April 8, 2025 4:58 am
China says it will “fight to the end” and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports. The Commerce Ministry said Tuesday the U.S.‘s imposition of “so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’” on China is “completely groundless and is a typical unilateral bullying practice.” Trump’s threat Monday of additional tariffs on China raised fresh concerns that his drive to rebalance the global economy could intensify a financially destructive trade war. Stock markets from Tokyo to New York have become more unstable as the tariff war worsens.
April 8, 2025 4:52 am
President Donald Trump has ordered the Committee on Foreign Investment to review the potential acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel. It’s a review that could have a significant economic impact on Western PA and the Mon Valley. In January, the Biden administration issued an order prohibiting the acquisition, after a review by the same Committee on Foreign Investment cited national security concerns. U.S. Steel and Nippon are challenging that order in court. Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi worked for U.S. Steel for 30 years. He says President Trump ordering the Committee on Foreign Investment to review the merger is a win for the Mon Valley and the greater Pittsburgh region. “You couldn’t create a better story,” Mayor Lattanzi said. “I thought the deal was great three months ago. Now, Nippon just said recently they may throw another $7 billion in.” Mayor Lattanzi says if the deal is approved, Nippon would invest billions in our backyard, hinting at what that could look like. “They just recently added some more promises to monies,” Mayor Lattanzi said. “I’m hearing rumors about a possible new battery in Clairton, a new hot mill at Edgar Thomson and possibly greener gas.” But environmental groups, including the Breathe Project, say talks of Nippon’s potential investments are vague and don’t address ongoing negative health impacts from outdated facilities or climate pollution.
April 8, 2025 4:42 am
Canonsburg Borough Council discussed a floodwater project aimed at alleviating the chronic flooding issues in the Pike Plaza business district. The area is prone to flooding. Chairman Richard Russo highlighted the joint effort between Canonsburg Borough and Chartiers Township to address this long-standing issue. Russo emphasized that Chartiers Township has been supportive throughout the process, including backing the borough’s grant application. Canonsburg applied for a Local Share Account (LSA) Grant and was awarded $90,000 for the project. While the awarded amount was less than the borough’s initial request, Russo states that the funding would go a long way in addressing the floodwater problems. Canonsburg Public Works plans to partner with Chartiers Township Public Works to tackle any remaining aspects of the project that are not covered by the grant. Russo added that there would be no need for a tax increase to fund the project, as the work will be fully financed by the grant money. In addition to the flood mitigation project, a new electronic sign will be installed in front of the Borough Building. The current sign, which has been in place for approximately 12 to 15 years, has been experiencing issues with display quality, which has led to feedback from residents. The Canonsburg Volunteer Fire Department applied for and received a grant of approximately $25,000 to fund the new sign. However, the timeline for installation remains uncertain.
April 7, 2025 4:24 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks ended another tumultuous day lower as markets reel from President Donald Trump’s latest threats to escalate his tariff fight. The S&P 500 sank 0.2% Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 349 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. The Dow was earlier down as many as 1,700 points following even worse losses worldwide on worries that Trump’s tariffs could torpedo the global economy. It then surged to a gain after a rumor circulated that Trump may pause his tariffs. But the White House quickly called that fake news, and Trump then threatened to raise tariffs further on China.
April 7, 2025 4:19 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts agreed Monday to pause a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The administration appealed to the Supreme Court after a judge ordered the administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States by midnight. The administration has previously acknowledged he should not have been deported, but argued the government has no way to get him back from El Salvador.
April 7, 2025 9:50 am
LAKE BUTLER, Fla. (AP) – Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV’s “Dennis the Menace” for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73. North died Sunday at his home in Florida after battling colon cancer, according to Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent. North was 6 when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of the popular comic strip. Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis’ antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson. The show ran on Sundays until 1963. After that it was a fixture for decades in syndication.
April 7, 2025 5:18 am
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has traveled to the epicenter of Texas’ measles outbreak after a second school-aged child who was not vaccinated died from a measles-related illness. The death was confirmed Sunday by a spokesman for UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, and the Texas State Department of State Health Services. The state health department said the child died Thursday of “what the child’s doctors described as measles pulmonary failure.” The first measles death in the U.S. in a decade was in an unvaccinated school-age child in February in Lubbock. An adult in New Mexico who was unvaccinated became the second death in March. Kennedy says in a social media post Sunday that he is in Gaines County, Texas, to comfort the children’s families.
April 7, 2025 5:17 am
FRANKFORT, Kentucky (AP) — Rivers rose and flooding worsened across the U.S. South and Midwest, threatening communities already waterlogged and badly damaged by days of heavy rain and storms that killed at least 18 people. From Texas to Ohio, utilities scrambled to shut off power and gas, while cities deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses. Forecasters warned that flooding could persist for days, especially in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Some rivers that inundated towns rose to near-record levels and were expected to crest on Monday.
April 7, 2025 5:16 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump says he won’t back down on his sweeping tariffs on imports from most of the world unless countries even out their trade with the U.S. He’s digging in on his plans to implement the taxes that have sent financial markets reeling, raised fears of a recession and upended the global trading system. Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he didn’t want global markets to fall, but also that he wasn’t concerned about the massive sell-off either, adding, “sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.” His comments came after Trump’s aides sought to soothe market concerns by saying more than 50 nations had reached out about launching negotiations to lift the tariffs.
April 7, 2025 5:12 am
BROWNSVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – Another local school district will start a new ban on cellphones in the classroom. Brownsville Area School District’s new electronic devices policy is for grades six through 12. Students will be required to place their phones, watches, and other personal devices into special pouches during the school day. Parents are asked to contact the office if they need to reach their child. The new policy starts on Monday. Brownsville joins Penn Hills, Sto Rox and Washington schools, which have also banned phones in classrooms.
