June 18, 2023 8:05 am
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has kicked off two days of high-stakes diplomatic talks in Beijing aimed at trying to cool exploding U.S.-China tensions that have set many around the world on edge. Blinken was meeting Sunday with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang for an extended discussion to be followed by a working dinner. Despite his presence in the Chinese capital the prospects for any significant breakthrough on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies are slim. The trip comes after he postponed plans to visit in February after the shootdown of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the U.S. Blinken is the highest-level American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office.
June 18, 2023 8:04 am
June 18, 2023 8:03 am
The 2024 Republican presidential field is full of long-shot candidates. And Miami Mayor Francis Suarez may be the longest long shot of all, on paper anyway. No sitting mayor has ever been elected U.S. president. Presidents have historically comes from the ranks of governors, vice presidents, senators or Cabinet secretaries. That doesn’t seem to have deterred Suarez. He got into the race last week by talking up his experience leading the city of about 450,000 people. Suarez says being a two-term mayor of Miami has helped him understand and confront issues facing most Americans, such as crime and homelessness.
June 18, 2023 8:02 am
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Indian officials say at least 96 people have died in two of India’s most populous states over the last several days with swaths of the country reeling from scorching heat. The death toll, announced Sunday, comes as authorities are warning residents over 60 and others suffering various maladies to stay indoors during the daytime. The deaths happened in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and eastern Bihar. Officials found out most of those who passed away were over 60 years old and had preexisting health conditions, which may have been exacerbated by the intense heat. The India Meteorological Department issued an alert saying heatwave conditions will last until June 19 in parts of Uttar Pradesh.
June 18, 2023 8:00 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pennsylvania’s governor says the collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will reopen within two weeks. That word from Gov. Josh Shapiro came after he had joined President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical segment of the highway that’s been closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend. “We are getting it done here in Philly,” Shapiro said at a briefing Saturday at Philadelphia International Airport after the flyover that included members of Congress and the city’s mayor. Biden said “there is no more important project” going on right now, as far as he’s concerned.
June 18, 2023 7:55 am
LEWISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — State police say a state trooper and a suspect were killed in a shootout in central Pennsylvania, hours after the suspect seriously wounded another trooper. Police in Juniata County say a man engaged troopers at about 12:45 p.m. near the Lewistown barracks and shot one trooper, who was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Authorities found the man around 3 p.m. in Walker Township, resulting in a shootout that killed the suspect and the trooper. The name of the trooper and the suspect were not immediately available. Police say there is no threat to the public.
June 18, 2023 7:53 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Taylor Swift broke a Pittsburgh record Saturday, amassing the largest attendance by any event in Acrisure Stadium history. Swift’s second night of performance reached a total attendance of 73,117. The stadium has hosted large concerts since it first opened in 2001. The first event hosted at Acrisure Stadium was a concert by ‘NSYNC, bringing in a total of 48,188 fans of the boy band. Since then, fans ranging from Kenny Chesney to Beyoncé have made their way to the stadium. Following the release of her tenth studio album, “Midnights”, Swift embarked on her “The Eras” tour. It quickly became a popular commodity, with 2.5 million tickets sold upon release.
June 18, 2023 3:35 am
Washington’s NAACP branch hosted a Juneteenth celebration and parade Saturday. The parade started at Friendship Baptist Church on East Walnut Street. The festivities at the Lemoyne Community Center included live music, food trucks, vendors, games, prizes, local history, and family activities. According to the Associated Press, since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America. But how should people mark the holiday on June 19? Juneteenth festivities are rooted in cookouts and barbecues. In the beginnings of the holiday, the outdoors allowed for large, raucous reunions among formerly enslaved family, many of whom had been separated. Today, there are many events like street fairs and celebrations. Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off.
June 18, 2023 1:17 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A truck driver who spewed hatred of Jews has been convicted of barging into a Pittsburgh synagogue on the Jewish Sabbath and fatally shooting 11 congregants in an act of antisemitic terror for which he could be sentenced to die. The guilty verdict Friday against Robert Bowers was a foregone conclusion. Bowers’ lawyers conceded at the trial’s outset that he attacked and killed worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Jurors must now decide whether the 50-year-old should be sent to death row or sentenced to life in prison without parole. The trial will shift to the penalty phase starting June 26.
June 17, 2023 4:14 am
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police say a bus carrying seniors to a casino that collided with a semi-trailer truck that killed 15 people did not have the right of way. Police say they obtained video of the accident. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Rob Lasson says police also obtained witness statements from passing motorists that corroborate what investigators saw on the dash cam video from the semi truck. Six of 10 seniors who survived a bus crash in Canada that killed 15 others were listed in critical condition in hospital. hey were among a group of seniors from rural Dauphin, Manitoba on a day-trip to a casino when their minibus crashed with a semi while crossing the Trans-Canada Highway.
