Trump Recommits To Sept. 10 Debate, Lashes Out At Harris

August 9, 2024 4:31 am

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump has recommitted to debating Vice President Kamala Harris after recently backing out. The Republican presidential nominee held a lengthy news conference Thursday in which he taunted his new rival, boasted of his crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, and lashed out at questions about the enthusiasm her campaign has been generating. As he addressed reporters at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, ABC announced that Trump and Harris have agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate. In taking questions from reporters for more than an hour, Trump tried to draw a contrast with Harris, who has not held a news conference since she became the likely Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

Legal Challenge Seeks To Prevent RFK Jr. From PA Ballot

August 9, 2024 4:19 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A newly filed legal challenge seeks to have third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kept off Pennsylvania’s fall ballot. It is an effort with ramifications for the hotly contested swing-state battle between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. The petition argues, among other things, that the nominating papers filed by Kennedy and his running mate “demonstrate, at best, a fundamental disregard” of state law and the process by which signatures are gathered. Kennedy faces legal challenges over ballot access in several states. Kennedy’s lawyer says he’s confident he will be on the Pennsylvania ballot.

Several Arrested At Downtown Pittsburgh Encampments

August 9, 2024 3:45 am

PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)-Several people are facing charges after detectives executed search warrants on encampments in Downtown Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh police said Narcotics, Violence Prevention Unit, and Downtown Public Safety Center detectives executed search warrants on two tents located on Grant Street between First Avenue and Fort Pitt Boulevard on Aug. 7. Detectives seized quantities of crack cocaine and lorazepam pills believed to be intended for distribution from this location, police said. Two people were removed from the tents and were interviewed at police headquarters. David Brown and Daidra Lomax were arrested and charged with narcotics violations. Tracy Smith was arrested on an outstanding warrant and William Mazon and Lamar Williams were arrested via summons for possession of a controlled substance. Each person who was arrested provided police with a valid home address, officials said. The area surrounding the tents is a public health and fire hazard, police said. Piles of trash, crack pipes/needles, rotten food, human feces and urine bottles are strewn throughout, and several propane tanks are located around and inside tents. Any obvious health/bio hazards and trash will be removed from the area, police said.

Kennywood Closed Friday Due To Tropical Storm Debby

August 9, 2024 3:40 am

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — Kennywood Park will be closed on Friday, Aug. 9, due to remnants of Tropical Storm Debby that are expected to move through the area. In a social media post, the park said all tickets dated for Aug. 9 will be valid for any operating day through Sept. 14. “We will see you on Saturday!” the post said.

Third Person Dies From Listeria Outbreak In Deli Meats

August 8, 2024 5:49 pm

(AP) – Federal food safety officials say three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats. The overall number of people sickened has risen to 43. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release Thursday that the additional death happened in Virginia. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases were reported since a July 31 release about the outbreak, which started in late May. Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli meats on July 30th.  (Photo:  AP)

Trump Recommits To Debating Kamala Harris

August 8, 2024 5:46 pm

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump has recommitted to debating Vice President Kamala Harris after recently backing out. The Republican presidential nominee held a lengthy news conference Thursday in which he taunted his new rival, boasted of his crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, and lashed out at questions about the enthusiasm her campaign has been generating. As he addressed reporters at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, ABC announced that Trump and Harris have agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate. In taking questions from reporters for more than an hour, Trump tried to draw a contrast with Harris, who has not held a news conference since she became the likely Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.  (Photo:  AP)

Fewer Americans File For Jobless Benefits

August 8, 2024 9:09 am

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week but remain at slightly elevated though not troubling levels. Jobless claims for the week of Aug. 3 fell by 17,000 to 233,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 240,000 analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting. Weekly unemployment claims are widely considered representative of layoffs, and though they have trended higher recently, they remain at historically healthy levels. Continuing claims, which represent the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits, rose by 6,000 to 1.88 million for the Week of July 27. That the most since the week of Nov. 27, 2021.

Chemicals Found At Home Of Austrian Suspect

August 8, 2024 5:07 am

VIENNA (AP) — Austria’s intelligence chief says chemical substances were found at the house of a 19-year-old Austrian suspected of planning an attack on upcoming Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna. The public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry says investigators found chemical substances and and technical devices at the 19-year-old suspect’s house. Just a few weeks ago, the suspect had uploaded an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group militia to an internet account. The concerts’ cancellations devastated Swifties across the globe, many of whom had dropped thousands of euros on travel and lodging for the sold-out Eras Tour shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Poll; Americans Differ On Threat To Democracy

August 8, 2024 5:06 am

NEW YORK (AP) — A new poll shows that most Americans believe this year’s presidential race will be crucial for the future of the country’s democracy. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs survey finds that they see the threat differently based on their political leanings. Nearly 6 in 10 Democrats say the November election is “extremely important” to the future of U.S. democracy, compared to about 4 in 10 independents and Republicans. Many Democrats continue to view former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy after he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. But the results also suggest that many of Trump’s supporters agree with him that President Joe Biden is the real threat to democracy.

Debby Bringing Heavy Rain Up The East Coast

August 8, 2024 5:00 am

HUGER, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby has made a second landfall in South Carolina on its way up the East Coast, where residents as far north as Vermont could get several inches of rain this weekend. The National Hurricane Center says Debby came ashore early Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. The storm is expected to keep moving inland, spreading heavy rain and possible flooding all the way up through the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast by the weekend. Debby first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida.