July 20, 2021 4:06 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump lost by 80,000 votes eight months ago, his false claims of a stolen election are finding new signs of life. A Republican state lawmaker, bolstered by support from top Republican candidates for U.S. Senate and governor, has launched a push for a “forensic investigation” of the presidential election results, a review modeled on the widely discredited process underway in Arizona. The effort is likely to face legal challenges and is still limited to three counties, where it is getting pushback. But some Republicans worry that a protracted election audit will damage the party’s credibility with critical swing voters.
July 20, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania smashed its record for gambling revenue in the most recent fiscal year. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported Monday that casinos, truck stops and fantasy sports operators collected nearly $3.9 billion in revenue. The rebound comes after pandemic-related shutdowns knocked casino revenue down significantly. The total for the fiscal year ending June 30 beat the previous high, two years ago, by about 17% and last year’s take by more than 40%. Revenue from slot machines and from table games remains lower than record highs. But online casino gambling and sports betting leaped to new record highs. Gambling revenue also benefited from the opening of two new casinos.
July 20, 2021 4:03 am
CHALK HILL, Pa. — State police are investigating a bank robbery that happened in Fayette County Monday morning. According to troopers, investigators are trying to identify a person caught on security camera footage wearing a helmet at the First National Bank in Chalk Hill. They said the person ran off after the alleged robbery. If you have any information, you’re asked to call state police at 724-439-7111.
July 19, 2021 4:11 pm
TORONTO (AP) – Canada will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. Canadian officials say the 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived as of Aug. 9 for eligible travelers who are currently residing in the United States and have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Monday a date for the U.S. to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to cross the land border isn’t yet known. Any Canadian can fly to the U.S.
July 19, 2021 3:56 pm
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Ben & Jerry’s says it is going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem, saying the sales in the territories sought by the Palestinians are “inconsistent with our values.” In a statement posted on the company’s website on Monday, the Vermont-based ice cream maker says it recognizes “the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.” The company says it has a longstanding partnership with a licensee that manufacturers Ben & Jerry’s in Israel and distributes it in the region. They have informed the licensee that they will not renew the lease agreement when it expires at the end of next year.
July 19, 2021 12:57 pm
(WPXI) – A woman was found shot to death Monday morning inside a home in Wilkinsburg. Police got a call around 8 a.m. for a shooting in the 1400 block of Princeton Boulevard. First responders found a 26-year-old woman shot inside. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name hasn’t been released. Anyone with information is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
July 19, 2021 3:42 am
BOSTON (AP) – An investigation by a global media consortium alleges that military-grade malware from Israel-based NSO Group is being used to spy on journalists, human rights activists and political dissidents. NSO Group is the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire outfit. The consortium of 17 news organization says it identified more than 1,000 individuals in 50 countries allegedly selected by NSO clients for potential surveillance. They include nearly 200 journalists. The leaked targeting data was obtained by the journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories of Paris and human rights group Amnesty International. NSO Group denies the data was leaked from its servers and calls Forbidden Stories’ report “full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories.”
July 19, 2021 3:41 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Democrats are starting a second week of holing up in Washington to block new voting laws back home. More than 50 Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives had plans Monday to continue a media blitz in the nation’s capital and pressure Congress to act on federal voting rights. But there are few signs that legislation stalled in the Senate has budged since Texas Democrats’ whirlwind arrival in Washington last week. Democrats say they are committed to stay out of Texas until the special legislative session ends in early August.
July 19, 2021 3:40 am
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – Police in Arizona say a series of attacks Sunday afternoon have ended with five people shot, including one fatality, and two or three children missing. Tucson police Chief Chris Magnus told news outlets that a 35-year-old man is accused of opening fire on an ambulance crew, shooting two paramedics. Then, the suspect is accused of driving up to the scene of a house fire and shooting firefighters and neighbors trying to douse the flames. One neighbor was shot and killed. A firefighter and another neighbor were also shot. A body was found in the burned home and two or three children who lived there are missing. A police officer encountered the suspect and shot him. The suspect is in critical condition.
July 19, 2021 3:39 am
UNDATED (AP) – A Florida man who breached the U.S. Senate chamber carrying a Trump campaign flag has received an eight-month prison term, the first resolution for a felony case in the Capitol insurrection. Prosecutors wanted Paul Allard Hodgkins to serve 18 months behind bars, saying he and other Jan. 6 rioters “contributed to the collective threat to democracy.” A lawyer for Hodgkins asked the judge at his Monday sentencing in Washington, D.C., not to impose a prison sentence. Hodgkins was never accused of assaulting anyone or damaging property. Hodgkins pleaded guilty last month to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and apologized Monday, saying he made a “foolish decision.”
