November 18, 2024 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the top remaining vacancies in President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Cabinet is his treasury secretary — and the views of his top contenders there reflect broader questions about how the president-elect might wield tariffs in his new administration. Billionaire investor Scott Bessent, considered a leading candidate, has talked up tariffs as a negotiating ploy. Another prominent contender, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, has expressed more support for broad tariffs. Lutnick is co-chair of Trump’s transition operation and is helping put forward candidates for key roles, including treasury. Trump is also looking at other potential candidates as he decides who can best implement his economic agenda — and how big a role tariffs will play.
November 19, 2024 2:45 am
Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a former certified registered nurse practitioner from western Pennsylvania was sentenced Thursday to 11.5 to 23 months followed by 8 years of probation for writing fraudulent prescriptions for thousands of Oxycodone pills. Joseph G. Sapp, 56, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver, Medicaid fraud, forgery, and related charges. A collaborative investigation led by the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit revealed Sapp wrote prescriptions to be filled at pharmacies in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Fayette, and Washington counties. Sapp wrote the prescriptions for himself and for others, in exchange for money, defrauding Medicaid in the process. “The defendant had a professional responsibility to prescribe medications for people in need, and instead, betrayed his duties by contributing to the opioid epidemic and expanding access to Oxycodone,” Attorney General Henry said. “Those who administer these powerful medications will be held to the highest standard, and remain accountable when they break the law.” During an interview, Sapp admitted to using Medicaid fraudulently to submit false claims for prescriptions that were not medically necessary, and to illegally picking up prescriptions under false identities. He also confessed to forging prescriptions and providing drugs to others in exchange for money.
November 19, 2024 4:56 am
BEIRUT (AP) — A United States envoy has returned to Beirut, where Lebanese officials have tentatively welcomed a proposal for an Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire. There was no such optimism in the Gaza Strip, where the mass looting of aid trucks by armed men worsened an already severe food crisis. Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived Tuesday as Hezbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said it had responded positively to the proposal. It’s unclear how close they are to clinching an agreement, which would likely entail both the militants and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from a U.N. buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Israel has requested a stronger enforcement mechanism.
November 19, 2024 5:01 am
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Big money to respond to climate change is key to the United Nations talks underway in Azerbaijan. Vulnerable nations say they need as much as $1.3 trillion to cope with damage they’ve already suffered from extreme weather events, and to adapt to a warming planet. Wealthy nations haven’t been willing to pay nearly that much. One way they’re talking about bridging the big gap is through leverage. That’s the idea that big loans can attract other loans and private spending to add up quickly. Smaller nations are skeptical of any plan that depends heavily on loans. Many are already drowning in debt and fear even more.
November 18, 2024 5:35 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court is weighing in on a flash-point amid ongoing vote counting in the U.S. Senate election between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick. On Monday, it ordered counties not to count mail-in ballots that lack a correct handwritten date on the return envelope. It’s a win for McCormick and a loss for Casey as the campaigns prepare for a statewide recount. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. As of Monday, McCormick led by about 17,000 votes out of almost 7 million ballots counted. (Photo: AP)
November 18, 2024 8:45 am
Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemic-caused swoon in travel and a failed attempt to sell the airline to JetBlue. Spirit is the biggest U.S. budget airline. It has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion over the next year. Spirit says it expects to operate as normal as it works its way through a prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and that customers can continue to book and fly without interruption.
November 18, 2024 5:03 am
COKEBURG, Pa. — Peoples Natural Gas tells WJPA News that almost all gas service has been restore in Cokeburg. An official says the only homes that were not restored by Monday morning were those in which they could not reach the homeowner. There is no word on what caused the outage that began on Saturday. The Cokeburg Volunteer Fire Department announced over the weekend that the outage was impacting the entire borough. Crews from Peoples Natural Gas went door-to-door to restore that service.
November 18, 2024 5:00 am
SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Trading cards worth hundreds of dollars were stolen from a Walmart in Fayette County. Pennsylvania State Police said they were informed about the theft from a Walmart in South Union Township on Saturday. Walmart told them over $300 worth of trading cards had been stolen. They identified the suspects who were seen driving a 2016 Honda LTD CRV. Charges were filed for felony retail theft against two 36-year-old women from Uniontown.
November 18, 2024 5:06 am
The CDC warns of a new E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots. According to information from the FDA, Grimmway Farms has recalled organic whole and baby carrots sold under multiple sizes and brands — including Target’s Good & Gather, Whole Foods’ 365 and Trader Joe’s — and sold at stores nationwide. The products should no longer be in grocery stores, but could still be in consumer fridges or freezers. The CDC says 39 people across 18 states have been infected by this E. coli outbreak, including one person in Pennsylvania. Of them, 15 people were hospitalized and one person has died. Anyone who has the recalled carrots in their home should not eat them. The CDC recommends throwing them away or returning them to the store where they were purchased. Anything that may have touched the carrots should be washed with hot soapy water. E. Coli can cause serious infections in children, the elderly and immunocompromised people. Symptoms of an infection usually appear within three to four days of ingesting the bacteria and include stomach cramping, bloody diarrhea, dehydration and vomiting. The CDC says anyone with severe symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.
November 18, 2024 5:14 am
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia. The move eases limitations on the weapons as Russia deploys thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war. Word of the decision comes from a U.S. official and three other people familiar with the matter. Thousands of North Korean troops have been sent to Ukraine’s northern border to help Russia reclaim hundreds of kilometers of territory seized by Ukrainian forces. President-elect Donald Trump has said he would bring about a swift end to the war and has expressed skepticism over continued support for Ukraine.
