April 16, 2023 8:01 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A top Ukrainian official says more than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released in a major Easter exchange with Russia. Orthodox Ukrainians are marking the holiday for a second time since Moscow unleashed its brutal full-scale war last February. While celebrations were subdued due to security risks, with a curfew barring the faithful from customary all-night services, Ukrainian authorities and ordinary people shared messages of hope. Some worshippers in central Kyiv nevertheless admitted that the continuing restrictions were “very hard” on morale, while others stressed that they were praying for Ukrainian troops.
April 16, 2023 8:01 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A trial beginning Monday in Delaware will force Fox News executives and some of the network’s stars to answer for their role in spreading doubt about the 2020 presidential election. Jurors hearing the $1.6 billion lawsuit filed against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems must answer a specific question: Did Fox defame the voting machine company by airing bogus stories alleging the election was rigged against Donald Trump, even as many at the network privately doubted the false claims? The trial will also test press freedom and put a spotlight on the flow of misinformation that helped spark the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
April 16, 2023 7:58 am
BELLE VERNON, Pa. — It was a celebration of all things Pittsburgh at the first-ever “Yinzercon.” The event was held at the Amcel Center in Belle Vernon. It was the first of its kind for the year and the organizer is hoping to hold more. The event combines various different personalities who are all stationed in the Steel City. Radio hosts, current and former Pittsburgh athletes, actors, authors, cosplayers, influencers, artists and all sorts of other members who help make the local culture. Some of the food was provided by The Steel Plate, who made pierogies, ham BBQ, and other popular Pittsburgh treats and Ekernally Yours who brought popcorn and sweets. Visitors were able to buy Pittsburgh-styled work provided by people in attendance or could just swing by for an autograph. The next Yinzercon is expected to be held at a bigger location either later this year or next year.
April 16, 2023 3:42 am
A Charleroi man was charged with homicide in a 2020 Fayette County shooting. 23-year old Micah Craig was charged along with 17-year old Devyon Dennis and 20-year old Malik Belt, both of Uniontown. The three are charged in the shooting death of Kaii McCargo in September 2020 on Evans Street in Uniontown. McCargo and Isaac Michaux were in a car when they were fired upon as another car pulled up beside them. Michaux was able to roll out of the way, but McCargo died of his wounds. An unidentified witness told investigators that Craig, Dennis and Belt came to their residence following the shooting and were all in possession of gun. According to the criminal complaint, cell phone records and a video showed Craig was in Uniontown at the time of the shooting. Craig and Dennis are in custody, and a warrant was issued for Belt. If you know his whereabouts, you are asked to call the state police in Uniontown at 724-439-7111. Craig has three pending cases in Washington County courts currently: an attempted homicide shooting in Charleroi in April 2022, charges from a May 2022 search of his Charleroi residence when found a large amount of packaged marijuana and stolen property, and illegal gun transfer charges from an investigation that began in 2021. A preliminary hearing on the Uniontown charges has not been set yet. A preliminary hearing on the illegal gun transfer charges, with his co-defendant Asia Dezarn, is scheduled for this Thursday before Charleroi magistrate judge Eric Porter. (Photo: Left, Dezarn; Right, Craig)
April 15, 2023 4:09 am
BOSTON (AP) — The 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing will be marked with a wreath laying at the finish line to remember those who were killed, a day of community service and an event for the public to gather to reflect on the tragedy. The anniversary Saturday will happen two days before this year’s marathon and marks a decade since two bombs exploded near the finish line of the race, killing three and wounding more than 250 people. The explosions plunged Boston and its suburbs into a week of chaos amid a manhunt for two brothers who carried out the attack.
April 15, 2023 4:07 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says he’s not making much money from his social media network but estimates it is worth between $5 million and $25 million. That’s according to his personal financial disclosure form filed Friday. The report is the first glimpse into Trump’s finances since he left the White House and launched several new business ventures. Trump says he made less than $201 from his social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group. He also reported he made between $100,000 and $1 million for a series of digital trading cards he released in December that portrayed him in a series of cartoon-like images, including an astronaut, a cowboy and a superhero.
April 15, 2023 4:06 am
BUENOS AIRES (AP) – Argentina’s government has announced that monthly inflation was 7.7% in March, up from 6.5% in the same month in 2022. Analysts project annual inflation — the measure used commonly internationally — will come in at 110% in 2023, one of the highest rates in the world. The impact has been devastating on Argentina’s retirees, 85% of whom receive a monthly pension averaging the equivalent of $265. This barely covers a third of their expenses for food, medicine and rent. After years of high inflation, Argentina’s minimum pension measured in U.S. dollars is one of the lowest in the region, just above Venezuela.
April 15, 2023 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — In trying to identify who was behind a major breach of classified U.S. documents, federal agents and journalists had access to online clues that led to a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman with interests in gaming, guns and religion. Jack Teixeira, an airman from Massachusetts, was arrested Thursday in connection with the leak investigation. He will be charged with the unauthorized removal of classified national defense information. The case underscores the challenges the U.S. and other governments in keeping secrets and staying ahead of breaches in an era of omnipresent data. And it also shows the apparent power vested in a junior U.S. employee.
April 15, 2023 4:04 am
Late Friday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued a stay of a lower court order, the stay allowing the continued distribution of the abortion drug Mifepristone. The stay comes after a federal judge in Texas issued an order last week which imposed a number of restrictions on the drug. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned part of that judge’s order, but allowed a number of restrictions to stay in place. The Biden Administration appealed to the Supreme Court to allow the continued widespread delivery of the drug, including through the mail. Alito’s stay will remain in place until Wednesday while the Court considers the merits of the government’s appeal. (Photo: AP)
April 15, 2023 4:03 am
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been evacuated unharmed after someone threw an explosive device at a campaign event in a western port city. Kishida was visiting the Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture on Saturday to cheer his ruling party’s candidate in a local election. The explosion occurred just before he was to begin his speech. No injuries were reported in the incident. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air. The incident comes only nine months after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The assassination shocked the nation and a subsequent investigation found holes in Abe’s security.
