Pope says women can read at Mass, but still can’t be priests
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, granting them access to the altar, while reaffirming they cannot be priests. Francis amended the law to formalize what is common practice in many parts of the world: that women can read Scripture and serve on the altar as eucharistic ministers.

Previously, such roles were officially reserved to men even though exceptions were made. Francis said he was making the change to increase recognition of the “precious contribution” women make in the church, while emphasizing that all baptized Catholics have a role to play in the church’s mission.

Dems prep ‘incitement of insurrection’ charge against Trump
By LISA MASCARO, DARLENE SUPERVILLE and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Impeachment pressure mounting, the House is working swiftly to try to oust President Donald Trump from office. Democrats are pushing the vice president and Cabinet to invoke constitutional authority to remove Trump from office. A resolution calling on Pence to do so was blocked Monday by Republicans. But more votes are expected Tuesday, with an impeachment vote Wednesday. Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — over the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will proceed with legislation to impeach Trump if Pence doesn’t help.  Trump is set to leave Jan. 20 when Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated.

Bernstine Appointed to Four Key Legislative Committees

 HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) today announced that he has been appointed to serve on the House Commerce, Game and Fisheries, Health and Insurance committees for the 2021-22 Legislative Session. Bernstine is serving his third term in the House of Representatives.

“I’m excited to work on these committees that focus on the well-being of our citizens as well as important issues that affect the fiscal health of the 10^th District and the Commonwealth,” said Bernstine. “Bills begin and end their lives in committees, whether they are passed into law or not. The House’s committees consider bills and issues and oversee agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions.”

The House Commerce Committee is responsible for originating legislation and overseeing implementation of programs which affect Pennsylvania companies. The committee has primary jurisdiction over corporate governance through the business corporation law, as well as regulation of offers of sale and credit through such statutes as the Goods Services Installment Sales Act, the Unfair Sales Act, and the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act.

As a member of the House Game and Fisheries Committee, Bernstine and his colleagues will receive and review annual performance and status reports from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. The committee also addresses all legislation that affects the agencies, as well as the state’s hunters, anglers and boaters.

“Preserving Pennsylvania’s rich outdoor sports heritage has always been of special interest to me,” said Bernstine.

The House Health Committee focuses on issues such as abortion, disease management, stem cell research, health savings accounts, hospital-acquired infections, Medical Assistance, patient safety, pharmaceutical issues, telemedicine and much more.

The House Insurance Committee helps oversee the Insurance Department and ensure any legislation running through the House that pertains to insurance matters is studied with extreme care.

“Each of these committees addresses issues important to all of us,” said Bernstine. “It is now time to get to work.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke constitutional authority to remove President Donald Trump from office has been blocked by Republicans. As the House prepares for impeachment, President Donald Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — over the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. That’s according to a draft of the articles obtained by The Associated Press. Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will proceed with legislation to impeach Trump as she pushes the vice president to invoke constitutional authority to force him out. The House action could start as soon as Monday. The president is holed up at the White House.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced nearly $4.7 million in PAsmart Next Generation Industry Partnership grants were awarded to bolster workforce development across Pennsylvania.

“Employers need skilled workers now more than ever,” said Governor Wolf. “My administration created PAsmart to help close the skills gap and allow more people to get the education and training they need to get better paying jobs. Strengthening job and skills training continues to be a priority and the 28 grants announced today further enhances that goal.”

The Next Generation Industry Partnership grants bring together multiple employers in the same industry to collectively provide targeted job training so that students, workers, and job seekers get the skills for good jobs in those industries.

“Programs like the Next Generation Industry Partnership are helping Pennsylvania be at the forefront of the economic changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. “By aligning businesses in the same industry to create training programs, we can provide Pennsylvania workers with the skills they need for today’s job opportunities while helping multiple businesses develop a strong candidate pool.”

The Wolf Administration has invested $88 million through the PAsmart since 2018. The initiative provided $28 million to expand job training through registered apprenticeships and industry partnerships and $60 million to support STEM and computer science education in hundreds of schools across Pennsylvania.

This funding is in addition to $6.5 million in PAsmart grants awarded to expand apprenticeship job training. Those grants support registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship through ambassador networks, build a diverse talent pipeline while expanding non-traditional registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships and build diversity within the construction and building trades.

Braddock, PA — Just days after sending an email titled, “I’m thinking about running for Senate” and asking for a donation if folks wanted to see John run, a whopping 15,000 contributions have come in from all 50 states and 63 out of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

“We are quite humbled by this outpouring of support from the thousands of donors around Pennsylvania and the whole country who chipped in what they could to encourage John to run,” said Bobby Maggio from Team Fetterman. “This level of support is very encouraging. We would be able to build a giant grassroots campaign to fight for every vote in every one of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties — powered by people, not corporate PAC money.”

Starting with the Friday morning announcement that John was taking in a hard look at running to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, grassroots donors have chipped in more than $500,000, with an average contribution of just $33.84.

“I’m truly, utterly at a loss to communicate my profound gratitude for this support. Thank you. Thank you all so much,” said John Fetterman. “Without question, this display of support has intensified and accelerated this decision process, and a decision will be forthcoming in a matter of weeks.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be his CIA director. Biden made the announcement on Monday. A former ambassador to Russia and Jordan, Burns rose through the ranks of the State Department to become deputy secretary before retiring to run the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace in 2014. Biden praised Burns as an exemplary diplomat “with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure.” If confirmed, Burns would succeed Gina Haspel, who guided the agency under President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has formally refused to put on a fast track election challenges filed by President Donald Trump and his allies. The court on Monday rejected pleas for quick consideration of cases involving the outcome in five states won by President-elect Joe Biden. Those states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The orders, issued without comment, were unsurprising. The justices had previously taken no action in those cases in advance of last week’s counting of the electoral votes in Congress, which confirmed Biden’s victory.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden has already been preparing for months to take on a series of historic crises — a pandemic that’s killed at least 373,000 Americans and a sluggish economy that’s left millions jobless. He has talked about the need for bipartisan action and unity among Americans to address these challenges. But the armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week sparked by President Donald Trump’s false allegations of voter fraud and attempts at delegitimizing Biden’s win raised fresh questions about how exactly Biden will achieve that unity in a nation so deeply divided. His best bet to achieve that unity _ or move in that direction _ may be to get real results with the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.