Beyond the hearings: What to watch on Trump impeachment
WASHINGTON — Impeachment is moving beyond the hearing room. House committee members are debating and voting on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Thursday. But the political battle over Trump’s fate is sweeping across the Capitol, the White House and Washington on the cusp of the 2020 election...
Elizabeth Warren gets campaign effort going in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Elizabeth Warren’s campaign is moving to become the first in the Democratic presidential primary to hire field staff and open field offices in Pennsylvania, early moves in a late primary state that could become an important prize if the nominee remains in doubt past March. Warren’s campaign said...
Judiciary panel takes first steps toward impeachment voteVideo
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee took the first steps Wednesday evening toward voting on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, beginning a marathon two-day session to consider the historic charges with a lively prime-time hearing at the Capitol. Democrats and Republicans used the otherwise procedural meeting to deliver...
People in Dublin were hanging coats on a bridge to clothe the homeless; city officials took them downVideo
If there’s one lesson to be learned this time of year, it’s “It’s better to give than to receive.” Some Dubliners seemed to get that sentiment and were in-tune with the holiday spirit by hanging unwanted winter coats on a pedestrian bridge with the idea that someone in need will...
More Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals
For the first time since the early 1900s, more Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals, a trend that reflects more hospice care and progress toward the kind of end that most people say they want. Deaths in nursing homes also have declined, according to a report Wednesday...
GOP senators leaning toward short impeachment trial for TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans say there is an early consensus building within their ranks for a short impeachment trial that could see the GOP-led chamber vote on a likely acquittal of President Donald Trump without hearing from any witnesses. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said a growing number of...
Wyoming deputies lasso deer that fell through iced-over pondVideo
Two Wyoming sheriff’s deputies channeled their inner cowboy and lassoed a deer flailing in a frigid pond after it fell through thin ice, authorities said Wednesday. Sublette County sheriff’s Deputies Justin Hays and Joshua Peterson responded to a report Tuesday afternoon that a deer had fallen into a pond near...
Report: Harvey Weinstein reaches tentative $25M deal with accusers
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein and his former film studio’s board have reached a tentative $25 million settlement that would end nearly every sexual misconduct lawsuit brought against him and his company, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The Times cited a half-dozen lawyers in its report, some of whom...
Greta Thunberg ‘a bit surprised’ to be Time Person of the YearVideo
MADRID — Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg said she was surprised and honored Wednesday to be named Time’s youngest Person of the Year, while adding that others in the global movement she helped inspire deserve to share the accolade. The 16-year-old Swede has become the face of a new generation...
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi at The Hague dismisses claims of genocide
THE HAGUE — In an appearance that further marked her fall from grace, Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi mounted a defense of her homeland Wednesday, calling claims of genocide “incomplete and misleading” a day after a tribunal heard damning accounts of atrocities inflicted on Rohingya ethnic minorities. The...
Military leaders consider leaving smaller number of troops in AfghanistanVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is considering several options to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, including one that would shift to a narrower counterterrorism mission, the top U.S. military officer told Congress on Wednesday. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not disclose any potential...
Fed leaves low rates alone and foresees no moves in 2020
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate alone Wednesday and signaled that it expects to keep low rates unchanged through next year. The Fed’s decision follows three rate cuts earlier this year. It reflects its view that the U.S. economy has so far withstood the U.S.-China trade...
Texas man accused of killing grandmother, great-grandmother
SPRING, Texas — A 22-year-old man has been charged with capital murder after authorities say he confessed to strangling his grandmother and great-grandmother a month ago at a Houston-area home. Jaryd Ramos was arrested Tuesday evening after telling detectives he killed his grandmother, 59-year-old Barbara Gromley. and his great-grandmother, 90-year-old...
Soldier to face court-martial in fatal crash at West Point
SAVANNAH, Ga. — An Army soldier based in Georgia will face a trial by court-martial after being charged in a vehicle rollover that killed a West Point cadet in June, a Fort Stewart spokesman said Wednesday. Commanders at the southeast Georgia Army post ordered a general court-martial for Staff Sgt....
Police kill barricaded gunman who shot Pennsylvania trooper
ELKLAND — A gunman who barricaded himself inside his house after shooting a Pennsylvania State Police trooper was shot and killed early Wednesday after a 14-hour standoff, authorities said. The man fired at troopers numerous times throughout the standoff in rural northern Pennsylvania and refused their attempts to get him...
FAA analysis predicted many more Boeing Max crashes without a fixVideo
After the first crash of a Boeing 737 Max last year, federal safety officials estimated that there could be 15 more fatal crashes of the Max over the next few decades if Boeing didn’t fix a critical automated flight-control system. Yet the Federal Aviation Administration did not ground the plane...
Judge: South Carolina GOP can cancel its 2020 primary
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A judge on Wednesday upheld the South Carolina Republican Party’s decision not to hold a 2020 presidential primary, a move taken by several states in erecting hurdles for the long-shot candidates challenging President Donald Trump. In her order, Circuit Judge Jocelyn Newman wrote the law “does not...
Father, son plead guilty in black market eagle trafficking
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A father and his adult son have pleaded guilty in South Dakota to federal charges in a widespread case that offered a glimpse into the illegal trafficking of eagles and other protected birds. Troy Fairbanks and his son, Majestic Fairbanks, were among 30 people and pawn...
Runner apologizes for slapping reporter’s rear on live TVVideo
A Georgia man has apologized on-camera for slapping a female reporter’s rear on live TV after the video clip garnered outrage among millions who viewed it online and prompted police to investigate the case as a possible sexual battery. WSAV-TV reporter Alex Bozarjian was doing a live broadcast from a...
Report: U.S. coal mining industry continues to lose jobs
U.S. coal mining employment has fallen 42% since 2011, most dramatically in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the Appalachian region, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency’s 2018 Annual Coal Report, released Wednesday, said U.S. coal production peaked in 2008 but that mining employment peaked in 2011. Since then,...
Pigeons wearing tiny cowboy hats appearing on Las Vegas streetsVideo
Cowboy hats are a common sight in Las Vegas. But some tiny ones appear to be glued to the heads of pigeons. Residents have spotted a few of the hatted birds and no one seems to know who is responsible for the stunt, reports CNN. The staff at Lofty Hopes...
$3 million found in barrels of pork
SHELBY, N.C. — Barrels of raw pork shoulder were riding fat in a tractor trailer pulled over by North Carolina deputies. Approximately $3 million in cash was recovered from the barrels Saturday, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The driver of the tractor trailer was...
Harvey Weinstein could face jail, bail hike over monitoring issues
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein’s bail has been increased from $1 million to $5 million over allegations he violated bail conditions by mishandling his electronic ankle monitor. Judge James Burke on Wednesday rejected prosecution calls to put the disgraced movie mogul in jail over the alleged violation. A judge is...
Gov. Tom Wolf says ‘no’ to speculation about VP spot
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday that the answer is “no” to speculation that he would agree to join a Democratic presidential nominee’s ticket as the pick for vice president. Wolf reiterated that stance when asked during an appearance with his wife Frances on WITF-FM’s Smart Talk program...
Mom charged after police say she abandoned special needs son
ATLANTA — Atlanta police charged a mother with cruelty to children on Wednesday after her special needs teenager was found abandoned at a hospital, cold, confused and unable to say who he was. The mother told investigators she left her 14-year-old son at Grady Memorial Hospital because she felt overwhelmed...
