarchy” is due to that. Biden and his fellow Democrats have also long been supported by billionaires, but not in the same direct way or with the same dynamics of threats and demands for loyalty that come from Trump. The use of the term “oligarchy” harkens to Russian politics.
January 17, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld the federal law banning TikTok beginning Sunday unless it’s sold by its China-based parent company, holding the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app or its 170 million users in the U.S. A sale does not appear imminent. The court’s decision Friday means new users won’t be able to download the app and updates won’t be available, but it won’t disappear from users’ phones. President-elect Donald Trump had called on the court to keep the ban on hold until after he takes office Monday. The Republican has said he’ll “save” TikTok, but it’s unclear what he’d do.
January 17, 2025 4:58 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles wildfires have forced thousands of students to relocate to other schools. Students from two elementary schools that burned down in the Palisades Fire arrived Wednesday for their first day of class at two other Los Angeles campuses where their classes are being held temporarily. Seven other Los Angeles Unified School District schools in evacuation zones that have been closed since the fire are also relocating. Meanwhile, Palisades Charter High School has asked the community for help finding temporary classrooms for its 3,000 students. And in the nearby Pasadena Unified School District, thousands of other students are still home from school. Five school sites there were severely impacted by the Eaton Fire.
January 17, 2025 4:56 am
PETUSHKI, Russia (AP) — Three lawyers who once represented the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been jailed in Russia as part of the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent that has reached levels unseen since Soviet times. Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser were jailed on Friday from 3 1/2 to five years. They were arrested in October 2023 on charges of involvement with extremist groups, as Navalny’s networks were deemed by authorities. The case was widely seen as a way to increase pressure on the opposition to discourage defense lawyers from taking political cases. At the time, Navalny was serving a 19-year prison term on several criminal convictions, including extremism. He died in a Russian prison camp in February 2023.
January 17, 2025 4:54 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s security Cabinet has recommended approval of a ceasefire deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed an agreement had been reached that would pause the 15-month war with Hamas in Gaza and release dozens of hostages held by militants there. Mediators Qatar and the U.S. announced the ceasefire on Wednesday, but the deal hung in limbo for more than a day as Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute snags. After the recommendation Friday, the deal now goes to the full Cabinet of ministers for final sign-off. It is expected to OK the ceasefire. It could start as soon as Sunday.
January 17, 2025 4:51 am
SEWICKLEY HEIGHTS, Pa. — Penguins star Evgeni Malkin’s Stanley Cup Championship rings that were reported stolen in a burglary were found inside his house, police said. The team confirmed that Malkin’s house was burglarized during Saturday’s game at PPG Paints Arena. Initial reports indicated that Malkin’s championship rings were among the items stolen from his home, but Allegheny County police said Thursday that they were found inside the house. The investigation into the burglary is still ongoing, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
January 17, 2025 4:48 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — (WPXI) – Skimmers were found at two local Giant Eagle locations. According to a Giant Eagle spokesperson, the skimmers were found at the Greenfield and McKeesport locations in late December and were removed the same day that they were installed. Giant Eagle tells Channel 11 they contacted customers who potentially had their information stolen. Giant Eagle didn’t say if the skimmers were placed on self-checkout lanes or full-service lanes. It’s also unclear if they think the same person installed the skimmers. If anyone swiped their card into the pin pad, a spokesperson said it potentially captured the customer’s information and code via the magnetic strip. Giant Eagle also said they have multiple security measures in place to limit the risk of customers having their identities stolen.
January 16, 2025 3:29 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Lynch has died at 78. The filmmaker was celebrated for his uniquely dark vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks.” His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death and location was not immediately available, but Lynch had been public about the effect emphysema had had on his life. Lynch was a onetime artist who broke through in the 1970s with the surreal “Eraserhead” and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences and peers in the following decades. (Photo: AP)
January 16, 2025 11:46 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers who after a short playing career earned the moniker “Mr. Baseball” and honors from the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 90. In a statement released Thursday by the Brewers, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023. Uecker, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, signed his first pro contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He lasted six seasons in the big leagues. He then spent over 50 years broadcasting the Brewers, becoming synonymous with baseball in Wisconsin and beyond.
