July 5, 2020 7:22 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Hundreds of people marched through downtown Pittsburgh during a protest on the Fourth of July. The protest started in Market Square around 3 p.m. Saturday. Hundreds of protesters gathered and began marching toward the City-County building on Grant Street before heading toward Liberty Avenue. Pittsburgh Public Safety said the crowd stopped at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Grant Street around 4:45 p.m., causing road closures in the area. After briefly stopping there, police said the protesters then marched down Liberty toward The Point. The crowd stopped at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Commonwealth Place around 5:30 p.m., where a line of police officers blocked off traffic. About 45 minutes later, the protesters turned around and marched to the intersection of Stanwix Street and Liberty Avenue. The crowd made it back to Market Square at around 7 p.m. Officials said the protests were peaceful, and no incidents were reported. Police continued to close roads surrounding the protesters, and rolling closures and delays downtown happened until around 7:15 p.m. as the protest went on. This comes hours after a group of protesters clashed with supporters of President Donald Trump during a boat rally on the North Shore.
July 5, 2020 3:54 am
The Washington County Coroner has provided an update to the shooting that occurred in Hanover Township of Friday afternoon. Joseph Robert Warrick, Sr.,46 was shot by his son during an argument at their residence. Warrick was pronounced dead at his residence on Hanover Acres Dr. The cause of death is pending autopsy and the manner of death is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police.
July 5, 2020 3:18 am
The Meadows Racetrack and Casino is changing its smoking policy inside the casino. As of 8:00 AM on July 4, smoking will be banned in all areas of the casino. This policy change appeared on a Facebook post and on the casino’s website. The change was brought about by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Outdoor smoking lounges will be provided.
July 4, 2020 10:32 am
LONDON (AP) – England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. In all cases, social distancing rules have to be followed. Though the easing of the lockdown will be warmly welcomed by many, there are concerns that the British government is being overly hasty, even reckless, in sanctioning the changes, given the country’s still-high coronavirus infection and death rates.
July 4, 2020 10:30 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea is reiterating it has no immediate plans to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States unless Washington discards what it describes as “hostile” polices toward Pyongyang. The statement by North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui came days after President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, told reporters that Trump might seek another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as an “October surprise” ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Kim and Trump have met three times since embarking on their high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018, but negotiations have faltered since their second summit in February last year in Vietnam.
July 4, 2020 10:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Intelligence alleging that Afghan militants might have accepted Russian bounties for killing American troops didn’t scuttle the U.S.-Taliban agreement or President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw thousands more troops from the war. But it’s given critics of the deal more reason to claim the Taliban shouldn’t be trusted. The U.S. agreed to remove all its troops by May 2021 and the Taliban pledged, among other things, to break ties with al-Qaida. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, says he remains skeptical that the Taliban will honor its commitment. So far, Trump has reduced U.S. troops from 12,000 to 8,600 and is contemplating how quickly to pull out more
July 4, 2020 3:58 am
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) – President Donald Trump has delivered a fiery speech at Mount Rushmore, charging that protesters have waged “a merciless campaign to wipe out our history” amid demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality. The president dug further into American divisions on Friday, offering a discordant tone to an electorate battered by a pandemic and wounded by racial injustice following the high-profile killings of Black people. He zeroed in on the desecration by some protesters of monuments and statues across the country that honor those who have benefited from slavery, including some past presidents. Trump said, “This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore.”
July 4, 2020 3:56 am
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) – President Donald Trump says he will establish a “National Garden of American Heroes,” which he is describing as “a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived.” Trump made the announcement as he opened the Fourth of July weekend with a speech and fireworks at the iconic Mount Rushmore. The executive order released Friday by the White House says the garden will feature statues of several presidents as well as other historic notables, including Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart, Billy Graham, Harriet Tubman and Orville and Wilbur Wright.
July 4, 2020 3:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – While public health officials are urging Americans to hold more muted Independence Day celebrations amid a spike of coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump is going big for what he is promising will be a “special evening” in the nation’s capital. Trump is set hold his “Salute for America” celebration Saturday with a speech from the White House South Lawn that he says will celebrate American heritage, a military flyover over Washington, and an enormous fireworks display that is expected to draw thousands to the National Mall. Trump is taking part in the big gatherings even as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions to try to stem further spread of the virus.
July 4, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – The U.S. is heading into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans’ self-control. They say this could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak. With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families are being urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they are being told to keep their backyard cookouts small.
