May 21, 2024 5:55 pm
PHOENIX (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges stemming from his role in an effort to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Arizona to Joe Biden. Giuliani appeared remotely for the arraignment that was held in a Phoenix courtroom. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 17, about 3 weeks before the U.S. election. His plea follows a not guilty plea by former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward for the same charges. Ward and nine other people were arraigned in a Phoenix courtroom on conspiracy, forgery and fraud charges. The Tuesday arraignments were the second held in the case. (Photo: AP)
May 21, 2024 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Donald Trump makes a comeback bid to return to power, Republicans in Congress have become even more likely to cast doubts on President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. A new report from States United Action, a group that targets election deniers, says nearly one-third of the lawmakers in Congress supported in some way Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 presidential results. Several more are running for election this year to the House and Senate. Lizzie Ullmer of States United Action says the public should have a “real healthy dose of concern.” It’s not happening just in Congress. Prominent election deniers also now run the Republican National Committee.
May 21, 2024 5:10 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new rule in Texas that would require firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores. The decision by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk came before the rule had been set to take effect Monday. The order also prevents the federal government from enforcing the rule against several gun-rights groups, including Gun Owners of America. The requirement is the Biden administration’s latest effort to curtail gun violence. It aims to close a loophole that has allowed unlicensed dealers to sell tens of thousands of guns every year without checking that the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm.
May 21, 2024 5:53 pm
CAIRO (AP) — The United Nations says it has suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity. It also said no aid trucks entered via a pier set up by the U.S. for sea deliveries for the past two days. The U.N. has not specified how many people remain in Rafah after the Israeli military launched an intensified assault there on May 6, but they appear to number several hundred thousand. Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the U.N’s World Food Program, warned that “humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse.” She said that if food and other supplies don’t resume entering Gaza in “in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread.”
May 21, 2024 5:07 am
France and Belgium have released statements supporting the world’s top war crimes court’s request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, after Israel and the United States both harshly condemned the effort. International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced his intention to seek warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leaders, whom he accused of war crimes. His announcement came the same day Israel said it would expand operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in its effort to crush Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided a militant stronghold Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing at least seven and wounding several.
May 21, 2024 4:59 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Red Lobster’s filing for bankruptcy could impact customers’ ability to use their gift cards and rewards points, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy on Monday, days after announcing the closures of several locations, including one in Erie. Henry advises people with gift cards, rewards points or coupons to use them “sooner than later.” If you have an issue redeeming rewards or using gift cards or a coupon, you can call the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555.
May 20, 2024 6:13 pm
JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court on Monday accused Netanyahu, his defense minister, and three Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The announcement was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. Hamas also rejected the accusations. A panel of judges will consider the prosecutor’s evidence and decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed.
May 20, 2024 6:10 pm
The Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) issued a statement Monday afternoon, saying they are deeply concerned about the chemical fire that broke out at the Omnis Bailey Plant, located on the CONSOL Energy property in Greene County. They say the fire has necessitated an extended response from local and regional fire crews and first responders, raising significant environmental and public health concerns. CCJ officials say CONSOL and Omnis Bailey have not shared information with the public, leading to understandable speculation, since first responders don’t know exactly which chemicals they’re battling and being exposed to. They say they are alarmed by the fire at the Bailey Omni Plant and the potential dangers it poses to the surrounding communities and their primary concern is the health and safety of the workers, residents, and first responders in Washington and Greene Counties. They are urging immediate and transparent communication from CONSOL Energy and Omnis Bailey about the nature and extent of the hazardous materials involved and the steps being taken to mitigate any environmental impact.
May 20, 2024 5:00 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- The recent tornadoes in or near western Pennsylvania are now the most on record by the National Weather Service Pittsburgh in May. According to NWS Pittsburgh, there have been 14 confirmed tornadoes this month in its county warning area. That surpasses the 11 tornadoes from the 1985 outbreak for the most on record in May. During the 1985 tornado outbreak, 43 tornadoes tore through Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Canada, leaving a path of death and destruction that still ranks as one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. Of those tornadoes, 23 touched down in Pennsylvania, 11 of which were in the NWS Pittsburgh region. It’s still the largest single-day tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania history. Eighty-nine people lost their lives, 75 of those were in the Keystone State. There were more than a thousand injuries and $600 million in damage. Throughout the last several weeks, severe storms have produced tornadoes that touched down in the Pittsburgh region, including an EF-2 tornado in Washington County, a high-end EF-2 tornado in West Virginia near the border with Pennsylvania and the first tornado within the Pittsburgh city limits since 1998. Many of the tornadoes were on the stronger side for this region. Significant damage has been reported from these 14 tornadoes. There have only been minor injuries. On average, Pennsylvania averages six tornadoes a year. The state’s peak tornado season is in June.
May 20, 2024 5:03 am
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — A man is dead after a van and motorcycle crash in North Versailles. Allegheny County dispatchers say first responders were called to the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Clyde Avenue at around 9:31 p.m. Allegheny County Police say both vehicles were traveling westbound on Lincoln Highway. The van was making a left-hand turn onto Clyde Avenue and was hit by the motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle was taken to a local hospital where he later died. The driver of the van was not injured. This is the second fatal motorcycle crash to happen in North Versailles on Sunday.
