March 13, 2024 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The release of a transcript of President Joe Biden’s interview with prosecutors investigating his handling of classified documents is not likely to alter preconceived notions about Biden. But it does offer a rare window into the profound and mundane realities of day-to-day life for the president. In conversations with investigators, Biden makes offhand remarks about working in his pajamas as vice president, laments over his oh-so messy garage at his house in Delaware and talks of juggling international crises while other matters intrude. Taken together, the comments illustrate the idiosyncrasies of a presidency and showcase a hallmark of Biden’s political career: storytelling.
March 13, 2024 5:01 am
(AP) – President Vladimir Putin says that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to Russian statehood, sovereignty, or independence. Speaking in an interview with Russian state television released early Wednesday, Putin said he hoped that the U.S. would avoid any escalation that could trigger a nuclear war, but emphasized that Russia’s nuclear forces are ready for it. Asked if he has ever considered using battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Putin responded that there has been no need for that. He also voiced confidence that Moscow will achieve its goals in Ukraine and held the door open for talks, emphasizing that any deal would require firm guarantees from the West.
March 13, 2024 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have clinched their parties’ presidential nominations with decisive victories in a slate of low-profile primaries, setting up a general election rematch that many voters do not want. The outcome of contests Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington state and Hawaii was never in doubt. Neither Biden, a Democrat, nor Trump, a Republican, faced major opposition. But the magnitude of their wins gave each man the delegate majority he needed to claim his party’s nomination at the summertime national conventions. There is no longer any doubt that the fall election will feature a rematch between two flawed and unpopular presidents. It will almost certainly deepen the nation’s searing political and cultural divides.
March 13, 2024 4:57 am
CRESCENT, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a massive explosion killed two people and destroyed a house in the Pittsburgh area near the Ohio River. Allegheny County emergency dispatchers say the blast in Crescent Township in the northwest Pittsburgh suburbs was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Aerial images from the scene show smoking ruins with the structure reduced to rubble and some large pieces lodged in trees above. The Crescent Township fire chief says a man and woman were found dead at the scene. The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office has identified the victims as 89 year old David Mitchell Jr. and 87 year old Helen Mitchell. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
March 13, 2024 2:42 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh announced Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has denied the appeals of the sentences of two Pagan gang members. Matthew Vasquez, 35 of Monessen (pictured) and Joseph Olinsky, 50 of Somerset were convicted in February 2020 of the beating of Troy Harris. Harris was a member of a rival motorcycle gang and Vasquez and Olinsky attacked Harris in the Charleroi Slovak Club in April of 2019. Both men were sentenced to 20-40 years in prison on charges of aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy and simple assault. They were acquitted of more serious charges of attempted homicide and conspiracy.
March 13, 2024 2:25 am
The chair of the Local Share Account Committee, Jeff Kotula, says that, at the request of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, the Washington County Local Share Account Review Committee will convene virtually on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. to review the City Mission’s recent application to the Washington County Local Share Account program for a 50-bed Women’s Homeless Shelter. He says the committee will honor the commissioners’ recommendation to limit its review solely to the City Mission’s application. The public will be welcome to view the proceedings. The committee has also invited Diana Irey Vaughan, President & CEO of the City Mission, to attend the meeting and address the committee’s questions over the project’s readiness, availability of additional dollars to complete the shelter, and the alignment of the application with the county’s comprehensive plan. The committee has requested Ms. Irey Vaughan bring any necessary financial information or other documentation to support and clarify their application. Kotula says the LSA Review Committee reviewed 94 projects during this funding cycle and recommended 50 projects to the Washington County Board of Commissioners at a public meeting on February 6, 2024. Commissioners Sherman, Janis, and Maggi unanimously approved all 50 of the committee’s recommendations at their public meeting on February 15, 2024. The City Mission project was one of 44 projects not recommended by the committee nor approved by the commissioners at their respective public meetings. The commissioners have been disagreeing on the City Mission’s grant. Democratic Commissioner Larry Maggi said that the LSA Committee issued a list on January 30th, of recommended projects to be funded in 2024. Number 38 on the list was the homeless shelter with recommended funding of $500,000, but on February 6th, he says a new list was issued and the shelter project was removed. Maggi further stated that phone calls from the commissioner’s office were made to the LSA Committee indicating that the City Mission project be removed.
March 13, 2024 2:20 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh on Tuesday announced criminal charges against a California man for allegedly setting fire to the California Manor apartment building on March 1. According to the criminal complaint, Christopher Grasty, 38 confessed to police that he intentionally started the fire in his apartment. According to a Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal report, the fire caused approximately $750,000 in damage and displaced all 25 residents of the building. Grasty is charged with multiple counts of arson, aggravated arson, reckless endangerment, causing a catastrophe, risking a catastrophe and criminal mischief.
March 12, 2024 6:30 pm
U.S. lawmakers are threatening to ban TikTok but also say they are giving its Chinese parent company a chance to keep it running. The premise of a bipartisan bill headed for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives is that TikTok fans in the U.S. can keep scrolling through their favorite social media app so long as Beijing-based ByteDance gives up on owning it. But it’s not going to be as simple as lawmakers are making it sound, according to experts.
March 12, 2024 6:27 pm
CRESCENT, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a massive explosion killed two people and destroyed a house in the Pittsburgh area near the Ohio River. Allegheny County emergency dispatchers say the blast in Crescent Township in the northwest Pittsburgh suburbs was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Aerial images from the scene show smoking ruins with the structure reduced to rubble and some large pieces lodged in trees above. The Crescent Township fire chief says a man and woman were found dead at the scene. The county medical examiner’s office will confirm their identities and determine the cause and manner of death. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
March 12, 2024 8:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices in the United States picked up last month, a sign that inflation remains a persistent challenge for the Federal Reserve and for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, both of which are counting on a steady easing of price pressures this year. Prices rose 0.4% from January to February, a pickup from the previous month’s figure of 0.3%. Compared with 12 months earlier, consumer prices rose 3.2% last month, faster than January’s 3.1% annual pace. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so called “core” prices also climbed 0.4% from January to February, matching the previous month’s increase and a faster pace than is consistent with the Fed’s 2% target.
