April 9, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson (pictured) is vowing to try again to pass the Republican budget framework after abruptly postponing Wednesday night’s vote. The Republican speaker worked into the night to satisfy conservative GOP lawmakers who refused to support the plan. President Donald Trump had admonished the holdouts to “stop showboating” and vote. But conservatives warn that allowing trillions of dollars in tax breaks without steeper cuts will pile onto the nation’s debt. What the president calls the “big, beautiful bill” is central to his agenda of tax cuts, mass deportations and smaller government. Johnson was hopeful they would try again Thursday. There’s still weeks, if not months, to go before a final package.
April 9, 2025 5:02 am
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dozens of people have gathered at the Dominican Republic’s forensic institute, hoping for news of their loved ones who are still missing after the roof of an iconic nightclub collapsed. The crowd grew increasingly agitated Wednesday as National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they have identified so far. At least 124 people were killed and more than 250 others injured when disaster struck early Tuesday at the legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo. Officials have called for calm, saying they have already delivered 28 bodies to their families. Officials have not been able to identify at least 33 bodies.
April 9, 2025 5:01 am
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is reaching out to other nations as the U.S. layers on tariffs, in what appears to be an attempt by Beijing to form a united front to compel Washington to retreat. It’s meeting only partial success as countries are unwilling to ally with the main target of President Donald Trump’s trade war. Trump backed off his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, saying countries were lining up to negotiate more favorable conditions. China has refused to seek talks, saying the U.S. was insincere and that it will “fight to the end.” Trump then further raised the rate on Chinese imports to 125%, and China retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods of 84%.
April 9, 2025 4:58 am
TOKYO (AP) — European shares have opened higher after Asian markets soared, with Germany’s benchmark initially surging 8% and Japan’s jumping 9% as investors welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to put his sharp tariff hikes on hold for 90 days. However, U.S. futures edged lower and oil prices also declined. Analysts had expected the global comeback given that U.S. stocks had one of their best days in history on Wednesday as investors registered their relief over Trump’s decision. In early trading, Germany’s DAX gained more than 8% and benchmarks in London and Paris gained more than 6%. Chinese shares saw more moderate gains, given yet another jump in the tariffs each side is imposing on each others’ exports.
April 9, 2025 4:55 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The federal government has revoked the visas of two current students and five recent graduates from Carnegie Mellon University. Provost James Garrett Jr. and Dean of Students Gina Casalegno sent a letter to the CMU community stating they learned about the revocation late last week. The letter stated, “These incidents understandably raise wider concerns for many in our community, and we take seriously our continued responsibility to ensure that our community is equipped with the information they need to navigate these uncertain times.” The university didn’t say why the students’ visas were revoked. “We understand the sensitivity of this matter and are committed to safeguarding their privacy, which limits the information we can share publicly. At this time, we are not aware of any recent presence of immigration authorities on our campus,” the letter said. It’s not just visas involved. According to CMU, the seven people have had their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) terminated. The action is part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration and deportation strategy.
April 9, 2025 4:47 am
Shares of U.S. Steel are hitting a 52-week high after President Donald Trump ordered a new national security review of Nippon Steel’s proposed bid to buy U.S. Steel for nearly $15 billion. President Joe Biden blocked the deal just before leaving office and Trump had vowed to do the same in previous months. Late Monday Trump ordered the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review the transaction “to assist me in determining whether further action in this matter may be appropriate.” Shares soared 16% Monday and they are up modestly Tuesday.
April 9, 2025 4:45 am
North Franklin Township Board of Supervisors took action to improve infrastructure and community development in the region. One of the highlights of the meeting was the board’s award of a $771,305.25 contract to Tresco Paving for the construction of the 2025 Road Project. Phase one of the project, which is set to begin this summer, will involve roadwork on several streets, including Vankirk Road, Cleveland Road, Harrison Street, Wilson Street, McKinley Street, Oak Street, Taft Street, Roosevelt Street, Kadon Drive, Milbeck Drive, West Canyon Drive, and Roselawn Drive. Residents impacted by the roadwork will receive a notification letter from the township ahead of the project’s start. Further advancing the township’s plans for recreational improvements, the board also awarded a $670,050.00 contract to Lutterman Excavating, LLC for the construction of the Waterside Park Greenway Project, Phase 1. This project, which is contingent upon final approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), is expected to begin this summer. Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Bob Sabot emphasized that the project will greatly benefit the community by enhancing the township’s parks and green spaces. In other business, there was a $20,000 investment for the installation of overview cameras equipped with license plate readers at two key intersections: West Chestnut Street and Franklin Farms Road, and West Chestnut Street and North Ring Road. This initiative, made possible through a joint agreement between the Pennsylvania State Police and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, is designed to assist law enforcement in criminal investigations, including burglaries and vehicle crashes. Additionally, the board appointed Michael Hilderbrand to the Township Zoning Hearing Board, filling the vacancy left by George Gillo, who resigned due to personal reasons.
April 9, 2025 2:55 am
A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore The Associated Press’ full access to cover presidential events. He ruled on a case that touched at the heart of the First Amendment and affirmed that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech. U.S.. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled that the government can’t retaliate against the AP’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The decision handed the AP a major victory at a time the White House has been challenging the press on several levels.
April 9, 2025 1:16 am
Canonsburg, PA-(WPXI)-Viatris will spend as much as $335 million to settle opioid-related claims against the Canonsburg-based pharmaceutical company. The proposed settlement over nine years would come in the form of nine annual payments of between $27.5 million and $40 million to states and local governments that would support opioid-related treatment and other efforts. “While the company’s presence in the U.S. opioids market is very small, the company has agreed to this settlement to provide closure on these matters,” Viatris (Nasdaq: VTRS) said in a statement released Monday. “This settlement is in no way an admission of wrongdoing or liability.” Viatris becomes the latest pharmaceutical company to reach a settlement with states, local governments and others over the opioid crisis. There have been about $50 billion in settlements over the past several years, with the most recent being the $7.4 billion announced in January by Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. In the Purdue Pharma/Sackler settlement, Pennsylvania will receive $212 million.
April 8, 2025 1:22 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed four executive orders aimed at boosting coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline. Under the orders, Trump will use his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. Trump has long promised to boost what he calls “beautiful” coal to fire power plants and for other uses, but the industry has been declining for decades.
