March 4, 2025 12:46 pm
(WPXI) – A small electrical fire broke out at the Pittsburgh Zoo’s Aquarium building on Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the zoo said the fire was quickly placed under control. All guests and staff were safely evacuated, and the animals are being closely monitored. The fire was confined to the duct-work, and the building has been deemed structurally sound, according to the zoo spokesperson.
March 4, 2025 10:22 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling again on Wall Street as companies and investors react to President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on the U.S.’s biggest trading partners. The S&P 500 dropped 1.4% Tuesday morning, the Nasdaq fell 1.4% and the Dow slid 580 points, or 1.3%. The burgeoning trade war between the U.S., China, Canada and Mexico is helping to extend a recent slump for U.S. stocks that was prompted by signs of weakness in the economy. Shares of Target and Best Buy fell after the retailers warned of higher prices for consumers due to tariffs. Markets in Europe fell sharply while stocks in Asia saw more modest declines.
March 4, 2025 9:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said there might be carveouts coming to the 25% tariffs placed on Canada and Mexico by President Donald Trump. It’s a sudden backing away after Tuesday’s tax hike hurt the stock market, worried consumers and started a trade war. In a Wednesday interview with Bloomberg Television, Lutnick said that Trump would update his tariff plans with an afternoon announcements, possibly sparing sectors such as autos from the import taxes.
March 4, 2025 5:08 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says last week’s Oval Office blowup with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was “regrettable,” and he adds, “It is time to make things right.” His remarks came hours after the White House announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine. In a social media post on X, Zelenskyy said Friday’s White House meeting “did not go the way it was supposed to be.” He added that ”it is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.” He said Ukraine is ready to sign a deal on its rare-earth minerals and security with Washington. Trump said during his address to Congress that he received a letter from Zelenskyy saying as much.
March 4, 2025 5:07 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials are rushing to reschedule Mardi Gras celebrations and warning revelers against bringing umbrellas and tents as powerful storms with a threat of tornadoes are expected to strike Louisiana and other parts of the South. The possible storms on Tuesday will also be one of the first big tests for meteorologists at the National Weather Service after hundreds of forecasters were fired under President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the size of the federal government. New Orleans moved up its two biggest Mardi Gras Day parades and cut down their routes to try to avoid the potentially destructive weather.
March 4, 2025 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will stand before a joint session of Congress to give an accounting of his turbulent first weeks in office as a divided nation struggles to keep pace. Some Americans fear for the country’s future after the president’s aggressive early moves, while others are cheering Trump on. Tuesday night’s speech will be the latest milestone in Trump’s total takeover of the nation’s capital as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. Democrats are choosing to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, as well as people who would be harmed by steep cuts to Medicaid and other programs.
March 4, 2025 5:04 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is resting after he suffered further setbacks in his fight against pneumonia. In its early Tuesday update, the Vatican said: “The pope slept through the night, now rest continues.” On Monday he had two new acute respiratory crises that required him to resume using noninvasive mechanical ventilation to breathe. Doctors said they extracted “copious” amounts of mucus from his lungs. The 88-year-old pope has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man remained alert throughout the crises.
March 4, 2025 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico have gone into effect, kicking off a trade war with America’s neighbors. Starting just past midnight Tuesday, imports from Canada and Mexico are now taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties. In addition, the 10% tariff that Trump placed on Chinese imports in February was doubled to 20%. China retaliated Tuesday with additional tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports, among other measures. Canada and Mexico both announced tariffs on American goods. Trump’s moves have raised inflation fears, even as he has promised the American public that taxes on imports are the easiest path to national prosperity.
March 4, 2025 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has directed a “pause” to U.S. assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting as he seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in negotiations to end the war with Russia. A White House official said Monday that Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal. The official added that the U.S. was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The official said the order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.
March 4, 2025 4:56 am
LEMONT FURNANCE, Pa. — The Penn State Fayette Eberly Campus is one of 12 branch campuses that could potentially be closing. It’s one of four local branch campuses in southwestern Pennsylvania.“We’ve got to be loud, we’ve got to be heard, and we’ve got to do it quick,” said Muriel Nuttal, director of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. She said she was stunned when she heard the Fayette campus could be on the chopping block. “My first thought was, ‘I can’t even imagine a Fayette County without Penn State Fayette Campus,’” she said. Nuttal, along with elected leaders at the local and state level, want to gather as much community support that they can to make sure Fayette is not one of the Penn State branch campuses to close. The Fayette campus had 407 students enrolled for this past fall semester. That’s down 30% from 577 students in fall 2020. It’s likely one of the reasons the university is looking to close it down. The university is expected to announce what branches will close before the spring semester is over. Leaders in the county are now working to form two committees. One is for community outreach and social media messaging. The other is a community, student, and alumni communications strategy to help form a letter-writing campaign to university officials. These committee meetings in Fayette County are going to continue. The next one is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
