December 21, 2023 1:33 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, days after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit. The former New York City mayor listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts. Those included hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liabilities, money he owes his lawyers and many millions of dollars in potential legal judgements in lawsuits against him. The biggest of those is the $148 million he was ordered to pay a week ago for making false statements about two former election workers in Georgia stemming from the 2020 presidential contest. A Giuliani spokesperson says the filing will give Giuliani a chance to pursue an appeal of last week’s jury award.
December 21, 2023 5:18 am
The year started with high hopes for Ukrainian troops planning a counteroffensive against Russia. It ended with a disappointing stalemate on the battlefield, and anxiety about the future of Western aid for Ukraine’s war effort. In between, there was a foiled rebellion in Russia, a dam collapse in Ukraine, a near nuclear disaster — and the spilling of much blood on both sides of the conflict. Nearly two years since it invaded, Russia has about one-fifth of Ukraine in its grip, and the roughly 620-mile front line has barely budged this year.
December 21, 2023 5:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid grueling negotiations between senators and the White House, the contours of a bipartisan border security and immigration deal are beginning to take shape. The package is central to unlocking stalled aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities. Among the main areas of discussion: toughening asylum protocols for migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border; bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems; and deterring migrants from making the journey in the first place. Congress left town for the holidays, due back Jan. 8, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell saying in a rare joint statement that negotiations are progressing.
December 21, 2023 5:16 am
DENVER (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s bid to win back the White House is now endangered by two sentences added to the U.S. Constitution 155 years ago. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment prohibits anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it from holding office. For the first time in history, a court this week ruled that applies to the presidency. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump is barred under the provision. But the court acknowledged that it’s on untrodden legal ground, and the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to have the final word.
December 21, 2023 5:13 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group. The center’s location comes as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave. The military’s announcement Wednesday came as Hamas’ top leader arrived in Egypt for talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire that would put a temporary pause on over two months of heavy fighting and deliver a new deal for Hamas to swap Israeli hostages for Palestinian imprisoned by Israel.
December 21, 2023 4:55 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge is ordering Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss. The ruling, late Monday, came more than a year after Perry’s personal cellphone was seized by federal authorities. Making Perry a figure of interest to federal prosecutors were his efforts to elevate Jeffrey Clark to Trump’s acting attorney general in late 2020. Clark had positioned himself as someone who would reverse the Department of Justice’s stance that it had found no evidence of widespread voting fraud.
December 21, 2023 4:53 am
Rite Aid has been banned from using facial recognition technology for five years over allegations that a surveillance system it used incorrectly identified potential shoplifters, especially Black, Latino, Asian or female shoppers. The deal announced late Tuesday settles Federal Trade Commission charges that the struggling drugstore chain didn’t do enough to prevent harm to its customers and implement “reasonable procedures,” the government agency said. Rite Aid said it disagrees with the allegations, though the company is pleased to reach an agreement to resolve the issue. It noted that any agreement will have to be approved in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
December 21, 2023 4:51 am
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Fayette County chiropractor is facing indecent assault charges. According to Pennsylvania State Police, Jon Rumbaugh, 58, of Connellsville, is accused of assaulting two female patients. Rumbaugh’s practice is located along Morrell Avenue in Dunbar Township. Investigators believe additional victims may come forward. State police are handling the investigation.
December 21, 2023 2:27 am
A Washington man who led police on a car chase through the city on Thanksgiving had his preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Demoreaze Betts, 34 will face trial on a felony flight charge and several misdemeanors including reckless endangerment and evading arrest. Betts was accused of trying to break into a woman’s home by removing an air condtioner and holding her at gunpoint during a domestic dispute. A felony burglary charge and misdemeanor terroristic threats, and theft charges related to the domestic dispute that started the incident were withdrawn by the district attorney. Betts is free on a $150,000 bond. He will be arraigned on January 25.
December 20, 2023 5:10 am
Two adults and two children were transported to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital after a house fire early Wednesday morning in Monongahela. Washington County 9-1-1 tells WJPA news that all four were on the roof of the home in the 400-block of Park Avenue when firefighters arrived just after 4 a.m. There is no word on their identities or conditions. Dispatchers say the fire began in the kitchen but an exact cause is not known. The fire was brought under control before 5 a.m.
