May 31, 2022 3:42 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has been acquitted of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. The jury in the case of Michael Sussmann deliberated on Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning before reaching its verdict. The closely watched trial was the first courtroom test of special counsel John Durham. Durham was appointed three years ago to hunt for government misconduct during the investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. Trump supporters had looked to the probe to expose what they contend was bias by law enforcement officials who investigated Trump and his campaign.
May 31, 2022 4:23 am
UNDATED (AP) – The unofficial start of summer is offering a troubling look at what lies ahead for travelers during the peak vacation season. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights over a five-day stretch including the Memorial Day weekend, as bad weather, crews calling in sick, and other factors snarled their operations. Delta Air Lines, which is usually among the top performers, had the worst record among major carriers with more than 800 canceled flights from Thursday through Monday.
May 31, 2022 4:21 am
TORONTO (AP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has introduced legislation that would put a national freeze on importing, buying or selling handguns. Trudeau said Monday that the government will cap the market for handguns. The government says the bill would also allow for the removal of gun licenses from people involved in acts of domestic violence or criminal harassment, such as stalking. The government also plans to fight gun smuggling and trafficking by increasing criminal penalties, providing more tools to investigate firearms crimes and strengthening border measures. Trudeau has long had plans to enact tougher gun laws. The introduction of the new legislation comes after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., this month.
May 31, 2022 4:21 am
BRUSSELS (AP) – European Union leaders have agreed to embargo most Russian oil imports into the bloc by year-end. The move is part of new sanctions on Russia worked out Monday at a summit focused on helping Ukraine with a long-delayed package of new financial support. The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing a temporary exemption for imports delivered by pipeline. That was crucial to bringing landlocked Hungary on board a decision that required consensus. EU Council President Charles Michel says the agreement covers more than two-thirds of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine.
May 31, 2022 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is set to meet with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as soaring inflation takes a bite out of Americans’ pocketbooks. Tuesday’s meeting will be the first since Biden renominated Powell to lead the central bank and comes weeks after his confirmation for a second term by the Senate. The White House says the pair will discuss the state of the U.S. and global economy and especially inflation, described as Biden’s “top economic priority.” The White House says the goal is a “transition from an historic economic recovery to stable, steady growth that works for working families.”
May 31, 2022 4:18 am
UVALDE, Texas (AP) – A week after a gunman ran into a Texas grade school and started shooting, the first of 21 funerals began on Tuesday. Hundreds of mourners turned out for an afternoon Mass to remember Amerie Jo Garza. Six pallbearers wearing white shirts and gloves carried her small casket into Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which turned away several people after reaching capacity. Maite Rodriguez’s funeral was scheduled for later Tuesday at one of the funeral homes in Uvalde, Texas. The two 10-year-old fourth graders were among 19 children and two teachers killed when the 18-year-old gunman burst into a classroom on May 24 and began firing a military-style rifle.
May 31, 2022 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A movement known as Christian nationalism is making its presence known in many Republican primary races this year. Most prominent is the campaign of Doug Mastriano, who easily won the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania. He has made his faith central to his personal story and has woven his conservative Christian beliefs and symbols into his campaign. Mastriano and many other candidates reject the label of Christian nationalist. They say they’re applying their values to their politics, just as any citizen would. But scholars say the label fits those who support a fusion of American and Christian values, symbols and identity.
May 31, 2022 4:13 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A video on social media is gaining attention after it showed Kennywood’s Aero 360 ride stuck upside-down Monday. The video, taken by a guest at the park, shows the ride rocking back and forth for several minutes with guests left strapped in and suspended in the air. In a statement, Kennywood General Manager Mark Pauls said maintenance staff responded, quickly brought the ride back to the ground and evacuated the riders. Kennywood PR said the riders were stuck for “about five minutes.” The statement also said first-aid staff met with the riders, with three of them visiting the first-aid center as a precaution. “Safety is our first and foremost priority,” Pauls said in the statement. According to the statement, Aero 360 will be closed while an investigation into the stoppage is conducted. (PHOTO: Tina Talley/WPXI)
May 31, 2022 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pittsburgh police issued an arrest warrant for another man they say is connected with the drive-by fatal shooting of 18-month-old Baby De’Avry Thomas in downtown Pittsburgh Sunday. Markez Anger, 23, is charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy and firearms offenses. Police said the shooting happened in the 100 block of Fourth Avenue around 2:44 p.m. Sunday. Officials at the scene said it was a drive-by shooting, and a bullet went right through the window of a Jeep, hitting the victim. He was pronounced dead when medics arrived. During a press conference following the shooting, officials said the shooting was a targeted incident. The victim was not the intended target, but a passenger in the car was. Londell Falconer, 26, was arrested Monday morning in connection with the shooting. The criminal complaint said that he was involved in a separate shooting and police went to the hospital and made contact with him. He denied being in North Side all Sunday, but later said that he was visiting family in the Manchester neighborhood. He was shown video evidence of him exiting the vehicle from the downtown shooting in North Side and he said, “I was the driver.”
May 30, 2022 4:06 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Hundreds of flights worldwide were canceled by mid-afternoon Sunday, adding to the mounting number of scrubbed flights during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend. About 1,460 flights had been canceled as of 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. That follows more than 2,300 cancellations Friday and another 1,500 on Saturday. Nearly 450 of Sunday’s cancellations involved aircraft scheduled to fly to or from U.S. cities. Delta Air Lines canceled the most flights among major U.S. airlines. Delta said Saturday’s cancellations were because of bad weather and “air traffic control actions.”
