News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit Monday against the founder and CEO of Minnesota-based MyPillow, saying that Mike Lindell falsely accused the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election.
Source: Dominion Voting Systems sues MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for $1.3 billion
Fauci predicted the country would be “approaching a degree of normality” by the end of the year, but says face coverings may still be necessary.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki dodged a question on Sunday regarding whether President Biden still considers New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo “the gold standard” for leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” Psaki did not directly answer a question from Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl who pointed to Biden’s comments from April 2020.CUOMO AIDE TELLS NY DEMOCRATS ADMINISTRATION HID NURSING HOME DATA TO KEEP IT FROM TRUMP DOJ: REPORT
At the time, Biden said the “governor of New York has done one hell of a job” and that he thinks Cuomo is “sort of the gold standard.”
Karl pointed to the New York governor’s alleged undercounting of nursing home deaths and the fact that he reportedly misled legislatures in the state.
“So does President Biden still consider Andrew Cuomo ‘the gold standard’ when it comes to leadership on the pandemic?” Karl asked.“We work with Gov. Cuomo just like we work with governors across the country,” Psaki responded. “He’s also the chair of the NGA [National Governors Association] so he plays an important role in ensuring that we’re coordinating closely and getting assistance out to people of his state and to states across the country and we’ll continue to do that.”
Days of snow and ice brought down power lines and damaged utility equipment across northwest Oregon, causing extensive power outages that have lasted for over a week in some areas.
Portland General Electric, the state’s largest provider of electricity, said the number of outages reflects ongoing challenges including the “discovery of both more extensive damage to our equipment than expected as well as previously assessed damage.”
Source: National Guard deploys as 40,000 still without power in northwest Oregon – oregonlive.com
Republicans by double-digit margins said they are willing to ditch their party to follow former President Donald Trump if he breaks out on his own, according to a new poll released Sunday.
Members of the GOP by 46 percent to 27 percent said they would put the Republican Party in the rear-view mirror if Trump creates his own, a USA Today/Suffolk University poll found.
“We feel like Republicans don’t fight enough for us, and we all see Donald Trump fighting for us as hard as he can, every single day,” Brandon Keidl, 27, a Republican and small-business owner from Milwaukee, told the pollsters.
“But then you have establishment Republicans who just agree with establishment Democrats and everything, and they don’t ever push back,” he said.
Half of those surveyed said they think the Republican Party should be “more loyal to Trump” — even if that means losing the support of those in the GOP establishment.
Nineteen percent said the party should pull away from Trump.
The survey showed that Trump’s support remains strong since he was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial for stirring up his supporters to march on the Capitol Jan. 6.
Trump will deliver the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Feb. 28.
He will speak on the “the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement.”
Source: Republicans willing to break from party to follow Trump: poll
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough went on a strange rant Tuesday, accusing his critics of equating rioting in cities across America last year with the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6, even saying he wouldn’t confuse a “taco stand with the United States Capitol.”
“I know there are idiots on other cable news channels that will say, ‘Well, this mom-and-pop store was vandalized during the summer riots, and that’s just as bad as the United States Capitol being vandalized.’ No jackass, it’s not,” Scarborough said on “Morning Joe” as co-host Mika Brzezinski laughed uncomfortably.”
The Capitol of the United States of America is the center of American democracy. And while I am a fierce believer in people’s right to defend their private property, I’m not going to confuse a taco stand with the United States Capitol. I’m not going to confuse the selling of tacos with actually moving through a constitutional process that is laid out in the United States Constitution for members of the House and the Senate to actually perform their constitutional duties. No. No. No. Property damage does not equal insurrection.”
After The Daily Caller posted the clip later Tuesday, Scarborough rounded on the publication, tweeting: “Are you too stupid to understand the destruction of personal property is abhorrent, and at the same time realize that a terrorist attack against the US Capitol is a greater threat to America?”
At his Senate hearing on Monday, attorney general nominee Merrick Garland will pledge to prosecute “white supremacists and others” who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January, in support of Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his election defeat.
SAN ANTONIO – A suspected shoplifter was shot multiple times inside a West Side Walmart Saturday afternoon after police say he pointed a gun at an officer when confronted for not paying.
It happened at the Walmart off W. Military Dr. and Loop 410 a little after 1:45 p.m.
According to San Antonio police, Manuel Espinoza, an off-duty San Antonio ISD officer working security at the Walmart spotted a man allegedly shoplifting from the store. Officer Espinoza then approached the unidentified suspect, 44, while he was about to leave the store. That’s when investigators say a brief struggle ensued with the suspect reportedly pulling out a gun, pointing it at the officer.
Authorities say Officer Espinoza then pushed the suspect before taking his own service gun and shot the suspect several times.
The suspect was rushed to University Hospital but his current status is unknown. An investigation is underway and the suspect is expected to face charges once he’s released from the hospital, but it’s unclear what they are as of this writing.
We caught up with Mariah Quinones, who was inside the Walmart with her 4-year-old son and father when the shooting happened.
Source: Suspected shoplifter shot several times by security officer amid confrontation at Walmart | WOAI
A Boeing 777 with 241 people on board dropped debris over northern Colorado after experiencing engine failure but landed safely at Denver International Airport Saturday, officials said.
Source: Plane experiences engine failure and drops debris over Colorado, lands safely | Fox News
METAIRIE, La. —
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting in Metairie at the Jefferson Gun Outlet.
According to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, three people are dead and two people were taken to area hospitals and are considered to be stable.
AdvertisementAt around 2:50 pm, Lopinto said deputies responded to the shooting at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in the 6700 block of Airline Drive.
Deputies found several victims suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Lopinto.
JPSO sources say that a man entered the gun outlet with a loaded gun unholstered.
Sources say that the man got into an argument with a clerk who told him he should not have a loaded gun until he got inside the range.
According to JPSO sources, shots were fired during the argument when at least two customers on the range engaged the man.
The man was shot, but also fired back at the two customers who were also injured, according to JPSO sources.
At this time, Lopinto said it appears a suspect shot two victims inside the location, then was engaged by the two customers and shot outside the location by multiple other individuals.
The suspect is one of the deceased on scene, according to Lopinto.
There is no additional information available at this time.
Source: 3 killed, 2 hospitalized after argument at Jefferson Gun Outlet leads to shots fired
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detectives are seeking the public’s help locating a missing woman.
32-year-old Arielle Eyers of East Liberty was last seen Jan. 31 at her home. She was last seen wearing a black and white coat, grey hoodie and black sweatpants.
Eyers is 5’5” 95 pounds with brown hair partly shaved and green eyes.
Source: Pittsburgh police seek public’s help in finding a missing and endangered woman
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, says the U.S. can’t solely rely on renewable energy and that the U.S. has to have a baseload of predictable and sustainable sources of power to deal with disasters such as the ice storm in his state.
”We have now half a million people without power, but we had 4 million at one point,” Arrington said Thursday during an appearance on Newsmax TV’s ”Spicer & Co.”
”Yesterday there were children’s hospitals having to consolidate with others for loss of power. There are homes flooding. This is an epic disaster — 234 counties in Texas all locked up and frozen, literally.”
Hundreds of thousands of Texans have struggled for heat and water because of utility outages due to the ice storm. About 390,000 Texas homes were still without power Thursday, down from around 4.5 million earlier in the week.
”We have ERCOT, which is the independent operator of our power grid and there was some irresponsible failure on their part to not winterize hard assets, not have the rolling outages early enough, not having enough reserve power, maybe depending too much on renewable,” said Arrington.
Carl Hart is a Columbia University professor of psychology and neuroscience. He chairs the psych department and has a fondness for heroin – not only as a subject of scholarly pursuit but also as a substance for personal use.
At 54, the married father of three has snorted small amounts of heroin for as many as 10 days in a row and enjoyed it mightily – even if, as he recalls in his new book “Drug Use for Grown-ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear” (Penguin Press), he’s experienced mild withdrawal symptoms “12 to 16 hours after the last dose.”
But, as Hart sees it, the discomfort is a worthwhile trade-off.
Source: Columbia professor: I do heroin regularly for ‘work-life balance’
The U.S. on Friday began admitting migrants waiting in Mexico for their immigration cases to be processed — as the Biden administration moves to wind down the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a move critics say could fuel a new border crisis.
The program, known as the “Remain-in-Mexico” policy and agreed to with Mexico, was a key component of the Trump administration’s efforts to curb the 2019 border crisis and end “catch-and-release” — by which migrants were released into the U.S. to await their hearings.
MPP set up court tents at the border where migrants could have their hearings and cases processed and then would return to Mexico to await the result. Proponents said it stopped the pull factors bringing migrants north, and was effective in weeding out illegitimate asylum claims. But critics claimed it was cruel and designed to close the border — pointing also to squalid conditions in camps set up on the Mexican side of the border.
Biden ordered a review of MPP after entering office, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week that it would begin to process migrants placed in the program.
On Friday, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she plans to travel to Texas to help at the Houston Food Bank, along with Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia, who represents the Houston region.
Ocasio-Cortez called for volunteers to help out, although the application form now appears to be closed. She has helped raise $2 million in relief funds for those suffering after a winter storm slammed Texas, according to an announcement on Friday.
A day earlier, she’d announced that fundraising had topped $1 million in about four hours.
Garcia said: “We are ready to show you my District and impact of the #TexasFreeze to our most vulnerable. Be ready to roll up your sleeves and work starting at Houston Food Bank,” Garcia said.
Source: AOC says she will volunteer at Houston Food Bank, raises $2 million for Texas storm relief
Westmoreland County has a new Clerk of Courts.
Megan Loughner, 35, of Unity was sworn in to office Friday to take over the final 10 months of the clerk’s term, replacing Bryan Kline. He was hired last month as the new warden of Westmoreland County Prison.
The office oversees all criminal court records and documents filed at the county courthouse.
Loughner, a Republican, has worked as a top administrator for Kline since he first took office in 2010, first as the office’s fiscal manager and for the last five years as chief deputy.
Source: Loughner sworn in as acting Westmoreland Clerk of Courts | TribLIVE.com
- Newsmax host Greg Kelly said Biden’s dog Champ looks like it’s from “the junkyard.”
- A guest on Kelly’s show said Champ looks “dirty and disheveled” and “unlike a presidential dog.”
- Their comments on Champ prompted a wave of criticism and mockery on Twitter.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Source: Newsmax guest says Biden’s dog is ‘dirty’ and ‘unlike a presidential dog’
Now’s your chance.
In place of an annual Oscar-inspired event, the Pittsburgh Film Office is hosting a virtual “Lights! Glamour! Action!” event that consists of members of the public sending in videos of themselves reenacting their favorite movie lines.
Submitted videos have the chance to premier at a virtual event on Saturday, April 24.
The event was inspired by a past fundraising event, Movie Lines, where guests would act out movie scenes that were presented at the film office’s Oscar night. At the event, guests had the opportunity to walk down a red carpet, wear elegant dresses and participate in different activities.
Source: Pittsburgh Film Office asking public to submit videos for virtual event | TribLIVE.com
Sen. Joe Manchin on Friday said he opposes Neera Tanden’s nomination as President Biden’s budget director due to her insult-laden tweets, but Biden says won’t pull her nomination.
Biden told reporters as he returned to Washington from a trip to Michigan that “no” he won’t withdraw Tanden’s nomination, even though she may now be rejected in the evenly divided Senate.
Manchin (D-W.V.) cited Tanden’s confrontational tweets toward Republicans and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) while she served as president of the Democratic Party-aligned Center for American Progress.
“I have carefully reviewed Neera Tanden’s public statements and tweets that were personally directed towards my colleagues on both sides of the aisle from Senator Sanders to Senator McConnell and others,” Manchin said.
Source: Manchin opposes Neera Tanden confirmation over nasty tweets
The proposed package includes direct relief for most Americans in the form of $1,400 stimulus checks. But when will it get approved?
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — President Joe Biden participated in a CNN town hall Tuesday night aimed at selling his $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package directly to the American people.
It’s part of a White House effort designed in part to put pressure on Republican lawmakers and refocus Congress on speedy passage of the bill now that his predecessor’s impeachment trial is behind him.
The Biden administration has waived ethics rules to allow a top Department of Homeland Security official to make policy in areas on which she lobbied for her former employer, Amnesty International.
Why it matters: The waiver is the first granted under Biden’s new ethics pledge, which allows the White House to shelve restrictions on former lobbyists in the administration if doing so is deemed in the national interest.
Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.
Source: White House waives ethics rules for first Biden official
The Wuhan Institute of Virology – the China lab U.S. intelligence has tied to the worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus – received U.S. funding from 2014 to 2019 for studies on bat-based coronaviruses and is eligible to receive American taxpayer funding through January 2024, the Daily Caller reported, citing the National Institutes of Health.
The WIV received $600,000 of U.S. government funding through the New York-based non-profit group EcoHealth Alliance, the Daily Caller said.
Source: Report: Wuhan Lab Received US Funds, Still Eligible Into 2024 | Newsmax.com
Electric bills in the Lone Star State skyrocketed to as high as $17,000 per month after a historic storm and power outage sparked a high demand for heat, according to reports Friday.
Dallas-area resident Ty Williams was hit with sticker shock when his monthly bill soared from $600 last month to nearly $17,000 so far this month, according to the local station WFAA.
Source: Homeowners hit with massive electric bills amid Texas winter storm
Kim Kardashian has filed to divorce Kanye West after 7 years of marriage, but our sources say it’s as amicable as a divorce can be. Kim is asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s 4 kids. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Kanye is fine with the joint custody arrangement, and we’re told both Kim and Ye are committed to co-parenting together. There’s a prenup and we’re told neither party is contesting it. In fact, our sources say they are already far along in reaching a property settlement agreement. The docs, filed by disso queen Laura Wasser, don’t list a date of separation … it’s listed as to be determined. The date is almost irrelevant because their split has been so well-chronicled in the news and social media.
Source: Kim Kardashian Files for Divorce from Kanye West
The world’s No. 1 cryptocurrency hit a record high on Friday, propelling it to a market value above $1 trillion for the first time ever.
A single bitcoin BTCUSD, +7.53% jumped to a record at $$53,910.44, based on prices tracked by CoinDesk, briefly bringing its total market capitalization to a peak at $1,002,547,798,785, according to data from research company CoinMarketCap.com.
Source: Bitcoin market value tops $1 trillion for first time ever as crypto price soars – MarketWatch
Biden says declaration could be signed this afternoon and would open up aid for immediate and long-term recovery efforts – follow all the latest news
Source: Texas storm: Biden to declare major disaster to secure federal aid – live | US news | The Guardian
Visitors have been barred from the state’s nursing homes for months.
Source: Visits can resume at New York nursing homes, Cuomo says – syracuse.com
