May 27, 2023 8:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A sea of black, gold and gray will welcome Vice President Kamala Harris as the first woman to deliver a commencement speech at the storied U.S. Military Academy. Some 950 men and women are expected to take part in the graduation ceremony. While Harris visits West Point, New York, President Joe Biden heads to Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday to dole out advice to graduates at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Earlier this month, the president was the commencement orator at Howard University, his vice president’s alma mater. It will be the first time Harris visits the U.S. Army academy in West Point, about 60 miles north of Manhattan.
May 27, 2023 4:53 am
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan police arrested the country’s prosecutor for crimes against migrants Friday, accusing him of alleged abuse of authority. Stuardo Campos was formerly an anti-corruption prosecutor in the country during the administration of former President Jimmy Morales. It was not immediately clear whether the accusations pertain to his current position or the former. The complaint against Campos was made by the far-right Foundation Against Terrorism, a group that started out defending military officers accused of war crimes, but has also targeted members of the justice system who worked corruption cases.
May 27, 2023 4:51 am
GENEVA (AP) — Two soccer teams exiled from cities in war-battered eastern Ukraine will play each other Sunday in the safer western part of the country with the league title at stake. The showdown between competition leader Shakhtar Donetsk and second-place Dnipro-1 at Arena Lviv can be decisive in a season finishing on schedule in remarkable circumstances during Russia’s war on Ukraine. Shakhtar leads by five points and needs just a draw to secure the title ahead of the last round of games. The soccer season continued with the blessing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a bid to help keep some normalcy in daily life.
May 27, 2023 4:48 am
LONDON (AP) — A top European Union official says Twitter has dropped out of the bloc’s voluntary agreement to combat online disinformation. European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted Friday that Twitter had pulled out of the EU’s disinformation “code of practice” that other major social media platforms have pledged to support. But he added that Twitter’s “obligation” remained, referring to the EU’s tough new digital rules taking effect in August. San Francisco-based Twitter responded with an automated reply, as it does to most press inquiries, and did not comment.
May 27, 2023 4:45 am
RENK, South Sudan (AP) — Tens of thousands of exhausted people are heading home to the world’s newest country, South Sudan, from a civil war in neighboring Sudan. That’s creating a bottleneck near the dusty border. The international community and the government are scurrying to help, worried about a prolonged conflict. Fighting between Sudan’s military and a rival militia killed at least 863 civilians before a seven-day ceasefire began Monday night. Many in South Sudan are concerned about what could happen if the fighting next door continues. But the most immediate concern is the tens of thousands of South Sudanese returning with no idea how they’ll get to their towns and villages, many unable to afford the trip. Aid groups and the government are stretched for resources to help.
May 27, 2023 4:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Work requirements for federal food aid recipients have emerged as a final sticking point in negotiations over the looming debt crisis, even as President Joe Biden says a deal is “very close.” Biden’s optimism came as the deadline for a potentially catastrophic default was pushed back to June 5. That seemed likely to drag negotiations between the White House and Republicans over raising the debt ceiling into another frustrating week. Both sides have suggested one of the main holdups is the GOP effort to boost work requirements, which Democrats have strenuously opposed. White House spokesman Andrew Bates called them “cruel and senseless”
May 27, 2023 4:33 am
MONROEVILLE, Pa. (WPXI)— A Murrysville man is facing charges for allegedly stealing Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s SUV in Monroeville. According to court documents, Christopher Carter, 60, is charged in connection to the crime. Police said the vehicle was stolen before 4 p.m. on Wednesday from Bowser Chevrolet in Monroeville. Pickett was at the dealership doing advertising when the SUV was stolen. After reviewing security footage, police saw the suspect enter the dealership just after 1 p.m. and leave the parking lot in Pickett’s SUV just before 3:30 p.m. Court documents say that Carter left his car at the dealership and police were able to tie Carter to the vehicle by looking up the registration and matching a photo of him to the surveillance video. Murrysville police were dispatched to Carter’s address for a domestic dispute. When police got to the scene, they saw Pickett’s SUV in Carter’s driveway. The SUV had scratches and scuffs that were not there before it was stolen. Carter is charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of automobiles and other vehicles. Channel 11 has confirmed that Pickett’s playbook, which was in the SUV when it was taken, was returned to him. Carter was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on June 5.
May 27, 2023 4:29 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has called on his supporters to protest when the GOP-led state House of Representatives takes up impeachment proceedings against him on Saturday. During a news conference Friday, the three-term Republican invited “fellow citizens and friends to peacefully come let their voices be heard at the Capitol tomorrow.” The request echoes former President Donald Trump’s call for people to protest his electoral defeat on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob violently stormed the U.S. Capitol. Paxton decried the impeachment proceeding as an effort to disenfranchise the voters who returned him to office in November. The state House will consider on Saturday whether to impeach Paxton on 20 articles, including bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.
May 27, 2023 4:07 am
SOUTH GREENSBURG, Pa. (WPXI) — A South Greensburg man is facing child endangerment charges after police say he taped a pacifier in his two-month-old baby’s mouth. According to court documents, Jordan Hirst called friends and family in a panic around 8 p.m. on April 25. He didn’t know where his one-and-a-half-year-old son had gone. Those friends called three others to help out. When they got to Hirst’s home, they found his son laying on the floor next to his crib. According to police, there was dried blood in and around his nose. Two people who came to help took the boy to his grandmother’s and returned to the house. During that time, the other three people helping Hirst found his two-month-old baby in her crib with a pacifier taped in her mouth. Police say all five of the people Hirst called that night to help him find his son told police Hirst was drunk when they got to his house. Neighbors in the area did not want to go on camera but say the allegations come as a shock. Just two years ago, the Irwin Council honored Hirst for his work saving a woman’s life when he was an EMT with the Irwin Volunteer Fire Department. Hirst is out on bond. His preliminary hearing is set for June 9.
May 27, 2023 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — A 35-year-old man was killed while riding a Spin Scooter in Pittsburgh. The victim’s sister Katelyn Chertik said that the incident was caused by a pothole her brother hit as he was riding home on one of the scooters. Chertik describes that the impact of the handlebars ruptured his spleen which ultimately was the cause of his death. While Katelyn said her brother loved the scooter pilot program, she feels they need to go. City Council is talking about the scooters as the pilot program comes to an end. Because the system is self-reporting, the safety facts don’t show the full picture. It’s not clear if the program will continue as the state legislature has to expand it before it ever lands in the city’s lap, but if it does Barb Warwick with City Council District 5 said some changes need to be made. If lawmakers don’t approve the state bill to extend the pilot program, the scooters will be phased out later this summer. The bill is waiting for a Senate vote.
