June 28, 2022 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Cassidy Hutchinson, a aide in Donald Trump’s White House, has told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that she was “scared, and nervous for what could happen” after conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and others. Meadows told Hutchinson that “things might get real real bad,” and Giuliani told her it was going to be “a great day” and “we’re going to the Capitol.” Hutchinson told the panel that she was apprehensive because she had heard plans for a rally and possible movements to the Capitol. (Photo: ABC News)
June 28, 2022 4:12 am
ELMAU, Germany (AP) – The Group of Seven developed economies is wrapping up a summit intended to send a strong signal of long-term commitment to Ukraine’s future, ensuring that Russia pays a higher price for its invasion while also attempting to alleviate a global hunger crisis and show unity against climate change. The leaders on Monday pledged to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” after conferring by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy’s address, amid a grinding Russian advance in Ukraine’s east, came hours before Ukrainian officials reported a deadly Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk.
June 28, 2022 4:11 pm
MENDON, Mo. (AP) – The toll from the Missouri railroad crossing where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck rose to four deaths and 150 injuries on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the county’s chief elected official says residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. A day after the deadly crash on Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol provided its first estimate of the injured – about 150 people taken to 10 hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. At least 15 remain hospitalized. The dead – three passengers and the truck driver – have not been identified.
June 28, 2022 4:12 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. The sentencing Tuesday was the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how Epstein and Maxwell flaunted their riches and associations with prominent people to groom vulnerable girls and then exploit them. Those crimes occurred even as the couple hobnobbed with some of the world’s most famous and wealthy people, including former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and England’s Prince Andrew. Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. Maxwell denied being Epstein’s accomplice. (Photo: ABC News)
June 28, 2022 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A proposal is advancing in the Pennsylvania Legislature to require the four state-related universities to promise they are not conducting research or experiments with fetal tissue from elective abortions. The measure was added to a state budget bill by House Republicans on Monday. The target of the measure is the University of Pittsburgh, which is in line to receive $155 million from the state in the coming year. Another GOP-sponsored amendment, to force Penn State to disclose the whereabouts of a statue of former head football coach Joe Paterno, was easily defeated.
June 28, 2022 3:45 pm
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Tuition will increase by an average of more than 2.5% across the West Virginia University system for the coming fiscal year under a new $1.2 billion budget. The WVU Board of Governors approved the budget, which includes a 2.62% or $120 increase per semester for resident students. Nonresident students will pay 2.88% more, or $372, per semester. Housing rates will go up 3% except at WVU Tech in Beckley. The university said Friday after the board’s approval that dining fees will rise by 4.5%, partly due to inflation. Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Rob Alsop says employees will receive average increases of 4% to 5%, with the starting minimum hourly compensation raised to $13.
June 27, 2022 4:57 pm
MENDON, Mo. (AP) – A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in Missouri on Monday after hitting a dump truck that was blocking a public crossing. Amtrak says some people aboard were injured, but it was not immediately clear how many. Amtrak said in a news release that the Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at 1:42 p.m. Eight cars and two locomotives derailed. Video from the scene showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. The video also showed six medical helicopters parked nearby waiting to transport patients.
June 27, 2022 3:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House Jan. 6 panel says it is calling a surprise hearing on Tuesday to present “recently obtained evidence.” The hearing comes after Congress left Washington for a two-week recess. Lawmakers on the panel investigating the 2021 insurrection said last week that there would be no more hearings until July. The subject of the hearing is so far unclear. A spokesman for the panel declined to comment. Among other investigative evidence, the committee recently obtained new footage of Trump and his inner circle taken both before and after Jan. 6, 2021 from British filmmaker Alex Holder. A lawyer for Holder declined to comment.
June 27, 2022 12:45 pm
(WPXI) – The T is back up and running after a disruption to service Monday morning. At one point, all T lines were stopped while maintenance crews responded to identify and fix the issue. Pittsburgh Regional Transit said the disruption was the result of a server issue. The company did not comment further on what exactly that means or how the the server issue happened. PRT first alerted riders to the issue just before 10 a.m. suspending all rail service for a short time saying, “All controls and functions of the rail system have been lost. No units are able to arrive or depart the yard.” Within an hour, the transportation company was able to slowly restore rail service.
June 27, 2022 10:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has sided with a football coach from Washington state who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games. The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines for the coach. The justices said Monday the coach’s prayer was protected by the First Amendment. The case forced the justices to wrestle with how to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into participating in religious practices. The outcome could strengthen the acceptability of some religious practices in the public school setting. The decision is the latest in a line of Supreme Court rulings for religious plaintiffs.
