August 29, 2025 10:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has revoked Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris. That’s according to a senior White House official. Former vice presidents typically get federal government protection for six months after leaving office, while ex-presidents do so for life. But another person familiar with the matter says then-President Joe Biden quietly signed a directive that had extended protection for Harris beyond the traditional six months. The people insisted on anonymity Friday to discuss a matter not made public. Trump is a Republican. Biden and Harris are Democrats. Trump defeated Harris in the presidential election last year after Biden dropped out of the contest and Harris replaced him.
August 29, 2025 10:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has told House Speaker Mike Johnson he won’t be spending $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch. The Republican president is using what’s known as a pocket rescission — when a president submits a request to Congress to not spend approved funds toward the end of the fiscal year, so Congress cannot act on the request in the 45-day timeframe and the money goes unspent as a result. It’s the first time in nearly 50 years a president has used one. The fiscal year draws to a close at the end of September.
August 29, 2025 9:51 am
Lisa Cessna, former Washington County Planning Director has died. Cessna has died at the age of fifty-seven. Cessna graduated from Burgettstown High School in 1986 and went on to earn a degree from Edinboro University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University. Cessna worked for State Senator Barry Stout and the City of Weirton, West Virginia before joining the Washington County Planning Department. She is survived by her husband of 31 years Richard and her daughters Emma and Grace. Friends and relatives will be received at the Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home at 809 Main Street in Bentleyville from two to seven p.m. Saturday August 30th. A service will take place on Sunday August 31st at 1:00 pm.
August 29, 2025 9:49 am
Anthony “Tony” Seneca, a long time plaintiff attorney in Washington County has died. Seneca was raised in Cokeburg. He graduated from Bentworth High School in 1972 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington and Jefferson College. He went on to earn his Doctor of Juris Prudence in 1975 from Duquesne University. In addition to his practice as a plaintiff attorney, Seneca served as solicitor to several boroughs, authorities and the coroner’s office. Seneca was also a Democratic Party political strategist. He was preceded in death by his partner Laura Ann Golensky. He is survived by his niece Renata Seneca, Esquire and his nephew Geno Seneca. At Tony’s request all services will be private.
August 29, 2025 7:41 am
Fire fighters were called to a fire at 155 Almond Road in Somerset Township at 5:30 pm on Thursday. According to 9-1-1 dispatchers, crews were sent to extinguish a blaze at a privately owned day care in a home. No one was home at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported. The state fire marshal is investigating.
August 29, 2025 4:54 am
Emergency responders were summoned to an automobile accident in the city Thursday night. According to 9-1-1 dispatchers, shortly before 10:00 pm, a car ran into a tree, flipped and caught fire. The incident occurred near the VFW club on E. Maiden Avenue. The driver was initially trapped in the car but he was able to escape. No injuries were reported.
August 29, 2025 4:34 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Investigators in Minneapolis say the shooter who killed two Catholic school students and wounded 18 other people inside a church was obsessed with the idea of killing defenseless children. Police said Thursday that the shooter idolized mass killers and wanted to terrorize innocent children. The police chief in Minneapolis says the shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, fired 116 rifle rounds through stained-glass windows Wednesday morning. The children were celebrating Mass during the first week of classes at the Annunciation Catholic School. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson says videos and writings the shooter left behind show Westman expressed hatred towards almost every group imaginable.
August 29, 2025 4:32 am
CHICAGO (AP) — The Trump administration has asked a military base outside of Chicago for support on immigration operations. The move offers a clue of what its expanded law enforcement crackdown might look like in the nation’s third-largest city. A base spokesperson says the Department of Homeland Security asked Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations.” The spokesperson says no decisions have been made on the request, and that the base hasn’t received an official request to support a National Guard deployment. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have pushed back against a possible mobilization, saying crime has fallen in Chicago. They plan to sue.
August 29, 2025 4:30 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ordered a new trial for three former Memphis police officers who were convicted of federal charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. The order comes after defense lawyers argued that another judge who presided over their trial was biased against the men. U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman issued the order for a new trial for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. The three were found guilty in October 2024 of obstruction of justice through witness tampering in the January 2023 beating death of Nichols after he fled a traffic stop.
August 29, 2025 4:27 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Jim O’Neill, a deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will serve as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two Trump administration officials confirmed the move, requesting anonymity to discuss a personnel change that has not been formally announced. The administration wants O’Neill to replace Susan Monarez, who is fighting her removal just a month after starting the job. The situation has caused bipartisan concern as Kennedy pushes anti-vaccine policies. The turmoil comes before a key meeting of an advisory committee that Kennedy has reshaped with vaccine skeptics. Two Republican senators have called for oversight, and some Democrats want Kennedy fired. Monarez’s removal has left the CDC in chaos.
