Some conservatives are rejecting star-studded CPAC to talk about the national debt
WASHINGTON — Heath Mayo had had enough of CPAC, and now his idea of getting a few friends together to talk conservative issues as an alternative to the star-studded, high-priced event has mushroomed into a national movement to skip the Conservative Political Action Conference altogether. CPAC, the year’s biggest gathering...
Michael Cohen describes a culture of criminality around Trump
WASHINGTON — Michael Cohen, once among President Trump’s most ardent defenders, turned on him in a combative congressional hearing Wednesday, describing a culture of nonstop lying around Trump involving his alleged mistresses, inflated personal wealth and secret efforts to build Europe’s tallest skyscraper in Moscow. Cohen, who worked at Trump’s...
Jared Kushner seeks better U.S.-Saudi ties after Khashoggi killing
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the administration continues to weather criticism over its relationship with Riyadh following the murder of a U.S.-based columnist. Kushner and two other senior administration officials met with the crown prince and...
Coal official allegedly cheated on safety tests, putting miners at risk of black lung
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A coal company manager took part in cheating on tests designed to protect miners from contracting deadly black lung disease, a federal grand jury has charged. The grand jury issued a new indictment adding Glendal “Buddy” Hardison to a group of mine officials charged with conspiring to...
AAA study: Drivers are spending more time on the road
U.S. motorists are spending more time on the road these days, adding about 20 minutes per week of drive time since 2014, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Released this week, the study compares results of two editions of the foundation’s American Driving Survey, from...
Rep. Matt Gaetz under investigation by Florida Bar over Cohen tweet
WASHINGTON — The Florida Bar has opened an investigation into a tweet sent by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Tuesday that appeared to try to intimidate former President Donald Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen the day before he was to testify against his old boss. The Florida Bar...
Political operative Leslie McCrae Dowless arrested in North Carolina scandal
RALEIGH — The political operative at the center of an election fraud scandal that has engulfed a North Carolina congressional race was arrested Wednesday on charges of illegal ballot handling and conspiracy. Four people working for him were also charged. Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 63, was accused of directing workers...
House approves bill to expand gun-sale background checks
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House on Wednesday approved a measure requiring federal background checks for all firearms sales and transfers, the first major gun control legislation considered by Congress in nearly 25 years. Democrats called the 240-190 vote a major step to end the gun lobby’s grip on Washington and...
California mother detained in infant death, son’s injuries from plunge off balcony
UPLAND, Calif. — Investigators on Wednesday were trying to determine why a California woman allegedly fatally injured her infant daughter, dropped her young son off a second-story apartment building landing and then jumped herself. After being medically cleared, Tierra Ortega, 24, was booked for investigation of homicide, attempted homicide and...
Amid clouds of dust, border wall prototypes are demolished
SAN DIEGO — The government is demolishing eight prototypes of Donald Trump’s prized border wall that instantly became powerful symbols of his presidency when they were built nine months after he took office. The Trump administration says elements of the prototypes have been melded into current border fence designs and...
Ex-postal manager pleads guilty to stealing $630K in stamps
KENNER, La. — Prosecutors say a former New Orleans-area post office manager has admitted to stealing more than $630,000 in stamps and selling them online to support his gambling addiction. News outlets report U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser says in a statement that 46-year-old Ryan Cortez pleaded guilty Friday to misappropriation...
Military spent about $8M on transgender care since 2016
SAN DIEGO — Lindsey Muller served in the Army as a man for nearly a decade before telling her commanders in 2014 that she identified as a woman and would resign because military policy barred transgender personnel. Her superiors, citing her outstanding performance, persuaded the decorated attack helicopter pilot to...
Man accused of dipping testicles in salsa as payback for low tip
A Tennessee man is facing felony charges for allegedly placing his private parts in someone’s food. Howard Matthew Webb, 31, is accused of dipping his testicles into a low-tipping customer’s salsa, according to The Daily Times. He was a passenger in a car delivering a meal from a Mexican restaurant....
Authorities: Philly police shoot, wound 2 dogs that charged at them
PHILADELPHIA — Police have shot and wounded two pit bulls that allegedly charged at officers as they tried to serve warrants at a Philadelphia home. The shootings occurred just before 7 a.m. Wednesday in the 3100 block of North 25th Street in North Philadelphia. Authorities say the officers had entered...
Trash truck driver charged with vehicular homicide in Philly bicyclist’s 2017 death
PHILADELPHIA — A garbage truck driver has been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a bicyclist in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that 28-year-old Jorge Fretts of Philadelphia was charged Tuesday with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. Authorities said Fretts was driving a...
Great horned owl battles red-tailed hawk over nest, guess who wins?Video
It’s not surprising which bird won the battle over a nest in San Francisco earlier this month as evidenced by live webcam footage showing the clash between a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl. The “Presidio Raptor Cam” documented a red-tailed hawk family last year successfully raising their young...
Witness: Driver in train-car crash was fleeing earlier crash
WESTBURY, N.Y. — A witness told police that the driver who caused a deadly crash by trying to go around a lowered railroad gate on New York’s Long Island was fleeing the scene of an earlier crash, a police official said Wednesday. “The witness said that individual was involved in...
Watch live: Michael Cohen speaks about Trump before House committeeVideo
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, is planning to tell a House committee that Trump knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks had emails damaging to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and that Trump is a “racist,” a “conman” and a “cheat.” Read Cohen’s prepared remarks. The hearing began at...
Cops: Gunman broke into home, fatally shot pizza deliveryman
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a pizza deliveryman was shot and killed when he made a delivery to a home under construction in Philadelphia. The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Tuesday just outside the home. Authorities believe the gunman broke into the home so he could arrange for the delivery there...
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...
