News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
Millions of families will soon receive their third child tax credit payments, which are set to be distributed on Wednesday.
Most parents will automatically receive the enhanced credits of up to $300 for each child up to age 6 and $250 for each one age 6 through 17. The Internal Revenue Service is scheduled to send three more monthly payments in 2021.
Source: Another round of child tax credit payments are going out to families
(CNN)More than 1,400 white-sided dolphins were killed Sunday night in the Faroe Islands, in what local authorities said was a traditional whaling hunt.
The killing has been denounced by marine conservation group Sea Shepherd as a “brutal and badly mishandled” massacre, and the largest single hunt in the Danish territory’s history.The organization said a super-pod of 1,428 Atlantic white-sided dolphins was corralled by speed boats and jet skis onto Skálabotnur beach on the island of Eysturoy, where they were then killed.The Faroe Islands are an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, lying about halfway between Scotland and Iceland in the Atlantic Ocean.
Source: 1,400 dolphins were killed in the Faroe Islands in one day, shocking even some pro-whalers – CNN
Retired Army colonel Douglas Macgregor told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that if allegations Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley assured China he would warn them if Trump were to launch a military strike, it would be a violation of the law.
If the allegations made by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa about Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley assuring China they would be forewarned, should then-President Trump decide to launch a military attack, the top White House military advisor has violated the law and should be called before Congress to testify, according to retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor.
Macgregor, who retired from the military in 2004 and became a senior Pentagon adviser to Trump-era Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” he was not as surprised as much of the public by the allegation Milley essentially undermined his boss, the then-president, and gave comfort to a rival nation.
Macgregor told host Tucker Carlson that he is not surprised by the allegation, but noted that Milley – as of 8 PM ET – has yet to offer his side of the story. The colonel added that Woodward – who has written other exposes on the Trump era – has a tendency to be “somewhat flexible in interpretation” of events and quotations.
Two days after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, President Donald Trump’s top military adviser, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, single-handedly took secret action to limit Trump from potentially ordering a dangerous military strike or launching nuclear weapons, according to “Peril,” a new book by legendary journalist Bob Woodward and veteran Washington Post reporter Robert Costa.
Right after Trump lost the election, Milley discovered the President had signed a military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, before he left the White House.
The authors write, ‘Milley was overseeing the mobilization of America’s national security state without the knowledge of the American people or the rest of the world.’
U.S. customs officials said the parcels contained dozens of fake vaccination cards that were destined for an address in western Pennsylvania.
Source: Shipments of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards seized in Pittsburgh
The crash happened Wednesday morning on Route 380 in Washington Township, Westmoreland County.
It was initially unclear if there were any injuries.
The road was closed while emergency responders cleaned up the scene but reopened a little before 6 a.m.
Source: Westmoreland County crash leaves vehicle damaged
President Trump said he suspected former President Barack Obama was covertly running the Biden administration. Trump said during an interview on Tuesday, he believed Obama and his surrogates could be exerting control over the White House.
The 45th president said several people have confirmed this theory, but he did not disclose his sources. In the past, Trump has repeatedly questioned Biden’s apparent mental decline and fitness for office.
Source: President Trump: Many say Obama is running Biden admin. | One America News Network
According to a bombshell new book, three of the president’s great grandfathers owned slaves and he has a family link to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Joe Biden plays up his Irish heritage but another side of his linage is less talked about, and a new book claims the president had slave owners in his family.
According to The Bidens: Inside the First Family’s Fifty-Year Rise to Power by Ben Schreckinger, President Biden’s great great great grandfather was Jesse Robinett, who owned two slaves in Maryland, according to the 1850 US federal census.
Another great great great grandfather, Thomas Randle, reportedly owned a 14-year-old slave in Baltimore County. Research also found that Mr Biden shares distant ties to Varina Anne Banks Howell, the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.In an adaptation of Schreckinger’s book, published in Politico, the author claims that in 2004 Biden called genealogist James Petty – based in Salt Lake City, the home of an esteemed genealogical research library – to look into his backstory, but the findings were never publicly revealed. The Independent has requested comment from the White House.
Following the 2020 election, West Virginia genealogist Alexander Bannerman and Gary Boyd Roberts researched Biden’s lineage and claim they found evidence that Biden’s relatives had enslaved people, citing the census records and slave schedules associated with Robinett and Randle.
This isn’t the first time Biden has been associated with claims of a racist lineage – in the past those claims proved false. Ahead of the 2020 election, photo was shared on social media allegedly showing a black and white picture of Biden’s gun-toting great-grandfather, with the text “Joe Biden’s great grandfather Joseph J. Biden (1828-1880) was a slave-owner and fought for the Confederate States of America”. The photo was later debunked, the man was instead identified as Richard Young Bennett, a member of the Confederate army.
Being an Irish Catholic has been part of the president’s persona for some time. He famously once told a BBC reporter who was asking for comment: “The BBC? I’m Irish!”
Mr Biden cites Seamus Heaney as his favourite poet, has spoken about his mother’s Irish Catholic family and going to Catholic school in Delaware, and more recently dyed the White House fountain green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Source: New book claims Biden’s ancestors owned slaves | The Independent
Macdonald’s producing partner told Deadline he had been privately battling cancer for the last decade.
Source: Comedian Norm Macdonald dies at 61
Michael Rapaport, the actor, offered sharp criticism for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for wearing a sleek white dress with “Tax The Rich” splashed in red on the back as she arrived at the uber-swanky Met Gala Monday night.
Source: Actor Michael Rapaport calls out AOC over Met Gala dress
Amazon is planning to hire hundreds of new workers as it expands in the Pittsburgh area.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — KDKA has learned that Amazon is planning to hire hundreds of new workers as it expands in the Pittsburgh area.
Amazon prides itself on the fast delivery of online orders. But to do that, the world’s largest online retail store has to have fulfillment and distribution centers in most major markets. Pittsburgh is no exception.
READ MORE:Report Shows More Than $104M In Uncollected Pa. Turnpike Tolls
With the opening of its newest facility in Imperial last week, Amazon says it needs more people on its payroll in Pittsburgh. The company told KDKA’s Jon Delano that it will announce Tuesday the total number of workers it will be hiring, and it will be “substantial.”
Source: Amazon To Announce Hiring Spree In Pittsburgh, With Hundreds To Be Hired – CBS Pittsburgh
For the second time in California history, the state’s governor is facing a recall. On Tuesday, voters will decide whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will stay in office. If a majority votes “yes” to oust him, California will have a new governor.
There are 46 candidates on the ballot, including radio talk show host Larry Elder, former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner. The special election was triggered after more than 1.5 million people signed the recall petition, which began circulating last year during the pandemic.
Opponents of Gov. Newsom have criticized his administration’s COVID-19 restrictions and made that a focal point of the recall. If he is recalled, Newsom would be the third governor in U.S. history to be removed from office in this manner.
This has happened before in California. In 2003, voters recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger won the special election and became the 38th governor of California. Schwarzenegger went on to win reelection in 2006, making him the last Republican to win a statewide election.
Californians will vote on two questions: Should Newsom be removed and if so, who should replace him? About 22 million ballots have gone out to registered voters. If a majority votes to remove Newsom, whichever candidate captures the most votes will become the next governor of California.
One burglary was caught on camera
MILLVALE, Pa. —
Millvale police said they’re looking for a man who broke into multiple homes in that community.
According to police, surveillance video caught Elwood Bartrug breaking into one person’s home and running off when an alarm went off.
Police said there is a reward for anyone who gives police information leading to Bartrug’s arrest.
Source: Millvale police seek man who broke into several homes
President Biden said at a wildfire-focused event in Idaho that his “first job offer” came from the local lumber and wood-products business Boise Cascade.
President Biden said at a wildfire-focused event in Idaho Monday that his “first job offer” came from the local lumber and wood-products business Boise Cascade, but the company says it has “no record” of that being true.
Biden, who is renowned for sharing memories that did not happen, said that he regularly mentioned the job offer to his Senate colleague from Idaho, the late Democratic Sen. Frank Church.
“I used to tell Frank Church this, I got a — my first job offer, where I wanted — my wife, deceased wife and I wanted to move to Idaho because we — not a joke — it’s such a beautiful, beautiful state. And I interviewed for a job at Boise Cascade,” Biden said.
He added: “And in the meantime there was a war going on. Anyway. But the whole point was that I used to always kid Frank.”
But Boise Cascade spokeswoman Lisa Tschampl told The Post, “We have no record of President Biden’s application or of him having worked for the company. “
Tschampl said that “we checked our system internally and nothing has turned up.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: Biden claims first job offer from Idaho lumber company, ‘no record’ of it
CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) —
More than $104 million in Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls went uncollected last year as the agency fully converted to all-electronic tolling, with the millions of motorists who don’t use E-ZPass having a nearly 1 in 2 chance of riding without paying under the “toll-by-plate” license plate camera system.
An internal turnpike report issued in July and obtained by The Associated Press through a Right-to-Know Law request showed nearly 11 million out of the total of about 170 million turnpike rides generated no revenue for the agency in the year that ended May 31.
“We take this issue very seriously. It is a big number, there’s no question,” turnpike Chief Executive Mark Compton said. “But we, as an organization, are leaving no stone unturned in the way in which we’re going after that leakage.”
Toll revenue “leakage” – an industry euphemism for uncollected tolls – has become the focus of turnpike agencies across the country as the use of E-ZPass transponders and license plate cameras continues to spread.
It is a particular problem for the debt-strapped Pennsylvania Turnpike, where more than half of its total revenue goes to pay borrowing costs and tolls have more than quadrupled in 12 years for the minority of motorists who don’t have E-Z Pass to pay for rides.
Last year, license plates could not be identified in 1.8 million Pennsylvania Turnpike rides, bills were undeliverable in just over 1 million instances, and motor vehicle agencies failed to provide vehicle owner addresses more than 1.5 million times. An additional 6.7 million transactions were marked as “not paid.”
After tolls and fees go uncollected for about three years, the turnpike writes them off.
Source: Pennsylvania Turnpike: Free rides take big toll on finances
Crash happened on Monday afternoon
HARMONY TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
A crash involving a car and a motorcycle sent the operator of the motorcycle to the hospital on Monday afternoon.
The crash happened on Duss Avenue in Harmony Township, Beaver County, in front of the Shop ‘n Save.
The Harmony Township Volunteer Fire Department said the car was pulling out of the parking lot when the crash happened.Duss Avenue was shut down for a short time while emergency responders were on scene.
Source: Beaver County crash involving car and motorcycle sends one to the hospital
The polls close Tuesday at 8 p.m. Pacific time, and nearly 40 percent of registered voters have already cast ballots.
- Californians have been voting early for weeks in the election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.
But it is unclear how long it will take to get a definitive answer on whether he will keep his job.
Depending on the number of early ballots and the amount of in-person voting on Tuesday, the math could be clear within a few hours of when the polls close at 8 p.m. Pacific time, election experts say. But if the race is tighter than expected, weeks could pass while the counting drags on.
Recall attempts are a fact of political life for governors of California. But they do not usually make it onto the ballot, and Californians have gone to the polls only one other time to determine whether the state’s top officeholder should be ousted. That was in 2003, when Gov. Gray Davis was recalled and replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since then, the state’s voting rules and electorate have changed substantially.
Because of the safety concerns around the coronavirus pandemic, ballots were mailed early to all of the state’s 22 million or so registered and active voters in the 2020 election. Voters can return their completed ballots by mail, deposit them in secure drop boxes, vote early in person or vote at a polling place on Tuesday.
Source: When Will Californians Know the Recall Election Results? – The New York Times
By Rich Cholodofsky:Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew said he will pay for weekend drug tests of participants in the county’s drug court program until a permanent funding source is secured.
In an email sent to county judges over the weekend, the first-term Republican from Hempfield pledged to help identify future funding sources for the testing program and that he would pay to keep it running when a state grant runs out at the end of September.
“This may not be solved overnight, but until I can either get another grant approved or another funding source, I’ll cover the weekend program costs,” Chew wrote in an email to the two drug court judges and other county officials on Sunday.
Chew did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
County officials learned late last week that a state grant to pay for the drug testing program, which expires at the end of September, will not be renewed. They estimated the drug testing program costs about $750 each weekend.
Common Pleas Court Judges Christopher Feliciani and Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Friday emailed all three county commissioners and asked for funding help to cover drug court’s lost grant and a specific request to use money from the county’s budget until another permanent funding source can be found.
“In light of this recent development, our participants will be at an increased risk of relapse in the absence of weekend drug testing. Continued funding of expanded drug testing is not only critical for the (drug court) participants, but also their families, employers and all who are dependent upon them remaining clean and sober,” the judges wrote.
Chew said over the weekend that he did not know about the terminated grant when he responded Friday to the Tribune-Review about his reasons for diverting promised donations to drug court.
During his 2019 campaign for county commissioner, Chew pledged to donate 60% of his $81,000 annual salary to drug court. That pledge amounts to $48,600 each year.
This summer, amid criticism from Controller Jeff Balzer during a public meeting, Chew admitted he has yet to make any donations to drug court. He said he donated to other social service agencies and charities in lieu of his drug court pledge and claimed his money was not needed since no plans were in place to increase the number of participants enrolled. Drug court has been capped at 60 participants for the last several years.
Emails and text messages obtained by the Tribune-Review under the state’s Right-to-Know law revealed there were no communications between Chew and the judges in which his initial promise to donate to drug court was rejected.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Voting ends on Tuesday in the election to decide whether to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, and if so, who should replace him.
According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, California residents have one day left to decisively reject a Republican takeover of the nation’s biggest and most powerful Democratic stronghold.
On Monday, President Biden is set to join the governor in Long Beach to make his case on behalf of Mr. Newsom — the last in a stream of national Democratic leaders to offer their support in the final days of the campaign to help Mr. Newsom keep his job.
Mr. Newsom’s leading rival, the conservative radio host Larry Elder, was making his own last push on Monday. The day before, he held a news conference with the actor Rose McGowan, who accused Mr. Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, of trying to bribe her to prevent her from publicly disclosing her sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. A spokesperson for Ms. Siebel Newsom told ABC News that the allegation was “a complete fabrication.”
Source: California Recall Election Live: Biden Campaigns for Newsom – The New York Times
The proposal differs from a prior Biden administration plan to raise the top combined rate to 43.4% for those with income over $1 million.
- House Democrats proposed a top federal rate of 25% on long-term capital gains, according to legislation issued Monday by the House Ways and Means Committee. The top rate would be 28.8% when combined with a 3.8% surtax on net investment income.
- The new rate would apply to gains realized after Sep. 13.
- In 2022, it would kick in for single filers with taxable income over $400,000 and for married couples at $450,000, according to a Committee aide.
Source: House Democrats propose hiking capital gains tax to 28.8%
Someone who played the Pennsylvania Lottery at a Sheetz store is holding a winning ticket worth over $3 million.
Lottery officials said a winning ticket from Sunday’s Match 6 Lotto drawing was sold at Sheetz on Ronda Court, just off Route 30 in North Huntingdon.
Source: $3.74 million winning lottery ticket sold at Sheetz in Westmoreland County
Police said the woman was found after a report of a female down in the 300 block of 25th Street in McKeesport on Monday morning.
Source: Woman found shot, dead in McKeesport
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating an overnight shooting in East Pittsburgh that left one person dead and injured another.
Police were first called to Prospect Terrance for reports of shots fired around 4 a.m. Sunday.
State Police say that the one victim showed signs of “apparent gunshot wounds” and was 22-years-old.
READ MORE:Ingram Borough Police Officers Stop, Play Street Hockey With Neighborhood Kids
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Medics transported the other victim, whose age is not known at this time, for emergency treatment.
Pennsylvania State Police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating.
Source: Police: 1 Dead, 1 Injured After East Pittsburgh Shooting
Pittsburgh police say they busted what appears to be a meth lab in a home in Squirrel Hill Sunday morning.
Source: Arrests made after Pittsburgh police find suspected meth lab in Squirrel Hill home
College football fans have taken to chanting, “F— Joe Biden!” in the stands during games, and Saturday marked the second straight weekend of presidential taunts.
Old Rowe Sports identified at least four instances of the chant “F— Joe Biden!” at college football games during the weekend of September 4, 2021. The chants broke out at Coastal Carolina University, Virginia Tech, Auburn University, and Texas A&M.
Source: College students chant ‘F— Joe Biden’ at football games | Fox News
The global parts shortage now involves more than just computer chips. Automakers are starting to see shortages of wiring harnesses, plastics and glass.
Source: How long will car prices stay sky-high due to a parts shortage?
The owner of an Illinois retail and wholesale meat store told FOX Business he has been increasing prices for his products as the industry grapples with higher raw material costs, global supply chain challenges and a rebound in demand.
This as the Biden administration announced it plans to take a tougher stance toward meatpacking companies the White House argues are causing higher prices for meat at grocery stores.
Richard Whittingham, the owner of R. Whittingham & Sons Meat Co., told Jeff Flock during an interview on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on Thursday that he doesn’t blame the processors for the spike in prices, but acknowledged that “competition never hurts anybody,” noting that “that is what built our country.”
In a Wednesday blog post, President Biden’s top aides blamed the four companies that control much of the meat processing market in the U.S. for the price spikes.
In the post, the aides acknowledged that “factors like increased consumer demand have played a role” in higher prices, but argued that “the price increases are also driven by a lack of competition at a key bottleneck point in the meat supply chain: meat-processing.”
The aides wrote that “Just four large conglomerates control the majority of the market for each of these three products, and the data show that these companies have been raising prices while generating record profits during the pandemic.”
The post pointed to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which noted that just four firms “control approximately 55-85% of the market” for beef, pork, and poultry, pointing out that the figure reflects “dramatic consolidation of the industry” over the last 50 years.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan can now give defense equipment and technology to Vietnam under an agreement signed Saturday, as the two countries step up their military cooperation amid worries about China’s growing military influence.
Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the deal elevates their defense partnership “to a new level” and that Japan and Vietnam plan to deepen defense ties through multinational joint exercises and other means. Details about the transfer of specific equipment, including naval vessels, will be worked out in subsequent talks, the ministry said.
Kishi’s meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi coincided with a two-day visit to the Vietnamese capital by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He wrapped up his visit by saying China plans to donate 3 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam.
The agreement comes two weeks after the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris travelled to Vietnam to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian nation. During the tour, Harris urged countries to stand up against “bullying” by China in the South China Sea.
Source: Japan, Vietnam sign defense transfer deal amid China worries
The Israel Defense Forces overnight Saturday-Sunday carried out another round of retaliatory airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, following two rocket attacks on southern Israel in less than 24 hours.
The military said the raids targeted a Hamas underground rocket production workshop, weapons storage site, training facility, and tunnel. The IDF said it holds Hamas responsible for all rockets emanating from the enclave.
Earlier Saturday night, Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at southern Israel, raising the specter of renewed conflict. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. The attack triggered sirens in the town of Sderot and surrounding communities in southern Israel.
A 29-year-old man sustained a light head wound after he fell while running to a bomb shelter. He was taken to Ashkelon’s Barzilai Medical Center for treatment, medics said.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday, Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a single rocket towards Israel that was intercepted by the Iron Dome system, the army said. The rocket triggered warning sirens in the Eshkol region and local residents reported hearing several explosions. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Source: Israeli jets strike Gaza after 2nd rocket attack in 24 hours | The Times of Israel
Former President Trump made a surprise visit with New York City police and firefighters Saturday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
In remarks to assembled guests, the former president sharply rebuked President Biden and the US pullout from Afghanistan.
“It was gross incompetence and I hate to talk about it on this day,” Trump said.
Trump praised New York’s Finest, telling the crowd, “if they let you do your job you wouldn’t have crime in New York!”
As some in the crowd nodded their heads, The Donald jokingly warned them to “just stand and just be perfect.”
Source: Trump makes surprise visit to New York police and firefighters on 9/11
