July 1, 2025 4:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The bill next goes back to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana warned off big revisions from his chamber’s version. But senators did make changes, particularly to Medicaid health care. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota worked through the night and into Tuesday to strike a last-minute agreement between Republicans worried the bill’s health care reductions will leave millions without care and his conservative flank seeking steeper cuts to hold down deficits. Rand Paul was among three Republicans opposing the bill.
July 1, 2025 4:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature will miss Pennsylvania’s deadline to pass a budget for the new fiscal year, amid closed-door talks to try to produce a compromise. Without the governor’s signature on a new spending plan by Tuesday, the state loses some of its spending authority, particularly on discretionary payments. The impact of such missed payments generally takes until August to be felt by schools and counties. Shapiro said at a news conference Monday he anticipates negotiators will agree on a plan “very soon.” All state employees under a governor’s jurisdiction are typically expected to report to work and be paid as scheduled during a budget stalemate.
July 1, 2025 4:45 am
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty. Shanon Gray, an attorney for the family of victim Kaylee Goncalves, has confirmed that families of the victims received the news in a letter from prosecutors Monday. A change of plea hearing is set for Wednesday. Kohberger, 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings. He had been a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University.
July 1, 2025 2:42 am
An early morning stabbing on Monday in the City of Washington has left one person hospitalized and another in police custody. Washington Police Chief Steve Devenney tells WJPA News that officers were called to the 300-block of East Hallam Avenue around 3:30. A man was found with multiple stab wounds and was transported to UPMC Washington before being flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh Hospital. The man’s identity and condition have not been released. Chief Devenney says one man is in custody in connection with the stabbing but police are not releasing his identity at this time as the investigation continues.
June 30, 2025 2:43 pm
June 30, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s not planning to extend a 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond July 9. He says his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. During a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” the Republican president also said a group of investors will step forward within weeks to announce a plan to buy TikTok. And he floated the idea of giving some relief to hotels and farms reeling from immigration raids.
June 30, 2025 5:07 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Jury deliberations got underway in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial and hit a snag almost as soon as they started. But, by the end of the day Monday, jurors indicated they were making progress weighing complex charges that could put the hip-hop mogul in prison for life. The first day of deliberations saw a flurry of notes from the jury and Combs and his supporters bowing their heads in prayer in the courtroom — but no verdict. The jury of eight men and four women are sifting through seven weeks of sometimes graphic and emotional testimony about the rap, fashion and reality TV impresario’s propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, including drug-fueled sex marathons dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.” (Photo: AP)
June 30, 2025 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says he won’t seek reelection. That news Sunday comes one day after he announced his opposition to President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package because of its reductions to health care programs. The announcement from the two-term senator surprised senior Republicans with its timing, but not necessarily the substance. Tillis had planned to announce his reelection plans later this year, likely September at the latest, but had been heavily leaning in favor of retiring. That’s according to a person close to the senator who was granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. His decision creates a political opportunity for Democrats seeking to bolster their numbers in the 2026 midterm elections.
June 30, 2025 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are hunkering down to consider proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts. The grind is expected to take all day Monday in what’s called a vote-a-rama and could churn into the night. Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledges final action could slip. The White House says it’s counting on Republican lawmakers to “get the job done.” With Democrats united against the Republican president’s legislation, they are proposing dozens of changes, all likely to fail. Republicans are racing to meet Trump’s Fourth of July deadline to pass the bill. The House is being called back to session for votes as soon as Wednesday, if the Senate can pass the bill.
June 30, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — At some 940 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. Now it’s up to the Republican-controlled Congress to decide whether President Donald Trump’s signature’s domestic policy package will become law. The bill is nearing a final Senate vote. If it passes, it would then move to the House. Democrats are united against it. The bill would make permanent many of the tax breaks passed in Trump’s first term while adding new ones such as no tax on tips or overtime.
