August 1, 2024 5:16 am
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says the parties in Lahaina wildfire lawsuits against Hawaii, Maui County and utilities are close to a global settlement of claims that will be worth a little over $4 billion. Green told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he’s hoping to finalize the details in coming days, perhaps as soon as Aug. 6. That would be two days before the one-year anniversary of the fire that killed 102 people and wiped out historic Lahaina. He said all the plaintiffs and defendants have agreed to the global settlement number but final details are pending. Hawaiian Electric declined to comment. Maui County didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
August 1, 2024 5:15 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared Wednesday before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago in an interview that quickly turned hostile. The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.
August 1, 2024 5:14 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The F-16 fighter jets that have been delivered to Kyiv by Western countries will be flying sorties in Ukrainian skies and helping the country’s current fleet of Soviet-era jets to counter Russia’s invasion. Analysts say the used F-16s will enhance Ukraine’s military strength, especially by upgrading its air defenses. But they won’t turn the tide of the war on their own. Ukraine faces a series of challenges using the complex F-16s and protecting them from Russian attacks when they are on the ground. The planes also require numerous support personnel. Ukrainian pilots have been on training courses in the U.S. and Europe. Russia will be looking to destroy the F-16s.
August 1, 2024 5:13 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump is used to defending himself. But as JD Vance’s rocky rollout continues, the Republican presidential nominee is in the rare position this week of having to defend someone else’s controversial comments. Trump said on Wednesday that Vance is “strongly family-oriented” when asked repeatedly to explain Vance’s well-documented history of criticizing childless Americans. Trump’s latest defense of his vice presidential pick came more than two weeks after he announced Vance’s selection. Since the announcement, Trump’s team has been confronted with multiple reports of the Ohio senator’s controversial statements that have made his rollout among the most turbulent in recent history. A senior Trump adviser says there has been “zero conversation” about replacing Vance as his running mate.
August 1, 2024 5:11 am

(AP) – As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to announce her running mate, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that several of the top potential contenders for the role are largely unknown to voters. The survey, which was conducted after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race and Harris became the likely Democratic presidential nominee, highlights the strengths and weaknesses that different politicians could bring to the ticket. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly stands out as a prospect who has more name recognition — and higher favorability, particularly among Democrats. And others, like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, while less known nationally, could draw on a deeper well of support in their home states and regions.
August 1, 2024 5:06 am

HOUSTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has eulogized U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee as a “force of nature.” Harris described Jackson Lee as a mentor who “always expected in all of us that we would rise to a point of excellence, knowing that life was too short and there’s too much to be done.” Jackson Lee died July 19 at age 74 after being treated for pancreatic cancer. She was one of most prominent Black women in Congress. Among the other speakers at the service Thursday in Houston were former President Bill Clinton and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader.
August 1, 2024 5:04 am

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man who pleaded guilty to shooting a teenager in Uniontown last year has been sentenced. Nathan Glasscock, 37, was sentenced to 40-80 years on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, firearms not to be carried and burglary in June. Glasscock shot a 16-year-old girl, allegedly his ex-girlfriend, in the head in November. Police said he was trying to shoot her grandmother because he was angry she was keeping the teenager away from him. The girl reportedly stepped in front of her grandmother when Glasscock pulled the trigger. Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele says the girl still has a long road of recovery ahead of her.
July 31, 2024 4:25 pm
CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile. The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.
July 31, 2024 2:58 pm

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says he’s recovering from COVID-19 at home. Fetterman said in a statement Tuesday that he was at his home in Braddock, just outside Pittsburgh, recovering and missed the day’s votes in the Senate. That included the Senate’s 91-3 passage of legislation that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content. The vote pushes forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause. In the statement, Fetterman says he supports the legislation and urged the House to pass it as soon as possible. (Photo: AP)
July 31, 2024 2:55 pm
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, giving her union firepower for the likely contest this November against Republican Donald Trump. UAW President Shawn Fain says the union’s “job” in this year’s election is to defeat Trump. The union has more than a million active and retired members with a strong base in what the Democrats call the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.