November 14, 2024 5:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration. Trump also announced Thursday that he has chosen Doug Collins, a former congressman from Georgia, to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, and said he was nominating North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Department of the Interior.
November 14, 2024 5:02 am
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — For the third straight year, efforts to fight climate change haven’t lowered projections for how hot the world is likely to get. That’s according to a new analysis Thurdsay from Climate Action Tracker, a group of scientists and analysts who study government policies and calculate projections of warming. The group also said that recent developments in China and the United States are likely to slightly worsen the outlook. They said Earth is on a path to be 2.7 degrees Celsius, or 4.9 Fahrenheit, warmer than pre-industrial times. That’s far above the 1.5-degree Celsius target set at 2015 climate talks in Paris. The world has already warmed 1.3 degrees, and climate scientists say the heat is driving ever more extreme and damaging weather around the globe.
November 14, 2024 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Mike Johnson has won the Republican nomination to remain as House speaker, on track to keep the gavel after a morning endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump ahead of a full House vote in the new year. While Johnson has no serious challenger, he faces dissent within his ranks, particularly from hard-right conservatives and the Freedom Caucus withholding their votes as leverage to extract promises ahead. Trump told House Republicans that he’s with the speaker all the way, according to a person familiar with the remarks but unauthorized to discuss the private meeting. Johnson heaped praise on Trump, calling him the “comeback king.” Johnson said Rep. Matt Gaetz, tapped as Trump’s nominee for attorney general, resigned Wednesday, launching the process to fill his House seat.
November 14, 2024 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz. That kinship was rewarded Wednesday when Trump named Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, turning to a conservative loyalist in place of more established lawyers who’d been seen as contenders. In announcing the selection, Trump underscored the premium he places on loyalty, citing Gaetz’s support during the Russia investigation as central to his qualifications and signaling his view that government leaders should function not only as a president’s protector but also as instruments of retribution.
November 14, 2024 2:45 am
A priest from a Canonsburg Greek Orthodox Church pleaded guilty to one charge of theft by unlawful taking on Wednesday. George Athanasiou, 38 of Cecil Township entered an open plea of guilty to that charge. He faced more that 220 individual charges for his role in taking $155,000 from the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church from April of 2022 until November of 2023. In his plea proceeding, Athanasiou pledged to repay the $155,000 missing from church coffers. The punitive aspect of his sentence will be determined after a pre-sentencing investigation is completed. Athanasiou could face 7 years in jail, a $15,000 fine or both. He will be sentenced on February 18.
November 14, 2024 2:36 am
Harrisburg, PA — Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced today that unofficial results in the Nov. 5 general election race for U.S. Senate have triggered a legally required statewide recount. Senator Bob Casey and Dave McCormick have vote totals within the one-half of 1 percent margin that triggers a mandatory recount under state law. As of Wednesday, the unofficial returns for the U.S. Senate race submitted by all 67 counties show the following results for the top two candidates: Robert P. Casey Jr. – 3,350,972 (48.50%) and David H. McCormick – 3,380,310 (48.93%). Once counties finish counting their ballots, they must begin the recount no later than Wednesday, Nov. 20. They must complete the recount by noon on Nov. 26 and must report results to the Secretary by noon on Nov. 27. Results of the recount will not be published until Nov. 27th. The Department estimates that the recount cost will exceed $1 million of taxpayer funds. This is the eighth time the automatic recount provision has been triggered since the passage of Act 97 of 2004. In the four cases in which the recount was carried out, the initial results of the election were affirmed.
November 13, 2024 5:40 pm
(AP) – Let the office debates begin – John Krasinski is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2024. The magazine announced the actor-writer-director as its pick Tuesday night during “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Krasinski starred in “The Office” before launching the “Quiet Place” franchise and leading the action series “Jack Ryan.” He joked in an interview with the magazine that he’s hoping his wife, fellow actor Emily Blunt, makes good on a promise to plaster the cover as wallpaper at their home. He takes the mantle from last year’s honoree, Patrick Dempsey. Previous recipients include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Legend, Michael B. Jordan and Pierce Brosnan. (Photo: AP)
November 13, 2024 3:39 pm
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation’s top prosecutor. In selecting the congressman, Trump passed over some of the more established attorneys whose names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job. “Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump said in a statement. (Photo: AP)
November 13, 2024 3:35 pm
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as director of national intelligence, continuing to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities complimentary to his own, rather than long-term professionals in their requisite fields. Trump said in a statement: “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”
November 13, 2024 3:32 pm
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday, setting up a onetime critic who evolved into one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders to become the nation’s top diplomat. The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump’s running mate this summer. On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for taking a harder line against China and has targeted social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers contend that Beijing could demand access to the data of users whenever it wants. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement.
