December 15, 2024 7:18 am
NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in Stephanopoulos’ March 10 segment on “This Week.” That’s according to a settlement document made public on Saturday. It describes ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution.” The settlement agreement was signed Friday, the same day a Florida federal judge ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for separate depositions in the case next week. The settlement means that sworn testimony is no longer required.
December 15, 2024 7:14 am
DAMASCUS (AP) — A transformation has started to take place in the week since the unexpected overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Suddenly in charge, the rebels have been met with a mix of excitement, grief and hope. And so far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. Reports of reprisals, revenge killings and sectarian violence are minimal, looting and destruction has been quickly contained. But there are a million ways it could go wrong. Syria is broken and isolated after five decades of Assad family rule. Families have been torn apart by war, former prisoners are traumatized, and tens of thousands of detainees remain missing. The economy is wrecked, poverty is widespread, inflation and unemployment are high. Corruption seeps through daily life.
December 15, 2024 7:11 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition leader has offered to work with the government to ease the political tumult, a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, whose party holds a majority in the National Assembly, urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s powers have been suspended until the court decides whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
December 15, 2024 7:06 am
City of Washington Police were called to a report of shots fired early Sunday morning. According to county 9-1-1 officials, police were dispatched to the 200 block of South Main Street at 2:10 AM. When police arrived they found an individual had been shot. That individual was taken to UPMC Washington Hospital. The hospital was put on lockdown until 4:00 AM. The identity of the victim has not been revealed. No suspect in the incident has been identified. City of Washington Police continue to investigate.
December 15, 2024 7:04 am
PennDot is announcing daily single lane restrictions on Interstate 70 in Rostraver Township. Those restrictions will be daylight only and will occur on Tuesday December 17 and continue through Thursday December 19. The areas restricted are eastbound between Exit 43 (Rt. 201 to 837, Donora/Fayette City) to Exit 46A (Rt. 51 South, Uniontown). Westbound the restrictions will be between Exit 46A (Rt. 51 South, Uniontown) to Exit 43 B (Rt.201 to 837, Donora). The restrictions begin at 7:00 AM and last until 5:00 PM. The work that is to be done will be base repair, milling and asphalt paving.
December 14, 2024 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been hospitalized after she “sustained an injury” during an official engagement in Luxembourg, according to a spokesman. Pelosi is 84. She was in Europe to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Her spokesman, Ian Krager, did not describe the nature of her injury or give any additional details, but a person familiar with the incident said that Pelosi tripped and fell while at an event with the other members of Congress. The person requested anonymity to discuss the fall because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.
December 14, 2024 4:26 am
A federal appeals court has left in place a mid-January deadline in a federal law requiring TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the United States. Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejecting a request made by the company to halt enforcement until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge of the statute. Attorneys for TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. It’s unclear if the nation’s highest court will take up the case. But some experts say they expect the justices to weigh in. TikTok is also looking for a potential lifeline from President-elect Donald Trump, who promised to “save” the short-form video platform during the presidential campaign.
December 14, 2024 4:18 am
Texas has sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. It appears to be the first challenge in the U.S. to a state shield law that’s intended to protect prescribers in Democratic-controlled states from being punished by states with abortion bans. Prescriptions like these, made online and over the phone, are a key reason that the number of abortions has increased across the U.S. even after state bans started taking effect. Most abortions in the U.S. involve pills rather than procedures. Anti-abortion groups are increasingly focusing on the rise of pills.
December 14, 2024 4:23 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration this month. The National Assembly passed the motion in a 204-85 vote on Saturday. Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended after the copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to him and to the Constitutional Court. The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
December 15, 2024 1:18 am
United States Senator Bob Casey visited Scenery Hill to celebrate his accomplishments in helping to provide broadband expansion to rural communities in Washington County. Casey credited Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi for his and other commissioners past and present for their dedication to helping the unserved and underserved of the county. He applauded Washington County Authority Executive Director John Timney for delivering that expansion “without a playbook.” Casey explained how the $90 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds were delivered to Washington County. He again paid respect to the commissioners for dedicating $30 million of those funds to help 9000 unserved and underserved homes and businesses in rural Washington County gain internet access. $50 million in private investment rounds out the total amount needed to deliver the $80 million initiative. Casey thanked the Hickory Telephone Company, DQE, Windstream, Comcast and Verizon for their private investment. He called the program in Washington County a model that should be used nationwide.
