Headline News from The Associated Press
AP Headline News - Apr 17 2024 07:00 (EDT)
(upbeat music) - AP News, I'm Jacobine Zwani. AP Correspondent Mary Claire Jollinek reports that Democrats could quickly end the impeachment trial of the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by calling for votes to toss out the Articles of Impeachment. - Republicans are upset about that. They want to see a trial. And some Republicans might try to delay the proceedings by calling votes. But in the end, Republicans really have no power to force a trial if Democrats have all of their members united in voting to dismiss it. There's a newly released report on last year's deadly fires in Maui. AP Correspondent Donna Warder reports. - The report says that the Maui Fire Department was no match for a series of blazes, including one that killed 101 people in August 2023 in the historic town of Lahaina, Chief Brad Ventura of the Maui County Fire Department says they've identified several areas for improvement. - First ones to fully stalk our relief apparatus, seconds to create a statewide mutual aid program. Third is to create a communication plan to evacuate visitors and residents who speak different languages. - Last August, some firefighters carried victims piggyback over down power lines to safety. Another repeatedly drove a moped into a burning neighborhood to rescue residents one at a time. The report made public by the Western Fire Chiefs Association is the first of two major assessments of the fires coming out this week. I'm Donna Warder. - Citing safety, the University of Southern California makes a rare cancellation of the valedictorian speech by a student who supported Palestinians. There's opposition to what USC administration decided. This is AP News. A company that makes voting machines has settled its defamation lawsuit against conservative news outlet, One America News Network. - Smartmatic, a voting technology company targeted by bogus fraud claims related to the 2020 presidential election has reached a settlement with the One America News Network. Terms have not been disclosed. Smartmatic was one of the voting equipment companies ensnared in wild conspiracy theories, falsely claiming they'd flip votes that cost former President Trump re-election. Smartmatic wasn't odd target though. Its voting technology and software was used only in Los Angeles County, a Democratic stronghold and where Trump did not contest his loss. But it's also provided voting services in Venezuela and that created a springboard for the phony conspiracy claims. Smartmatic still has active lawsuits against Fox News and the conservative outlet Newsmax, Ben Thomas Washington. - I'm Hayep and Joani, AP News.