May 13, 2021 9:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 473,000, a new pandemic low and the latest evidence that fewer employers are cutting jobs as consumers ramp up spending and more businesses reopen. Applications declined 34,000 from a revised 507,000 a week earlier. The number of weekly jobless claims – a rough measure of the pace of layoffs – has fallen significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January. Instead of cutting jobs, many employers are struggling to attract enough applicants for open positions.
May 13, 2021 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans are seeking to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. At a hearing Wednesday, some Republicans tried to shift the narrative by painting the Trump supporters who stormed the building as patriots. And Democrats clashed with Donald Trump’s former Pentagon chief over the government’s unprepared response. Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen testified publicly for the first time about the events and defended their respective agencies’ responses to the chaos. But the hearing almost immediately devolved into partisan bickering, with Democrats accusing Republicans of rewriting history and GOP lawmakers insisting their party had been unfairly vilified for objecting to election results.
May 13, 2021 4:18 am
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Israel is pressing ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip. It killed as many as 10 senior Hamas military figures Wednesday and toppled a pair of high-rise towers housing Hamas facilities. The Islamic militant group showed no signs of backing down and fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities. In just three days, this latest round of fighting between the bitter enemies has already begun to resemble or exceed a devastating 50-day war in 2014. Like that previous war, neither side appears to have a plan for ending the fighting. The conflict has also triggered the worst Jewish-Arab violence inside Israel in decades.
May 13, 2021 4:18 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – President Joe Biden has signed an executive order meant to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity defenses in response to a series of headline-grabbing hacking incidents that highlight how vulnerable the country’s public and private sectors are to high-tech spies and criminals operating from half a world away. The order will require all federal agencies to use basic cybersecurity defenses, like multi-factor authentication, and require new security standards for software makers that contract with the federal government. Officials are hoping to leverage the federal government’s massive spending power to improve software security in the private sector.
May 13, 2021 4:16 am
DENVER (AP) – Federal officials say two airplanes collided in the air near Denver and managed to land without anyone being hurt. Authorities say the collision between the twin-engine Fairchild Metroliner and the single-engine Cirrus SR22 happened Wednesday as both planes prepared to land at a small regional airport in a Denver suburb. Key Lime Air says its Metroliner’s tail section was substantially damaged, but that the pilot landed safely at the Centennial Airport. Authorities say a pilot and one passenger were on the other plane that deployed a parachute and drifted safely down to a field.
May 13, 2021 4:15 am
CLEMMONS, N.C. (AP) – The cybersecurity attack on the Colonial Pipeline has stricken fear and stress into the lives of people in the Southeastern U.S. who have been waiting in long lines amid distribution problems and panic-buying. The company said it initiated the restart of pipeline operations late Wednesday. But it will take several days for deliveries to return to normal. The situation forced some people to face the prospect of lost wages and missed doctors appointments. Restaurants and bars may be particularly squeezed since some workers may not be able to come to work and some customers may abandon plans to eat out.
May 13, 2021 4:12 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Legislation that would give parents in Pennsylvania the option to have their children repeat a grade in school because of disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic is on its way to the state House of Representatives. The bill passed the state Senate unanimously on Wednesday. Under the bill, parents could have their child repeat, event if the student met the grade-level requirements to move up a grade. Currently, schools and teachers make the decision on whether to hold a student back. The bill also provides similar enrollment exceptions for children in programs for special education or for deaf and blind students.
May 13, 2021 4:10 am
The trial for Chris Williams (pictured), the 55 year old Waynesburg man charged in the shooting of Anthony Ward at the Regal Cinemas at the Washington Crown Center has completed two days of testimony. The prosecution called the constable on duty at the theater that night to testify how the shooting transpired and how the scuffle was brought under control. DNA and forensics experts from the Pennsylvania State Police were called on to provide evidence linking the gun to Williams and to the functionality of the handgun. The defense called the defendant to offer his recollection of the events that transpired on March 23, 2019. Williams’ testimony often contradicted what had been presented earlier in the trial. During Williams’ testimony about how he was attacked after he allegedly struck Lamar Wormsley in the face, he broke down in tears several times. Judge Valarie Costanzo paused testimony to allow Williams to compose himself. Under cross examination the prosecution pounded Williams as to why he recalled things differently than seven eye witnesses and the constable. Williams was asked why he cried today but never in three previous interviews he had given investigators. Williams was asked why he decided to confront the bothersome group instead of calling management, the constable or simply just leaving. The day’s testimony ended after two character witnesses. The defense is expected to call two additional witnesses on Thursday before resting its case.
May 13, 2021 2:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office is looking into a breach of COVID-19 contact tracing data that may have compromised private information of some 72,000 people. Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Wednesday that investigations have begun “on multiple fronts,” but he declined to elaborate. The state Health Department disclosed two weeks ago that employees of contact tracing vendor Insight Global ignored security rules and created unauthorized documents outside the state’s secure computer systems. Insight Global has acknowledged mishandling sensitive information and apologized. The state has paid Insight Global about $28.7 million since March 2020.
May 12, 2021 1:40 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will induct Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and the Go-Go’s, elected this year on the first ballot. They will join Tina Turner, Carole King and Todd Rundgren as performers ushered into the Rock Hall. The Cleveland-based museum will hold an induction ceremony Oct. 30 in Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, before what they hope is a full house paying tribute to the return of live music. The hall is also honoring LL Cool J, Billy Preston, Randy Rhoads, Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron and Charley Patton in special categories. The hall announced its 2021 class on Wednesday.
