Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s prepared remarks to Congress
The prepared testimony of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, as released by the House Oversight and Reform Committee before his appearance Wednesday: Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, and Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today. I have asked this Committee to ensure that...
Cohen sticks to Trump accusations, shaking off GOP criticism
WASHINGTON — Shaking off criticism from House Republicans, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer declared under oath Wednesday that Trump knew ahead of time and embraced the news when told that WikiLeaks had emails damaging to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Michael Cohen also testified that Trump is a “racist,” a...
Pennsylvania court collections, disbursements rise by nearly $30 million over last decade
Pennsylvania’s courts increased their annual disbursements of collected fees, fines and restitution by more than $29 million over the past decade, a trend explained in part by use of case management computer systems, state judicial officials say. According to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, those disbursements jumped from $453.8...
Trump, Kim share smiles, dinner before nuke talks
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, leaders of two nations with a long history of hostility, opened their second summit Wednesday with smiles, hopeful talk and a friendly dinner that set the stage for the much more difficult talks to come about...
Pakistan says 2 Indian warplanes downed, 2 pilots captured
MUZAFARABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan shot down two Indian warplanes Wednesday in the disputed region of Kashmir and captured their pilots, its military said, raising tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals to a level unseen in 20 years. India acknowledged one of its air force planes was “lost” in skirmishes with Pakistan...
Gay rights activist accused of setting own home on fire
JACKSON, Mich. — Michigan police say a transgender, gay rights activist tried to fabricate a hate crime by setting his home on fire, but the man’s attorney is questioning the evidence. Attorney Daniel Barnett said the evidence is circumstantial and doesn’t provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Nikki Joly...
Trump, Kim begin talks with one-on-one meeting
HANOI, Vietnam — President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dove into the details of nuclear negotiations Thursday against a backdrop of swirling questions about what Kim was willing to give up and what Trump may demand in the face of rising domestic turmoil. Tempering expectations, Trump opened...
Man who bought $540 worth of Girl Scout cookies arrested on federal drug charges
That’s how the cookie crumbles. One day after becoming a viral sensation on social media in one of the feel-good stories of the year, the man who bought $540 worth of Girl Scout cookies from a South Carolina troop because he didn’t want the girls out in the cold weather...
Flood threat prompts Northern California evacuations
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people in Northern California’s wine country were ordered to evacuate Tuesday evening shortly before a river reached flood stage as a winter storm dumped torrential rain and heavy snow that shut down major mountain highways. Authorities said evacuations were ordered for about 4,000 people in...
3 people killed in train-vehicle collision on Long Island
WESTBURY, N.Y. — Authorities say three people were killed when their vehicle was struck by Manhattan-bound commuter train on Long Island. Nassau County police say the vehicle was “trying to beat the gate” when it was struck at an intersection in Westbury just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police say all...
North Irwin man had love for his community
Louis A. Simon of North Irwin was a community-minded person who served his town’s fire department, the borough’s zoning commission, picked up litter around town and helped to preserve a local pond. “He would walk around town and clean up the litter he saw in his daily walks. He rebuilt...
House panel to subpoena Trump administration officials for records on child separation policy
WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee will subpoena three Trump administration officials for records on the government’s “zero tolerance” policy of separating migrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The move comes as the administration is facing fierce criticism after acknowledging that many more children may have been...
House OKs Democrats’ bill blocking Trump emergency on wall
WASHINGTON — Democrats ignored a veto threat and rammed legislation through the House Tuesday that would stymie President Trump’s bid for billions of extra dollars for his border wall, escalating a clash over whether he was abusing his powers to advance his paramount campaign pledge. The House’s 245-182 vote to...
GOP congressman Matt Gaetz taunts Michael Cohen ahead of public hearing
WASHINGTON — A House Republican taunted former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen ahead of a congressional hearing, suggesting in a tweet that the public appearance will expose damaging personal information about Cohen. Florida Republican Matt Gaetz tweeted, without offering any evidence Tuesday, that the world is “about to learn a lot”...
United Methodist delegates defeat bid to ease LGBT bans
ST. LOUIS — The United Methodist Church, America’s second-largest Protestant denomination, faces a likely surge in defections and acts of defiance as a result of delegates at a crucial conference Tuesday rejected a move to ease the faith’s ban on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT clergy. Some supporters of...
In Vietnam, Trump, Kim confront North Korea’s nuke plans
HANOI, Vietnam — With nervous world capitals looking on, President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are beginning their second nuclear summit with a one-on-one discussion and an intimate dinner as hard questions swirl about what the American president will demand and Pyongyang might be willing to give up....
Mark Harris, GOP candidate in N.C. race tainted by fraud, will not run in new election
Mark Harris, the Republican nominee in a North Carolina congressional race that was tainted by ballot fraud, announced Tuesday that he will not run in the new election for the seat. Harris said in a statement that he has decided not to seek the state’s 9th District seat due to...
Scam calls expected to spike in Pa. as tax season approaches
If you dread answering your phone because of the onslaught of robotic spammers and scammers, you’re not alone. And it could get worse very soon. An analysis of U.S. Federal Trade Commission statistics by AllAreaCodes.com found unwanted calls tend to spike in March and April, as scammers impersonating the IRS...
U.S. disrupted Internet access of Russian troll factory on day of 2018 midterms
The U.S. military blocked Internet access to an infamous Russian entity seeking to sow discord among Americans during the 2018 midterms, several U.S. officials said, a warning that the group’s operations against the United States are not cost-free. The strike on the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg, a company...
Cohen expected to claim lying, racism, cheating by Trump
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is expected to give a behind-the-scenes account of what he will claim is Trump’s lying, racism and cheating, and possibly even criminal conduct, when he testifies publicly before a House committee on Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the...
U.S. keeps air pollution standard established under Obama
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. environmental regulators Tuesday announced they are leaving intact an air quality standard for power plant pollution that can worsen asthma in children, despite calls by health advocates for a tougher standard. The move keeps in place a threshold for sulfur dioxide pollution established in 2010 by...
Crews rescue fat rat wedged in manhole
Once upon a time (Sunday) … in a town far, far away (Germany) … there was a damsel in distress. “She had a lot of winter flab and was stuck fast at her hip — there was no going forward or back,” animal rescuer Michael Sehr told local media, according...
Attack on Argentine chief rabbi raises fear of anti-Semitism
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An attack that badly injured Argentina’s chief rabbi has alarmed authorities both in the South American nation and in Israel, who raised concerns on Tuesday that it could have been prompted by anti-Semitism. Several assailants entered the Buenos Aires home of Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich on Monday...
The precarious perch of a potential Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON — Patrick Shanahan, the former Boeing executive, was in a familiar place — aboard an airplane — when he got word of a bolt-from-the-blue political shot across his bow, an apparent blow to his chances of being nominated as the next secretary of defense. Sen. James Inhofe, the White...
Senators draw on own experiences to chastise drug companies
WASHINGTON — Drawing from their personal experiences, senators on Tuesday chastised drug company executives over the high cost of prescription drugs, as the company officials cautioned that heavy-handed congressional action could jeopardize medical breakthroughs going forward. Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing marked the first time lawmakers have called the industry’s...
