April 6, 2025 6:50 am
A district court judge has ruled in favor of four whistleblowers who said that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton retaliated against them for reporting bribery allegations, awarding his employees more than $6 million combined in damages. In her judgment, Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy says that Paxton violated state law by firing the former employees after they brought forth bribery allegations against his office in 2020. Paxton was under federal investigation for accusations that he used his office to benefit a wealthy real estate developer. He was also impeached then later acquitted by the Texas Senate for the corruption allegations.
April 6, 2025 6:45 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected U.S. airstrikes have killed at least two people overnight in a stronghold of Yemen’s Houthi rebels. That’s according to reports by the Houthis on Sunday. The strikes in Saada wounded nine others. Footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showing a strike collapsing what appeared to be a two-story building. The Iranian-backed Houthis aired no footage from inside the building, which they described as a solar power shop. The intense campaign of airstrikes in Yemen under U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly killed at least 69 people. A bombing video posted online by Trump suggests casualties in the campaign may be higher than the rebels acknowledge.
April 6, 2025 6:43 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — One person was killed as Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Sunday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The strike sparked fires in several of the city’s nonresidential areas, damaging cars and buildings. Meanwhile, officials said that the death toll from Russia’s attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih Friday continued to grow, with 19 dead, including many children, and 75 wounded. Three days of mourning have been declared. The Russian military claimed that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military’s claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.
April 6, 2025 6:37 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)-A Roberto Clemente logo at PNC Park was seemingly replaced with an advertisement. A post shared by Roberto Clemente Jr. shows the spot where his father’s logo was previously located now holds an advertisement for a beverage. The change created some backlash from fans on social media. “Promoting a seltzer nobody’s ever heard of over the best player in your franchise’s history is a tough sell. Pretty easy to see how that can be seen as classless,” one response said. Channel 11 reached out to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a response. “The 21-foot-high wall that officially bears Roberto Clemente’s name continues to, and will forever, display his No. 21 in two separate locations. The temporary wall sign in question was put in place prior to the 2022 season and was never meant to be a permanent tribute, simply another cap tip to “The Great One.” We apologize that we didn’t directly communicate that fact to the Clemente family and our fans,” Pittsburgh Pirates Senior Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting Brian Warecki said in a statement. The Pittsburgh Pirates also emphasized that Clemente is beloved and important to the organization. “Roberto Clemente is more than a Hall-of-Fame player to us. His legacy helps define who we are as an organization. One would be hard-pressed to find a franchise that pays tribute to one of their historically great players more than the Pittsburgh Pirates do of Roberto Clemente, and rightfully so. Each and every day, we proudly honor and celebrate Roberto Clemente, the person, the player, and the humanitarian in and around our ballpark, as well as through our charitable endeavors,” Warecki said.
April 6, 2025 6:30 am
A few hundred people gathered outside the Washington County Courthouse on April 5 to participate in the “Hands Off!” protest against the policies of President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. The protest was part of a larger effort across the United States to express opposition to proposed cuts to social programs, government workforce reductions, and the influence of billionaires on political decision-making. Organizers called on the crowd to stand firm in their opposition to the potential slashing of vital public services like Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. They also expressed concerns about Trump and Musk’s growing influence in shaping federal policies that they claim favor the wealthy and hurt working-class Americans. The demonstration featured signs with slogans such as “Hands off Social Security” and “Hands Off Our Bodies,” and chanted chants like “Lock Him Up,” “Tax The Rich,” and “Tell Me What Democracy Looks Like.” “They are taking away women’s rights. If you are a married woman or your ID does not match your voting, get it together now because they have gutted the post office. You will not be able to vote in the midterm,” said AC Rowland, a resident of Muse. “Act now. Don’t sit and see what happens. Seeing what happens is how we got here. It is time to stop the insanity.” The event was part of the larger “Hands Off!” movement that spanned over 1,000 cities nationwide, with participants uniting to push back against deterioration of democratic values, and a growing divide between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of the country. “We need to take a stand and say that we are not going to fall for these things. We are not going to not protect education for our children. We are not going to not protect our own rights. We are not going to not protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid” said Maureen Griffin, a resident of McDonald. “There are so many people that need these services and need this help that are forgotten people, and it is not okay.”
April 6, 2025 5:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is sinking again, following other global markets lower, as worries deepen about whether President Donald Trump’s trade war will torpedo the global economy. The S&P 500 was down 3.8% in early trading Monday, coming off its worst week since COVID began crashing the global economy in March 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,200 points, and the Nasdaq composite was 4% lower. Stocks in Hong Kong plunged 13.2% for their worst day since 1997. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil briefly dropped below $60 for the first time since 2021.
April 5, 2025 6:59 am
U.S. President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs has triggered an escalating trade war and sent global markets plummeting. The S&P 500 fell 6% Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 5.5% and the Nasdaq composite dropped 5.8%. China announced Friday that it will impose a 34% tax on all U.S. imports next week, part of a flurry of retaliatory measures to Trump’s new tariffs. Trump has doubled down on his commitment to tariffs, maintaining that his new levies will bring trillions of dollars of investment to the U.S. while also criticizing other countries’ retaliatory measures.
April 5, 2025 5:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans plugged away overnight and into early Saturday morning to approve their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks and spending cuts framework. On a mostly party-line vote, 51-48, the Republicans muscled past hardened Democratic opposition for a crucial next step that’s central to President Donald Trump’s agenda. Passage of the plan paves the way for Republicans in coming months to push a tax cut bill through both chambers of Congress. Republicans are framing their work as preventing a tax increase for most American families. Democrats accused Republicans of laying the groundwork for increasing deficits and cutting key safety net programs. Senators spent hours churning through amendments before final voting, sending the package to the House for next steps.
April 5, 2025 5:15 am
U.S. consumers are rushing to buy big-ticket items before President Donald Trump’s tariffs kick in. Consumers who were considering big purchases told The Associated Press that they hurried in recent days to lease cars and buy products such as laptops in anticipation of the tariffs. Economists say the tariffs are expected to increase prices for everyday items, warning of potentially weakened U.S. economic growth. The White House hopes the tariffs prod countries to open their economies to more American exports, leading to negotiations that could reduce tariffs, or that companies increase their production in the U.S. to avoid higher import taxes.
April 5, 2025 5:13 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Stanley “Goose” Stewart, who survived the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster that killed 29 workers 15 years ago Saturday, calls a recommendation by the Trump administration to close three dozen offices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration across the country “idiotic.” Stewart says it would give coal companies “the green light to do as they please.” The proposed cuts are part of the administration’s effort to make the government more efficient. MSHA is required to inspect each underground mine quarterly and each surface mine twice a year. Advocates for the mining industry say the cutbacks won’t make workers less safe.
