Democrats accuse Pompeo, allies of cover-up over inspector general firing
WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Wednesday detailed their suspicions that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a small group of loyalists orchestrated the firing of the agency’s inspector general, as he was investigating Pompeo’s personal conduct, and then attempted a cover-up. The House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing with three top...
USW lights up iconic Pittsburgh landmarks with Biden-Harris message without permission
Corey Barsky was more than a little miffed Tuesday night when he saw a giant Biden-Harris logo projected on the façade of the towering Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus. Barsky, who is vice chair of the Pitt College Republicans, said the projection that included the...
CoGo’s to become Coen Markets as part of rebranding
People accustomed to buying gas and coffee at one of the 38 CoGo’s locations in the region will soon see a new logo, as Canonsburg-based Coen Markets Inc. moves forward with rebranding its stores. The gas will carry the Amoco brand and the stores will be known as Coen Markets....
Downed power lines sparked 13 Oregon firesVideo
SALEM, Ore. — A fire incident report says downed power lines sparked at least 13 fires during a period of strong wind last week between two Oregon communities that were devastated by flames. The report from the Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center that was written last Thursday says the fires...
Lancaster County prosecutors respond to outrage over ‘exorbitantly high’ $1M bail set for protestersVideo
The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office is trying to set the record straight after outrage erupted over the $1 million bail set for a number of people protesting Sunday night in Lancaster. Criminal justice advocates and politicians took issue with bail set for seven of the 13 protesters accused of...
Michael Caputo, controversial HHS official installed by White House, taking medical leave of absence
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo will take a 60-day medical leave of absence, following a torrid five-month stint that included efforts to downplay the covid-19 pandemic. Caputo’s tenure was capped by a livestreamed Facebook video echoing...
Top Pa. Republican’s campaign sues journalists over public records costs
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — The campaign committee of the state Senate’s top Republican is suing a publication of LNP Media Group and...
Pennsylvania reports 776 coronavirus cases, 28 deaths
Pennsylvania on Wednesday added 776 new coronavirus cases as well as 28 deaths to its totals. The cases bring the state’s total to 146,990 positive cases and 7,903 deaths, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The health department said that 173,390 tests were administered over the last...
Vermont governor vetoes global warming solutions act
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Republican Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill that would have required Vermont to meet certain greenhouse gas emissions targets in the coming years and allowed the state to be sued if it didn’t. Scott said in his veto letter on Tuesday evening that he “shares the...
U.S. introduces broad vaccine plan — but no quick rolloutVideo
WASHINGTON — The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for covid-19 available for free to all Americans when proven safe and effective, though a top public health official made clear that widespread vaccination of millions of Americans couldn’t come until well into next year. In a report...
Trump denies downplaying virus, casts doubt on mask usageVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Fielding compelling questions about voters’ real-world problems, President Donald Trump denied during a televised town hall that he had played down the threat of the coronavirus earlier this year, although there is an audio recording of him stating he did just that. Trump, in what could well be...
Hurricane Sally unleashes flooding, hundreds rescuedVideo
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph wind and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and forcing the rescue of hundreds of people as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South....
Penn State adds more than 450 covid-19 cases since Friday, as in-person instruction continues
Penn State’s total number of covid-19 cases at University Park increased by 458 on Tuesday, boosting the total number of positives to 1,146. According to data from the university’s dashboard, 100 students tested positive between Friday and Monday while another 358 students tested positive from pending results that were updated...
CNBC host Jim Cramer apologizes for calling Pelosi ‘Crazy Nancy’ during interviewVideo
Perhaps no one wanted to put the toothpaste in the tube more than Jim Cramer. Cramer, a co-host on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” was interviewing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday and quickly acknowledged his error. “What deal can we have, Crazy Nancy?” Cramer asked during the interview, questioning...
Police leaders pressed Rochester officials to keep Prude video secret
Rochester police commanders urged city officials to hold off on publicly releasing body camera footage of Daniel Prude’s suffocation death because they feared violent blowback if the video came out during nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, newly released emails show. Deputy Chief Mark Simmons cited the...
State House votes to bar shutting down churches in disasters
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House on Tuesday passed a bill that would prevent governors from applying their disease control powers to shut down gatherings at churches or other houses of worship. The chamber voted 149 to 53 for the proposal, which the Democratic leader called a solution in search of...
America’s reputation takes hit over coronavirus response, survey finds
LONDON — The international reputation of the United States has declined further in the wake of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research Tuesday from the Pew Research Center. In some of the 13 countries surveyed, favorable views of the U.S. have fallen to record lows. Pew...
Pelosi: House to stay in session until covid-19 rescue deal reached
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday the House will remain in session until lawmakers deliver another round of covid-19 relief, a move that came as Democrats from swing districts signaled discontent with a standoff that could force them to face voters without delivering more aid. “We are committed to...
Lawyer: John Bolton will cooperate with any probe into his bookVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton will cooperate with any investigation related to the recent publication of his tell-all book, which the Justice Department has said contains classified information, his lawyer said Tuesday. The statement from Bolton’s attorney, Charles Cooper, followed reports in The New York...
Trump aide Michael Caputo apologizes for video slamming coronavirus scientists
WASHINGTON — A Trump health appointee who used his position to launch political attacks and is accused of trying to muzzle a government publication apologized Tuesday for a video in which he reportedly disparaged scientists battling the coronavirus and warned of violence after the elections. Michael Caputo, the top spokesman...
Nurse questions medical care at immigration jail in GeorgiaVideo
OCILLA, Ga. — An immigration detention center in Georgia performed questionable hysterectomies, refused to test detainees for covid-19 and shredded medical records, according to a nurse quoted in a complaint filed Monday. The complaint to the Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog relies on accounts of Dawn Wooten, who worked full-time...
Seeping under doors, bad air from West’s fires won’t ease upVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires on the West Coast is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and keeping people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying even a walk outside or trip to the park. People in...
‘Huge rainmaker’: Hurricane Sally threatens historic floods
NAVARRE BEACH, Fla. — Heavy rain, pounding surf and flash floods hit parts of the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama coast on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally lumbered toward land at a painfully slow pace, threatening as much as 30 inches of rain and dangerous, historic flooding. The storm’s center churned...
Gov. Wolf hits back after judge rules against virus restrictions
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vowed he wouldn’t heed the “irresponsible demands” of President Donald Trump and Republicans in the state legislature concerning the state’s coronavirus response, hitting back hard Tuesday after a federal judge appointed by Trump ruled many of Wolf’s pandemic shutdown orders were unconstitutional. In unusually sharp language,...
Pennsylvania posts 1,151 new coronavirus cases, 6 more deaths
Pennsylvania reported 1,151 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Tuesday. The new data brings the total cases to 146,214 and the total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania to 7,875. The state Department of Health said that 168,375 tests were administered the last seven days between Sept. 8-14 with...
