Voters In Part Of Westmoreland Co. Will Pick New State Rep. In Special Election On May 18 – CBS Pittsburgh

HARRISBURG (KDKA) – We’re two weeks until Pennsylvania’s primary election day, but for some voters, it’s like a general election with residents choosing a new state representative.

That’s what will happen in part of Westmoreland County. When Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Reese died suddenly at age 42, it left an unexpected vacancy that voters will fill on May 18. Chosen by their party leaders, three candidates are on the ballot.

Source: Voters In Part Of Westmoreland Co. Will Pick New State Rep. In Special Election On May 18 – CBS Pittsburgh

From the Desk of Donald J. Trump: Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business i… | Donald J. Trump

Donald J. Trump

11:45am May 5, 2021

Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership. We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritize the values of America First. Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!

Source: From the Desk of Donald J. Trump: Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business i… | Donald J. Trump

‘Out-of-control’ Chinese rocket falling to Earth could partially survive re-entry | Space | The Guardian

Part of a huge rocket that launched China’s first module for its Tianhe space station is falling back to Earth and could make an uncontrolled re-entry at an unknown landing point.

The 30-metre high core of the Long March 5B rocket launched the “Heavenly Harmony” unmanned core module into low Earth orbit on 29 April from Wenchang in China’s Hainan province.

The Long March 5B then itself entered a temporary orbit, setting the stage for one of the largest ever uncontrolled re-entries. Some experts fear it could land on an inhabited area.

“It’s potentially not good,” said Jonathan McDowell, Astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Center at Harvard University.

 

Since the weekend it has dropped nearly 80km in altitude and Space

News reported that amateur ground observations showed it was tumbling and not under control. This, and its speed, makes it impossible to predict where it will land when Earth’s atmosphere eventually drags it down, though McDowell said the most likely outcome is that it will fall into the sea, as the ocean covers about 71% of the planet.

Source: ‘Out-of-control’ Chinese rocket falling to Earth could partially survive re-entry | Space | The Guardian

Hillary Clinton warns of ‘huge consequences’ in Afghan US troop withdrawal – BBC News

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned of “huge consequences” of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan.

Mrs Clinton told CNN there was a risk the Taliban – the Islamist group ousted in 2001 by the US-led invasion – could retake control.

The US aims to complete the withdrawal by 11 September.

However, the Taliban have been carrying out more attacks.

“This is what we call a wicked problem,” Mrs Clinton told CNN. “There are consequences both foreseen and unintended of staying and of leaving,” she said.

Mrs Clinton, like Mr Biden a Democrat, was a strong supporter of the US intervention in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Source: Hillary Clinton warns of ‘huge consequences’ in Afghan US troop withdrawal – BBC News

Week of April 19 Cable Network Ranker: Fox News Maintains ‘Most-Watched Network’ Status, Grows Adults 25-54 Audience | TVNewser

During the week of April 19, Fox News was the most-watched cable network, averaging nearly 2.3 million viewers and 407,000 in the 25-54 demo during the 8-11 p.m. ET time period. In total day (6 a.m.-6 a.m. ET), Fox was the only cable net to crack 1 million viewers (close to 1.3 million) last week, and averaged 233,000 in the 25-54 demographic.

Compared to the prior week (April 12), the network was up less than 1% in total prime time viewers, but actually grew by +14% in the prime time demo. In total day, Fox News again grew by less than 1% in total viewers, but was +6% in adults 25-54.

As has become the norm in recent weeks, Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged the largest audience on cable news, 3.1 million total viewers to go with 601,000 adults 25-54. Carlson also happened to have had the most-watched cable news show for the month of April.

Source: Week of April 19 Cable Network Ranker: Fox News Maintains ‘Most-Watched Network’ Status, Grows Adults 25-54 Audience | TVNewser

US Catholic bishops may press Biden to stop taking Communion

 

When U.S. Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June, they’ll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians: Don’t receive Communion if you persist in public advocacy of abortion rights.

At issue is a document that will be prepared for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by its Committee on Doctrine, with the aim of clarifying the church’s stance on an issue that has repeatedly vexed the bishops in recent decades. It’s taken on new urgency now, in the eyes of many bishops, because Biden — only the second Catholic president — is the first to hold that office while espousing clear-cut support for abortion rights.

Such a stance, by a public figure, is “a grave moral evil,” according to Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, who chairs the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities and believes it’s necessary to publicly rebuke Biden on the issue.

Source: US Catholic bishops may press Biden to stop taking Communion

CDC: Fully vaccinated people can exercise, hold small gatherings outdoors without masks

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people can exercise outdoors or with members of their household without a mask.
  • The CDC added that fully vaccinated people can hold small gatherings outdoors with others who are inoculated, or with a mix of unvaccinated people, without face coverings.
  • The agency did not define how big those gatherings can be, and said Americans should still wear masks in crowded outdoor spaces.

Source: CDC: Fully vaccinated people can exercise, hold small gatherings outdoors without masks

Oprah Winfrey Says She Was ‘Surprised’ By Meghan Markle’s Racism Claims in Their Interview | Entertainment Tonight

Winfrey said she couldn’t believe Markle went ‘all the way there’ with her claims against the royal family.

Oprah Winfrey is sharing more insight into her explosive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The media mogul expressed that she was “surprised” that the Duchess of Sussex went “all the way there” with her claims against the tabloids and royal family during Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special.

“I was surprised,” Oprah said during the first episode of The Nancy O’Dell Channel on talkshoplive, “What? You’re going there? You’re going all the way there?”

During the broadcast, Meghan and Harry made some shocking claims. Meghan revealed that she suffered from suicidal thoughts while pregnant with son Archie. She said she was told senior members of “the Institution” told her she could not get help. Harry also revealed that his father, Prince Charles, stopped speaking to him for a time. However, one topic that was particularly controversial was Meghan and Harry’s claims that a member of the royal family expressed concerns about how “dark” their future son Archie’s skin tone would be.

Source: Oprah Winfrey Says She Was ‘Surprised’ By Meghan Markle’s Racism Claims in Their Interview | Entertainment Tonight

Housing proposals aim to boost HUD budget for building affordable units | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WASHINGTON — To Larry Swanson, the small apartment buildings scattered across the Pittsburgh region stand as a testament to federal support for affordable housing — support that has waned over the years.

The buildings provide independent living low-income people with a range of disabilities who otherwise would face living in nursing homes or other institutions, said Mr. Swanson, the executive director of Action Housing Inc., a 64-year-old nonprofit that builds, improves and preserves affordable housing throughout the region.

Those projects, most of which have 10 to 15 units each, would not be economically feasible to build, he said, if it weren’t for a specific financing program, called Section 811, offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Those are the kind of things that private developers don’t do,” Mr. Swanson said. With other federal incentives to build housing, like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit run through the U.S. Treasury Department, “you can’t do the same types of projects; you can’t serve the same kinds of people.”

But a lack of HUD funding has deterred Mr. Swanson’s agency from pursuing such a project for more than a decade, he said. “HUD has underfunded for a very long time,” he said.

It’s a familiar lament issued over the years by some advocates of affordable housing and congressional Democrats. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, a push for federal housing dollars is front and center as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Housing proposals aim to boost HUD budget for building affordable units | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Indonesian submarine believed sunk as debris from vessel is found, Navy says – CNN

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN)Indonesia’s Navy changed the status of its missing submarine from “sub miss” to “sub sank” on Saturday, as a naval chief presented debris believed to be from the vessel at a news conference.

Authorities now expect to carry out an evacuation process to recover the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine and its crew when they pinpoint its exact location, Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said.
The latest update came as hopes faded for the 53 crew members, who were expected to have run out of oxygen early on Saturday. So far, no sign of them has been found, Yudo said.
Some warships deployed to the Bali Sea, where the submarine was last contacted Wednesday, will be used to help find the vessel by detecting metal or magnetic objects in the sea, Yudo said.

Source: Indonesian submarine believed sunk as debris from vessel is found, Navy says – CNN

Mayor Peduto responds to call to end traffic stops

A call for police departments in southwestern Pennsylvania to end traffic stops has gotten the attention of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

In its quest to eliminate police shootings of unarmed Black men during “routine” traffic stops, the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) released a letter detailing 14 moving violations that police should bypass on patrol.

In the letter, those violations, operating with expired tags, running red lights, stop signs, speeding and not yielding for pedestrians.

Peduto says his administration is reviewing the letter.

“I think that there is probably a way to incorporate some of what he is talking about into policy and planning with police,” Peduto said.

However, Peduto stopped short of saying he endorses all demands listed in the BPEP letter.

“We look forward to working with B-PEP and the NAACP on reform in policing in Pittsburgh,” Peduto said.

Source: Mayor Peduto responds to call to end traffic stops

Pennsylvania state trooper charged with tampering

Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday announced charges against a trooper in Beaver County who investigators said tried to withdraw a traffic citation that was issued by another trooper.

Trooper Trask Alexander, 29, is charged with tampering with records or identification, tampering with public records or information and obstructing administration of law or other governmental function, state police said.

“Trooper Alexander is accused of attempting to withdraw a traffic citation that had been issued by another trooper to an acquaintance of Alexander’s in November 2020,” police said in a statement.

According to court papers, Alexander filled out a Request For Withdrawal form, three days after his friend was cited. Investigators say Alexander used his friend’s last name and partial citation number, then listed the reason for the withdrawal as “wrong defendant was selected for citation” before faxing it to the court. According to court papers, court officials noticed that the signature did not match the issuing trooper, and notified him of the request.

State police said Alexander is suspended without pay, pending the outcome of the case and an internal investigation.

Alexander is assigned to the patrol section of Troop D in Beaver.

Source: Pennsylvania state trooper charged with tampering

Russian President Putin state of the nation as Navalny protests ahead

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to address the nation on Wednesday in his annual “State of the Nation” address, a speech that will take place amid growing tensions with Ukraine and a hunger strike by dissident Alexei Navalny.

In the last week, there have been further reports that Russian troops are massing at the border with Ukraine, potentially preparing for military action.

Navalny, on hunger strike in a Russian prison, has become dangerously ill and has been moved to a prison hospital. The news prompted warnings from the U.S. that there would be “consequences” if Russia allows Navalny to die in jail.

Source: Russian President Putin state of the nation as Navalny protests ahead

Monroeville woman, 64, sues restaurant, police after arrest over wrong food order | TribLIVE.com

A Monroeville woman is suing a police officer and a Panda Express restaurant, alleging she was arrested for complaining that she got the wrong meal.

According to the lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court, Diana Broadnax, 64, went to the Panda Express on William Penn Highway in Monroeville on May 5, 2019, to place a take-out order.

When she got home, she realized she had gotten the wrong order, the lawsuit said. She immediately went back to the restaurant to exchange it.

According to the complaint, the manager, who is described as a white woman, responded angrily, yelled at Broadnax, who is Black, and threatened to call the police.

The manager did call the Monroeville police, complaining that Broadnax had been disorderly and was drunk.

“Plaintiff was not intoxicated, had not consumed any alcohol, was not disorderly, and since it was Sunday, her only activity before going to the Panda Express, was to attend church services,” the lawsuit said.

It continued that Broadnax had not engaged in any physical or verbal activity that justified the manager’s behavior or her calling the police.

Source: Monroeville woman, 64, sues restaurant, police after arrest over wrong food order | TribLIVE.com

West Hempstead: Man held in connection with the grocery shooting, police say – CNN

(CNN)A man who police believe shot three people — killing one — on Tuesday is in custody, police said.

The shooting happened in a manager’s office on an upper level of a Stop & Shop grocery in the community of West Hempstead, New York. A couple hundred people were inside the store, police said.
Gabriel DeWitt Wilson
Gabriel DeWitt Wilson is someone “we believe is the shooter,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said before Wilson was taken into custody.
“He left the scene, and he was witnessed still carrying the handgun,” Ryder told reporters.

Source: West Hempstead: Man held in connection with the grocery shooting, police say – CNN

Biden selects first woman four-star admiral for the Coast Guard

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has nominated Coast Guard Vice Adm. Linda Fagan to the role of vice commandant, making her the first woman to achieve a fourth-star in the service.

Fagan, the head of the Coast Guard’s Pacific area of operations, would replace Adm. Charles Ray, who has been the Coast Guard’s No. 2 officer since May 2018. Defense News first reported the nomination early Monday.

According to her biography, Fagan has served on all seven continents. She previously held command roles along the east coast, and also served as deputy director of operations for Headquarters at U.S. Northern Command.

“I am pleased that President Biden has nominated Vice Admiral Linda Fagan to be the Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard,” Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “She is a superb leader who, as the 32nd Vice Commandant, will guide the Coast Guard at a time when its mission of securing our maritime borders, ports, and waterways has never been more important.

“If confirmed, Vice Admiral Fagan would serve as the first woman to be promoted to a 4-star rank in the Coast Guard.  We are grateful to Vice Admiral Fagan for continuing her service to country, for the trail she has blazed, and for inspiring us all.”

Source: Biden selects first woman four-star admiral for the Coast Guard

Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama vote not to form a union – ABC News

In what many view as a major blow to the organized labor movement, Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama have voted not to form a labor union.

Of the some 3,117 votes cast in the closely watched union election, a total of 1,798 votes were against unionization, compared to 738 in favor of it, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Even accounting for the 505 challenged ballots, Amazon has cinched enough “no” votes to defeat the organizing efforts.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which workers were seeking to be represented by, said Friday that it plans to file objections to Amazon’s conduct surrounding the election with the NLRB.

Source: Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama vote not to form a union – ABC News

The Queen returns to royal duties following Prince Philip’s death – CNN

London (CNN)Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has held her first in-person engagement since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, last Friday.

The 94-year-old monarch hosted a ceremony on Tuesday within the confines of Windsor Castle for Earl Peel, who recently left his post as Lord Chamberlain.
The Lord Chamberlain’s Office orchestrates the Queen’s program of ceremonial events, including everything from garden parties and state visits to royal weddings and the state opening of Parliament.

Source: The Queen returns to royal duties following Prince Philip’s death – CNN

Emergency Rental Assistance Program Available For Western Pa. Residents – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Some renters continue to struggle to make ends meet, but a new statewide program hopes to ease some of that burden.

Renter Lee McCrorie told KDKA that she wishes she could just buy a house.

“I was paying $1,193, plus gas and water and all that and they just upped it to $1,200 a month,” said McCrorie.

She lives in Seven Fields and just learned about the Emergency Renter’s Assistance Program. She hopes it’ll help with her rent and piled up late fees.

“I have a lot of other bills that have been sliding and plus that one month that I was late, my sister paid it for me, so I have to pay her back,” said McCrorie.

The state sounded the alarm Tuesday, saying it doesn’t want renters to miss out on this money because they didn’t know about the program.

“This program is deliberately designed to help people dig out of what may be some very deep holes,” said Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “It doesn’t matter if your monthly rent is $500 or $2,500 as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.”

There’s $847 million up for grabs across 67 counties. Allegheny County created a website for applications, which can be found here.

Source: Emergency Rental Assistance Program Available For Western Pa. Residents – CBS Pittsburgh

First lady Jill Biden to undergo ‘procedure,’ White House says

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Joe Biden will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, early Wednesday morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “common medical procedure.”

The White House says both Bidens will then return to the White House and “resume their normal schedule.”

Later Wednesday, the president is set to address the nation on his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. He will then visit Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of many American service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The White House did not immediately detail the nature of the first lady’s procedure.

Source: First lady Jill Biden to undergo ‘procedure,’ White House says

Inside Greg Gutfeld’s Meltdown—From Comic Rebel to Punchline

His new late-night Fox News show is a ratings success, but former colleagues and on-air pals say Gutfeld has morphed from iconoclast to dutiful pro-Trump company man.

These days the 56-year-old Gutfeld, whose eponymous 11 p.m. weeknight program Gutfeld! debuted on Fox News last week to largely hostile reviews but robust ratings, has, by some appraisals, morphed from zany rebel to company man, and from rule-breaking joker to handsomely compensated ideologue (at a rumored $4 million a year).

The second Fox News offering with his name in the title—the first aired on Saturday nights for six years starting in 2015—Gutfeld’s latest show thus far has largely consisted of crude parodies of rival personalities on other networks, sneering attacks on Joe and Hunter Biden, repeated warnings about the lying mainstream media, and an amen corner of familiar Fox News panelists, including new hire and former Trump mouthpiece Kayleigh McEnany, attempting variations on owning the libs.

Read Source: Inside Greg Gutfeld’s Meltdown—From Comic Rebel to Punchline

DARPA unveils ‘COVID microchip,’ claims not for surveillance purposes | One America News Network

The Pentagon unveiled a coronavirus microchip that it claims can detect illness and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“The tiny green thing in there, you put it underneath your skin and what that tells you is that there are chemical reactions going on inside the body. And that signal means you’re going to have symptoms tomorrow,” retired Col. Matt Hepburn, an army infectious disease physician said.

The implant was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which claimed the device can not be used for surveillance purposes.

Source: DARPA unveils ‘COVID microchip,’ claims not for surveillance purposes | One America News Network

Ramsey Clark, attorney general under Johnson, dies at 93 – POLITICO

NEW YORK — Ramsey Clark, the attorney general in the Johnson administration who became an outspoken activist for unpopular causes and a harsh critic of U.S. policy, has died. He was 93.

Clark, whose father, Tom Clark, was attorney general and U.S. Supreme Court justice, died on Friday at his Manhattan home, a family member, Sharon Welch, announced to media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post.

After serving in President Lyndon Johnson’s Cabinet in 1967 and ’68, Clark set up a private law practice in New York in which he championed civil rights, fought racism and the death penalty, and represented declared foes of the United States including former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman. He also defended former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

New York civil rights attorney Ron Kuby, who worked with Clark on numerous cases, called the death “very, very sad in a season of losses.”

“The progressive legal community has lost its elder dean and statesman,” Kuby said. “Over many generations, Ramsey Clark was a principled voice, conscience and a fighter for civil and human rights.”

Source: Ramsey Clark, attorney general under Johnson, dies at 93 – POLITICO

PolitiFact | In gun policy address, Joe Biden exaggerates about background checks at gun shows

  • If you go to a gun show and buy a firearm from a federally licensed seller, you will have to pass a background check, just as if you went to a bricks-and-mortar gun store. You would only escape a background check at a gun show if you bought from a seller who isn’t federally licensed.
  • While the data is incomplete, federally licensed sellers have been found to make up a substantial share, and perhaps a majority, of gun show vendors.
In a Rose Garden event, President Joe Biden announced several actions his administration will take to address what he called an “epidemic” of gun violence.

Biden repeated his call for Congress to pass legislation to expand background checks. The House voted largely along party lines to pass a pair of background check bills this year, but they haven’t moved forward in the Senate.

“These bills, one, require background checks for anyone purchasing a gun at a gun show or an online sale,” Biden said at the April 8 event. “Most people don’t know it, you walk into a store and you buy a gun, you have a background check. But you go to a gun show, you can buy whatever you want, and no background check.”

When it comes to background checks for gun purchases, what matters is who sells the guns, not where the guns are sold — and when a federally licensed seller is a vendor at a gun show, they have to run a background check just as they would if they were back at a bricks-and-mortar gun store.

The White House told PolitiFact that Biden wasn’t suggesting that every gun transaction at a gun show would take place without a background check. Instead, he meant that sales without background checks could occur in some cases.

However, that’s not what he said.

What the laws say about sales at gun shows

Advocates for stricter gun control measures often talk about the “gun show loophole,” though some observers say the term is a misnomer. The phrase itself doesn’t explain who is and isn’t required to run background checks at gun shows.

Federal law requires that people in the business of dealing in firearms be licensed by the federal government.

Specifically, the law says that a license is required if “a person who devotes time, attention, and labor to dealing in firearms as a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms.”

The law specifically rules out a required license if a person “makes occasional sales, exchanges, or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or who sells all or part of his personal collection of firearms.”

This can sometimes be a fuzzy distinction, but it means many sellers of guns do need to have a license.

“Every federally licensed retailer, whether they are selling a gun at a brick and mortar store, a  gun show or the sale starts online,” must complete a signed background check form from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and get approval from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check system, said Mark Oliva, a spokesperson for the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Source: PolitiFact | In gun policy address, Joe Biden exaggerates about background checks at gun shows

Biden’s Real Goal: Forced, Universal Unionization – DickMorris.com at DickMorris.com

Biden has explicitly stated that the Davis-Bacon Act requiring union wages and companies will govern the expenditure of federal construction money under the infrastructure bill. This includes just short of $2 trillion on building roads, bridges, airports rewiring and re-insulating private buildings and schools, renovating the electric power grid, replacing old water system pipes, building charging stations for electric cars and all manner of other construction. With that amount of money, no company can resist unionization if that is what is required to get in on the gravy train.

Source: Biden’s Real Goal: Forced, Universal Unionization – DickMorris.com at DickMorris.com

Biden infrastructure plan includes corporate tax hike, transportation money

President Biden hopes to pass a $2 trillion infrastructure and economic recovery package to jolt the economy after approval of a Covid relief plan.

  • President Biden unveiled a more than $2 trillion infrastructure and economic recovery package on Wednesday.
  • The plan aims to revitalize U.S. transportation infrastructure, water systems, broadband and manufacturing, among other goals.
  • An increase in the corporate tax rate to 28% and measures designed to prevent offshoring of profits will fund the spending, according to the White House.

Source: Biden infrastructure plan includes corporate tax hike, transportation money

SWAT called to Arlington home after neighbor dispute

PITTSBURGH —SWAT was called after a dispute in Arlington Sunday afternoon.

Pittsburgh police responded to the 2800 block of Spring Street around noon for man in dispute with his neighbors.

When officers arrived, they were alerted that the man went inside of his residence. Police say the man refused the commands from officers to come outside.

Police learned the man had warrants after he had barricaded himself inside the house.

Upon the arrival of SWAT, the suspect walked out of the house and surrendered to police without incident.

Source: SWAT called to Arlington home after neighbor dispute

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