December 5, 2020 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are drafting a boatload of voting-related legislation and are vowing to make a major initiative out of addressing what they deem to be problems arising from the election. Top Democrats quickly accused Republicans on Friday of setting up a “sham process” and undermining faith in elections. Republicans have already issued more than a half-dozen memos about forthcoming legislation stemming from the election. They will push to pass something before the May 18 primary election, although getting it signed into law will depend on Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat. Democrats say Republicans should have simply allowed counties to process mail-in ballots before Election Day.
December 5, 2020 4:03 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Temple University will pay the U.S. Department of Education $700,000 to settle claims regarding years of falsified data submitted to U.S. News & World Report. The department announced the settlement Friday, noting that Temple didn’t admit any wrongdoing or liability. The matter involves false reporting about the school’s online MBA program at the Fox School of Business that officials have said was done intentionally to boost the school’s rankings and revenues. Temple issued a statement Friday saying it was grateful to have reached a conclusion in the matter and noted the changes its made, including establishing an internal verification unit and making online and telephone hotlines available for whistle-blowers.
December 4, 2020 4:17 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden says keeping people safe is his first consideration for his Jan. 20 inauguration, making it “highly unlikely” that a million people will pack the National Mall for his swearing-in during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden was asked about inauguration planning during a news conference Friday in Wilmington, Delaware. He suggested that the festivities could end up looking like the largely virtual convention Democrats held in August, with online activity in the states. Biden says his team is talking with congressional leaders about their plans for the inauguration. The swearing-in ceremony and a lunch for the new president and vice president are held at the Capitol. Biden says he wants people to be able to celebrate safely. He says, “There will probably not be a gigantic inaugural parade.” He says details are still being worked out.
December 4, 2020 9:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s employers scaled back their hiring last month as the viral pandemic accelerated across the country, adding 245,000 jobs, the fewest since April and the fifth straight monthly slowdown. At the same time, the unemployment rate to a still-high 6.7%, from 6.9% in October, the Labor Department said. November’s job gain was down from 610,000 in October. Friday’s report of another slowdown in hiring was the latest evidence that the job market and the economy are faltering in the face of a virus that has been shattering daily records for confirmed infections.
December 4, 2020 7:24 am
CARMICHAELS, Pa – (WPXI) – Three people, including a 12-year-old boy, were taken to hospitals after a fire at an apartment building in Greene County, officials said. The fire was reported shortly before 2:30 a.m. at the Parkview Knoll Apartments on Ceylon Road in Carmichaels. Firefighters rescued the 12-year-old from a stairwell, the fire chief said. He had smoke inhalation and was flown to Children’s Hospital. A woman hurt her ankle after jumping out of an upstairs window. Another person also had smoke inhalation. Flames melted the siding on the building, which has 23 units. Two of the apartments were destroyed and others sustained smoke damage, the fire chief said. Forty-five people were displaced. The American Red Cross is offering assistance. A fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. (Photo: WPXI)
December 4, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Outgoing National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe says China poses the greatest threat to America and the rest of the free world since World War II. He said in an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that intelligence shows that Beijing intends to dominate the U.S. and the rest of the planet economically, militarily and technologically. Trump administration officials have been stepping up their anti-China rhetoric for months. President Donald Trump used the campaign trail to warn that Biden would be soft on China, although the president-elect agrees that China is not abiding by international trade rules, is giving unfair subsidies to Chinese companies and stealing American innovation.
December 4, 2020 4:13 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Powerful winds have pushed flames through Southern California canyons as an out-of-control wildfire burns near homes, forcing residents to flee. The blaze in Orange County’s Silverado Canyon began late Wednesday as a house fire that quickly spread to tinder-dry brush. It exploded in size early Thursday. Firefighters are struggling in steep terrain amid unpredictable Santa Ana winds that have raised fire danger for much of the region. The blaze broke out as Southern California utilities cut the power to tens of thousands of customers to avoid the threat of wildfires during the windy weather.
December 4, 2020 4:12 am
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Americans couldn’t resist the urge to gather for Thanksgiving. That’s according to data from roadways and airports provided to The Associated Press. Americans drove only slightly less than a year ago and largely ignored the pleas of public health experts, who begged them to forgo holiday travel to help contain the coronavirus pandemic. The nation’s unwillingness to tamp down on travel offered a warning in advance of Christmas and New Year’s as virus deaths and hospitalizations hit new highs. U.S. deaths from the outbreak eclipsed 3,100 on Thursday, obliterating the single-day record set last spring.
December 4, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Optimism about delivering long-sought COVID-19 relief is building on Capitol Hill after additional rank-and-file lawmakers voiced support for a bipartisan, middle-of-the-road plan taking shape in the Senate. Also, top congressional leaders connected on the topic for the first time in months. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – frequent rivals but proven dealmakers – spoke on the phone Thursday. Their conversation came the day after Pelosi signaled a willingness to make major concessions in search of a COVID rescue package in the $1 trillion range. Some conservatives, including Republicans from COVID hotspots like North Dakota and Iowa, said they were comfortable with an aid package carrying the almost $1 trillion price tag.
December 4, 2020 4:09 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A bankrupt coal company is seeking permission to liquidate its assets instead of reorganizing them. The Herald-Dispatch reports a hearing in the Blackjewel coal company case is set for Dec. 17 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. The company filed for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in July 2019 and all but completely shut down operations, which put about 600 employees in Wyoming and 1,100 in Appalachia out of work. The motion filed on Nov. 25 said the company doesn’t have the money to continue the Chapter 11 process, noting that virtually all assets and operations have been sold.
