January 4, 2025 4:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson has narrowly won reelection to the House speakership on a dramatic first-ballot vote, overcoming hard-right GOP holdouts in a tense standoff. Upon taking the gavel, Johnson vowed to slash the size and scope of the federal government. The uneasy scene brought an ominous start to the first day of the new Congress before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with unified GOP control of Washington. In the end, however, Johnson was able to flip two holdouts who switched to support him, and Trump called the dissenting Republican lawmakers from the golf course. The final tally was 218-215.
January 4, 2025 3:39 am
The Pennsylvania State Police have released their New Year’s Holiday Crash Report. The time frame for the report is December 31, 2024 through January 2, 2025. State Police investigated 425 crashes. In those crashes there was one death and 68 injuries. Impaired driving was a factor in 31 of the crashes. During that period, 254 people were arrested for driving under the influence. Other citations were issued for 2727 cases of speeding, 383 for failure to wear a seat belt and 50 for not securing children in safety seats.
January 4, 2025 12:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has blocked the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. This affirms his earlier vow to block the acquisition. In a Friday statement, Biden said, “We need major U.S. companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests.” His decision comes after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States didn’t reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the deal last month. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel blasted the decision, saying Biden cited no credible evidence of a national security problem and suggested they’ll sue.
January 3, 2025 4:26 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — In an extraordinary turn, a judge has set President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case for Jan. 10 — little over a week before he’s due to return to the White House — but indicated he wouldn’t be jailed. Judge Juan M. Merchan issued the ruling Friday. He signaled in a written decision that he’d sentence the former and future president to what’s known as a conditional discharge, in which a case is closed without jail time, a fine or probation. The development nevertheless leaves Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes.
January 3, 2025 3:09 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson has won re-election to House speakership on first-round voting. He pushed past GOP holdout and got a boost from President-elect Donald Trump. GOP holdouts convened in back of the House chamber during a tense roll call. It brought an ominous start to the new Congress. Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival as speaker but Trump’s ambitious agenda. Tax cuts and mass deportations are all at stake as Republicans sweep to power in Washington. Next steps are uncertain, but the chamber is expected to try again. A flop by Johnson could have thrown Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker. (Photo: AP)
January 3, 2025 1:11 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed on Friday. Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health. Americans should be better informed about the link between alcohol and cancer, in particular, Murthy argues. About 20,000 people die every year from those alcohol-related cancer cases, according to his advisory. Bottles of beer, wine and liquor already carry warning labels about the risk of birth defects when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy’s proposed label would go even further, raising awareness about the risk for cancer, too. (Photo: AP)
January 3, 2025 5:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is releasing new information about a suspect who planted pipe bombs four years ago outside the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees near the Capitol. Investigators believe the suspect is about 5 feet 7 inches tall. The FBI also is posting previously unreleased video of the suspect placing a bomb near the DNC building on Jan. 5, 2021. That was the night before a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. An FBI official says investigators haven’t established a clear link between the pipe bombs and the Jan. 6 riot. But the bureau hopes the new information will generate fresh leads from the public.
January 3, 2025 5:12 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities say the highly decorated soldier inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before detonation. The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the hotel. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger likely planned a more damaging attack but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force from the crudely built explosive. Livelsberger was an active-duty member of the elite Green Berets. The Pentagon said he had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks, and was on approved leave when he died.
January 3, 2025 5:11 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A mix of law enforcement, street performers and football fans is filling New Orleans’ blocks as the city inches back to normalcy. A deadly New Year’s truck attack along Bourbon Street killed 14 people, along with the driver. Shamsud-Din Jabbar was fatally shot in a firefight with police after steering his speeding truck around a barricade and plowing into a crowd of revelers. About 30 people were injured. The FBI says Jabbar was inspired by the Islamic State militant group. Authorities finished processing the scene Thursday morning and Bourbon Street reopened for business by early afternoon.
January 3, 2025 5:10 am
FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — Police in Southern California say two people are dead after a small plane crashed through the roof of a sprawling furniture manufacturing building. The accident on Thursday near the Fullerton Municipal Airport in Orange County caused a fire and prompted the evacuation of at least 200 workers. The Fullerton Police Department says 11 people were taken to hospitals for injuries while eight were treated at the scene. The people who died are believed to have been on the plane, while those injured were inside the building. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating and says the aircraft is a single-engine, four-seat, Van’s RV-10. The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating the crash.
