October 21, 2020 4:17 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky (AP) – A grand juror who won a court fight to speak publicly about the Breonna Taylor investigation is taking issue with statements by Kentucky’s attorney general. The anonymous grand juror also said Tuesday that the jury was not given the option to consider charges connected to Taylor’s shooting death by police. The grand juror had filed suit to speak publicly after Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced last month that no officers would be directly charged in the March shooting death of Taylor during a narcotics raid.
October 21, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is calling on Attorney General William Barr to launch an investigation into unverified claims about Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter, effectively demanding that the Justice Department muddy his political opponent and abandon the department’s historic resistance to getting involved in elections. Trump for the first time explicitly called on Barr Tuesday to investigate the Bidens and even pointed to the nearing Nov. 3 election as a reason that Barr should not delay taking action. Trump has been leveling accusations of corruption against Biden without verified evidence for months, but is stepped up the pressure in the final days of the election.
October 21, 2020 4:15 am
A federal appeals court has ruled that North Carolina can accept absentee ballots for more than a week after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling Tuesday night declining to block the deadline extension that was announced in late September. At the time, the State Board of Elections increased the deadline from three days to nine, as long as ballots were postmarked by Election Day. The change was part of a settlement with voting rights advocates. State and national Republican leaders went to court to fight the deadline extension.
October 21, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Barack Obama is returning to Philadelphia for his first in-person 2020 campaign event for Joe Biden. He’ll be speaking Wednesday at a drive-in rally, where supporters will listen to him over the radio inside their cars. The format underscores the challenge Democrats face in ginning up enthusiasm and getting out the vote in a year when they’ve eschewed big rallies in favor of small, socially distanced events. But Democrats say Obama remains one of the party’s greatest assets in the final stretch. Obama has already been helpful to the Biden campaign. He’s appeared at virtual fundraisers and encouraged young Americans to vote.
October 21, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s most powerful Senate ally is pressing the White House not to move ahead on a pandemic relief package. This, as talks inched forward. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told fellow Republicans that he has warned the White House not to divide Republicans by sealing a lopsided $2 trillion relief deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the election. Pelosi’s office says talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday were productive. But other veteran lawmakers say there is still too much work to do and not enough time to do it to enact a relief bill by Election Day.
October 21, 2020 4:08 am
Judge Gary Gilman continued two cases for men charged with felony assault. Apipat Vutipawat, 26 of Arlington, VA is charged with statutory sexual assault for having sex with a 14 year old girl in a North Strabane Township hotel. Gilman granted a continuance until December 2 so that DNA evidence due to arrive from the crime lab can be examined by both the DA’s office and the defense. Douglas Schrecengost, 37 of North Strabane Twp. had his case continued pending the acceptance of a plea deal by the victim. Schrecengost is accused of abusing a woman for several days and trying to set her on fire. He faces several charges including aggravated assault, arson and in a second case, interception of communications. Schrecengost’s case was continued until November 4.
October 21, 2020 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly ended an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that is set to air this Sunday. Trump’s interview with Leslie Stahl ended acrimoniously, according to one person familiar with the exchange who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. In a subsequent Twitter message, the president declared his interview with Lesley Stahl to be “FAKE and BIASED” and threatened to release a White House account of the interview before its Sunday airtime. Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, sat for his own interview with the award-winning newsmagazine on Monday.
October 21, 2020 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — (WPXI) – Just days after Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill that would have allowed restaurants and other businesses to return to full capacity despite the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the State House failed to override it. The bill, known as HB 2513, was passed in the State House of Representatives on Sept. 23. Under that bill, restaurants, bars, clubs and banquet halls could return to full capacity under each business’ discretion. In the governor’s veto, he said the bill would endanger public health and safety by allowing restaurants to open up to full capacity without regard for state and federal COVID-19 mitigation guidelines. Wolf also said in his letter to state representatives that removing the meal requirement for alcohol consumption “increases the likelihood of COVID-19 outbreaks” in Pa. After the governor vetoed the bill, it went back to state legislature where they need a two-thirds majority to override it. However, the chamber was two votes short of the required count (133-69). Tuesday marked the fourth time the Pa. State House failed to override the governor’s veto.
October 21, 2020 2:56 am
Two people charged with selling fatal overdoses of drugs appeared in plea court before Judge Gary Gilman. Nyieka Speeer, 26 of Canton Township is charged with selling a fatal overdose of morphine laced with fentanyl to 25 year old Sara Nicole Morrison Jones of Somerset Twp. In what appeared to be a tense misunderstanding between Speer and her public defender, Speer rejected the plea deal and asked for a trial but indicated that she wanted to seek different representation. Gilman scheduled a pre trial conference for December 4. A second case was continued for Robert Hayes. The 38 year old Washington man is also charged with selling fatal overdoses of cocaine laced with fentanyl to Brandon Howard and Joseph Francis, both of Washington. The public defender’s office asked for and was granted a continuance pending a plea deal from the district attorney. Hayes’ hearing is scheduled for November 4.
October 20, 2020 5:40 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is calling on Attorney General William Barr to launch an investigation of Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter, effectively demanding that the Justice Department muddy his political opponent and abandon the department’s historic resistance to getting involved in elections. Trump for the first time explicitly called on Barr to investigate the Bidens and even pointed to the nearing Nov. 3 election as a reason that Barr should not delay taking action. Trump’s pressuring of Barr comes as national and most battleground polls show him facing an increasingly narrow path to reelection.
