PG&E under federal probe in California wildfire
In yet another investigation into the role that utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric has played in California’s worsening wildfires, the company announced Monday that it received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney’s office seeking documents related to the Dixie fire.
PG&E received the subpoena Oct. 7, according to Monday’s regulatory filing, which also said the utility expects to take a loss of at least $1.15 billion from the blaze.
The Dixie fire — the second-largest wildfire in California history — ignited in the dense forest of Plumas County in July. In the weeks and months that followed, it burned through more than 963,000 acres across five counties, destroying 1,300 structures and leveling the town of Greenville.
The cause remains under investigation, but PG&E previously said its equipment may have been the source of the blaze after a worker in the Feather River Canyon area reported two blown fuses and a tree leaning into a power line conductor on July 13, the date the fire started.
A small fire was burning at the base of the tree, but nearly 10 hours passed between the initial sighting and the arrival of first responders, according to a report submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission.
The quarterly report filed Monday confirmed that PG&E received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of California in October. The company is cooperating with the investigation, they said.
—Los Angeles Times
Some NY cops claim religious exemption from vaccine mandate
NEW YORK — Some NYPD cops are fighting the COVID-19 vaccine mandate by claiming religious exemption because fetal cell lines were used during research, police sources said Monday.
The sources said they know of about a dozen officers who have cited the issue in seeking an exemption and they believe the number is significantly higher.
Fetal cell lines date back more than 40 years to two elective abortions and have been used to create vaccines against diseases such as hepatitis and rabies. The cell lines, which are commonly used in medical research, are cloned cells from the same source that have been adapted to grow continuously in labs. Fetal cell lines that came from two abortions in the Netherlands in 1973 and 1985 were used during research and testing of COVID vaccines.
Abortion-derived cell lines are not used in the production of vaccines. The cell lines research does not require scientists to seek cells from more recent abortions.
Project Veritas conducted a video interview with a Pfizer employee about the company using fetal cell lines to test the efficacy of a vaccine. Other sites and social media users shared the video and falsely claimed the pharmaceutical company’s vaccine contains aborted fetal cells.
“You are mandated to inject dead babies into your body,” one Twitter account sharing a Project Veritas video falsely claimed.
—New York Daily News
Durst indicted in NY in death of his first wife, Kathie
LOS ANGELES —A New York grand jury returned an indictment Monday against real estate heir Robert Durst in the murder of his first wife, Kathie, prosecutors said.
Durst — who was sentenced to life in prison last month for the 2000 murder of his close friend, Susan Berman, in Los Angeles — could now face a second trial in the same place where his bizarre legal odyssey began when Kathie McCormack vanished in 1982.
“For nearly four decades there has been a great deal of speculation about this case, much of it fueled by Robert Durst’s own highly publicized statements,” Westchester County, New York, District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement. “An indictment is a crucial step in the process of holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions.”
A criminal complaint charging Durst with McCormack’s death was filed Oct. 19, less than a week after Durst was sentenced to life in prison for Berman’s murder in California.
A grand jury was convened in early October to explore murder charges against Durst in New York, and several of McCormack’s relatives testified during those hearings, according to a person with knowledge of the case who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case with the media.
A warrant has been issued for Durst’s arrest, and Westchester County authorities will now have to seek the 78-year-old’s extradition from California.
—Los Angeles Times
Biden gives contractors leeway on COVID-19 vaccine mandate
WASHINGTON — Federal contractors can use their discretion in deciding how to handle an employee who refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to guidance released by the White House on Monday.
If a government contractor’s employee refuses to get vaccinated and does not have a pending request for an accommodation, there is no one protocol for the employer to follow. The administration suggests counseling and education, followed by additional disciplinary measures, if necessary. Firing an unvaccinated employee should occur only after additional noncompliance, the White House says.
In September, President Joe Biden announced a plan to require federal contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The White House set a Dec. 8 deadline for contractors to implement requirements.
Regardless of whether employees are vaccinated, they still must follow all other workplace safety protocols, such as mask-wearing and distancing. Federal agencies can also bar a contractor employee from entering a federal workplace.
The government will defer to contractors to determine whether an employee’s claimed exemptions, such as a medical condition or religious accommodation, are legitimate. Employers are allowed to grant short extensions in limited circumstances for medical reasons, such as if a worker received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma for COVID-19 treatment, the guidance said.
These relatively relaxed guidelines come amid pushback against the administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill have pushed back against Biden’s vaccine mandates, warning of worker shortages and government overreach.
—CQ-Roll Call
