Headline News from The Associated Press
AP Headline News - Feb 29 2024 20:00 (EST)
AP News, I'm Ben Thomas. The Smokehouse Creek wildfire spreading across the Texas pain handle has become the largest in state history. It's going to nearly 1,700 square miles and it's just 3% contained. AP correspondent Sean Murphy. By the time I got to Canadian, I could see huge swaths of charred black landscape as far as the eye could see. There were pockets of where the fire skipped over. Frankly, the town itself was pretty well intact. The smell, the visibility was hazy, but as I started to get outside the town, I just came across just piles of rubble where clearly homes had been. At least one person has died elsewhere in Texas, President Biden and Donald Trump on the US-Mexico border, trading blame over the situation with illegal crossings. This is a Joe Biden invasion. This is a Biden invasion over the past three years. President Biden blasted Trump for scuttling border security legislation in Congress. The majority of Democrats and Republicans in both houses support this legislation until someone came along and said, "Don't do that, it'll benefit the incumbent." That's a hell of way to do business in America for such a serious problem. We need to act. Federal prosecutors are requesting a July 8 trial for Trump uncharges he illegally retained and concealed classifying documents. Defense lawyers say no trial should be conducted this year, but did propose August 12th as an alternative. Jack Tischera, the Massachusetts Air National Guard Member, accused of leaking highly classified military documents on social media, is now expected to plead guilty, a change of plea hearings set from Monday in Boston's federal courthouse. Former career diplomat Manuel Rocha says he'll plead guilty to charges of serving as a secret agent for Communist Cuba going back decades. These do back in court April 12th to formalize his plea and be sentenced. This is AP News. A 300-mile stretch of the Sierra Nevada from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Yosemite National Park is under a blizzard warning. Forecasters say what could be the strongest storm of the season could bring as much as 10 feet of snow. Meantime, at Donahue, has one sure sign of spring. Washington's iconic cherry trees will be blooming soon. The estimate by the National Park Service is peak bloom will begin between March 23rd and 26th and run for about 10 days. That's when 70 percent of the 3,700 cherry trees will be flowering. Based on hotel reservation numbers, organizers are expecting the number of tourists in D.C. to reach 1.5 million for the first time since before the pandemic. The city's cherry blossom festival includes a parade, concerts, and fireworks. This tradition dates back to 1912 when the mayor of Tokyo gifted Washington with 3,000 cherry trees. Ed Donahue, Washington. And I'm Ben Thomas, AP News. Thank you for listening. Southwest is full of Mile High Heart. That's why we're giving Denver more flights than ever before. That means more heart for all because no one pays change or cancel fees and everyone gets two free bags. So when you're ready to get away, we're ready to give Denver all of our Mile High Heart. But today at Southwest.com. Based on USDOT O&D scheduled daily flights from Denver starting in July 2023, so pass all prior days as a 512/2023, fair difference may apply failure to cancel a reservation at least 10 minutes prior to schedule departure may result in four-minute travel funds, first and second check bags, wait in size limit supply. Hello Saver! Whether you're saving for that trip to the tropics or saving for an emergency, now is the time to take advantage of Wells Fargo's savings options. Wells Fargo offers savings accounts that can help you save towards your goals. So, what are you saving for? Visit a Wells Fargo branch or Wells Fargo dot com slash save to open a savings account today. Wells Fargo Bank NA member FDIC (upbeat music)