How the border problem caught the Biden team off guard, and how they’ve scrambled to fix it – CNNPolitics

(CNN)As the number of unaccompanied children in Border Patrol custody ballooned this month, President Joe Biden‘s team raced to find more places to house them, leaving thousands of children stuck in jail-like facilities for longer than the 72 hours allowed under the law.

But the process of scouring government sites for adequate shelters was taking too long for Biden, who is now staring down a problem threatening to spiral out of control.
“He was disappointed that we hadn’t gotten answers from other agencies faster or that (the facilities) wouldn’t be ready for children faster,” said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to offer a candid assessment of the response. “He made it pretty clear that there were times when he didn’t think we were moving fast enough.”

Source: How the border problem caught the Biden team off guard, and how they’ve scrambled to fix it – CNNPolitics

Missing 79-Year-Old Maxine Gillis Found Dead In Wilkinsburg – CBS Pittsburgh

Maxine Gillis, a 79-year-old woman who was reported missing early on Friday morning, was found dead in the 2200 block of William Penn Highway in Wilkinsburg just after noon on Friday.

READ MORE:Hundreds Rally And March Through Oakland To Protest Against Hate Directed At Asian Community

Police had reported Gillis missing Friday morning and said that she was supposed to be dropped off at a family member’s home in the 2100 block of Park Hill Drive. While she was dropped off by taxi around 1:00 a.m., she never arrived at the home.

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Allegheny County Police are investigating.

Source: Missing 79-Year-Old Maxine Gillis Found Dead In Wilkinsburg – CBS Pittsburgh

Hundreds Show Up For License To Carry Event In Allegheny County – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

ELIZABETH, Pa. (KDKA) — Hundreds of people have shown up for a license to carry and medicine dropoff event at the Forward Township Municipal Building.

KDKA crews observed 226 people showed up between the hours of 8 and 10 a.m.

People are also asked to bring a completed application, a valid PA driver’s license or ID and $20 cash.

The agencies are also hosting Project D.U.M.P. and people can drop off unused or expired medications. The agencies say that glass bottles, liquids, syringes, inhalers/insulin and creams will not be accepted.

Source: Hundreds Show Up For License To Carry Event In Allegheny County – CBS Pittsburgh

One killed, five wounded in Dallas nightclub shooting

A 21-year-old woman was killed and seven people injured in a shooting sparked by a fight at a Dallas nightclub early Saturday.

The fight between two groups at the Pryme Night Club started around 1:30 a.m., Dallas police said. Someone in one of the groups pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting six people, The Associated Press reported.

A local reporter on the scene said the cops ran into a “chaotic scene” and applied tourniquets to the victims before they were sent to the hospital.

The injured were taken from the nightclub to area hospital, where Daisy Navarrete, 21, was pronounced dead. The wounded ranged from stable to critical condition.

Police said the shooter, a man in his 20s, ran away from the scene. Social media posts showed blocked off streets around the club as cops searched for the shooter.

The investigation is ongoing.

Source: One killed, five wounded in Dallas nightclub shooting

7.0 magnitude earthquake hits Japan

TOKYO — Japan on Saturday experienced a strong earthquake that shook buildings in the capital, Tokyo, and caused a tsunami advisory for the country’s northeast coast. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the strength at magnitude 7.0. The shaking started just before 6:10 p.m.

USGS said the quake was centered 6.7 miles east of Ishinomaki at a depth of 33.5 miles. That’s off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, in the country’s rugged northeast, which was heavily damaged during the huge earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

The tsunami advisory was issued for Miyagi prefecture. Officials there said there were no immediate reports of damage.

Source: 7.0 magnitude earthquake hits Japan

No injuries in Greensburg apartment fire on Grant Street | TribLIVE.com

Multiple fire departments from central Westmoreland County responded to a fire that damaged four apartments Friday afternoon in Greensburg, according to 911 dispatchers.

“We had a lot of damage,” Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Bell said. “The homeowners are both alive and we got two cats out as well.”

The call initially came in as a tree on electric utility wires near a residence on Grant Street. West Penn Power crews were called, but it developed into a fire about 2:30 p.m., according to a dispatch supervisor.

Source: No injuries in Greensburg apartment fire on Grant Street | TribLIVE.com

Stowe Twp. shooting sends 2 to hospital | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Two people are in the hospital after a shooting in Stowe Township on Friday afternoon.

Allegheny County police responded to a notification of a shooting on the 800 block of 8th Street at about 3:15 p.m.

When they arrived at the scene, they found an adult male who was shot in the leg and a juvenile male with a minor injury to his arm.

Both were taken to a local hospital and are expected to recover from their injuries.

There was no other information immediately available.

Source: Stowe Twp. shooting sends 2 to hospital | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Biden admin considering flying Latin American migrants to states near Canadian border: report | Fox News

As crossings along the southern border surge to near-record levels, the Biden administration is considering flying migrants to states near the Canadian border, according to a report.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requested the plane support from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Friday after 1,000 migrant families and unaccompanied minors crossed the Rio Grande into South Texas Friday morning, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told The Washington Post. Border agents still have another 1,000 migrants they were unable to process last night, according to communications reviewed by the Post.

The backups at CBP are exacerbated by the nearly 4,500 unaccompanied children being held in detention centers and tent sites at the border, many beyond the legal three-day limit.

The Biden administration contends that the situation at the border is a “challenge,” not a “crisis.”

Source: Biden admin considering flying Latin American migrants to states near Canadian border: report | Fox News

5 White House staffers lose jobs over drugs, marijuana use

Five White House staffers have been fired because of their past use of drugs, including marijuana, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.

Marijuana has become a delicate issue for President Joe Biden’s administration because 15 states and Washington, D.C., allow for recreational usage, despite a federal prohibition. The administration has tried not to automatically penalize potential staffers for legal behavior in their communities by developing a more flexible policy, Psaki said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Source: 5 White House staffers lose jobs over drugs, marijuana use

Biden keeps falling up the stairs as he boards Air Force One

The 78-year-old commander-in-chief had his hand on the railing when he tripped twice before falling over the third time as he flew up the stairs of the idling aircraft at Joint Base Andrews.

After recovering, Biden appeared to take a moment to dust off his knee before finally making his way to the top. He then gave a salute before ducking into the cabin to take off for Georgia.

Source: Biden keeps falling up the stairs as he boards Air Force One

Pair of Johnstown clinics pick up vaccine pace | Coronavirus | tribdem.com

The state’s new COVID-19 cases topped 3,000 again Thursday for the third consecutive day, with 3,136 additional cases reported in the Department of Health update.

Richland Family Health Center, Johnstown Housing Authority and the 1889 Jefferson Center or Population Health joined forces for a vaccine clinic at Garden Terrace Apartments, 730 Bloom St., and Loughner Plaza, 51 Akers St. The Cambria/Somerset COVID-19 Task Force outreach inoculated about 150 people, health center CEO William Kurtycz said.

Source: Pair of Johnstown clinics pick up vaccine pace | Coronavirus | tribdem.com

Sen. Cruz: Illegals do get stimulus checks, Democrats are wrong | One America News Network

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Joe Biden has squandered U.S. national wealth by giving $1,400 dollar stimulus checks to illegal aliens. Democrat media attempted to fact check or censor Cruz by saying illegals couldn’t get stimulus checks because they do not have a social security number.

However, immigration officials refuted Democrat falsehoods that said many illegals who have overstayed their visas actually do possess social security numbers and are in fact eligible for IRS payments.

Source: Sen. Cruz: Illegals do get stimulus checks, Democrats are wrong | One America News Network

21 states sue Biden for revoking Keystone XL pipeline permit – CBS News

Washington — A coalition of attorneys general from 21 states sued President Biden and members of his administration for rescinding the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, seeking to undo the president’s attempt to effectively nix the 1,200 mile-long pipeline.

Source: 21 states sue Biden for revoking Keystone XL pipeline permit – CBS News

House passes bills providing citizenship path for Dreamers, farmworkers | TheHill

House Democrats passed a pair of bills Thursday that would create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and some migrant farm workers, taking a piecemeal approach as the fate of President Biden’s major immigration package looks increasingly uncertain.

The Dream and Promise Act, which passed 228-197, would provide certainty to undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children whose ability to go to school, get work and even remain in the country has hung in the balance from administration to administration.

Sponsor Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) called the bill “a major step in ending the veil of fear and uncertainty that has plagued the lives of our Dreamers for far too long.”

Source: House passes bills providing citizenship path for Dreamers, farmworkers | TheHill

Biden Under Pressure To Sanction Honduras’ President And Cut Security Aid : NPR

MEXICO CITY — The case made in the U.S. Senate’s Honduras bill sounds straightforward: Washington should cut security aid to Honduras and sanction its president over “deeply alarming corruption” and human rights abuses, its authors say.

And in the U.S. House, members recently reintroduced the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act, named for the Indigenous environmental activist murdered in 2016, which also calls for withholding U.S. funds from Honduras’ military and police over corruption.

Accusations have piled up against President Juan Orlando Hernández, other Honduran officials and security forces, ranging from organized crime collusion to civil society repression. U.S. prosecutors even accuse Hernández of taking bribes to help an alleged drug trafficker move tons of cocaine into the United States, which he denies.

For Hernández’s critics in the Central American country, the sanctions would be welcome punishment at the highest level of government.”

Not even the arrival of a gifted shipment of [COVID-19] vaccines causes as much joy as the introduction of [the Senate bill],” columnist Gabriela Castellanos wrote in El Heraldo, a leading Honduran newspaper that largely supports the president.

Source: Biden Under Pressure To Sanction Honduras’ President And Cut Security Aid : NPR

‘Enough Is Enough’: Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings Spur Debate Over Hate Crime Label : NPR

Most of the victims were women of Asian descent. Authorities say it’s too early to declare the attacks a hate crime – but advocates say there’s a pattern that can’t be ignored.

Asian Americans and their allies are calling for solidarity and a push against discrimination and racist violence after a gunman killed eight people at three Atlanta-area spas Tuesday. Most of the victims were women of Asian descent.

Authorities said it’s too early to declare the attacks a hate crime – prompting a debate over when that label should be used and how to present the gunman’s explanation. In an incident report filed by the Atlanta Police Department, officers checked “no” under whether the attacks were a suspected hate crime. But police said Thursday they are still investigating the attacker’s motive.

The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, 21, has confessed, according to police, who said Long denied being motivated by racial animus. Officials in Cherokee County cited sex addiction and a “bad day” as possible explanations for the crime. Police suspect Long was under the influence of alcohol, according to the Atlanta incident report. He is being held in Cherokee, the county northwest of Atlanta where the shootings started.

Atlanta’s Deputy Chief Charles Hampton told reporters on Thursday afternoon that Long had purchased the weapon the day of the attack. He also confirmed Long had frequented at least two of the spas.

Source: ‘Enough Is Enough’: Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings Spur Debate Over Hate Crime Label : NPR

Police Issue Amber Alert For Reported Abducted 1-Year-Old Diore Thomas Of East Pittsburgh – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Pennsylvania State Police have issued an Amber Alert for a child reported abducted in the Pittsburgh area.

Police say 1-year-old Diore Thomas was reported abducted by 20-year-old Giante Thomas. He is believed to be armed, police say.

The child is wearing a pink t-shirt and sleeper. She was last seen Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at Bessemer Avenue in East Pittsburgh.

Giante is believed to be driving a white 2018 Jeep Compass with a Pennsylvania license plate number of LPB2547.

Source: Police Issue Amber Alert For Reported Abducted 1-Year-Old Diore Thomas Of East Pittsburgh – CBS Pittsburgh
By: KDKA-TV News Staff

Psaki says tax increase on high earners will apply to ‘families,’ not ‘individuals’ | Fox News

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that under President Biden’s plan to increase taxes on the wealthy, families, rather than individuals, making less than $400,000 could pay more.

Source: Psaki says tax increase on high earners will apply to ‘families,’ not ‘individuals’ | Fox News

Pittsburgh-Area Business Owners Say They Cannot Fill Open Positions

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The coronavirus pandemic caused a massive wave of unemployment in the Pittsburgh region.

Now that the economy is coming back, employers face a new problem — not enough workers. KDKA investigator Andy Sheehan looks into why employers now can’t fill positions.

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After a year of shutdowns and indoor dining restrictions, the lunchtime crowd at the Juniper Grill in Cranberry is picking up. The problem now is a shortage of cooks, bartenders and waitstaff to serve them.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Pat McDonnell with Atria’s Restaurants. “We have eight restaurants and we need employees at all eight restaurants.”

Employers throughout the region have the same lament. Now that the economy is springing back, they can’t find the workers to fill the positions.

“People call for interviews and they don’t show up for interviews,” said McDonnell. “We’ve gone every place we could go to advertise, to get the word out we are hiring. It’s just been very, very difficult.”

“The labor force is down. The people looking for work is down. I think a lot of folks have moved on,” said University of Pittsburgh researcher Chris Briem.

READ MORE:Pa. State House Passes Bike Lane Safety Bill

At the onset of the pandemic, the region lost 200,000 jobs but got all but 78,000 back over the last year. Now that many of those jobs are returning, about 50,000 people have left the workforce and, according to Briem, are no longer available.

“I think some of our workers have retired early,” said Briem. “I think a lot of our younger workers include students. I think there are tremendous issues with folks taking care of children or other folks at home not being able to jump back into the labor force.”

“It’s a challenge to get them back because of the increased money they get,” said Chief Operating Officer of St. Moritz Security Services Chris Hansen.

Source: Pittsburgh-Area Business Owners Say They Cannot Fill Open Positions

Bernie Sanders rips into Jeff Bezos: ‘You are worth $182 billion … why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers’ from unionizing?

Bezos declined to testify at a hearing on income inequality, which included testimony from a pro-union Amazon worker in Alabama.

  • Bezos declined Sanders’ invitation to testify at a hearing, but the senator had harsh words for him.
  • Sanders criticized Amazon’s countering of a union drive in Alabama despite the CEO’s record wealth.
  • The hearing included testimony from a pro-union worker at Amazon’s Bessemer warehouse.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Source: Bernie Sanders rips into Jeff Bezos: ‘You are worth $182 billion … why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers’ from unionizing?

Biden says he plans ‘small to significant’ tax hike for those making over $400,000

President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that he plans to raise taxes on Americans making more than $400,000 a year as his post-stimulus legislative plans come into focus.

“Anybody making more than $400,000 will see a small to a significant tax increase,” he told ABC News. “If you make less than $400,000, you won’t see one single penny in additional federal tax.”

Speaking with NBC News, two administration officials earlier confirmed that Biden and his top aides are discussing the framework to increase taxes on Americans making more than $400,000 and on large corporations. Bloomberg was the first to report the news.

Source: Biden says he plans ‘small to significant’ tax hike for those making over $400,000

Biden border wall freeze unlawful, 40 GOP senators tell GAO in letter | Fox News

A group of 40 GOP senators on Wednesday asked the Government Accountability Office to decide whether President Biden‘s decision to freeze more than $1 billion in congressionally approved border wall funding violates federal law.

The letter comes as an influx of migrants arrives at the U.S.-Mexico border, creating a humanitarian crisis.

The coalition led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., noted Biden’s immediate suspension of border wall construction on Inauguration Day.

In the weeks after Biden’s inauguration, “operational control of our southern border was compromised and a humanitarian and national security crisis has ensued,” the senators wrote.

“The President’s actions directly contributed to this unfortunate, yet entirely avoidable, scenario,” the letter states. “They are also a blatant violation of federal law and infringe on Congress’s constitutional power of the purse.”

Source: Biden border wall freeze unlawful, 40 GOP senators tell GAO in letter | Fox News

Opinion | Biden just fired a warning shot at Mitch McConnell and Republicans

Mark it down. President Biden has now declared in his most explicit terms yet that Democrats may soon face a stark choice: reform the filibuster or accept that their agenda is a dead letter.

At bottom, this constitutes the firing of a warning shot at Senate Republicans, especially Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Or it should, anyway: It will only matter if Biden and Democrats are actually prepared to act on it, because McConnell will proceed as if they are not.

Biden’s new comments came in an interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, in which Biden came out for reforming the filibuster. This is generating headlines, but what may be even more important is this: Biden displayed a newfound recognition of basic realities about today’s GOP — and about our politics in general — that can’t be wished away.

Source: Opinion | Biden just fired a warning shot at Mitch McConnell and Republicans

Derek Chauvin jurors dismissed over $27M George Floyd settlement

he murder trial of ex-cop Derek Chauvin in George Floyd’s death hit a new snag Wednesday when a Minneapolis judge was forced to dismiss two jurors who had already been seated in the high-profile case.

Hennepin District Judge Peter Cahill questioned the seven jurors who had been seated before news broke of a $27 million settlement of a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by Floyd’s family — and determined that two of the panelists could no longer be impartial.

“It will impact it a lot,” one juror, identified as Juror 36, told Cahill on Wednesday morning.

“So, last time I was asked about my strong opinions about Chauvin,” he told the judge. “Clearly, the city of Minneapolis has some strong opinions as well. And this kind of confirms my opinions that I already had.”

The second juror, Juror 20, conceded that the amount of the settlement “shocked me” and “kind of swayed me a little.”

Only two of the seven said they had not heard of the settlement, and three others said they knew of it but it had not changed their opinion of the case.

Source: Derek Chauvin jurors dismissed over $27M George Floyd settlement

Stimulus check update: U.S. issued 90 million checks worth $242 billion

The U.S. has thus far issued 90 million stimulus checks worth a collective $242 billion as part of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

  • The U.S. has thus far issued 90 million stimulus checks worth a collective $242 billion as part of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
  • The first batch of payments were mostly sent by direct deposit, and some recipients started receiving their checks this past weekend, the government said.
  • The checks began processing on March 12 and some Americans have already seen the deposits as pending prior to today’s official payment day.

Source: Stimulus check update: U.S. issued 90 million checks worth $242 billion

Half-ton of marijuana valued at over $8 million found by dog on routine traffic stop – ABC News

The incident occurred at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16, when an Indiana State Police trooper stopped a van for a moving violation near the town of Lowell, Indiana, about 50 miles southeast of Chicago, according to a statement released by the Indiana State Police.

The officer approached the vehicle with police to speak with the driver — later named as 31-year-old Christopher S. Colburn from McKinleyville, California — which subsequently led to an investigation of the exterior of the vehicle, including a canine sniff, that caused the officer to ask about what was inside the van.“

During that search, troopers discovered 38 large boxes and 6 black garbage bags.,” said the Indiana State Police. “The boxes were wrapped in black plastic wrap. Inside the boxes contained a total of 1,264 individually sealed bags, each weighing approximately 1.5 lbs., and contained a green plant material. A field test of the content revealed it to be marijuana.”

Source: Half-ton of marijuana valued at over $8 million found by dog on routine traffic stop – ABC News

WEB EXTRA: Massive Fireworks Explosion In Ontario, CA Neighborhood – YouTube

Home explosion caused by a ‘large amount of fireworks’ leaves 2 dead, leads to evacuation in Ontario, California

Southern California first responders are investigating after “a large amount of fireworks at a house ignited,” causing an explosion that left two dead and leaving behind a towering column of smoke.

Video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

The incident at an Ontario, California, house caused a “loud explosion,” according to the city. Local police and fire departments are investigating alongside the FBI and the state fire marshal, the Ontario Fire Department’s chief added. Two died in the explosion and fire, officials said.

The fire department received reports about the explosion shortly after noon Tuesday.

“Once they got on scene, there was a series of large explosions in the area and it was very evident that we had a lot of commercial-grade fireworks that were going off at the time,” Ontario Fire Department Chief Ray Gayk told reporters during a press conference. He added about 50 firefighters responded to the scene.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/16/ontario-california-explosion-fireworks-ignite-leads-evacuation/4723608001/

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