July 28, 2019 8:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s much-maligned health care system is covering 9 out of 10 people. But that fact hasn’t stopped the 2020 presidential candidates from refighting battles about how to provide coverage, from Bernie Sanders’ calls for replacing private insurance with a government plan to President Donald Trump’s pledge to erase the Affordable Care Act and start over. They depict a system in meltdown. The numbers tell a different story, not as dire. Government surveys show about 90 percent of the population has coverage. And independent experts estimate that more than half of the roughly 30 million uninsured are eligible for health insurance through existing programs. Now the bigger issue seems to be that many people with health insurance struggle to pay their deductibles and copays. About 44 million are deemed underinsured.
July 28, 2019 8:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has denigrated a majority-black district represented by a congressional nemesis as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” broadening a campaign against prominent critics of his administration that has exacerbated racial tensions. Trump lashed out in tweets Saturday against Rep. Elijah Cummings, the powerful House Oversight Committee chairman, claiming his Baltimore-area district is “considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States.” It was the president’s latest assault on a prominent lawmaker, and the people he represents, two weeks after he sparked nationwide controversy with racist tweets directed at four congresswomen of color. His comments against Cummings, who leads multiple investigations of the president’s governmental dealings, drew swift condemnation from Democrats, including would-be presidential rivals.
July 28, 2019 8:07 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – City of Pittsburgh officials want the lawsuit filed against new gun legislation dropped and say the people who filed the suit have no case. Attorneys for the city of Pittsburgh said in court documents filed this week that a lawsuit challenging the gun control ordinances was rushed into court and should be dismissed. According to documents obtained by Channel 11, the “plaintiff’s case is premised on the erroneous assumption that the Ordinance prohibits the mere carrying of a firearm loaded with an LCM or large capacity magazine. It does not. Instead, the Ordinance much more narrowly prohibits only the use of an LCM or the use of a firearm loaded with an LCM in public places in Pittsburgh.” “This is all legal obfuscation by the city. They are grasping at straws, trying to think of a way to deny people their constitutional rights,” Val Finnell said. Finnell is the Pennsylvania director of Gun Owners of America and is involved with another gun rights organization that has also filed suit against the city, challenging the ordinances. “The law in Pennsylvania makes no distinction. Municipalities have absolutely no authority, zero authority, to enact any gun control legislation, whether that is use, carrying, bans – whatever it might be,” Finnell said. He said this new court filing won’t affect the other lawsuit filed by Firearms Owners Against Crime and Allegheny County Sportsmen. Finnell said he’s preparing for a hearing on the legality of the ordinances, which will likely happen sometime this fall.
July 28, 2019 8:04 am
DAWSON, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a train hit a car at western Pennsylvania crossing, but no injuries were reported. The Uniontown Herald-Standard reports that the CSX train struck the rear passenger side of the car in Dawson at about 10:30 a.m. Friday. The driver was uninjured. The train blocked traffic at five intersections in the borough for about 1 1/2 hours. The intersection is marked with train crossing signs but there are no lights or crossing bars. The Public Utility commission opened an investigation into safety measures after two serious accidents involving CSX trains at an intersection a block away last year. In October, a driver was seriously injured when her car was hit by a train. Last August, a 9-year-old boy riding a bicycle was hit by a train and seriously injured.
July 28, 2019 8:01 am
A Charleroi man is in custody on accusations he assaulted two police officers who accompanied Children and Youth employees when they removed two girls from his residence Thursday. James Stuart Deshong, 53, was placed in Washington County Jail by District Judge Gary Havelka. Court records show Deshong was charged with aggravated assault and other charges and is held on $20,000 bond. Police accuse him of punching officer Brandon Zuraw in the left side of his face about 7:15 p.m. before striking Lt. Mike Polinski, causing a laceration to his jaw that required three stitches, court records indicate. Deshong was treated for his injuries at Mon Valley Hospital.
July 28, 2019 8:00 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (WPXI) – The body of a 22-year-old man was found inside a garage in McKeesport Saturday evening, according to police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Tareef Del Tae McClellan. Police said a woman who lives inside the home on Versailles Avenue found McClellan with a gunshot wound to the head and called 911. She said it was such a traumatizing experience that she packed a bag and will never go back to the house. Police said that woman is not a suspect. Neighbors said Versailles Avenue has been riddled with crime and gun violence. Our news partners at Channel 11 talked to a woman who said her son was murdered 10 years ago right outside of the same garage. “This is a continuous thing in McKeesport. McKeesport can’t even clear a week without us hearing about another tragic incident and it’s sad,” Mae Hudson said. McClellan did not live at the home, but police said he was known to someone who lives there. Allegheny County police are investigating this as a homicide. At this time, police said there are no suspects and the motive is unclear. Anyone with information is asked to call the Allegheny County police tipline at 1-833-255-8477.
July 27, 2019 8:49 am
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Two strong earthquakes hours apart measuring 5.4 and 5.9 have struck a group of sparsely populated islands in the Luzon Strait in the northern Philippines, killing at least four people and injuring several others. An initial police report from the Batanes Islands says four died and nine were injured. Itbayat town Mayor Raul de Sagon is quoted by the state-run Philippine Information Agency as saying five people died. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quakes early Saturday measured 5.4 and 5.9. The Philippine seismology agency says the second quake measured 6.4. Itbayat has a population of about 2,800 people and lies in the Luzon Strait that separates the Philippines and Taiwan.
July 27, 2019 7:46 am
HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong police have fired tear gas at protesters who defied police warnings not to march in a neighborhood where six days earlier a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally attacked people in a train station. Officers in riot gear shot the tear gas Saturday into a crowd of demonstrators who were standing their ground despite appeals from police to end the unsanctioned procession. The protesters gathered in Yuen Long in a show of defiance against the white-clad assailants who beat dozens of people last Sunday night. Massive demonstrations began in Hong Kong early last month against an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to face trial in mainland China, where critics say their rights would be compromised.
July 27, 2019 7:26 am
Pelosi: Not ‘running out the clock’ on impeachment
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s not “running out the clock” on impeachment as lawmakers start a six-week summer recess without having delivered on a top liberal priority.
Pelosi said the House would only take action against President Donald Trump “when we have what we need to proceed, not one day sooner.”
Democrats capped the 200-day mark in the House majority with a long list of bills passed, but face criticism for stopping short of opening impeachment proceedings. Instead, they are building the case against the president in court.
The speaker said she has “no complaints” with those pushing for impeachment. Their advocacy gives her leverage, she said.
The drive to start an impeachment inquiry is stalling after former special counsel Robert Mueller’s halting testimony before Congress this week.
July 27, 2019 7:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says Guatemala is signing an agreement to restrict asylum applications to the U.S. from Central America.
The so-called “safe third country” agreement would require migrants, including Salvadorans and Hondurans, who cross into Guatemala on their way to the U.S. to apply for protections in Guatemala instead of at the U.S. border. It could potentially ease the crush of migrants overwhelming the U.S. immigration system and hand Trump a concession he could herald as a win.
The two countries had been negotiating such an agreement for months, and Trump threatened Wednesday to place tariffs or other consequences on Guatemala if it didn’t reach a deal.
It’s not clear how the agreement will take effect. Guatemala’s Constitutional Court granted three injunctions preventing its government from entering into a deal.
