June 1, 2022 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court is temporarily blocking the counting of some mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. The order Tuesday could affect the tight Republican Senate primary between former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. The order from Justice Samuel Alito pauses a lower-court ruling in a lawsuit over a disputed 2021 local court election that would have allowed the counting of mail-in ballots that lack a handwritten date. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia had ruled that the state election law’s requirement of a date next to the voter’s signature on the outside of return envelopes was “immaterial” and no reason to throw out such ballots.
June 1, 2022 2:53 am
The Superintendent of the Monessen School District has been charged with indecent exposure. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says 55-year-old Dr. Leanne Spazak of Charleroi and 61-year-old Robert Cappelli of Confluence were discovered in a pickup truck parked at the Nathan Goff Apartments in North Charleroi just after eleven o’clock on the night of May 22nd. Walsh says the pair were found in a state of undress and allegedly involved in a sex act. Both Spazak and Cappelli are facing charges of indecent exposure, open lewdness and public drunkenness. Spazak has been the superintendent of Monessen City School District since 2014. WJPA’s calls to Spazak’s attorney and the solicitor for the school district have not been returned. The School Board, however, did post a statement on the district’s website which read:
The Board of School Directors has been made aware of the charges filed against Dr. Leanne Spazak, and by all accounts known at this time, Dr. Spazak has not been charged with any offense involving her presence on school grounds or in connection with the performance of her duties as superintendent. Therefore, neither the Board of School Directors nor District Administration can comment on this matter at this time. Appropriate action to address this particular situation will be considered and taken as more information becomes available and this matter proceeds through the proper legal channels.
June 1, 2022 2:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Eleven months after he was freed from prison, 85-year-old Bill Cosby will again be the defendant in a sexual assault proceeding. This time it’s for a civil case in California. Judy Huth, who is now 64, alleges that in 1975 when she was 16, Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion. Cosby’s lawyers say Huth was not a minor when they went to the mansion, and no assault took place. Cosby will not testify or attend the trial. The case is one of the few remaining legal actions against Cosby after his criminal conviction was thrown out, and his insurer settled many other lawsuits. (Photo: AP)
May 31, 2022 3:42 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has been acquitted of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. The jury in the case of Michael Sussmann deliberated on Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning before reaching its verdict. The closely watched trial was the first courtroom test of special counsel John Durham. Durham was appointed three years ago to hunt for government misconduct during the investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. Trump supporters had looked to the probe to expose what they contend was bias by law enforcement officials who investigated Trump and his campaign.
May 31, 2022 4:23 am
UNDATED (AP) – The unofficial start of summer is offering a troubling look at what lies ahead for travelers during the peak vacation season. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights over a five-day stretch including the Memorial Day weekend, as bad weather, crews calling in sick, and other factors snarled their operations. Delta Air Lines, which is usually among the top performers, had the worst record among major carriers with more than 800 canceled flights from Thursday through Monday.
May 31, 2022 4:21 am
TORONTO (AP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has introduced legislation that would put a national freeze on importing, buying or selling handguns. Trudeau said Monday that the government will cap the market for handguns. The government says the bill would also allow for the removal of gun licenses from people involved in acts of domestic violence or criminal harassment, such as stalking. The government also plans to fight gun smuggling and trafficking by increasing criminal penalties, providing more tools to investigate firearms crimes and strengthening border measures. Trudeau has long had plans to enact tougher gun laws. The introduction of the new legislation comes after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., this month.
May 31, 2022 4:21 am
BRUSSELS (AP) – European Union leaders have agreed to embargo most Russian oil imports into the bloc by year-end. The move is part of new sanctions on Russia worked out Monday at a summit focused on helping Ukraine with a long-delayed package of new financial support. The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing a temporary exemption for imports delivered by pipeline. That was crucial to bringing landlocked Hungary on board a decision that required consensus. EU Council President Charles Michel says the agreement covers more than two-thirds of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine.
May 31, 2022 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is set to meet with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as soaring inflation takes a bite out of Americans’ pocketbooks. Tuesday’s meeting will be the first since Biden renominated Powell to lead the central bank and comes weeks after his confirmation for a second term by the Senate. The White House says the pair will discuss the state of the U.S. and global economy and especially inflation, described as Biden’s “top economic priority.” The White House says the goal is a “transition from an historic economic recovery to stable, steady growth that works for working families.”
May 31, 2022 4:18 am
UVALDE, Texas (AP) – A week after a gunman ran into a Texas grade school and started shooting, the first of 21 funerals began on Tuesday. Hundreds of mourners turned out for an afternoon Mass to remember Amerie Jo Garza. Six pallbearers wearing white shirts and gloves carried her small casket into Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which turned away several people after reaching capacity. Maite Rodriguez’s funeral was scheduled for later Tuesday at one of the funeral homes in Uvalde, Texas. The two 10-year-old fourth graders were among 19 children and two teachers killed when the 18-year-old gunman burst into a classroom on May 24 and began firing a military-style rifle.
May 31, 2022 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A movement known as Christian nationalism is making its presence known in many Republican primary races this year. Most prominent is the campaign of Doug Mastriano, who easily won the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania. He has made his faith central to his personal story and has woven his conservative Christian beliefs and symbols into his campaign. Mastriano and many other candidates reject the label of Christian nationalist. They say they’re applying their values to their politics, just as any citizen would. But scholars say the label fits those who support a fusion of American and Christian values, symbols and identity.
