November 16, 2019 4:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump was talking so loudly that Ambassador Gordon Sondland had to hold the phone from his ear, which allowed others at a restaurant in Kyiv to overhear a conversation about “investigations” that’s now part of the impeachment inquiry. That’s according to a person familiar with testimony under way in a closed-door briefing at the Capitol. The person was unauthorized to discuss the proceeding and granted anonymity. Investigators were interviewing David Holmes, the political counselor at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Friday in the impeachment inquiry. Holmes confirmed he overheard the call at the restaurant, the person says. The impeachment inquiry centers on Trump’s push for Ukraine to investigate rivals while the administration was withholding military aid to the East European ally.
November 16, 2019 3:36 am
WAYNESBORO, Ga. (AP) – An eastern Georgia industrial plant will close by the end of 2020, laying off up to 200 workers. General Electric Co. tells local media it will close its high-voltage electrical switchgear plant in Waynesboro, consolidating work to a similar plant in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. The company’s renewable energy unit blames the closure on “current competitive market conditions.” GE says employees can relocate to the Pennsylvania plant south of Pittsburgh, apply for other GE jobs or receive a severance. The plant was built in 1991 by German firm Ritz Messwander. GE later acquired it from French firm Alstom as part of a $10.6 billion purchase of Alstom’s electric power business in 2015. GE plans to close the plant by December 2020 and put the building up for sale in early 2021.
November 16, 2019 3:32 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate ticked up in October for the second straight month, even as payrolls and the labor force hit record highs. The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2%. It hit a four-decade low of 3.8% earlier this year. The national unemployment rate was 3.6% in October. A survey of households found Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force rose by 23,000, surpassing 6.5 million to a record high, as employment and unemployment each rose.
A separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls rose by 8,400 to a new record high above 6.06 million. Ten of 11 employment sectors rose, with just a decline in the leisure and hospitality sector. Friday’s figures are preliminary and could change.
November 16, 2019 3:30 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Discussions toward raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage for the first time since 2009 are heating up, in part to get Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to abandon an effort to extend overtime pay eligibility to thousands of workers. Leaders of the Senate’s Republican majority said Friday that negotiators must compromise for a bill to pass the chamber. Any bill would still have to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Being discussed is an increase from the $7.25 federal minimum to around $9.50 an hour in steps over 18 months or so, more modest than what Wolf proposed in January. Negotiators are up against a Thursday deadline, when a state rule-making board is voting on Wolf’s overtime regulation. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is pushing a minimum wage increase in exchange for Wolf dropping the overtime regulation.
November 15, 2019 2:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of President Donald Trump, has been found guilty at his trial in federal court in Washington. Stone was convicted Friday. He was charged in a seven-count indictment that alleged he lied to lawmakers about WikiLeaks, tampered with witnesses and obstructed a House intelligence committee probe. His trial highlighted how Trump campaign associates were eager to gather information about emails hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton that were released by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Prosecutors say Stone lied to Congress about his conversations about WikiLeaks with New York radio host Randy Credico and conservative writer and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi. He’s also accused of trying to intimidate Credico and threatening to take his dog. Stone had denied the allegations and decried the case as politically motivated. A judge says can Roger Stone can remain free pending his sentencing in February. Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected prosecutors’ request that Stone be jailed following his conviction Friday for lying to Congress and other charges stemming from the special counsel’s Russia investigation. Jackson said Stone will be subject to the same conditions he faced following his arrest, including a gag order preventing him from talking to media. She set Stone’s sentencing for Feb. 6. Stone, 67, could face up to 20 years in prison. (Photo: CNN)
November 15, 2019 1:32 pm
(AP) – New research suggests many American adults inaccurately estimate their chances for developing dementia and do useless things to prevent it. A survey of 1,000 adults aged 50 to 64 found almost half believed they were likely to develop dementia, but suggests many didn’t understand the connection between physical health and brain health. Substantial numbers of people who rated their health as fair or poor thought their dementia chances were low. Many who said they were in excellent health said they were likely to develop the memory robbing disease. Research has shown that exercise and a good diet make dementia less likely. Rigorous mental stimulation may also help. Many surveyed said they used unproven tactics, like taking supplements and doing crossword puzzles.
November 15, 2019 1:30 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health advisors are recommending broader use of a prescription-strength fish oil drug to help prevent heart problems. The non-binding recommendation paves the way for the Food and Drug Administration to expand the drug’s approval. That broader use could translate into billions in sales for drugmaker Amarin. Currently, the drug is approved for a narrow group of patients with extremely high levels of a type of fat linked to heart disease. Thursday’s recommendation was made by a panel of advisers to the FDA. The agency is expected to make a final decision on the drug before the end of the year.
November 15, 2019 12:29 pm
The NFL has announced its punishment for those involved in Thursday nights violence near the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers/Cleveland Browns game. Browns’ defensive end Myles Garrett has been suspended without pay indefinitely. The owners of the Browns, Dee and Jimmy Haslam, expressed their disappointment in Myles Garrett in a statement:
“We are extremely disappointed in what transpired last evening at the end of our game,” the statement read. “There is no place for that in football and that is not reflective of the core values we strive for as an organization. We sincerely apologize to Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Myles Garrett has been a good teammate and member of our organization and community for the last three years but his actions last night were completely unacceptable. We understand the consequences from the league for his actions.”
Also facing punishment, the Steelers Maurkice Pouncey, who has been suspended for three games. Browns’ defensive tackle Larry Ogunjuobi has also been suspended for one game without pay and fined for unnecessary roughness. This is the third instance of discipline for Myles Garrett this season. He was fined $10,527 after week 1 for hitting Tennesee Titans tight end Delanie Walker in the face mask and fined $41,112 for two hits on New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian. In addition to player punishments, the NFL also fined the Steelers and Browns organizations $250,000 each. (Photo: WPXI)
November 15, 2019 4:26 am
DETROIT (AP) – Nissan is recalling over 450,000 vehicles worldwide because a brake fluid leak could cause them to catch fire. Because of the fire risk, the company is urging owners to park the vehicles outdoors and away from structures if the antilock brake light comes on for more than 10 seconds. The recall, detailed in documents posted Friday by the U.S. government, covers the Nissan Murano SUV from 2015 through 2018, and Maxima sedans from 2016 through 2018. Also included are Infiniti QX60 and Nissan Pathfinder SUVs from 2017 through 2019. Most are in the U.S. and Canada. Nissan says an antilock brake actuator pump can leak fluid onto a circuit board, causing electrical shorts and fires. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration didn’t say if there had been any fires or injuries in vehicles covered by the latest recall. A Nissan spokeswoman said she would look into the matter, and messages were left seeking details from NHTSA. It’s Nissan’s third recall for the same problem, and the company keeps expanding the number of affected models.
November 15, 2019 4:24 am
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) – Police say the 16-year-old gunman who killed two students and wounded three others at his Los Angeles-area high school planned the attack. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Friday police don’t know any details but believe it was planned by the way the boy used the weapon and counted his rounds. The last bullet was fired into his head. He’s in critical condition at a hospital. The attack at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita happened around 7:30 a.m., Thursday, soon after the boy’s mother dropped him off on his 16th birthday. Villanueva says the boy entered the school grounds, went by himself into a quad, dropped his backpack, pulled out the handgun and fired methodically but randomly. Police said they don’t believe anyone he shot had a relationship with him beyond being fellow students.
