July 8, 2025 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other countries. Trump provided notice of the tariffs to begin on Aug. 1 by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase import taxes. The higher tariffs could hinder economic growth, if not increase recession risks.
July 8, 2025 4:54 am
PITTSBURGH — The American Red Cross supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood, and while volunteers in the Pittsburgh area are looking for all types, there’s one they need the most. On Monday, the organization issued a call to action for local blood donors as the summer months continue and the Fourth of July holiday weekend comes to an end. “Holidays are typically a hard time for us to collect blood. That’s because people ar traveling, doing fun things,” said Nicole Roschella of the American Red Cross. Right now, donations are down in the region because people are busy this time of year, so the Red Cross is encouraging anyone of any blood type to make an appointment, especially those who are Type O, because it will likely run out first. “Type O positive is what’s given to patients more than any other blood type. Type O negative is the universal blood type, so that’s what doctors will reach for in an emergency,” Roschella said.
July 8, 2025 4:51 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Officials say a union representing thousands of city workers in Philadelphia and the city have reached a deal to end a more than weeklong strike that halted residential curbside trash pickup and affected other services. Word of the tentative agreement came early Wednesday, on what would have been the ninth day of the strike. Nearly 10,000 blue-collar employees from District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees had walked off the job July 1, seeking better pay and benefits after failing to agree with the city on a new contract. District Council 33 is the largest of four major unions representing city workers. Its membership includes 911 dispatchers, trash collectors, water department workers and many others.
July 8, 2025 4:48 am
Pennsylvania is sending some aid to help Texas after catastrophic flooding. Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that members of Pa Task Force 1, an urban search and rescue team, have been activated to lead a multi-state support team for search, rescue and vital response. They leave in the next 24 hours. “On behalf of our entire Commonwealth, we’re praying for Texas — and every family who is mourning the loss of a loved one tonight,” Gov. Shapiro said. Additionally, Pittsburgh non-profit Brother’s Brother Foundation is sending aid to Texas. The organization has committed $50,000 in financial support to the response and is pledging 100% of its donations to emergency relief. “What it really makes me feel is the generosity of your viewers because in reality, we’re just an extension of their hearts and minds,” Brother’s Brother Foundation President Ozzy Samad told our news partners at Channel 11. Brother’s Brother may also provide humanitarian assistance, like sending hygiene kits and blankets to help flood survivors or medical supplies for first responders.
July 8, 2025 4:43 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say three people were killed and 10 others injured in a shooting. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says the three people who died in the shooting early Monday were adults, and two of the wounded are juveniles. The shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. along a residential street in Grays Ferry, in South Philadelphia. Bethel says numerous rounds were fired. Police say one person with a weapon was taken into custody. The shooting happened after other shootings in the city and elsewhere around the U.S. over the Fourth of July weekend. Those included at least eight people struck by gunfire near a South Philadelphia nightclub.
July 8, 2025 2:24 am
Local leaders gathered Tuesdays for a press conference to promote the upcoming PONY League World Series to be held in Washington. Some international teams from the Caribbean, Italy and Mexico have already qualified for the prestigious baseball tournament to be played at Lew Hays PONY Field. Officials say some $6.3 million will be injected into the local economy come August. Abe Key, President and CEO of PONY Baseball and Softball, said the organization was founded in 1951 with six original teams of 13- and 14-year-old boys. In 1952, PONY League World Series games were originally played at Washington High School’s football stadium, then in 1953 they moved to what is now the Historic Lew Hays PONY Field. PONY League, which now includes softball teams, has been built to 30,000 teams in 56 countries worldwide. The league boasts some 300,000 players. John Dziak of Printscape, one of the primary sponsors of this year’s event, said the PONY League World Series is about much more than baseball. “It’s about our hometown. It’s where we live, work, raise our families. It’s where we most importantly invest our time, our treasure and talent in our communities and young people.” Jeff Kotula, President of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, noted that while many people thing of region and its oil reserves, coal, manufacturing and healthcare, but tourism is also a key to Washington County’s success. World Series Tournaments, Inc. Board Member Bob Gregg touted television and streaming services of the tournament games, as well as WJPA’s coverage. “WJPA has carried nearly every game for more than 70 years,” he said. County Commissioner Larry Maggi said “this is important to the fabric of Washington County” and an “end of summer ritual. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Washington County.”
July 7, 2025 5:45 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from local officials who criticized what they described as inadequate forecasts. Democrats wasted little time linking staff reductions to the disaster, which is being blamed for the deaths of at least 80 people. Former federal officials and experts have said Trump’s indiscriminate job reductions at NWS and other weather-related agencies will result in brain drain that threatens the government’s ability to issue timely and accurate forecasts. Trump said job cuts did not hamper weather forecasts.
July 7, 2025 12:55 pm
(AP) – A new study shows that the health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to experience obesity, chronic diseases and other problems. The research was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought children’s health to the forefront of the national policy conversation. His agency’s report in May described kids as undernourished and over-medicated. But outside experts who reviewed the new study say the Trump administration’s decision to make cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid and scientific research are not likely to reverse the trend.
July 7, 2025 12:51 pm
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal forced dozens of people to flee their homes. The Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies completed more than 50 water rescues, many of them in areas where floodwaters entered or threatened to enter apartments. Chapel Hill officials said Monday that more than 60 people were displaced Sunday and Monday. In Orange County, the possibility of the failure of the Lake Michael Dam prompted officials to issue a voluntary evacuation for areas downstream. In Chatham County, authorities say they’re searching for two missing canoers. They were last seen launching their canoe on Jordan Lake and their canoe was recovered Sunday night.
July 7, 2025 10:46 am
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a 27-year-old man was killed after opening fire at a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez told reporters Monday that Ryan Louis Mosqueda had an assault rifle and was carrying a utility vest when federal agents returned fire. Rodriguez says police received a call about the shooting just before 6 a.m. and that Mosqueda fired dozens of rounds. The shooting took place at a facility across the street from McAllen International Airport, which was shut down as a precaution. Law enforcement said afterward that they found another rifle, ammunition and backpacks that Mosqueda had brought.
