August 14, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has put a personal touch on this year’s Kennedy Center Honors. Trump announced the honorees himself, naming George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss and Michael Crawford. Trump is now chair of the Kennedy Center and revealed the names during a Wednesday press conference at the Washington cultural institution. Unlike in Trump’s first term, when he didn’t attend an honors ceremony, this year he plans to host the awards himself. Trump says he was “98% involved” in choosing the nominees. At least some of this year’s winners have a history of backing Trump, though one member of Kiss, Paul Stanley, has often criticized the president. The ceremony is Dec. 7.
August 14, 2025 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s meeting in Alaska with Vladimir Putin could be a decisive moment in the war in Ukraine and in the U.S. leader’s anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he’s always gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he’s expressed open frustrations with Putin and called him “CRAZY” while threatening to impose sanctions on Russia. Still, Trump’s self-imposed deadline for sanctions came and went without any announced penalties or explanation from the White House and the Republican president, tempering expectations for their Friday summit.
August 14, 2025 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Residents in one Washington, D.C., neighborhood lined up to protest the increased police presence after the White House said the number of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital would ramp up and federal officers would be on the streets around the clock. After law enforcement set up a vehicle checkpoint Wednesday along the busy 14th Street Northwest corridor, hecklers shouted, “Go home, fascists” and “Get off our streets.” Some protesters stood at the intersection before the checkpoint and urged drivers to turn away from it. The action intensified a few days after President Donald Trump’s unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city’s police department for at least a month.
August 14, 2025 4:56 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — Community members in California Borough are rallying around the families who were displaced in Saturday’s fire. The blaze on Liberty Street left six homes damaged — three destroyed, three partially — and four families, including several with young children, without a home. No one was hurt. On Wednesday, they had to stop accepting clothing donations after receiving more than they ever imagined. Donations filled the local volunteer fire department, and firefighters moved items to the elementary school library, where every table and corner was taken — and this was after the first batch had already been delivered to the families. Community members can still contribute food, toiletries and gift cards to help the displaced families. However, they are no longer accepting clothing. The fire’s cause is still under investigation.
August 14, 2025 4:51 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — Hospital officials confirm seven of the 10 people injured in Monday’s deadly explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works have been released. An Allegheny Health Network spokesperson tells our news partners at Channel 11 that all seven patients in AHN’s care have been discharged. A UPMC spokesperson says three patients are still being treated at UPMC Mercy. There was no update on their condition. In addition to those injured, the explosion at the plant killed two people. One of those was Timothy Quinn, and the other has not been identified. An unknown number of people were treated at the scene. United Steelworkers Local 1557 has set up a GoFundMe campaign to support the families of those who died or were injured. The explosion happened in Batteries 13 and 14, where routine maintenance had been scheduled. An investigation into the explosion is underway, and several batteries remain shut down in the meantime.
August 14, 2025 4:44 am
Allegheny County is increasing air quality monitoring after an explosion at a U.S. Steel plant south of Pittsburgh killed two people and injured more than 10 others. The county announced Thursday that mobile air units from the state and Carnegie Mellon University will be stationed in the Mon Valley. These measures are part of an ongoing investigation into the explosion at Clairton Coke Works on Monday. The plant has a history of environmental issues, including a 2018 fire that led to repeated releases of sulfur dioxide. The facility is the largest coking operation in North America.
August 13, 2025 5:30 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is now rolling out a service where its Prime members can order their blueberries and milk at the same time as their batteries and other basic items. The online juggernaut said Wednesday that customers in more than 1,000 cities and towns now have access to fresh groceries with its free Same-Day Delivery on orders over $25 for Prime members, with plans to reach over 2,300 locations by year-end. The company said that if an order doesn’t meet the minimum, members can still choose Same-Day Delivery for a $2.99 fee. For customers without a Prime membership, the service is available with a $12.99 fee, regardless of order size.
August 13, 2025 5:26 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has put a personal touch on this year’s Kennedy Center Honors. Trump announced the honorees himself, naming George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss and Michael Crawford. Trump is now chair of the Kennedy Center and revealed the names during a Wednesday press conference at the Washington cultural institution. Unlike in Trump’s first term, when he didn’t attend an honors ceremony, this year he plans to host the awards himself. Trump says he was “98% involved” in choosing the nominees. At least some of this year’s winners have a history of backing Trump, though one member of Kiss, Paul Stanley, has often criticized the president. The ceremony is Dec. 7.
August 13, 2025 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexico is sending 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the Trump administration. American authorities are ratcheting up pressure on criminal networks sending drugs across the border. Those being handed over to U.S. custody include Abigael González Valencia, a leader of “Los Cuinis,” a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation or CJNG, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. They were being flown to American soil after the Justice Department agreed not to seek the death penalty against any of the defendants or against any cartel leaders and members transferred to the U.S. in February.
August 13, 2025 5:06 am
BERLIN (AP) — The German government says that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Berlin on Wednesday to join Chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks with European and U.S. leaders ahead of the Trump-Putin summit later this week. Merz has convened a series of virtual meetings on Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine’s leaders heard ahead of a summit that they have been sidelined from. Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, to prepare for a virtual call with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later.
