May 13, 2020 4:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is defending the $3 trillion price tag on Democrats’ pandemic relief package as what’s needed to confront the “villainous virus” and economic collapse. Pelosi told The Associated Press in a Wednesday interview that “the American people are worth it.” The White House has called the Democratic proposal “unserious.” Trump said it’s “D.O.A.” It is headed for a House vote Friday, but the Senate says it won’t consider more aid until June. Pelosi had just one message for President Donald Trump: “Tell the truth.” She said this is the “biggest disaster” the country has ever faced.
May 13, 2020 3:59 am
A 9-year-old boy in an upstate New York region with relatively few cases of coronavirus is recovering from a rare inflammatory syndrome thought to be related to the virus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the state is now investigating about 100 cases of the Kawasaki disease-like syndrome. Three children have died. Cuomo is advising all hospitals to prioritize COVID-19 testing for children presenting with symptoms of the syndrome that affects blood vessels and organs.
May 13, 2020 3:57 am
(AP) – A Westmoreland County man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly saying he and his friends “have a bullet waiting” for Gov. Tom Wolf if the governor doesn’t reopen businesses closed due to the coronavirus. According to The York Dispatch, Rocco Anthony Naples, 28, is being charged with third-degree felony of threats and other improper influence in official and political matters, plus the misdemeanors of making terroristic threats and harassment. Naples was upset because Wolf has closed down businesses around the state but kept his own business — all under the umbrella of Wolf Home Products — up and running, according to police documents, The York Dispatch reported. Police said Naples called the company’s customer service line on Friday and threatened Wolf. According to The York Dispatch, the customer-service representative he spoke with sent an email to her supervisor that read, “Customer called in stating he was angry about Governor Wolf closing their companies but keeping his open, he said that him and a couple of his buddies have a bullet waiting for (Wolf) if he keeps them closed.”
May 13, 2020 3:54 am
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are furloughing employees amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused all professional sports leagues in the U.S. to suspend their seasons. In a release Tuesday, communications director Tom McMillan said the franchise instituted a “four-month unpaid leave of absence program for a number of employees” starting June 1 due to the financial struggles caused by the coronavirus. The specific number of employees who are affected was not disclosed by the team. McMillan said everyone impacted by the furloughs will receive full health benefits and are eligible for unemployment and stimulus benefits. David Morehouse, the Penguins president and CEO, made the announcement on a video conference with the staff Monday, calling it “the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my professional career.” In March, the NHL announced all league office officials would cut their salaries to 25% in an effort to offset the revenue loss and avoid layoffs. Players also postponed their paychecks in April.
May 12, 2020 2:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has finished hearing arguments in two cases involving President Donald Trump’s bid to keep his tax, bank and other financial records private. Though the justices’ discussion was lengthy, it was unclear whether they would uphold lower court decisions that found subpoenas to Trump’s accountant and banks by Manhattan prosecutors and Congress should be enforced. The arguments were conducted by telephone because of the coronavirus. They lasted about three hours and 20 minutes. That’s about an hour and 20 minutes longer than questioning would have lasted in the courtroom. Chief Justice John Roberts allowed some latitude for additional rounds of questioning. The last day of scheduled phone arguments is Wednesday.
May 12, 2020 2:54 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a driver shot during a confrontation with another driver in a Pittsburgh parking lot has died. Police spokesman Chris Togneri says the victim was leaving a parking lot in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood Monday night when he got into a verbal confrontation with another driver entering the lot. Police say a person in the second vehicle fired several shots at the victim before the second car drove away. The man was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds to his torso and legs and died during the night. The Allegheny County coroner’s office is investigating.
May 12, 2020 1:38 pm
(WPXI) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s education secretary told lawmakers on Monday that he expects students to go back to school in the fall, and the Department of Education will provide guidance in the coming weeks to prepare teachers and staff to return to school buildings. Schools have been closed since March under Wolf’s orders to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, keeping more than 1.7 million public school children home and exposing big differences in the ability of wealthier and poorer districts to educate children online. Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, testifying in a Senate committee hearing, acknowledged that schools will need additional aid to respond to various challenges posed by school closures and the need to contain the virus.
May 12, 2020 4:18 am
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A commission that oversees the Michigan Capitol has formed a committee to study whether to ban or restrict guns inside the building. The State Capitol Commission voted Monday to seek input from the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The move comes after some lawmakers reported feeling intimidated by armed demonstrators protesting her orders to curb the coronavirus. Attorney General Dana Nessel says the panel can legally prohibit firearms in the Capitol. But some commission members wanted time to study the issue. A lawyer for the panel said Legislature must change the law to regulate firearms at the Capitol.
May 12, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is recommending that all nursing home residents and staff be tested for the coronavirus in the next two weeks. Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force, told governors on a video conference call Monday that it’s the federal government’s strong recommendation that such testing be done. Dr. Deborah Birx, the task force coordinator, told governors to focus over the next two weeks on testing all 1 million nursing home residents. She says the White House will help states that need it.
May 12, 2020 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s fundraising pace has slowed slightly for the second straight month as the nation reels from the coronavirus outbreak. The Trump reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee raised more than $61.7 million in April, a record for the month. It brings Trump’s total haul for the cycle to over $742 million. Despite the drop, Trump’s fundraising remains far ahead of likely Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Biden’s presidential campaign says it and the Democratic National Committee jointly raised $60 million in April. That’s a solid sum that may ease some Democratic worries that Biden is stumbling in the money race.
