July 15, 2024 11:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against ex-President Donald Trump in Florida has dismissed the prosecution. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday sided with defense lawyers who said the special counsel who filed the charges against Trump was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team had vigorously contested Trump’s efforts to dismiss the case. Trump’s team has no immediate comment on the dismissal of the case. Trump had been accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and obstructing FBI efforts to get them back. The judge’s ruling can be appealed and may be overruled by a higher court. (Photo: AP)
July 15, 2024 5:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is urging Americans to reject political violence and recommit themselves to resolving their differences peacefully. In a prime-time address to the nation, Biden said the upcoming presidential election will be a “time of testing” in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Biden says political passions can run high but people “must never descend into violence.” The president said that his party and the Republicans can compete forcefully over different policy visions but do it in a civil fashion. Biden spoke for six minutes in his third address to the nation since Saturday evening’s attack.
July 15, 2024 5:21 am
BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — The victim who was killed at a Pennsylvania rally for Donald Trump spent his final moments diving in front of his family to protect them from gunfire that rang out Saturday during an assassination attempt against the former president. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed Sunday that Corey Comperatore had died a “hero,” using his body as a shield to protect both his wife and daughter from the bullets. Randy Reamer, president of the Buffalo Township volunteer fire company, called Comperatore “a stand-up guy” and “a true brother of the fire service.” A GoFundMe launched to support Comperatore’s family had already surpassed more than $696,000 in donations as of Sunday.
July 15, 2024 5:14 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pittsburgh Police say a man was shot in the eye while he was traveling on the Parkway West in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Police say they were called for reports of rifle shots fired from one vehicle into another vehicle in the area of Exit 69 A on I-376W. A 60-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to his eye. He was taken to a hospital and is receiving surgery. The suspect was driving a White Mazda SUV. It fled the scene and continued toward either Banksville Road or continued onto I-376W, police say. Police are using video of the incident to try to learn more about what happened.
July 15, 2024 5:07 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) The FBI has identified the suspected gunman at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday as a Bethel Park man. The agency identified him as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, and said they’re considering the shooting that injured Trump and two spectators and killed another spectator as an assassination attempt. Following the identification of Crooks as the suspected gunman, police shut down a Bethel Park roadway near where he lived. WPXI has learned Crooks had no previous criminal history, according to online court records. Voter records in Allegheny County show Crooks is a registered Republican voter. However, according to federal campaign finance records, Crooks appears to have donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue. A spokesperson from Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center also confirmed to Channel 11 that Crook was an employee of theirs. According to NBC News, Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. The club has various shooting range, including a 200-yard rifle range as well as pistol ranges and indoor outdoor archery ranges. The FBI has not yet identified a motive for the shooting. Anyone with information about Crooks is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or leave a tip at FBI.gov/butler.
July 15, 2024 5:05 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has appeared triumphantly at the Republican National Convention’s opening night with a bandage over his right ear. Delegates cheered wildly when he was seen onscreen two days after being injured when a would-be assassin opened fire at his rally in Pennsylvania. Republicans have nominated Trump to lead their presidential ticket and cheered enthusiastically after he unveiled Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate. Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley hailed the ticket as an ideal team to defeat President Joe Biden and Democrats in November.
July 15, 2024 4:44 am
The fourth day of testimony in the murder trial of North Strabane Township physical therapist Scott Edmonds was fraught with technical difficulties. Defense attorneys had trouble getting smart board televisions in the courtroom to work causing testimony to begin at 1:00 PM. First to the witness stand was former Assistant District Attorney Chad Schneider who was recalled to verify crime scene photos. Next was forensic pathologist Dr. Adel Shaker, MD from Corpus Christi, TX. His testimony on the manner of death differed from that of prosecutorial experts indicating the manner of Louise Weis-Edmonds death was undetermined, and not homicide. A second forensic pathologist, Dr. John Hunsaker of Lexington, KY stated that his review of medical records show that Weis-Edmonds’ injuries were indicative of suicide. Cross examination of both witnesses had them agree that their opinions do not rule out homicide. Day five of testimony will begin on Tuesday.
July 15, 2024 1:52 am
(AP) – James Sikking of “Hill Street Blues” has died at 90. His publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement Sunday evening that Sikking died of complications from dementia. Born in Los Angeles, Sikking played a hardened and at times quirky police lieutenant on the revolutionary police procedural and the titular character’s kindhearted dad on “Doogie Howser, M.D.” He was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for “Hill Street Blues” in 1984. He also starred in “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and several other television shows and movies before largely retiring. He continued to do charity events. (Photo: AP)
July 14, 2024 4:13 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shannen Doherty, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star whose life and career were roiled by illness and tabloid stories, has died at 53. After years with breast cancer, Doherty died Saturday, according to a statement from her publicist, Leslie Sloane. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” Sloane said Sunday. The news was first reported by People magazine. Her illness was publicly revealed in a lawsuit filed in 2015 against her former business managers, in which she alleged they mismanaged her money and allowed her health insurance to lapse. She later shared intimate details of her treatment following a single mastectomy. In December 2016, she posted a photo of her first day of radiation, calling the treatment “frightening” for her. In February 2020, Doherty revealed that the cancer had returned and was at Stage 4. She said she came forward because her health conditions could come out in court. The actor had sued insurance giant State Farm after her California home was damaged in a fire in 2018. (Photo: AP)
July 14, 2024 4:03 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 20-year-old nursing-home employee from suburban Pittsburgh who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump was a registered Republican who packed explosives in the vehicle he drove to the campaign rally an hour from his home. Law enforcement officials were working Sunday to learn more about Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to determine what motivated him to open fire on the rally from a nearby rooftop, killing one spectator, before he was shot dead by the Secret Service. The FBI said Sunday it has not yet identified any threatening writing or social media posts from Crooks, who graduated from high school two years ago and had no past criminal cases against him, according to public court records. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said on social media the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting. Two spectators were critically injured, authorities said. The man killed was Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief from the area who Pennsylvania’s governor says died a “hero” by diving onto his family to protect them. Relatives of Crooks didn’t immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but wouldn’t speak about his son until after he talked to law enforcement. (Photo: AP)
