April 5, 2025 4:26 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)-In the last few months, five Western Pennsylvanians fell victim to the “Grandparents Scam,” and were defrauded out of $50,000. The FBI Pittsburgh office held a press conference Friday to tell people that there are likely more victims out there. Investigators arrested a Dominican Republic man, who was living in Cleveland on an expired Visa. They say Luis Alfonso Bisono Rodriguez was using ride shares like Uber to get the money delivered from his victims to him. Investigators say they were able to spot a high number of rideshares that may be part of this scam. “Because of this horrible fraud, we are urging anyone who received a suspicious call from someone claiming to be a child or a grandchild, or an attorney offering to assist a relative, please come forward and submit a complaint,” said Kevin Rojek, Special Agent at FBI Pittsburgh. At a press conference on Friday, FBI agents urged people to speak to their older loved ones about this scam. They also advised resisting the pressure from scammers to act quickly. Criminals will create a sense of urgency to produce fear and push victims into acting immediately. Call the police immediately if you feel there is a danger to yourself or a loved one. Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls and emails. If someone randomly calls claiming to be a loved one needing help, and it sounds suspicious, hang up immediately. Contact that loved one to determine whether or not the call is legitimate. Never hand over cash, checks, money, gold, jewelry, precious metals, or wire money or information to people you don’t know. Have recurring conversations with your family and friends about scams, protecting your financial information, and how to stay safe.
April 5, 2025 4:21 am
On Saturday there will be a Hands Off! Washington Fights Back! Rally on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse. The mass mobilization event will be held from 1pm to 3pm and will be one of more than 1000 rallies that are being staged across the country Saturday. The rally is meant to send a message to the world that U-S citizens do not consent to the destruction of the government and economy for the benefit of billionaires such as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their allies. According to a press release from organizers, the groups are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop to the chaos, and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country. (PHOTO: Associated Press)
April 4, 2025 8:26 am
Heavy rains overnight led to flooding in parts of Washington County Friday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 tells WJPA News that several vehicles became submerged in flood water in West Bethlehem Township. We are told no injuries were reported but at least one individual had to get out of a vehicle near Ten Mile Road. Several other vehicles in the area were also submerged. PennDot has since closed the roadway. In Buffalo Township, dispatchers say two vehicles were abandoned in flood waters at Green Valley Road at the underpass and Rural Valley Road at Carlisle was totally washed away while a nearby driveway was also destroyed. Flooding also led the McGuffey School District to operate on a two-hour delay.
April 4, 2025 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s acting inspector general has announced that he will review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen. The review will also look at other defense officials’ use of the the publicly available encrypted app, which is not able to handle classified material and is not part of the Defense Department’s secure communications network. Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, was added to a Signal text chain by national security adviser Mike Waltz.
April 4, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — After a long wait, the Senate is launching action on President Donald Trump’s ”“big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts. But it’s coming at a risky moment for the U.S. and global economy after his announcement of steep tariffs. More than a month after House Republicans surprised Washington by advancing their framework for Trump’s package, Senate Republicans are ready to start voting on their version. It’s a next step in the long process. But work on the multitrillion-dollar package is coming as markets at home and abroad are on edge in the aftermath Trump’s vast tariffs scheme, complicating an already difficult political and procedural undertaking.
April 4, 2025 5:04 am
LAKE CITY, Ark. (AP) — Parts of the Midwest and South are facing the possibility torrential rains and life-threatening flash floods on Friday The fresh storms come as many communities are still reeling from severe tornadoes that destroyed whole neighborhoods and killed at least seven people. Forecasters warned of catastrophic weather on the way, with satellite imagery showing thunderstorms lining up like freight trains. Those who died in the initial wave of storms on Wednesday and early Thursday were in Tennessee, Indiana and Missouri. Forecasters say it was the opening act for days of wild weather that could bring life-threatening flash floods across the nation’s midsection.
April 4, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said that he’s fired “some” White House National Security Council officials. The firings on Thursday come a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Trump downplayed Loomer’s influence on the firings. But Loomer during her conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his agenda. That’s according to several people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner. Loomer, who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, was a frequent presence on the campaign trail during Trump’s 2024 run. Now, she’s been speaking out about members of Trump’s national security team that she insists can’t be trusted.
April 4, 2025 5:01 am
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike has killed at least 27 Palestinians sheltering at a school in northern Gaza and wounded 70 more. Health Ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahidi said the bodies of 14 children and five women were recovered from the school in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City. He said the death toll from Thursday’s strike could still rise because some of the wounded had critical injuries. The Israeli military said it struck a “Hamas command and control center” in the Gaza City area, and said it took steps to lessen harm to civilians. Israeli forces have been expanding their strikes and evacuation orders across the war-torn territory in recent days.
April 4, 2025 5:01 am
BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain and France are accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet over Ukraine ceasefire talks and ramped up pressure on Moscow by insisting that he owes the United States an immediate answer. Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for a full and immediate 30-day halt in the fighting. The Kremlin says that Moscow views efforts to end its three-year war with Ukraine as “a drawn-out process.” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Friday that “Putin continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet.” His French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, said Ukraine accepted ceasefire terms three weeks ago, and that now Russia “owes an answer to the United States.”
April 4, 2025 5:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock markets worldwide are careening even lower after China matched President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs in an escalating trade war. The S&P 500 sank 3.5% Friday, coming off its worst day since COVID wrecked the global economy in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,226 points, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 3.4%. Not even a better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market was enough to stop the slide. European stocks saw some of the day’s biggest losses, and the price of crude oil tumbled to its lowest level since 2021 on worries about how a trade war could cause a recession.
