Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris | – YouTube
News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
State Rep. Ed Gainey announced Tuesday he is challenging Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in the Democratic primary.
“I’m running for mayor because I know that the working people of Pittsburgh need opportunities for good union jobs with a living wage and benefits, affordable housing, genuine public safety, and a city where we can all belong and contribute,” said Gainey, who turns 51 next month, in an announcement emailed Tuesday night. “We can uplift the City of Pittsburgh for everyone if we start with those who have been left behind.”
Gainey, of Lincoln-Lemington, is a father of three and is married to Michelle (Coburn) Gainey. He has served in the state House since 2013, representing the 24th District.
The primary election, on May 18, essentially decides the race for mayor of Pittsburgh, as the Republican voters are few and a Republican mayor has not served since the 1930s.
“I understand that city government has the power to change lives, uplift communities, and fix what’s broken in our city. Our city is divided, but when we all lay our heads down at night, I believe we all share the same vision for our families, our children, and our neighborhoods,” Gainey said. “To fulfill our vision for a better tomorrow, Pittsburgh deserves a mayor who will fight with all they’ve got to see the vision through. I’m ready for that fight, and as the next mayor of the city of Pittsburgh, I’ll be a mayor for all of us.”
Gainey’s announcement comes five days after Peduto formalized his candidacy for a third term.
Gainey will formally launch his campaign during a virtual event at 2 p.m. Saturday.
A Pittsburgh native, Gainey served in two mayoral administrations before being elected to the state House.
He currently serves on the Appropriations, Education, Labor & Industry and Transportation committees.
President Donald J. Trump granted pardons to 73 individuals and commuted the sentences of an additional 70 individuals including. Todd Boulanger, Mario Claiborne, and Matthew Antoine Canady
Read Full List Here: Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency | The White House
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Elizabeth Township police department said early Wednesday that a police incident in the area of Narragansett Drive has ended, but there is still a large police presence in the area.
Police had issued a warning for people living in the area to stay indoors, but police said the incident is over and there is no threat to the public.
There is still a large police presence on Narragansett, but the incident has resolved. There is no threat to the…Posted by Elizabeth Township Police Department on Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Source: Large police presence in Elizabeth Township after incident
A woman and five children escaped when fire broke out inside of a home in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood on Wednesday morning.
The fire was reported around 12:10 a.m. at a home on Excelsior Street.
The fire chief said the fire caused significant damage to the home.There’s no word on what caused the fire.
Thirty people currently living in the pricey Admirals Cove development near Jupiter, Florida, have written to the manager of their owners’ association to express concern about the Trumps.
- Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle are relocating to Palm Beach County
- The pair have bought two waterfront mansions in Admirals Cove near Jupiter
- They are likely to relocate from New York in March but locals are unimpressed
- The general manager of the property owners association received 30 messages
- Some said their arrival was a ‘nightmare’ and would bring ‘disharmony’
- Others were concerned about security threats and ‘notoriety’
- Ivanka and Jared are also moving to Florida, with a new home near Miami
Source: Palm Beach resident DON’T want Don Jr and Kimberly to move in
PITTSBURGH, PA — Two western Pennsylvania men are facing federal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Jorden Mink, of Oakdale, Allegheny County and Matthew Perna, of Sharon, Mercer County made initial appearances Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Pittsburgh.
Source: Two Western PA Men Charged In Connection With Capitol Riot | Pittsburgh, PA Patch
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had one overriding message Tuesday as he delivered his annual budget address from New York’s state Capitol: If Washington doesn’t send New York $15 billion as part of a pandemic relief package, he’ll have no choice but to slash public payrolls, cut services and raise taxes on the rich.
Cuomo argued that the state is uniquely entitled to those funds because the pandemic hit New York so hard last spring and was comparatively defenseless thanks to federal government bungling.
He went one step further and threatened to pursue litigation if the federal government did not acquiesce to his ask, though officials, when asked, did not immediately say whom the state might sue or what legal arguments New York could employ.
For the moment, though, it’s uncertain whether the state will get what it is asking for, and its new budget, due at the end of March, reflects that uncertainty. “We don’t know, in short, what level of aid we will get, but the budget is dependent on that number,” he said.
The full amount would mean New York could avoid squeezing its localities out of their allotted aid, offer relief to small businesses and restaurants, focus on education and workforce issues, and get on the road to recovery, he said. Anything less, he said, would be an affront to the suffering the state experienced as one of the first to be overwhelmed by the pandemic, calling it a “2021 version of the federal government saying ‘drop dead’ to New York.”
Source: Cuomo warns of tax hikes, dire cuts if feds can’t find $15B
A powerful earthquake struck in northwestern Argentina near the border with central Chile late Monday, shaking people in parts of both countries. There were no early reports of injuries as some power outages were reported in the quake area.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor had a preliminary magnitude of 6.4. Its epicenter was 27.6 kilometers (17 miles) southwest of the town of Porcito and struck at a depth of 14 kilometers (nearly nine miles).
The quake was followed by a magnitude 5.0 aftershock about a quarter hour later and then several other strong aftershocks, the USGS said.
Argentine media said there were reports of damage to some buildings in the Pocito area and at least one road being disrupted, but there were indications of injuries. Electricity also failed in spots and some goods were shaken from supermarket shelves, the reports aid..
Strong movement was felt in Chile’s capital, Santiago, which is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the area hit by the quake. Chilean officials said there were no damage reported in that nation.
Source: Strong shaking felt in Santiago after magnitude 6.4 quake hits near Chilean-Argentine border | KTLA
(CNN)Prosecutors on Tuesday filed the first significant conspiracy charge in the US Capitol attack, alleging that three members of the so-called Oath Keepers, an extremist militant group, planned and coordinated ahead of the January 6 assault.
In an amended complaint unsealed Tuesday in federal court, an FBI agent divulged striking new details about the group’s efforts. Jessica Watkins, the alleged founder of an Ohio militia, had instructions to make explosives out of bleach printed out at her home, according to the court document.Chilling messages sent between the militants during the siege that are quoted in the complaint appear to indicate they were searching for lawmakers inside the building as they sought to stop Congress from certifying the presidential election.
Allegheny County homicide detectives are investigating after a man was shot in Pitcairn on Monday night.
Investigators said the shooting happened a little after 11 p.m. on the 400 block of Broadway Avenue.
A Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 photojournalist found police on scene and an area taped off on that block.The victim was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm.
No arrests have been announced.
EXPORT, Pa. —Someone who bought a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket at a grocery store in Westmoreland County has won a prize of more than $370,000.Lottery officials said a winning ticket in Saturday’s Cash 5 drawing was sold at the Murrysville Giant Eagle supermarket on Old William Penn Highway.
The ticket matched all five numbers drawn — 2, 11, 12, 30, 32 — to win $373,190.50, less withholding.
The winner’s name is not yet known. The ticket holder has one year to claim the prize.
The store will get a $500 bonus for selling the ticket.
Source: Giant Eagle customer in Westmoreland County wins big prize in Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5
WASHINGTON, DC — Two Army National Guard members have been removed from the inauguration security mission after vetting found they had ties to far-right fringe groups, a U.S. official told ABC News Tuesday.
“We don’t allow extremism of any type in our organization,” Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Tuesday morning.
The two Guard members are among the 25,000 National Guard troops who have been sent to Washington to augment security at the inauguration in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
The two Guardsmen were removed from the mission after vetting conducted by the FBI determined they had ties to far-right extremist groups, the official said.
No details were immediately available about which State Guard units the two belonged to or about the nature of of the alleged ties“
Due to operational security, we do not discuss the process nor the outcome of the vetting process for military members supporting the inauguration,” said a National Guard statement that referred additional questions to the U.S. Secret Service.
Source: 2 National Guard members with ties to far right groups pulled from inauguration security – KVIA
The decision comes as a surprise given the former ambassador’s background in national security.
President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Barack Obama’s former national security adviser Susan Rice to run the White House Domestic Policy Council, according to people familiar with the decision.
Rice, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was vetted to serve as Biden’s vice president and was a contender to be secretary of State, a position that went to Antony Blinken.
Source: Biden taps Susan Rice for top White House domestic policy job – POLITICO
“It’s a complete nightmare,” said a Finleyville woman. “I’m going on three weeks Wednesday without any kind of payment or anything.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has made more than $33.1 billion in unemployment program payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of these programs are part of the federal CARES Act, which expired at the end of 2020. L&I urged the federal government beginning in November to extend the CARES Act as soon as possible to prevent gaps or delays in unemployment program benefits to claimants. The federal government did not complete the extension until Dec. 27, and L&I has been delayed in restarting payments for the three federal programs by the federal Department of Labor, which did not issue all of the guidance needed to ensure states are following the federal law when making payments for the federal programs until Jan. 11. L&I has prioritized restarting payments for these programs and is announcing the dates for claimants to begin filing again as soon as necessary reprogramming is complete. L&I is doing everything possible to minimize delays while working under the constraints created by the federal government.
The statuses of each active unemployment program is as follows:
STATE PERMANENT PROGRAMS:
Unemployment Compensation (UC)
- L&I has made approximately $6.6 billion in UC payments since March 15 (the start of the pandemic).
- Unemployment Compensation is a state program that provides up to 26 weeks of payments to eligible claimants who are able and available to work but have lost their jobs for qualifying reasons. Claimants who exhaust their 26 weeks of payments roll over to the PEUC program, and then the EB program. The program is unaffected by the federal coronavirus relief bill.
- A small percentage of the claimants who filed for UC on Jan. 1 were affected by a glitch that caused them to not receive their payment on time. L&I rectified the issue and reissued the payments to claimants a few days later. L&I apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delayed payment and has worked to prevent the issue from recurring. No other payment issues have been detected for UC claimants since the Jan. 1 issue.
Extended Benefits (EB)
- L&I has made approximately $230.6 million in EB payments since March 15.
- EB provides claimants who have exhausted their maximum number of UC and PEUC claim weeks with additional claim weeks. The number of claim weeks provided to a claimant varies depending on the claimant’s personal situation. EB is a state program that is triggered on when the unemployment rate reaches a certain threshold.
- Because EB is a state program, it was unaffected by the expiration and extension of the federal coronavirus relief bill. Some claimants who filed EB claims on Jan. 10 did not receive their payments on time due to a programmatic glitch. The issue was identified and remedied on Jan. 16 and payments to the affected claimants were reissued on Jan. 17. L&I apologizes to these claimants for the inconvenience of the delayed payments. Other EB claimants have been receiving payments as normal.
TEMPORARY FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS:
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
- L&I has made approximately $1.1 billion in PEUC payments since March 15.
- PEUC provides UC claimants with a 13-week extension on their claim, with an additional 11 weeks added through the coronavirus relief bill extension, bringing the total to 24 weeks. After a claimant exhausts PEUC, they become eligible for additional weeks through the EB program. PEUC initially expired the claim week ending Dec. 26 and an extension was signed Dec. 27.
- L&I could not begin paying the claim weeks in the PEUC extension until the federal Department of Labor provided guidance on how the federal program should be enacted by states. L&I began working on upgrading its computer system to accommodate changes made by the coronavirus relief bill extension and has completed upgrades to allow claimants who had weeks remaining on their 13 allotted weeks to begin filing for these claim weeks on Jan. 15. L&I will make an announcement when the additional 11 weeks have been added to claimants’ accounts and filing for these weeks begins.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
- L&I has made approximately $7.1 billion in PUA payments since March 15.
- PUA is a special unemployment program created by the federal coronavirus relief bill to assist claimants who are not typically eligible for Unemployment Compensation, such as freelancers, gig workers, and business owners. The program expired the claim week ending Dec. 26 and an extension was signed Dec. 27. The initial coronavirus relief bill provided PUA claimants 39 claim weeks and the extension provided an additional 11 weeks (50 weeks total).
- Numerous changes, such as new identity and employment verification requirements, were added to the program in the extension by the federal government. The federal Department of Labor did not provide L&I with the necessary guidance for the changes to the PUA program until Jan. 11. L&I is working to complete reprogramming of the PUA system to accommodate these changes and has turned off claimants’ ability to file for weeks after the expiration of the original program. The ability to file for claim weeks after Dec. 26 will be added when the reprogramming is complete, and L&I will make an announcement as soon as this date is determined. Some claimants have reported seeing what they believe are errors in their PUA system dashboard, but this is due to the reprogramming and the correct amounts will be populated into claimants’ dashboards when the system is ready to accept the new claims.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
- L&I has made approximately $16.2 billion in FPUC payments since March 15.
- FPUC provides an additional $300 to claimants each week they receive at least $1 in benefits from the UC, EB, PEUC or PUA programs. This payment is on top of the other program’s payment. The program previously provided $600 in additional weekly compensation but was initially eliminated when the federal government failed to extend it in summer, and then cut in half to $300 and reinstated when the federal government agreed on the coronavirus relief bill extension.
- L&I began issuing payments on Jan. 8 after receiving the necessary guidance from the federal Department of Labor. The timing of the payments’ arrival varies based on when claimants file the claims for their other unemployment benefits and the method the claimant chose to receive their payment (checks require mailing time, financial institutions may cause delays with direct deposits, etc.), with the first claimants receiving their payments for FPUC on Jan. 12.
Claimants who have questions about their individual claim should email uchelp@pa.gov.
Source: Pennsylvania officials respond to delay in unemployment benefits
President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan proposes a third round of stimulus checks of $1,400 for most Americans. Yet while that could extend a helping hand to millions of households still suffering from the pandemic’s economic fallout, it could be months until the payments arrive, analysts say.
The price tag of the relief package, called the American Rescue Plan, is likely to face pushback from Republican lawmakers, who last year resisted Democratic efforts to pass a $2 trillion bill. Heights Securities analyst Hunter Hammond expects the ultimate package to be trimmed to $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. But most analysts think lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will back the $1,400 direct payments, which economists view as a lifeline for many cash-strapped workers who lost their jobs or seen their income plummet during the pandemic.Support for another stimulus package may gain steam given several developments that point to widening economic distress as the pandemic worsens, according to Ed Mills, an analyst with investment bank Raymond James. A weaker outlook for the labor market, with a bigger-than-expected 1 million jobless claims during the first week of January, as well as record number of COVID-19 infections and deaths could push lawmakers to support Mr. Biden’s plan for additional stimulus, analysts say.
Source: Third stimulus check: When could you get a $1,400 check? – CBS News
An MRI on Antonio Brown’s knee did not reveal serious issues, and he’s considered day to day in the lead-up to the Buccaneers’ matchup with the Packers in the conference title game, Ian Rapoport reports.
Source: Tuesday’s injury and roster news ahead of NFL Championship Sunday
Officials with Dominion Voting Systems have sent Mike Lindell, the C.E.O. of MyPillow, a legal letter warning of pending litigation over his baseless claims of widespread fraud involving their machines.
“You have positioned yourself as a prominent leader of the ongoing misinformation campaign,” the letter said, referring to his continued false claims that their systems were rigged by someone to effect the outcome.
“Litigation regarding these issues is imminent,” the letter said. Mr. Lindell is only the latest to get a warning letter from Dominion officials about potential litigation, after he and Sidney Powell, the right-wing lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani and others have continued to spread false claims about the integrity of the results the machines showed.
Mr. Lindell visited Mr. Trump at the White House briefly on Friday, before the national security adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, and the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, steered him away.
Source: Dominion Voting Systems threatens to sue Mike Lindell, MyPillow C.E.O., over false claims.
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump will not be in attendance Wednesday to watch as his successor Joe Biden is sworn into office, but his absence will have little impact on what may be one of the most important moments of Inauguration Day, the handing off of the “nuclear football.”
The “football,” which contains the equipment that Trump would use to authenticate his orders and launch a nuclear strike, is carried by a military aide who accompanies the President at all times — up to the second he officially leaves office on January 20.Typically, the football would be handed off to another military aide standing on or nearby the inauguration viewing stand as Biden takes his oath of office.But on Wednesday, that exchange will happen a bit differently as Trump is currently expected to depart Washington, DC, for Florida before Biden’s inauguration ceremony.
The nuclear football will likely travel with him, experts say, meaning there will be at least two briefcases in different locations, presenting a unique challenge of ensuring the transfer of authority goes smoothly.
While that process may play out slightly differently than it has in years past, there are safeguards in place to ensure a seamless transition of nuclear control from one president to the next, regardless of circumstance, according to Stephen Schwartz, a nonresident senior fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Source: How Trump will hand off the ‘nuclear football’ to Biden – CNNPolitics
Two people got out safely after a fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at a home in the 100 block of Railroad Avenue in Carnegie.
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette news partner KDKA, a mother and her adult son were able to safely get out of the home that caught fire.
A neighbor who lives in one of the nearby houses told KDKA her house had smoke and water damage.
The Red Cross arrived at the scene to assist both families, KDKA said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
First Published January 19, 2021, 4:42am
Source: Early morning fire destroys Carnegie home, damages another | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.
Four years ago, Fox News headed into the Trump presidency with an unprecedented opportunity. It was not only the primary source of news for the Republican Party, but also the primary source for President Trump himself. The network could have used the opportunity to act responsibly. It could have leveraged its contacts within Trump’s inner circle and the GOP to double down on reporting and break some real news. It could have — at the very least — delivered the cold hard truth to the millions who relied on it for accurate, reliable information.But it did none of those things. Instead, Fox chose to run in the opposite direction. The propagandists on the network were empowered like never before while the so-called “straight news” hours became Trumpier and Trumpier. Its hosts scored dozens of Trump interviews, but, in most cases, instead of pressing him with tough questions, they egged on his worst tendencies. Even when not talking directly with him, the hosts were speaking directly to him. And they egged on those poor tendencies by feeding him a steady diet of hyper-partisan stories and outright disinformation. While it is officially called the “Trump presidency,” there is a good case to be made that it should be referred to as the “Fox News presidency.”Now, that is all coming to an end.
Source: Analysis: With Trump’s exit, the Fox News presidency will come to an end – CNN
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
SHADE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Police are investigating after more than $20,000 worth of equipment was stolen from storage sheds in Somerset County.
The Pennsylvania State Police say a backhoe, two ATVs and a generator were among the things stolen from the sheds on Coffee Hill Road in Shade Township.
The burglary happened in November, police say. No word on any suspects.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Monday appeared unimpressed by a tweet from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To show their appreciation for the civil rights icon on the federal holiday, ICE tweeted an image of a King statue, with the text: “Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of hope, justice and equality.”
Without addressing King directly, Ocasio-Cortez retweeted the text and called for the agency to be abolished.
Ocasio-Cortez has called for dismantling the agency for years, even in moments when her Democratic colleagues appeared to back away from the idea.
MEDIA, DEMOCRATS QUICK TO SLAM REPUBLICANS FOR PRAISING MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Though Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitter feed on Monday was filled with references to King and his legacy, King’s niece, Alveda King, told Fox News that the congresswoman ought to “take a page out of Martin Luther King Jr.’s book.”
The suggestion came in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s comments during a virtual town hall last week in which she referred to President Donald Trump as the “poison of White supremacy.”
Source: AOC tweets ‘Abolish ICE’ after agency commemorates MLK Day
This story was originally published by PublicSource, a news partner of NEXTpittsburgh. PublicSource is a nonprofit media organization delivering local journalism at publicsource.org. You can sign up for their newsletters at publicsource.org/newsletters. The country is on edge after a mob incited by the president overtook the U.S. Capitol last week, resulting in the death of five people and a sense that the security of American democracy is at risk.
The Washington Post reported that right-wing groups are planning additional armed marches leading up to the Jan. 20 inauguration, according to Alethea Group, which analyzes and combats disinformation online. The report by Alethea Group’ showed plans for activity in all 50 state capitals as well as some other cities, including Pittsburgh.
In a Jan. 12 statement, the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office said the agency is aware of reports of possible “protests in our area,” and that FBI agents interviewed a “Pittsburgh-based individual” cited in the report. “At this time, we are not aware of any related threats in our region which includes Western Pennsylvania and the State of West Virginia,” the FBI said in the statement.
The national FBI director, according to the New York Times, told a number of police chiefs from around the country in a call Wednesday to be on high alert, even without verified threats, and warned of attacks on government buildings and businesses.
The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol caught authorities off guard despite being planned on the open internet. Could a fresh round of dangerous conflicts take authorities by surprise?
A new challenge for local authorities
Jillian Snider, an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former New York Police Department officer, said last week’s riot in Washington will cause law enforcement across the country to take more precautions than normal.
“I don’t think anyone would have predicted something as vile as what had occurred last week,” Snider said. “I think agencies are definitely going to step it up in terms of making sure they have more than sufficient personnel on scene to try and counteract anything that might be planned.”
The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety did not answer questions about preparation, and FBI Pittsburgh did not answer questions related to threats beyond its Jan. 12 statement.
In a vote of confidence for the city’s ability to handle any situations that may arise, he referenced the G20 summit held in the city in 2009 and “a number of peaceful protests and walks this summer with very little incidents.”
The G20 and summer 2020 protests, though, were not without controversy, including allegations of inappropriate force used against demonstrators.
John Sicilia, the president of the Allegheny County Chiefs of Police Association, said he is not aware of any credible threats in the region. He said federal, state and city law enforcement have been “very transparent” with sharing any intelligence that has come up.
“However, we’re always preparing for that worst-case scenario,” said Sicilia, who is also the chief of police of the Northern Regional Police Department, which serves several municipalities north of Pittsburgh. “Our reaction is always based on the action and how much people escalate a situation. If it’s peaceful protest, we certainly allow that to happen as long as it’s done legally. But once property is being destroyed or people are harmed, we obviously have to escalate our tactics and prevent people from being injured.”
The violent riot that took place in Washington last week was unlike any protest seen in Western Pennsylvania in 2020, or any time in memory. Sicilia said cooperation between agencies will be crucial if similar situations arise in the region.
“I don’t think agencies independently could ever be prepared for something like that,” Sicilia said. “But we have a very unique dynamic in the region here in Western Pennsylvania where law enforcement partners from across the region work together … I think collectively as a group we would have a very good handle on a situation like that.
“But for any one agency, a situation like we saw in Washington, D.C., would be overwhelming. But like I said, as a group, I feel that we would be able to keep the residents of this region safe and the property of this region from being destroyed.”
Source: As the country braces for unrest, here’s what you should know about staying safe in Pittsburgh
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on Day One of his administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status, a massive reversal from the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies.
The legislation puts Biden on track to deliver on a major campaign promise important to Latino voters and other immigrant communities after four years of President Donald Trump’s restrictive policies and mass deportations. It provides one of the fastest pathways to citizenship for those living without legal status of any measure in recent years, but it fails to include the traditional trade-off of enhanced border security favored by many Republicans, making passage in a narrowly divided Congress in doubt.
Source: Biden to propose 8-year citizenship path for immigrants
To know him was to loathe him.
At least that’s the impression you get from heeding the accounts of many of those who worked with Phil Spector, the legendary record producer who died Saturday at age 81 while serving a prison sentence for murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003.
His conviction for that crime solidified Spector’s reputation as a monster. But for years before that, artists in his orbit — Darlene Love, Leonard Cohen, the Ramones and especially his ex-wife, Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes — spoke of his abuse and his manipulations; others simply hated what he did to their music, including Paul McCartney, who famously re-released the Beatles’ “Let It Be” minus Spector’s trademark embellishments.
And yet, McCartney’s scorn aside, Spector is widely — and rightly — regarded as one of the most consequential figures in pop history: a sonic visionary whose so-called wall of sound greatly expanded the dramatic scope of the three-minute love song.