October 1, 2024 5:02 am
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden is planning to survey the devastation in the mountains of Western North Carolina on Wednesday, where exhausted emergency workers continue to work around-the-clock to clear roads, restore power and cellphone service, and reach people left stranded by Hurricane Helene. Water, food and other supplies are being airlifted into places cut off by mudslides and washed-out roads. The death toll after the storm left a trail of destruction across the U.S. Southeast has reached at least 133. Officials worry the toll will rise further as searchers reach isolated areas. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. Meanwhile, forecasters are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Kirk, which is expected to become a powerful Atlantic hurricane this week.
October 1, 2024 5:05 am
VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) — Donald Trump is spreading falsehoods about the federal response to the deadly Hurricane Helene, despite claiming not to be politicizing the disaster. Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for “campaigning and looking for money.” He also levied attacks against the federal government for being “non-responsive” to the disaster, claiming Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been struggling to get President Joe Biden on the phone. This is despite the White House announcing that Biden spoke by phone on Sunday night with Kemp and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. Biden accused Trump of “lying.” Kemp, meanwhile, expressed appreciation Monday for federal response to the storm.
October 1, 2024 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Walz and JD Vance will meet for their first and possibly only vice presidential debate Tuesday. It may also be the last debate for both campaigns to argue their case before the election. The debate in New York hosted by CBS News will give Vance, a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz, a Democratic former congressman and two-term governor of Minnesota, a chance to make the case for their running mates, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and go on the attack against the opposing ticket. Vice presidential candidates and the lone debate they typically engage in have not historically had a huge impact on the presidential race, but this matchup could have an outsized impact.
October 1, 2024 6:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is making asylum restrictions at the southern border even tougher. The changes come in the middle of an election campaign where border security is a key concern, and the administration is increasingly eager to show voters it’s taking a hard stance. The rules announced Monday toughen restrictions imposed in June and will bar migrants from being granted asylum when U.S. officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. Immigration advocates already had harshly criticized the previous restrictions, saying the administration was slashing away at vital protections for people fleeing persecution. The new restrictions go into effect Tuesday.
October 1, 2024 5:06 am
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge has struck down the state’s abortion law, which took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his order Monday that “liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.” McBurney wrote that his ruling means the law in the state returns to what it was before the law took effect in 2022.
September 30, 2024 6:52 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Claudia Sheinbaum will take the oath of office as Mexico’s first female president in more than 200 years of independence, promising to protect an expanded social safety net and fight for the poor like her predecessor, but facing pressing problems. The 62-year-old scientist-turned-politician receives a country with a number of immediate challenges, foremost among them stubbornly high levels of violence, a sluggish economy and hurricane-battered Acapulco. Sheinbaum romped to victory in June with nearly 60% of the vote, propelled largely by the sustained popularity of her political mentor ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
October 1, 2024 12:46 pm
(AP) – DirecTV is buying Dish and Sling, a deal it has sought to complete for years as it seeks to better compete against streaming services that have become dominant. DirecTV said Monday that it will acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that includes a payment of $1, plus the assumption of debt. The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, with headlines about reported talks popping up over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked their owners’ then-$18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns. (Photo: AP)
October 1, 2024 3:12 pm
(AP) — John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 84. He played James Evans Sr. on “Good Times,” which featured one of television’s first Black two-parent families. Produced by Norman Lear and co-created by actor Mike Evans, who co-starred on “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons,” it ran from 1974-79 on CBS. Among Amos’ film credits were “Let’s Do It Again” with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy and its 2021 sequel, “Die Hard 2,” “Madea’s Witness Protection” and “Uncut Gems” with Adam Sandler. He was in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s 1994 video “Natural Born Killaz.” Amos’ “Good Times” character, along with wife Florida, played by Esther Rolle, originated on another Lear show, “Maude.” James Evans often worked two manual labor jobs to support his family that included three children, with Jimmie Walker becoming a breakout star as oldest son J.J. (Photo: AP)
October 1, 2024 5:00 am
Already the longest-lived of the 45 men to serve as U.S. president, Jimmy Carter is about to reach the century mark. Carter remains under home hospice care and will turn 100 on Tuesday. Carter has seen the U.S. population nearly triple. The U.S. has about 330 million residents. There were about 114 million in 1924. And for all the shifts in U.S. politics, some things stay the same. Or at least come back around. Carter was born in an era of isolationism, protectionism and white Christian nationalism. All three of those elements are prominent features of the right in Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
September 30, 2024 12:19 pm
(WPXI) – Verizon users in several areas are reporting outages. According to Downdetector.com, there are outages being reported in Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Missouri and other areas. A Verizon spokesperson says the company is “aware of an issue impacting service for some customers and their engineers are engaged and are working quickly to solve the issue. The exact issue, however, was not released and it was not known if the outage was connected to Hurricane Helene. Downdetector said there were more than 104,000 reports of issues with Verizon service on Monday. Some of those reporting issues said that their phones were working in SOS mode only. A handful of areas without coverage were in the path of Hurricane Helene and crews are trying to restore service during the hurricane recovery.
