December 12, 2024 5:19 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized by Time magazine as its person of the year. The honors Thursday for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump’s remarkable comeback from an ostracized former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November. At the stock exchange, Trump was accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Trump grinned as people chanted “USA” before he opened the trading day and raised his fist.
December 12, 2024 5:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. The White House says it’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The clemency follows a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes. Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to pardon broad swaths of people before the Trump administration takes over in January. He’s also weighing whether to issue preemptive pardons to those who investigated Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election and are facing possible retribution when he takes office.
December 12, 2024 5:10 am
NEW YORK (AP) — In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine, Donald Trump weighs in on Jan. 6 pardons, immigration issues and world affairs. He says he’s open to holding detained migrants in camps as they’re processed for deportation. He insists that ally Elon Musk prioritizes the interests of the United States over his many business endeavors. When Trump was asked whether he trusted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said he doesn’t trust anyone. And Time reports on how Trump’s campaign advisers got involved when Trump seemed on the verge of backing a 16-week federal abortion ban.
December 12, 2024 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — China experts say Chinese leader Xi Jinping would likely see President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to attend his inauguration as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations. The experts say they cannot see the Chinese leader coming to Washington next month to celebrate Trump’s return to the White House. Yun Sun is director of the China program at the Stimson Center. She says should Trump slap high tariffs on Chinese goods upon taking office as he’s threatened, Xi would look like a fool if he had chosen to attend the inauguration.
December 12, 2024 5:01 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — (WPXI) – The sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel in Japan might come down to whether or not a committee on foreign investment deems it a national security concern. One local councilman believes that reason is “nonsense.” Allegheny County Councilman Dan Grzybek supports the $15 billion sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, saying it would benefit the whole region. “Nippon has already promised to put even more money into the Mon Valley, and I think it would be good for the longevity of the area,” Grzybek told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek. But, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, is reviewing the bid of the potential sale to see if there are national security concerns. Their recommendation is expected in the next 10 days. Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have expressed the desire to block the sale. So has the United Steel Workers Union. On Tuesday, union leadership sent a letter to its members saying Nippon was resorting to bribery to get the deal across the finish line. Nippon announced it would give $5,000 to employees other than senior leadership if the deal is finalized. U.S. Steel is holding a rally at its Clairton plant Thursday at 3 p.m. in support of the sale.
December 12, 2024 4:56 am
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — New York City’s police commissioner says the gun found on the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO matches shell casings found at the crime scene. Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said Wednesday that lab results matched suspect Luigi Mangione’s prints to a water bottle and a snack bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing. Police had said earlier that they believed the gunman bought the items at a nearby coffee shop while awaiting his target. Mangione is jailed in Pennsylvania on weapon and forgery charges, but he also has been charged in New York with murder in Brian Thompson’s death. His lawyer has noted that Mangione is presumed innocent. Authorities are scrutinizing evidence and the suspect’s experiences with the health care industry.
December 12, 2024 4:55 am
RESERVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – There was no bomb threat made onboard a Spirit Airlines plane at Pittsburgh International Airport Thursday. Allegheny County police said they were requested to investigate a “security issue” onboard a Spirit flight that was scheduled to depart PIT for Tampa. The issue was reported to be a bomb threat. County police determined no threat was made and the situation was deemed not criminal in nature. Spokesperson for the Allegheny County Airport Authority Bob Kerlik said no injuries were reported and airport operations are unaffected. The FBI released the following statement: “The FBI and our law enforcement partners responded to a reported bomb threat onboard an aircraft at Pittsburgh International Airport. After a thorough investigation, it was determined to not be a credible threat. The FBI and our partners encourage the public to remain vigilant as they travel this time of year. Please report any suspicious activity to law enforcement by calling 911, reporting to your flight crew, or contacting the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
December 12, 2024 4:54 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Over the holidays, more than five million drivers will use Pennsylvania Turnpike, and some will likely receive a text message telling them they owe turnpike fees. While it may look legit, it’s a scam. “They went from sending it to me to now sending it to my grandmother, so now I’m like okay let me check this out,” said Aria King. King is a small business owner, and while she says she doesn’t do a lot of traveling, she began receiving this text message from a Canadian area code: “438.” The message even included a Pennsylvania Turnpike icon and suggested that she use the link provided in the message to avoid an additional $35 fee. The amount the scammers said she owed was $291. According to the PA Turnpike Commission bills are only sent via the mail. They always include either your E-Z pass account information or your plate number. FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek has been cracking down on these types of scams and told us the goal of this smishing scam is to steal your info. Last year, the Internet Crime Complaint Center that the FBI runs collected more than 800,000 complaints for a total loss of more than $12 billion. Money that Rojek told said is often never recovered.
December 12, 2024 2:46 am
Authorities are investigating a barn fire Thursday afternoon at the Critter Country Animal Farm on Route 981 in Smithton. in Westmoreland County. According to their website, Critter Country has more than 55 different kinds of animals, including monkeys, lemurs, an Asiatic water buffalo, a leopard, a kangaroo and many more. There were no reported human injuries, but officials did not comment on the fate of the animals. (Photo: Critter Country Website)
December 11, 2024 3:27 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray says he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January. The announcement Wednesday comes a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the position. At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought.” Wray had previously been named by Trump and began the 10-year term. a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Trump fired then-FBI Director, James Comey. (Photo: AP)
