July 31, 2020 4:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf is denouncing a Republican state lawmaker and self-styled opponent of mask-wearing for mimicking the words of the state’s health secretary, who is transgender, by appealing for tolerance of the “unmasked community.” Lebanon County Rep. Russ Diamond on Wednesday released a nearly word-for-word parody of Dr. Rachel Levine’s call for tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ people. Diamond swapped out her references to “LGBTQ” with “unmasked.” Diamond’s parody drew the wrath of the Democratic governor, who on Thursday called it “abhorrent, disrespectful, dangerous” and a “thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community” and Levine. Diamond responded by calling Wolf’s pandemic policies “abhorrent, unlawful, political and deadly.”
July 30, 2020 9:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter – by far the worst quarterly plunge ever – when the viral outbreak shut down businesses, throwing tens of millions out of work and sending unemployment surging to 14.7%, the government said Thursday. The Commerce Department’s estimate of the second-quarter decline in the gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, marked the sharpest such drop on records dating to 1947. The previous worst quarterly contraction, a 10% drop, occurred in 1958 during the Eisenhower administration.
July 30, 2020 9:33 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Democrats will meet for just two hours each night of their national convention next month in Milwaukee due to the coronavirus pandemic. A preliminary schedule released late Wednesday has Joe Biden accepting the party’s presidential nomination on the final night of the convention which runs Aug. 17-20. Biden’s vice presidential pick will be nominated on Aug. 19 and is scheduled to address the mainly virtual gathering. The pandemic has delegates casting ballots remotely. Typically, the party holds meetings during the day with delegates gathering for several hours each night to listen to speeches. A safety plan announced Monday says everyone attending will have to wear a face mask.
July 30, 2020 9:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is for the first time floating a “delay” to November’s presidential election. And he’s making unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of federal elections are set by Congress and the Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the January 20, 2021 presidential inauguration. On Thursday morning, Trump tweets: “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history.” There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states with all-mail votes.
July 30, 2020 4:26 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is continuing his push to reopen schools. He said Wednesday that parents should decide for themselves whether to send their children back into the classroom next month. Florida’s largest school district is announcing it will not reopen schools for in-person learning for the first six weeks of the school year because of the surge of infections. Health officials on Wednesday reported a new single-day record of 216 reported deaths. The state’s death toll now stands at more than 6,330, and the number of confirmed cases at 9,446.
July 30, 2020 4:21 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and union officials say the U.S. Postal Service is considering closing post offices across the country, sparking concerns ahead of the November election because of the increased interest in mail-in balloting. Manchin on Wednesday said he has received numerous reports from post offices and colleagues about service cuts or looming closures in West Virginia and elsewhere. That prompted him to send a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting an explanation. The possible downsizing comes as DeJoy moves to eliminate overtime for hundreds of thousands of postal workers, potentially causing a delay in mail deliveries.
July 30, 2020 4:20 am
ATLANTA (AP) – John Lewis was celebrated as an American hero during his funeral as former President Barack Obama and others called on people to follow Lewis’ example and fight injustice. The private funeral occurred Thursday in Atlanta after nearly a week of mourning that began in his birthplace in Alabama. Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80. Obama called Lewis “a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance” during a fiery speech in which he hearkened back to Lewis’ legacy and connected it to the ongoing fight against those who are trying to restrict voting rights. (Photo: CNN)
July 30, 2020 4:18 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain has died after battling the coronavirus. He was 74. A post on Cain’s Twitter account on Thursday announced the death. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. It’s not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. The former pizza company executive has been an outspoken backer of the president and was named by the campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. (Photo: CNN)
July 30, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Capitol officials have issued broad new mask requirements after a Republican member of Congress tested positive for the coronavirus. The member, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, often shunned wearing masks and was known to vote without one. Pelosi announced Wednesday evening that all members will be required to wear a mask when voting on the House floor. Several hours later, the House sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol’s top physician issued an order that everyone in House office buildings will have to wear masks inside, with few exceptions. That mandate goes into effect at 8 a.m. Thursday.
July 30, 2020 4:12 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – One person was shot and killed Wednesday night in Uniontown, according to police. Investigators said the deadly shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. in the 50 block of Lennox Street. Police confirmed at least one person was killed in the shooting, and the victim has not yet been identified. Emergency responders say the victim was a juvenile, but authorities have not said how old the person was. It’s unclear what led to the shooting, and police are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call Uniontown Police.
