Western PA News

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

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.

Source: Third stimulus checks: With the impeachment trial over, when could $1,400 payments be approved? | WAVY.com

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

• President says declaration could be signed today
• Biden assures US allies he will reverse Trump’s policies
• Anti-Cruz outrage shows little sign of abating
• About 6m vaccines delayed due to frigid weather across US
• Sign up to receive First Thing – our daily briefing by email

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

• President Joe Biden said the U.S. and its international partners must hold China to account for its economic practices.
• “Everyone must play by the same rules,” Biden said in a speech to the Munich Security Conference, delivered virtually from the White House.
• Biden’s speech came as his administration seeks to maintain a tough stance on China while moving away from former President Donald Trump’s pugilistic relationship with Beijing.

Source: Biden says U.S. and Europe must push back against China’s economic abuses

The United States is back in the Paris climate accord, just 107 days after it left.

While Friday’s return is heavily symbolic, world leaders say they expect America to prove its seriousness after four years of being pretty much absent. They are especially anticipating an announcement from the U.S. in coming months on its goal for cutting emissions of heat-trapping gases by 2030.

The U.S. return to the Paris agreement became official Friday, almost a month after President Joe Biden told the United Nations that America wants back in. “A cry for survival comes from the planet itself,” Biden said in his inaugural address. “A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear now.”

Implementation of the Paris Agreement requires economic and social transformation, based on the best available science. The Paris Agreement works on a 5- year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action carried out by countries. By 2020, countries submit their plans for climate action known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

Source: World leaders applaud US formal return to Paris climate pact

(CNN)Six US Capitol Police officers have been suspended with pay, and 29 others have been placed under investigation, for their actions in the January 6 riot, a department spokesman said Thursday.

“Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has directed that any member of her department whose behavior is not in keeping with the Department’s Rules of Conduct will face appropriate discipline,” department spokesman John Stolnis told CNN.

CNN reported in January that the USCP had placed at least 10 officers under investigation, and two others had been suspended.

Source: Capitol Police: 6 officers suspended for alleged roles in riot – CNNPolitics

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis R-N.Y., blasted New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on “America Reports” Thursday, claiming that “nobody is surprised” that he allegedly threatened lawmakers over questions about his role in his administration’s nursing home scandal.

The freshman Congresswoman claimed that the governor Cuomo has “abused his power,” and called for an independent investigation, as well as his resignation.

She added that Cuomo has been “vindictive” in the past and is responsible for misinformation spread to the media and the Department of Justice, despite his denial and lack of accountability.

NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: “Every week we are learning more and more about what has occurred here and finally, we are seeing my colleagues on the Democrat side of the aisle come forward and say, ‘This is not right.’

GOV. CUOMO’S ‘DAYS ARE FINISHED’ AFTER NURSING HOME SCANDAL: REP. MALLIOTAKIS

Source: Cuomo has ‘abused his power’, ‘nobody is surprised’ by alleged threats to lawmaker: Rep. Malliotakis | Fox News

Longtime CNN Newsroom anchor Brooke Baldwin announced her surprise resignation from the cable news network on-air today, telling viewers that she’s leaving in April to focus on “amplifying the lives of extraordinary Americans and putting my passion for storytelling to good use.”

“Before we get going, I want to start with some personal news,” Baldwin said at the start of her 3 p.m. ET show. “I will be leaving CNN in April.”

She continued: “Let me back up. After most of my 20s working my way up in local news, I came to this network in 2008 – in the midst of the Great Recession as a freelancer. I remember I scribbled my name on a Post-It note and stuck it outside of this temporary office, determined to fulfilling my dream of becoming a full-time CNN correspondent.”

Source: Brooke Baldwin Announces Departure From CNN In Mid-April – Deadline