July 24, 2025 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has unveiled an “AI Action Plan” shaped by Silicon Valley tech leaders who supported his campaign. The plan, disclosed Wednesday, focuses on boosting artificial intelligence technology exports, streamlining permits for energy-intensive data centers and exporting American AI around the world. Trump gave his tech advisers six months to come up with new AI policies after revoking President Joe Biden’s AI guardrails on his first day in office. Opponents of the Republican president’s AI agenda argue it prioritizes the needs of Big Tech over people. More than 100 groups have come together to sign a resolution calling for a “People’s AI Action Plan” that would preserve safeguards for the American public.
July 24, 2025 5:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government. The agreement was made to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus. The Ivy League school announced the agreement Wednesday. It will pay a $200 million settlement over three years to the federal government. The White House says it will also pay $21 million to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees that occurred following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The school had been threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support,
July 24, 2025 4:56 am
PITTSBURGH — Summer heat and humidity through the weekend is going to make it feel more like the mid to upper 90s, so plan ahead before heading outdoors. Temperatures will quickly climb from the low 70’s soon after sunrise to near 90 by early afternoon. Do your best to stay cool and limit time outdoors for pets, too. Friday will also be steamy, with heat indices above 90, and scattered showers and storms, especially after lunch into the evening. Storms will bring heavy downpours, which will raise the threat for localized flooding, along with frequent lightning and the threat for damaging winds. Areas from Pittsburgh south may see the strongest storms. Scattered showers and storms stick around Saturday and Sunday, mainly during the afternoon and evening.
July 24, 2025 4:52 am
PITTSBURGH — A big day for Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday as officials provided a sneak peak at the latest updates as the new terminal nears completion. The terminal tour highlighted improvements, with a focus on “universal access” and an effort to make the terminal accessible to as many people as possible. “Everybody in an airport is either pushing or pulling something. So if we make it accessible to somebody that needs to be in a wheelchair, we’re making it accessible to somebody who is pushing a baby in a pram,” Siri Betts-Sonstegard said. The airport will be holding a “dress rehearsal” at the terminal in September, then it will open to the public sometime after.
July 24, 2025 4:50 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Hot, humid weather sticks around Friday, along with scattered showers and storms that could bring heavy downpours and localized flooding. A few scattered showers will be possible early in the day, with a better chance for storms developing after lunch and into the evening. Some areas could see several rounds of storms, which could increase the threat of flash flooding. Scattered showers and storms stick around Saturday and Sunday, mainly during the afternoon and evening. Any thunderstorm through the weekend could bring heavy rain from time to time.
July 24, 2025 2:56 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz musician Chuck Mangione, known for his hit “Feels So Good,” has died at 84. His attorney, Peter S. Matorin, says Mangione died Tuesday at his home in Rochester, New York. He achieved international fame in 1977 with “Feels So Good,” a smooth-jazz staple. He also composed “Give It All You Got” for the 1980 Winter Olympics. Mangione released over 30 albums and won two Grammy Awards. He started his career as a bebop musician inspired by Dizzy Gillespie. In 2009, he donated memorabilia to the Smithsonian. Mangione retired in 2015, leaving a lasting legacy in jazz music. (Photo: AP)
July 24, 2025 2:41 am
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing icon in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and WWE said Thursday. Hogan’s real name was Terry Bollea. He was perhaps the biggest star in WWE’s long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon. Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, “Hogan Knows Best.” (Photo: AP)
July 24, 2025 2:02 am
(WPXI) BRIGHTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A retired Brighton Township police captain has been charged with possessing child pornography. Peter James Benedict Jr., 68, of Beaver, is charged with 11 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. According to court records, a CyberTip was received June 6 for activity with a suspected file of child pornography. Investigators subpoenaed information from an internet service provider and were able to track the activity to Benedict’s address. Police executed a search warrant at Benedict’s home, where he reportedly confessed to viewing child pornography on a home computer. Benedict is being held in the Beaver County Prison with bail set at $500,000.
July 23, 2025 3:26 pm
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court in a landmark advisory opinion says countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, and nations harmed by its effects could be entitled to reparations. Advocates immediately cheered the International Court of Justice opinion on nations’ obligations to tackle climate change and the consequences they may face if they don’t. Notably, the court said a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right. That paves the way for other legal actions, including states returning to the ICJ to hold each other to account as well as domestic lawsuits.
July 23, 2025 2:15 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor has pleaded guilty to illegally supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry before the overdose death of the ‘Friends’ star. On Wednesday, Dr. Salvador Plasencia admitted in federal court to providing Perry with ketamine vials, lozenges, and syringes in the weeks leading up to his death on October 28, 2023. Prosecutors say Plasencia also injected Perry with the drug and taught his assistant how to administer it. Prosecutors outlined the charges in court before the plea, and said that he did not sell Perry the dose that killed the actor. Perry had struggled with addiction for years. Plasencia faces up to 40 years in prison but has not yet been sentenced and may get a lighter sentence.
