Western PA News

Source: ‘Shadow President’: Richard Grenell Warns Ex-Obama Official Is Taking Over Behind the Scenes

‘Shadow President’: Richard Grenell Warns Ex-Obama Official Is Taking Over Behind the Scenes

So, who is acting on his behalf? Who is actually running this country? Some might think it’s Vice President Kamala Harris or perhaps House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

But former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell believes it’s Susan Rice, who served as former President Barack Obama’s national security advisor.

In an interview on “CPAC Now,” Grenell spoke to Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, and his wife, Mercedes, the former White House director of strategic communications for the Trump administration.

He noted that Susan Rice, who was appointed as Biden’s domestic policy advisor, is actually a foreign policy expert. There were reports that she might fill the secretary of state role, but she didn’t have the Senate confirmation votes to get there.

How to Protect Your Home Network From ‘FragAttacks’

Hearing your wireless devices are vulnerable to something called “FragAttacks” doesn’t exactly inspire joy. However, the word is scarier than the risk; there’s no evidence that anyone is actively exploiting wireless devices via these vulnerabilities, even given the millions that could be susceptible to FragAttacks—short for “fragmentation and aggregation attacks.”

The name “FragAttack” actually refers to a group of vulnerabilities related to frames, or packets of data, that can be exploited to either steal someone’s information as it passes between networked devices, or to take over a device entirely—whether that’s a simple IoT smart switch or that old laptop you use to browse the web at home. Attackers can either inject unwanted, unencrypted frames into a network, or they can take advantage of how frames are aggregated together (or how aggregates are split apart) to inject and execute data that wasn’t there in the first place.

The best way to keep your network as safe as possible against FragAttack vulnerabilities is to keep your devices updated—and you’ll note this is the same advice we give everyone about every security vulnerability ever. Make sure your routers, smart devices, laptops, phones, or whatever else are all running the most up-to-date firmware and software updates you can find. If you’re lucky, your devices’ manufacturer will have a means for updating them automatically. Otherwise, you’ll need to make sure you’re checking on a regular interval (say, quarterly) for critical updates that can patch up vulnerabilities like these.

Read Source: How to Protect Your Home Network From ‘FragAttacks’

Dogecoin rallies on Elon Musk tweet, anticipated Coinbase listing

Dogecoin’s price soared as high as 56 cents early Friday, according to Coin Metrics data.

Dogecoin’s price soared as high as 56 cents early Friday, according to Coin Metrics data.

Elon Musk tweeted that he was working with dogecoin developers to improve the efficiency of transactions.

Crypto exchange Coinbase said Thursday it would offer dogecoin support in the next six to eight weeks.

Source: Dogecoin rallies on Elon Musk tweet, anticipated Coinbase listing

Your guide to the May 18 Pittsburgh mayoral primary election – The Pitt News

By Millicent Watt, Senior Staff Writer

Challengers Ed Gainey, Tony Moreno and Mike Thompson will face off against Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in next Tuesday’s primary elections, after a heated campaign season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In-person voting takes place on May 18 between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and all requested mail-in or absentee ballots must be turned in before 8 p.m. on Election Day. Unless a Republican enters the race for mayor, the winner of the Democratic primary will run unopposed in November’s general election.

Ballot Questions:

Allegheny County Proposed Ordinance

If approved, the Allegheny County Code will be amended to prohibit solitary confinement (more than 20 hours per day) in the Allegheny County Jail, except for limited circumstances and not to be used as punishment.

Proposed Home Rule Charter Amendment

If approved, Pittsburgh’s Home Rule Charter would be amended to prohibit the City police from executing warrants at any residence without knocking and announcing themselves first.

Statewide Referendum – Act 2020-91

This question asks Pennsylvanians to vote on making municipal fire departments and emergency medical companies with paid employees eligible to apply for loans from an existing state program.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1

If approved, this amendment would allow the General Assembly to end or extend all or part of a disaster emergency declaration without needing the governor’s approval.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2

If approved, this amendment would restrict the governor’s emergency powers in several ways.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 3

If approved, this amendment would protect Pennsylvania citizens against denial of equal rights based on their ethnicity or race.

Details In Source: Your guide to the May 18 mayoral primary election – The Pitt News

Source: Pittsburgh man arrested, charged with arson in four-alarm blaze at historic South Side building

Pittsburgh man arrested, charged with arson in four-alarm blaze at historic South Side building

The building was home to the South Side Chamber of Commerce offices, a barbershop and six apartments.

Pittsburgh police said Christian Ross (pictured below), 25, of Pittsburgh was arrested and faces the following charges: aggravated arson, two counts of arson endangering persons, two counts of arson endangering property, one count of criminal mischief and one count of causing a catastrophe.

Pittsburgh police, Christian Ross

According to the criminal complaint, Ross was a former tenant in an apartment on the second floor. Investigators said he broke into the apartment multiple times last year after he moved out.

On the day of the fire, investigators said he was allowed back inside to remove his belongings while unsupervised.

May 5, police said Ross handed over a written confession note as an inmate inside the Allegheny County Jail for an unrelated incident.

However, before the confession note, police said surveillance cameras captured Ross leaving the building while it was on fire.The cameras are mounted on the side of the First National Bank building next door.

Investigators also said Ross used a small propane/butane torch to start the fire and he later left it behind at a friend’s house.

The criminal complaint said Ross did not say why he set the fire but did say he only confessed because the incident had been “weighing on him.”

Police said Ross is currently being held in the Allegheny County Jail on separate charges.”

This arrest and corresponding charges were made possible thanks to the seamless cooperation between our Fire Investigation Unit, the ATF, and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. I thank everyone for their hard work in bringing this case to a close,” Department of Public Safety Director, Wendell Hissrich said in a news release.

Source: Providence shooting: Nine people injured in shooting that Rhode Island police chief says was between feuding groups – CNN

Providence shooting: Nine people injured in shooting that Rhode Island police chief says was between feuding groups – CNN

(CNN)Nine people in Rhode Island’s capital were injured in a shooting Thursday, Providence Police Chief Hugh Clement said during a news conference.

Three victims are “very seriously injured, maybe critically,” Clement said.

Only one patient was taken to the Rhode Island Hospital by ambulance while the rest arrived in private vehicles, according to Clement.

Police responded around 6:47 p.m. ET to reports of shots fired at a home, according to Clement.

Clement said the assailant vehicle pulled up outside a home and the occupants began shooting. Those at the home returned fire, according to the chief.

The people involved in the shooting are known to police and are part of two feuding groups, Clement said. The chief added that officers were sent to the hospital for security because of the possibility that victims from opposing groups were there.

Clement said the ages of those involved range from 19 to 25.

Several dozen shots were fired in the incident, he said.

“This was not random. It was targeted at that address,” he told reporters.

No arrests have been made at this point and the investigation is ongoing, the chief said.

Clement said there were at least four or five guns involved in the shooting.

New cars in Pittsburgh in short supply as microchip shortage persists – WPXI

PITTSBURGH — Purchasing or leasing the new car of your dreams might prove challenging in the months ahead, as dealers face unprecedented supply issues.

“It’s something we just never would have even foreseen,” said Mike Engle, general manager of Jim Shorkey Auto Group.

It’s a problem impacting dealerships nationwide, and it’s caused by a global microchip shortage.

“They run everything from the infotainment system to blind spot monitoring, back up cameras, everything that we want in our vehicles now, are all the result of these microchips,” Engle said.

Engle said certain manufacturers have been impacted more than others.

For some, new car availability is down 70%, while others are down 40 or 50%. Several manufacturers have cut back on incentives, meaning you could pay more for a new car than anticipated.“

Overall, it’s a tight supply,” said Mark Smail, one of the owners of Smail Auto Group in Greensburg.

Smail said some manufacturers are simply ordering the retail units that customers want. “They’re prioritizing those instead of for stock units, so it’s maybe a shift in how we’re going to retail cars too going forward,” he said.

Source: New cars in Pittsburgh in short supply as microchip shortage persists – WPXI

Pandemic emergency program offers $50 off your broadband internet bill – CBS News

Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic.

The $3.2 billion program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package. The government is increasing spending on broadband as the pandemic made stark that millions of Americans did not have access to, and could not afford, broadband at a time when jobs, schools and health care were moving online.

Jessica Rosenworcel, the acting chairwoman of the FCC, said the program is aimed at helping people who have had to sit in parking lots or outside a public library to catch a wifi signal, as well as free up household budgets that have been squeezed by the pandemic’s economic impact.

The program will be open to households that already participate in a pandemic or low-income relief program offered by a broadband service, as well as people already enrolled in the FCC’s Lifeline program for low-income people, and households with children receiving free or reduced-price school meals. Additionally, the program will be open to people who have lost jobs and had their income reduced in the past year, the agency said.

Source: Pandemic emergency program offers $50 off your broadband internet bill – CBS News

Ex-military brass question 2020 election result, Biden’s health

More than 120 retired generals and admirals have published an open letter questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election as well as President Biden’s fitness to be commander-in-chief.

The letter, first reported by Politico, bears the heading of a group calling itself “Flag Officers 4 America” and says the United States “is in deep peril,” with Americans “in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776.”

Among the letter’s 126 signatories are retired Rear Adm. John Poindexter, national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan, and retired Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, who spent five years as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence under President George W. Bush and is now executive vice president of the Family Research Council.

Source: Ex-military brass question 2020 election result, Biden’s health

Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2021-05-13/biden-urges-calm-as-colonial-pipeline-restarts-but-gasoline-shortages-continue

The president said that U.S. intelligence does not believe the Russian government was involved in the cyberattack on the pipeline. | US News

“I know seeing lines at the pumps or gas stations with no gas can be extremely stressful, but this is a temporary situation,” Biden said in prepared remarks delivered from the White House. “Do not get more gas than you need the next few days. As I said, we expect the situation to begin to improve by the weekend and into early next week, and gasoline supplies coming back online, and panic-buying will only slow the process.”

Biden said there is strong reason to believe the group behind the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Texas to New Jersey and delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, is based in Russia. However, he said U.S. intelligence does not believe the Russian government was involved in the attack.

Source: Political Cartoons on the Democratic Party | US News

Source: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accuses her of supporting ‘terrorists’ – The Washington Post

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accuses her of supporting ‘terrorists’ – The Washington Post

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) followed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) off the House floor and accused her of supporting “terrorists and antifa.”

Israel steps up Gaza offensive, kills senior Hamas figures

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel on Wednesday pressed ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, killing as many as 10 senior Hamas military figures and toppling a pair of high-rise towers housing Hamas facilities in airstrikes. The Islamic militant group showed no signs of backing down and fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities.

In just three days, this latest round of fighting between the bitter enemies has already begun to resemble — and even exceed — a devastating 50-day war in 2014. Like in that previous war, neither side appears to have an exit strategy.

But there are key differences. The fighting has triggered the worst Jewish-Arab violence inside Israel in decades. And looming in the background is an international war crimes investigation.

Source: Israel steps up Gaza offensive, kills senior Hamas figures

Source: A mysterious ‘hum’ vibrates interstellar space. Voyager 1 has a recording of it. | Live Science

A mysterious ‘hum’ vibrates interstellar space. Voyager 1 has a recording of it. | Live Science

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, left the bounds of the solar system — known as the heliosphere — in 2012. The heliosphere is the bubble of space influenced by solar wind, the stream of charged particles that emanates from the sun. Since popping out of this bubble, Voyager 1 has been periodically sending back measurements of the interstellar medium. Occasionally, the sun sends off a burst of energy known as a coronal mass ejection that disturbs this medium, causing the plasma, or ionized gas, of interstellar space to vibrate. These vibrations are quite useful, as they allow astronomers to measure the density of the plasma — the frequency of the waves through the plasma can reveal how close together the ionized gas molecules are.

Now, though, researchers have realized that Voyager 1 is also sending back a far more subtle signal: the constant “hum” of the interstellar plasma. This low-level vibration is fainter, but much longer-lasting, than the oscillations that occur after coronal mass ejections. According to the new study, published May 10 in the journal Nature Astronomy, the hum lasts at least three years. That’s good news for gaining a better understanding of the interstellar plasma.

The PS5 Is Starting to Look Like the Revolution It Promised | WIRED

SIX MONTHS AFTER its November 12 debut, the PlayStation 5 is well on its way to being a success story for Sony. As of March 31, the company had sold 7.8 million of the new video game consoles worldwide—enough, in both units and dollars, to make it the biggest console launch in US history. Bigger than the Nintendo Wii. Bigger than the Xbox One. Bigger than even the PS4. And who knows what that number might be if everyone who wanted one was actually able to buy one.

Source: The PS5 Is Starting to Look Like the Revolution It Promised | WIRED

Colonial Pipeline restarts operations, gas prices spike | WNT – YouTube

‘It’s scary,’ Bethel Park residents on high alert after early morning break-ins

By Michele Newell, WPXI-TV

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — People who live in Bethel Park are on high alert after two homes were broken into while homeowners were inside.

Someone broke in the back door of two homes: one on Old Ox Road, the other on Cambridge Road.

Source: ‘It’s scary,’ Bethel Park residents on high alert after early morning break-ins

Campaign signs stolen in Westmoreland County

UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. —

State police said a 64-year-old man from Pittsburgh is responsible for the theft of multiple campaign signs for several Republican candidates in eastern Westmoreland County.

Police were contacted about the incident in April and learned of seven victims.

Witnesses were able to provide police with pictures of the person responsible and his vehicle.

Police said no specific candidate was targeted.

Charges have not yet been filed in the case.

Source: Campaign signs stolen in Westmoreland County

Maryland billboard raises stink

This “vulgar” Maryland billboard is causing a real stink — for calling President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “s–theads.”

The sign on Route 4 in Huntingtown shows the cartoon faces of the smiling commander-in-chief and his number two stuck on top of large emoji-style drawings of poop.

“DON’T BLAME TRUMP! YOU ARE STUCK WITH THESE TWO S–T HEADS!!!” it reads.

Sending the message home with two more poop images, the billboard is signed “from all of your deplorables in Calvert County,” referring to Hillary Clinton’s now-infamous putdown of Donald Trump supporters.

The crass sign, on private property and of legal size, does not appear to break any local laws — but has sparked mass outrage, especially among local

Source: Maryland billboard calling Biden, Harris ‘s–theads’ raises stink

Bucks County man gets probation for threatening to kill Gov. Tom Wolf’s family

Brian Rafferty pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment during a hearing Tuesday.

Blaming his actions on a fit of frustration and anger, a Bucks County man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of harassment and was sentenced to one year of probation for threatening to kill Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s family members last year.

Brian Rafferty, 62, repeatedly apologized for making the threats during a phone call to Wolf’s office, and said he never intended to actually harm Wolf or his family.

“I am truly sorry for what I did,” Rafferty told Bucks County Judge Diane Gibbons during a hearing in her Doylestown courtroom. “It will never happen again, cross my heart and I swear.”

Gibbons accepted his apology, noting that Rafferty, of Oakford, had cooperated with investigators from the beginning and didn’t seem to be a threat to the community.

Source: Bucks County man gets probation for threatening to kill Gov. Tom Wolf’s family

CDC exaggerates outdoor transmission rate: COVID-19 experts

The CDC is greatly exaggerating the risk of COVID-19 transmission outdoors, claiming there is a roughly 10 percent chance — when in reality the figure is less than 1 percent, a report said Tuesday.

The higher federal figure “seems to be a huge exaggeration,” Dr. Muge Cevik, a top infectious disease doctor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told the New York Times.

Dr. Aaron Richterman of the University of Pennsylvania added, “I’m sure it’s possible for transmission to occur outdoors in the right circumstances.

“But if we had to put a number on it, I would say much less than 1 percent.”

At issue is the research cited by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in touting its outdoor transmission statistic, which put the figure at a murky and allegedly too high “less than 10 percent.”

The figure is key because the agency has used it to justify its current coronavirus safety recommendations to the public, which include vaccinated people still wearing masks at “large public venues’’ and the unvaccinated using the face gear in most outdoor settings.

Source: CDC exaggerates outdoor transmission rate: COVID-19 experts

Police: 16-year-old crashes stolen car in Westmoreland County

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. —

State police said a 16-year-old crashed a stolen car in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, on Tuesday night.

The 1997 Cadillac Northstar had been reported stolen by Latrobe police.

State police said the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed when he tried to make a right-hand turn from Route 119 onto County Home Road and went off the road, hitting several trees.

The teen wasn’t hurt but was taken into custody by police.

The investigation is ongoing.

Source: Police: 16-year-old crashes stolen car in Westmoreland County

Source: Former Burger King employee awarded $2M after she was fired for having a trachea tube: lawsuit | Fox News

Former Burger King employee awarded $2M after she was fired for having a trachea tube: lawsuit | Fox News

Ashley Merard sued the franchise owner, Magic Burgers LLC, for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Orlando Sentinel Reported. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, a jury awarded Merard $2 million in punitive damages on May 4. Merard was also awarded $30,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish and $15,519.60 for lost wages.

MCDONALD’S CLAIMS NEW JERSEY WOMAN’S LAWSUIT OVER FECES ON BURGER WRAPPER IS UNSUBSTANTIATED

Jesse Drawas, the attorney for Magic Burgers LLC told Fox News in a statement that the company is “disappointed with the result” and plans to appeal the verdict.

Schumer says he will soon introduce a marijuana legalization bill | Fox News

Sen. Chuck Schumer said that he would be introducing a marijuana bill “shortly,” one that would not only legalize the drug but would expunge past records.

“Here’s the immediate time frame,” the New York Democrat told podcast host and former South Carolina representative Bakari Sellers. “The three people working on a comprehensive bill are myself, Senator [Ron] Wyden and Senator [Corey] Booker, and we will be introducing our bill shortly.”

“It is not just legalization but a deal for the injustices of the past expungement of the records making sure that the money that’s made from marijuana goes to the communities, communities of color, poor people communities, that have paid the price for this ridiculous scheduling of marijuana,” Schumer said.

“We’re going to get some support from the right on this, we hope,” Schumer continued. “It’s going to take a little while, we’re going to need a mass campaign, but there’s real excitement in the country to do this right now.”

Source: Schumer says he will soon introduce a marijuana legalization bill | Fox News

SWAT team called after exchange of gunfire in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood

The incident happened around 11:10 p.m. Monday on the 300 block of Curtin Avenue, where police received a ShotSpotter alert for 13 rounds fired.

Pittsburgh Public Safety said responding officers determined an exchange of gunfire happened between a person inside the home and another outside the home.

The SWAT Team was called but the home was later determined to be unoccupied.

Police continue to investigate.

Source: SWAT team called after exchange of gunfire in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood

Judge dismisses NRA bankruptcy case in blow for US gun lobby | NRA | The Guardian

A federal judge has dismissed the National Rifle Association’s bankruptcy case, leaving the powerful gun-rights group to face a lawsuit from New York state that accuses it of financial abuses.

The judge sitting in Dallas was tasked with deciding whether the NRA should be allowed to incorporate in Texas instead of New York, where the state is suing in an effort to disband the group. Though headquartered in Virginia, the NRA was chartered as a nonprofit in New York in 1871 and is incorporated in the state.

Judge Harlin Hale said in a written order on Tuesday that he was dismissing the case because he found the NRA’s attempt to claim bankruptcy in New York was not filed in good faith.

Source: Judge dismisses NRA bankruptcy case in blow for US gun lobby | NRA | The Guardian

Bill Gates ‘womanizer,’ held nude pool parties: biographer

Behind his image as a straight-laced tech mogul, Bill Gates was notorious for throwing naked pool parties with strippers and being a “womanizer” — even after meeting future wife Melinda, according to a biography.

The Microsoft co-founder’s wild lifestyle was well known among his inner circle — but newspapers like the New York Times hid the unflattering reports to continue getting “spoon-fed stories,” James Wallace wrote in the 1997 biography, “Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace.”

They “didn’t report on the wild bachelor parties that Microsoft’s boyish chairman would throw in his Seattle home, for which Gates would visit one of Seattle’s all-nude nightclubs and hire dancers to come to his home and swim naked with his friends in his indoor pool,” Wallace wrote.

It was a continuation from his time at Harvard, where he “did like to frequent Boston’s notorious Combat Zone, with its porn shows, strip joints, and prostitutes,” Wallace wrote.

Source: Bill Gates ‘womanizer,’ held nude pool parties: biographer