May 16, 2024 4:11 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy. A proposed rule sent Thursday to the federal register recognizes medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has less potential for abuse than some of the most dangerous drugs. The plan signed by Attorney General Merrick Garland wouldn’t legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The Drug Enforcement Administration will take public comment on the proposal to move marijuana from its classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside some anabolic steroids. The U.S. Cannabis Council trade group applauds the proposed change. (Photo: AP)
May 16, 2024 10:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has blocked the release of audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with a special counsel about his handling of classified documents. The White House argues Republicans in Congress only want the recordings “to chop them up” and use them for political purposes as Biden seeks reelection. The Democratic president has asserted executive privilege over audio of his interview with the special counsel at the center a Republican effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee are expected to hold hearings Thursday over the contempt effort.
May 16, 2024 4:58 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – Governor Josh Shapiro is working to get help for the congregation of a Union Township church after an EF-2 tornado touched down in the area, ripping off the roof. At the Crossroads Church, workers have installed new windows and are putting on a new roof, after it was ripped off during church services with nearly 100 people inside. Two days later, the pastor’s phone rang with a private number. “I answer and he goes, ‘Hello, this is Governor Shapiro,’ I said, ‘Oh wow, Gov. Shapiro, is this a prank call?’” said Ken Barner, Crossroads Ministry pastor. The governor retweeted a post about the tornado damage, adding that he wants these communities to know his administration has their back and they’ll do everything they can to help people recover. “He offered his prayer and support, on behalf of him and his wife, he’s praying, he basically just listened and I thought it was very kind,” Barner said. “Right after it occurred, on Monday, Governor Shapiro called, he wanted to know what was going on,” said County Commissioner Larry Maggi. “It was reassuring to know we haven’t been forgotten on this end of the state, glad he called and is attempting to help somewhat.” The county did not declare a state of emergency, which is where any offers of help become tricky. “It’s good and bad to be declared a state of emergency or federal or state disaster, had to reach an amount of damage. We didn’t reach that, although for the people it occurred to it was pretty catastrophic,” Maggi explained.
May 16, 2024 4:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Natural gas producer CNX Resources says it plans to build a $1.5 billion facility at Pittsburgh’s airport to make hydrogen-based fuels. But, in its plan unveiled Wednesday, it says it will only build it if President Joe Biden’s administration allows coal mine methane to qualify for hydrogen production tax credits. Biden’s administration is deciding how to tailor billions in tax credits. CNX said the facility would remove coal mine methane from the atmosphere and blend it with natural gas to produce hydrogen-based airline fuel. Climate change activists say producing hydrogen from fossil fuels, instead of from carbon-free electricity, would undermine the purpose of the hydrogen program to displace fossil fuels.
May 15, 2024 1:52 am
‘Tis the season for fun and fresh fruits and vegetables. The Main Street Farmers Market in Washington opens Thursday at the Main Street Pavilion on South Main Street, and will run from 3 to 6 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 31st. Tracee Malik is the new president of the market this year and she says they are starting off the season with a full vendor lineup. She says every space is filled, as are the visiting vendors’ spaces. In addition to new vendors, Malik says all of last year’s vendors will be back and they have a full slate of entertainment lined up for adults and children. She says various musical acts will be featured throughout the season, plus special events such as First Responder Day, Future Farmers of America Day, Back to School celebration, Vet Appreciation Day, and a Halloween Party to wrap up the market.
May 16, 2024 5:05 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s whirlwind agreement to meet for two presidential debates has upended the way the forums have been organized for nearly four decades. It sidelines and casts doubt on the future of the nonpartisan commission that has traditionally planned them. The presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees on Wednesday accepted debate invitations from CNN in June and ABC in September, shaking up the tradition of three debates not tied to a specific network and held in the weeks before the November election. Their plans came together rapidly, ending uncertainty about whether the candidates would debate.
May 16, 2024 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip. Officials said Thursday that they are poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as food and other supplies fail to make it in. Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border, complicating those shipments. American officials insist U.S. troops will not set foot in Gaza, though they acknowledge the danger of operating near the war zone.
May 15, 2024 5:08 am
BEIJING (AP) — Russia’s Putin has expressed gratitude to Xi Jinping for China’s initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict. His remarks came at a summit with Xi where the Chinese leader said China hopes Europe will return to peace and stability soon and that China will play a constructive role. Putin on Thursday began a two-day state visit to Beijing as Moscow presses forward on a new offensive in Ukraine. China issued a broad proposal for peace in Ukraine in 2023. China has significant influence as a critical supporter of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. It continues to supply Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons, and its purchase of Russian oil and gas has helped boost the Russian economy.
May 15, 2024 5:04 am
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — A hospital official says Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in serious but stable condition. The populist leader was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt Wednesday that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections. He is being treated Thursday at an intensive care unit. A suspect was in custody, and the interior minister said that an initial investigation found “a clear political motivation” behind the attack. The minister did not specify what the motivation was. Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. His return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western course.
May 15, 2024 5:26 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the numbers Wednesday. CDC officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. The agency says about 107,500 people died of overdoses in the U.S. last year. That’s down 3% from 2022. It’s too soon to know what spurred the decline, but experts reacted cautiously. They say the decline as relatively small. They also note that the last time a decline occurred — in 2018 — drug deaths shot up afterward.
