August 25, 2019 8:21 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis says the Amazon forest is vital for our Earth and is urging prayers that fires there are quickly controlled. Francis added his voice Sunday to the chorus of international concern that the blazes in Brazil will have grave repercussions on the world’s environmental health. The pontiff, who is from the neighboring South American nation of Argentina, told the public in St. Peter’s Square that “we’re all worried” about the vast Amazon fires. He warned that that green “lung of forest is vital for our planet.” Francis said “let us pray so that, with the efforts of all, they are controlled as quickly as possible.” The blazes have sparked anti-government protests in Brazil and became a pressing issue for leaders at the Group of Seven summit in France.
August 25, 2019 8:20 am
BIARRITZ, France (AP) – President Donald Trump is threatening to use the emergency authority granted by a powerful, but obscure federal law to make good on his tweeted “order” to U.S. businesses to cut ties in China amid a trade war between the two nations. China’s announcement that it was raising tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. imports sent Trump into a rage. Trump, in a tweet, declared American companies “are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China.” He later clarified he was threatening to make use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act . He seems to want to rely on that 1977 act – which is used to target terrorists, rogue regimes and drug traffickers – as the newest weapon in the clash between the world’s two largest economies.
August 25, 2019 8:17 am
BIARRITZ, France (AP) – President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are discussing the new North American free trade agreement as they meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France. The two countries and Mexico agreed last year to modify the existing accord with what they termed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. All three nation’s legislatures must first approve the long-sought modernization of the 1990s trade agreement before it can go into effect. Trump says the trade relationship between the U.S. and Canada will be significantly expanded when USMCA is completed. He adds, “I think it’s a very special agreement.” Securing approval for USMCA in Congress is Trump’s top legislative priority for the year. Democrats are seeking changes designed to ensure the enforcement of the pact’s labor and environmental standards.
August 25, 2019 8:11 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa (WPXI) – Family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes to 13-year-old Jordan Duckett, who died doing what he loved. Duckett died after he collapsed on the field during football practice with the Westside Mustangs. “He loved football. Yes, he did. You know, that’s one thing that unfortunately, he went out trying to get ready to play football,” said associate pastor Isaac Walton. While family and friends mourn Duckett, they are also celebrating his young life. He just turned 13 and would have been in eighth grade this year at Pittsburgh Public Schools. The football team also held a moment of dedication for Duckett at their game Saturday in Windgap.
August 25, 2019 8:09 am
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) – U.S. Steel is planning to idle a northwestern Indiana facility and lay off about 150 workers. The Pittsburgh-based company says it will halt production by mid-November at its East Chicago Tin plant, which makes tin-plated metal for uses such as food and paint cans. U.S. Steel spokeswoman Meghan Cox tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times that the East Chicago plant was underutilized because low-priced imports have captured roughly half of the U.S. tin products market. Cox says about half of the East Chicago plant’s some 300 workers are expected to be offered jobs at the company’s nearby Gary or Portage plants. U.S. Steel earlier this month told Michigan officials it would lay off up to 200 workers as it idles a blast furnace at its mill near Detroit.
August 25, 2019 8:08 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Meadows Racetrack and Casino is pursuing more changes as a $14 million project gets underway. The gaming center has filed to get its own sports book. The Meadows will need to send their plans and proposal to the State Gaming Control Board. If approved, the casino would owe $10 million for a license and would have to run a trial period. The Vibe Lounge in the casino closed weeks ago to make way for the sports book. Additionally, 120 slot machines will on the way, raising the total to 2,506. There are also plans in place for food changes on the floor.
August 24, 2019 9:25 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard says it has successfully test-fired a “new missile” amid growing tensions with the United States and the unraveling of the nuclear deal with world powers. The semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Guard, said Gen. Hossein Salami told a group of clerics Saturday about the missile test a day earlier. He called it “one of the successful days of the nation,” but did not give any further details on the weapon or the test itself. On Thursday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani officially debuted an Iran-made air-defense missile system, the Bavar-373. Since 1992, Iran has developed a homegrown defense industry. The U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iran after it pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement over concerns about Iran’s missile program and regional influence. The Trump Administration argued the accord did not do enough to limit Iran’s ballistic missile program.
August 24, 2019 9:23 am
PARIS (AP) – Seventy-five years ago, they helped free Europe from the Nazis. This weekend, U.S. World War II veterans are back in Paris to celebrate the anniversary of the liberation of the French capital. Now in their 90s, these men aren’t afraid to cry about what they saw in wartime. And they want everyone to remember what happened, so that it doesn’t happen again. Harold Angle says “all the veterans of World War II, I think we saved the world.” Harold Radish described the liberation of Paris as a sign that “the world was gonna get a little better.” The veterans recounted their experiences to The Associated Press in Paris before ceremonies Saturday and Sunday marking the 75th anniversary of the military operation that ended Nazi occupation of the French capital.
August 24, 2019 9:22 am
BIARRITZ, France (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron says he’s launching an appeal to all world powers to help Brazil and other South American countries fight the fires burning in the Amazon. Before the Group of Seven summit, which begins Saturday, Macron thrust the rainforest fires to the top of the agenda. He touched on it again in a national address, which took place just as U.S. President Donald Trump touched down in the French seaside resort of Biarritz. Macron also called for an end to the trade wars he said are “taking hold everywhere.” Just before Trump left the United States, he again threatened tariffs on French wines in retaliation for a French measure taxing technology companies.
August 24, 2019 8:56 am
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) – U.S. Steel is planning to idle a northwestern Indiana facility and lay off about 150 workers. The Pittsburgh-based company says it will halt production by mid-November at its East Chicago Tin plant, which makes tin-plated metal for uses such as food and paint cans. U.S. Steel spokeswoman Meghan Cox tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times that the East Chicago plant was underutilized because low-priced imports have captured roughly half of the U.S. tin products market. Cox says about half of the East Chicago plant’s some 300 workers are expected to be offered jobs at the company’s nearby Gary or Portage plants. U.S. Steel earlier this month told Michigan officials it would lay off up to 200 workers as it idles a blast furnace at its mill near Detroit.
