July 10, 2025 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is singling out Brazil for import taxes of 50%, citing its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro. The announcement Wednesday shows that personal grudges rather than simple economics are one of the driving forces behind the U.S. leader’s use of tariffs. Bolsonaro is charged with trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. Trump has described Bolsonaro as a friend and hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said in a statement that Trump’s tariff would trigger a retaliatory law and that the country “will not accept being taken for granted by anyone.”
July 10, 2025 4:54 am
(AP) – Millions of U.S. workers who earn tips and overtime pay may be eligible for a federal tax break when they file their 2025 income taxes next year. But which workers will qualify for the new deductions is among the details the government has to work out. Under a spending and policy bill President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, the U.S. Treasury Department must publish a list by Oct. 2 of occupations that qualify for tax-free tips. Restaurant servers, bartenders and hairdressers are expected to be eligible. The Treasury Department is also expected to publish guidance on reporting overtime pay. The deduction provisions are set to expire after the 2028 tax year.
July 10, 2025 4:48 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser won’t run for governor of Pennsylvania, despite having President Donald Trump’s recent promise of support. Meuser announced his decision Tuesday night to run again for his northeastern Pennsylvania seat rather than seek the nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2026. Trump singled out Meuser during a rally at a U.S. Steel plant in late May, telling him that “if you run, you have my support totally, and you’ll win.” Two-term Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity has said she’s considering running for governor. Shapiro is considered a possible contender for the White House in 2028.
July 10, 2025 2:36 am
West Penn Power officials tell WJPA Radio that a brief, but mighty power outage occurred Wednesday morning when a squirrel somehow got into a sub-station in the city of Washington. Spokesman Todd Meyers says the outage occurred mid-morning and affected some three-thousand customers in the city of Washington and several surrounding communities. Meyers says the outage though, was very brief, because West Penn had crews in the area and they were able to get to the site quickly and fix the problem. Meyers says squirrels and small animals and birds are big causes of power outages. He says they have rubber guards around the live equipment, but many times, small animals, particularly squirrels, manage to bypass them and then come into contact with wires and other equipment.
July 10, 2025 2:13 am
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed legislation on Wednesday fully repealing Pennsylvania’s ban on Sunday hunting. The bipartisan House Bill 1431 allows the Pennsylvania Game Commission to expand Sunday hunting opportunities while strengthening wildlife conservation efforts and bolstering rural economies, Shapiro’s office says. “This new law is about real freedom: the freedom to hunt, the freedom for families to pass down traditions to the next generation and the freedom for the Pennsylvania Game Commission — the experts who know our hunters and our wildlife best — to set hunting seasons that work for today’s Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said, speaking at the Blue Ridge Sportsman Club in Dauphin County. “By repealing this outdated ban on Sunday hunting, Pennsylvanians can spend more time outdoors, with more chances to share traditions and a stronger future for conservation. I’m proud we came together to bring Pennsylvania’s hunting laws into the 21st century and honor the traditions that make our Commonwealth special.” The Game Commission plans to implement new Sunday hunting opportunities this fall. (Photo: AP)
July 9, 2025 6:18 pm
RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico mountain village is preparing for another round of monsoon rains as it tries to dig out from historic flooding that killed a man and two children. Dozens of homes have been damaged and crews scrambled Wednesday to clear mud and debris from Ruidoso’s streets and culverts. Authorities say the damage assessments will likely take several days. The Rio Ruidoso swelled to about 20 feet Tuesday after more than 3 inches of rain fell in 90 minutes across a burn scar left by a severe wildfire last year. The community has been repeatedly hit by wildfires and flooding over recent years. Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford says it could have been much worse but that people heeded warnings to get to high ground.
July 9, 2025 6:17 pm
(AP) – Measles cases in the U.S. are at their highest in three decades. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has 1,288 cases since the beginning of the year. That’s higher than 2019, when there 1,274 cases driven by 22 outbreaks over 12 months. Eighteen states have seen outbreaks this year. Experts fear the U.S. may lose its status as having eliminated measles. There are also large outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease in Mexico and Canada.
July 9, 2025 9:24 am
One person was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital after a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of E. Beau Street and Quarry Road in South Strabane Township Wednesday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers say it happened around 8 a.m. and involved a motorcycle and a car. A landing zone was set up at the nearby Park & Ride lot. There is no word on the identity or condition of the person flown. No other injuries were reported.
July 9, 2025 5:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The impact of the massive spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on Independence Day is expected to filter down to infants and toddlers — a segment of the population that is particularly vulnerable to cuts to the federal social safety net. Many middle-class and wealthy families will see benefits from the new legislation, but programs that help low-income families keep babies healthy have been cut back. While state money funds public schools and preschool in some cases, programs supporting the youngest children are largely backed by the federal government.
July 9, 2025 5:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The last time President Donald Trump rolled out tariffs this high, financial markets quaked, consumer confidence crashed and his popularity plunged. Only three months later, he’s betting this time is different. In his new round of tariffs being announced this week, Trump is essentially tethering the entire world economy to his instinctual belief that import taxes will deliver factory jobs and stronger growth in the U.S., rather than the inflation and slowdown predicted by many economists. There are three possible outcomes. Trump could prove most economic experts wrong and the tariffs could deliver growth as promised. Or he could retreat again on tariffs before their Aug. 1 start. Or he could damage the economy.
