March 14, 2023 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is confronting a significant challenge as his administration grapples with the fallout from the second- and third-largest bank failures in history. He’s doing so amid significant stakes for both the U.S. economy and his political future. Privately, Biden has been adamant that the government’s intervention would not be like that of 2008, when Congress authorized billions in taxpayer cash to rescue banks deemed too big to fail, a senior White House official says. But officials knew they had to act, given the economic risks and the potential impact on bank customers who did nothing wrong.
March 14, 2023 4:09 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Federal authorities say dozens of artifacts stolen in the 1970s from museums in several states, dating back as far as the French and Indian War, have been returned to the institutions. The FBI announced Monday at a ceremony at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia that 50 items had been repatriated to 17 institutions in five states. The artifacts returned Monday included an 1847 Mississippi rifle, a World War II battlefield pickup pistol belonging to General Omar Bradley and 19th century Pennsylvania rifles. They also included a French and Indian War-era powder horn stolen from a museum in Massachusetts.
March 14, 2023 4:05 am
A large procession arranged to pay respects to the two Washington teenagers who were killed in a Saturday night automobile accident on E. Maiden Street took place on Monday evening. Justin Crawford, 17 and his girlfriend Nevaeh Sheets also 17 were honored by more that 100 people in approximately 70 cars that paraded from the park and ride lot on E. Beau Street to the accident scene. Cars lined both sides of the road in the 3000 block of E. Maiden Street as family and friends placed flowers and other memorabilia around the tree that the two teens crashed into at about 11:15 PM on March 11. Emotions ran deep as many family members and friends embraced in tears as they struggled to find words to comfort each other. Blayr Brown, the stepfather of Navaeh Sheets said that he lost his star. Friends Cheyenne Eckels and Jaylin Smith spoke of how well liked both people were. The gathering lasted about twenty minutes before the group disbursed to go home. The coroner is still studying the cause and manner of death. South Strabane Township Police continue to investigate the accident. South Strabane Township’s Fire Department is also set to host a Bingo fundraiser on Saturday, March 18 at 172 Oak Spring Road in Washington. Doors will open at 4 p.m.
March 14, 2023 2:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Trial has begun in western Pennsylvania in the death of an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed in a street confrontation more than 3 1/2 years ago. Thirty-four-year-old Christian Bey is charged in Allegheny County with homicide in the July 2019 shooting that killed 36-year-old Officer Calvin Hall after an apparent dispute at a Homewood block party. The Tribune-Review reports that Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Ramaley told jurors in her opening statement Tuesday that DNA on the murder weapon matched that of the defendant. Defense attorney Carmen Robinson said the case was about “a rush to judgment and a biased investigation.”
March 13, 2023 10:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is approving the major Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope. The decision is one of President Joe Biden’s most consequential climate decisions and is likely to draw condemnation from environmentalists who say it flies in the face of the Democratic president’s climate pledges. Climate activists have been outraged Biden appeared open to greenlighting the project, which they say put his climate legacy at risk. They say allowing oil company ConocoPhillips to move forward with the drilling plan also would break Biden’s campaign promise to stop new oil drilling on public lands. ConocoPhillips says Alaska’s Willow project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day.
March 13, 2023 9:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is telling Americans that the nation’s financial systems are sound. This comes after the swift and stunning collapse of two banks that prompted fears of a broader upheaval. Biden said Monday: “Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe.” He says people’s “deposits will be there when you need them.” U.S. regulators closed Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after it experienced a traditional bank run, where depositors rushed to withdraw their funds all at once. Then New York-based Signature Bank also failed.
March 13, 2023 4:53 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Slap? What slap? Sunday’s Oscar ceremony felt more like a big hug, its heartwarming and heartfelt speeches a potent antidote to the uneasy memory of last year’s Will Smith incident. Many of these speeches came from the cast and creatives of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the joyfully chaotic film that swept the top awards. Directors the Daniels and actors Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh provided emotional highpoints on a night that made history for Asians and Asian Americans in Hollywood and saw almost everyone thank Mom – and poignantly.
March 13, 2023 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to meet with two of America’s closest allies to announce that Australia will purchase U.S.-manufactured, nuclear-powered attack submarines to modernize its fleet. The agreement comes amid growing concerns about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Biden is traveling Monday to San Diego to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks on their 18-month-old nuclear partnership. In a three-day trip to California and Nevada, Biden will also discuss gun violence prevention during a stop in Monterey Park, California, and his plans to lower prescription drug costs in a visit to Las Vegas.
March 13, 2023 4:27 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say at least eight people were killed when two migrant smugglings boat overturned off the coast of San Diego. It is one of the deadliest maritime smuggling events off U.S. shores. Authorities say a Spanish-speaking woman on one of the panga-style boats called 911 late Saturday off the treacherous waters off Black’s Beach. The surf was modest but rip currents were fierce and it was foggy and dark. Crews pulled the bodies of eight adults from the water. No other bodies were accounted for. Authorities say the remaining passengers may have escaped on land.
March 13, 2023 4:26 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is poised to testify Monday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush-money payments he arranged and made on the former president’s behalf. Cohen’s impending grand jury appearance was confirmed by two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly about grand jury proceedings and did so on condition of anonymity. Cohen’s testimony comes as the Manhattan district attorney’s office closes in on a decision on whether to seek charges against Trump. The former president has denied the affairs and has said he did nothing wrong.
