May 11, 2026 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to leave for Beijing for high-stakes talks with President Xi Jinping. The U.S. has been trying to persuade China to use its influence over Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, insists it wants the war to end even as the U.S. accuses Chinese firms of aiding Iran’s military. The White House has set low expectations for Trump’s visit to change China’s stance. Instead, the focus is on keep trade relations stable. Both nations want to avoid further straining their relationship and risk further roiling global markets.
May 12, 2026 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has set the stage for Alabama to get rid of one of two largely Black congressional districts before this year’s midterm elections. The decision Monday comes after the court in April struck down a majority-Black U.S. House district in Louisiana as an illegal racial gerrymander. Alabama has been under a court order to use two largely Black districts but asked the court to reconsider that in light of the Louisiana ruling. The high court overturned that order and directed a lower court to reconsider the case. Alabama wants to instead use a map passed in 2023 by the Republican-led legislature that has one majority-Black district.
May 11, 2026 5:06 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The last remaining passengers on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have disembarked and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine. A French woman was the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American is suspected of infection after initial testing. France’s prime minister said Monday that the French woman who tested positive is in intensive care but stable at a Paris hospital. U.S. health officials said the patient who initially tested positive is not showing any symptoms and will be tested again. The World Health Organization recommended close monitoring of the former passengers, and many countries quarantined them.
May 11, 2026 3:37 pm
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says the Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after he rejected Tehran’s latest proposal to end the war. Officials said the proposal included some concessions on Iran’s disputed nuclear program, but on Monday Trump dismissed it as “garbage.” The stalled diplomacy and recent exchanges of fire could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict. Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and America’s blockade of Iranian ports are still in place. Trump said he would suspend the federal tax on gasoline to help Americans shoulder higher fuel prices caused by the war.
May 11, 2026 5:12 am
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks are mixed after Wall Street set more records. Oil prices have surged more than 3% following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s response to the latest U.S. proposal on ending the war in Iran. U.S. futures edged lower. Markets in South Korea and Japan hit an intraday high. With Brent crude trading at nearly $105 a barrel, analysts say resolving supply chain disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz remains the key. The Iran war is also set to be part of the discussion when Trump meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing later this week.
May 11, 2026 4:58 am
CHARTIERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A child is among two people hospitalized after a crash in Chartiers Township Sunday night. Washington County 911 says emergency crews were called to the 1500 block of Henderson Avenue around 8:45 p.m. One vehicle reportedly hit a pole and rolled over. The child was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital while the driver was taken by ambulance to a Pittsburgh hospital. Henderson Avenue was briefly closed in the area while first responders were on scene.
May 11, 2026 5:06 am
SMITH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Law enforcement officials are asking residents in two communities for help with an ongoing investigation. The Smith Township Police Department says that shortly after midnight on Sunday, officers were dispatched to multiple residences in Burgettstown and Langeloth for reports of burglary, vehicle break-ins, thefts and suspicious activity. Now, police are asking residents and businesses to check their vehicles and property, then report missing, stolen or damaged items to 911. Those with surveillance cameras are also asked to check their feeds for footage of suspicious persons or vehicles. Any footage can be shared with Patrolman Tyler Evans via email — tevans@smithtownship.org.
May 11, 2026 5:02 am
DUNBAR, Pa. — A Fayette County man faces charges after police say he fired a shotgun at a person he was arguing with on Saturday. According to a Pennsylvania State Police release, troopers were called to Lowery Drive in Dunbar at 1:53 a.m. for a reported disturbance and multiple gunshots. Troopers determined that Sebastian Kozakovsky, 23, of Connelsville, got a 12-gauge shotgun and started arguing with and threatening two people. He reportedly fired multiple rounds, including one directly at one of the victims. Kozakovsky was arrested and placed in the Fayette County Jail, PSP says. Online court records show he’s charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, making terroristic threats, simple assault and disorderly conduct. He has been denied bail, having been deemed a “flight risk,” as well as a “threat to self and others,” records show. Kozakovsky is scheduled to appear in court May 20 for his preliminary hearing.
May 11, 2026 5:11 am
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A French woman and two Americans have tested positive or showed symptoms of hantavirus. Authorities announced the new cases as nations around the world repatriate passengers from a cruise ship hit by an outbreak and quarantine or isolate them. French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said Monday that the woman was among five French passengers repatriated Sunday to Paris from the MV Hondius. One the 17 American passengers evacuated from the ship and flown to Nebraska also tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, and another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday. The World Health Organization recommended close monitoring of the former passengers, and many countries quarantined them.
May 10, 2026 5:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s trip to China may not come with the same fanfare that accompanied his first-term visit. In 2017, China went all out to welcome the new American president. For this week’s get-together between Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, the Iran war is raising the stakes for both sides. For one, China is the biggest buyer of Iran’s oil. Trump, meanwhile, had hoped China would do more to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But Trump has predicted a warm welcome from Xi, even expecting to be offered a “big, fat hug.”
