August 10, 2022 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection interviewed former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and met briefly with Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor Doug Mastriano on Tuesday as it probes Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Mastriano, who was outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and helped organize efforts in Pennsylvania to submit alternate presidential electors beholden to Trump, cut his interview short without answering questions. He disputed the validity of the committee and the terms of the appearance, his attorney said. The committee is working through August, deepening its probe after blockbuster public hearings this summer that began to outline its investigation into Trump’s multi-pronged effort to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden and the subsequent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
August 10, 2022 2:52 am
The manner of death for the three-month old Peters Township boy who was found unresponsive in a van in Upper Saint Clair back in June has been released. After nearly two months of investigation, the death of baby Kayden Nguyen has been ruled accidental. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office released the results of their investigation Tuesday afternoon. According to officials, Nguyen was left in the back of a van on the 300 block of Fort Couch Road back on June 16th. His father reportedly forgot his son was in the back of the vehicle for several hours. Temperatures were in the low 90s that day, making conditions inside the car extremely dangerous. The medical examiner says Nguyen died of hyperthermia. Detectives with the Allegheny County and Upper St. Clair Police were once considering charges, but none were ever filed.
August 10, 2022 2:15 am
Federal and local law officials announced Tuesday that five individuals and two local nursing homes, Brighton Rehab and Mt. Lebanon Rehab, have been indicted on health care fraud charges. The five individuals named in the indictment are 39-year-old Sam Halper, CEO and part-owner of both facilities; 35-year-old Eva Hamilton, former director of nursing; 61-year-old Susan Gilbert, former administrator of Mt. Lebanon Rehab; 46-year-old Michelle Romeo and 41-year-old Johnna Haller, co-defendants and regional-level employees. The indictment alleges that the defendants falsified staffing records and patient evaluations to the Pennsylvania Department of Health to increase Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
August 10, 2022 2:12 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A Sesame Street-themed park has announced the implementation of diversity and inclusion training for its employees. The announcement Tuesday follows a $25 million class-action lawsuit alleging multiple incidents of discrimination after outcry sparked from a viral video of a costumed character snubbing two 6-year-old Black girls during a parade at Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. The park, which is operated by Sea World Parks, says in the statement that all employees will be mandated to participate in training created to address bias, promote inclusion and prevent discrimination by the end of September. An attorney says the family of one of the 6-year-olds is expected to meet with the SeaWorld CEO on Thursday.
August 9, 2022 4:37 pm
(AP) – Albuquerque police say they have detained the “primary suspect” in the killings of four Muslim men in New Mexico’s largest city. The city’s police chief on Tuesday announced the update on Twitter. Chief Harold Medina says officers found the vehicle that investigators believe was involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque. The driver is believed to be the primary suspect in the deaths. No other information was immediately available. Police say they will provide an update on Tuesday afternoon. The victims are Naeem Hussain, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Mohammad Ahmadi. The killings began in November with Ahmadi’s death.
August 9, 2022 11:54 am
(WPXI) – One person is dead after an SUV and box truck collided in Fayette County early Tuesday, according to state police. The 911 call came in around 5:50 a.m. for the crash in the 1000 block of Pittsburgh Street (Route 51) near the Jim Shorkey dealership. Police said the driver of the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene. The Forensic Services Unit, collision analysis and reconstruction specialists, and the Fayette County Coroners’ office were all on scene. The northbound lanes were shut down between Auto Auction Road and Hickory Street, but have since reopened. State police continue to investigate.
August 9, 2022 4:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) – She rode her status as a Grammy-winning pop singer into Hollywood stardom by starring in “Grease.” And she waged a brave, decades-long, battle against breast cancer. So no matter what part of the entertainment world you’re into, there’s mourning for the loss of Olivia Newton-John, who died yesterday at age 73. From 1973-to-83, Newton-John was one of the world’s top popular entertainers, logging 14 top 10 singles in the U.S. She also starred with John Travolta in “Grease” and with Gene Kelly in “Xanadu.”
August 9, 2022 4:12 am
PINGTUNG, Taiwan (AP) – Taiwan’s foreign minister says China aims to control the East and South China Seas via the Taiwan Strait, describing a greater ambition to upend the Asia-Pacific status quo and prevent nations from aiding the self-governing island. Foreign Minister Joseph Wu spoke Tuesday as Taiwan began live-fire military drills in response to ongoing Chinese exercises. China says its drills were prompted by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit, but Wu said that was a pretext. He said China aims to upend the status quo and annex Taiwan. Since Thursday, China has sent military ships and planes across the midline in the Taiwan Strait and launched missiles into waters surrounding the island. Beijing hasn’t said when the exercises will end.
August 9, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, big tech firms and the European Union moved to ban the country’s main propaganda and disinformation channels. Nearly six months later, the number of sites pushing that same content has exploded. That’s according to a new report from a tech firm, NewsGuard, that tracks disinformation. NewsGuard has identified 250 websites actively working to spread Kremlin disinformation. In some cases, Russia’s propaganda agencies merely rebrand the content with a new name and logo before reposting it from new accounts. Experts say the ease with which Russia has evaded bans on its content show a need for more a aggressive approach by governments and tech companies.
August 9, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The FBI has searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. That’s according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Trump says agents opened up a safe at his home and describes their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial misconduct.” The FBI and Justice Department have not confirmed the search. It marks a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of the former president.
