February 11, 2025 5:18 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says Americans’ bank accounts are safe despite the Trump administration’s shutdown of a consumer financial regulatory agency. Powell, testifying before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, said “bank accounts overall across the economy are safe” and backed by government deposit insurance. Sen. Elizabeth Warren who initially conceived of the CFPB in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and recession, said she would have concerns about doing business with a giant bank “when there’s no cop on the beat.”
February 11, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House and has renewed his insistence that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area. It’s an audacious, but highly unlikely, scheme to dramatically remake the Middle East and would require Jordan and other Arab nations to accept more refugees from Gaza — something Abdullah reiterated that he opposes. The president also suggested he wouldn’t withhold U.S. aid to Jordan or Egypt if they don’t agree to dramatically increase the number of people from Gaza they take in. That contradicts previous suggestions from Trump that aid from Washington could be held back.
February 11, 2025 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying numerous investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those headaches could vanish. On the potential chopping block: crash investigations into Tesla’s partially automated vehicles; a Justice Department criminal probe examining whether Musk and Tesla overstated their cars’ self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Tesla’s Autopilot. The consequences of such actions could prove dire, say safety advocates who credit the investigations and recalls with saving lives.
February 11, 2025 4:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a Trump administration push to reinstate a sweeping pause on federal funding, a decision that comes after a judge found the administration had not fully obeyed an earlier order. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned back the emergency appeal, though it said it expected the lower court judge to act quickly to clarify. The Justice Department had asked the appeals court to let it implement sweeping pauses on federal grants and loans, calling the lower court order to keep promised money flowing “intolerable judicial overreach.” A group of states say the president can’t block money that Congress has approved, and some still-frozen grants and loans are causing serious problems for their residents.
February 11, 2025 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he did pretty much the same thing during his first term. Trump’s original metals tariffs gave America’s struggling steel and aluminum producers some relief from intense global competition, allowing them to charge higher prices. In anticipation of the new tariffs, shares of steel and aluminum producers climbed Monday. But the tariffs took a toll last time, too, damaging U.S. relations with allies like Canada and Mexico and driving up costs for “downstream’’ U.S. producers that buy steel and aluminum and use them to manufacture goods.
February 11, 2025 4:52 am
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed that U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered” and will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc. “The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers,” von der Leyen said Tuesday in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum the previous day.
February 11, 2025 4:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump could sign an order as soon as Wednesday to require that U.S. tariffs on imports match the tax rates charged by other countries. It’s a bet that his economic ideas can eventually deliver meaningful results for voters, even if by Trump’s own admission the import taxes could involve some financial pain in the form of inflation and economic disruptions. For all of Trump’s talk, the impact will likely depend on the details of the tariffs and how other nations respond. The tariffs could set off retaliatory measures that could roil growth around the globe and reset where the United States stands with allies and rivals alike.
February 11, 2025 4:47 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – UPMC announced via social media that starting Wednesday, masking at all hospitals and outpatient areas is mandatory. From RSV to the flu, to COVID-19, respiratory illnesses and the rate at which they’re infecting people have taken center stage. “We keep hearing about things called the tripledemic because we have these three pretty nasty viruses that can all cause significant disease and lead to hospitalization,” said Doctor Todd Wolynn. He says the viruses tend to hit the elderly, immunocompromised and kids under the age of one the hardest. UPMC says it closely monitors the spread of respiratory illness in healthcare settings, and is why the healthcare provider decided to make masking mandatory again. Allegheny Health Network says it hasn’t issued a mask mandate but that they are strongly encouraged in AHN facilities.
February 11, 2025 4:38 am
Canonsburg Borough Council has approved several measures aimed at improving safety and community services. One of the key measures voted on by the board was the appointment of Scott Moore as the new Emergency Management Coordinator for Canonsburg. Moore’s appointment was approved unanimously. In another key decision, the council approved the installation of four new lights along Jefferson Avenue. The addition of these lights seeks to improve both pedestrian and vehicular safety in this section of Canonsburg. The cost of the new lights will be $1,200.The council also approved the Canonsburg Fire and Police Department’s use of the Main Pavilion in Town Park for the borough’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. The event is scheduled for April 19th from 8am-1pm. Additionally, the council approved a resolution to advertise a proposal for prohibited parking at all times on the east side of Summit Avenue between Morgan Street and Taylor Alley. The initiative is intended to address traffic flow and safety concerns in the area.
February 11, 2025 2:24 am
It may be February but road resurfacing is on the mind of Peters Township Engineer Mark Zemaitis. He previewed the road resurfacing campaign for Council on Monday night. Zemaitis says that between 5 and 6 miles of road will be paved this year. The average age of roads in this year’s program is 21 years of age. Roads are determined by road surface condition, age and traffic volume. Proximity to other roads also is considered to save money on relocation costs for equipment. Residents whose roads will be paved will be notified by mail. Road preparation and drainage work is expected to begin in mid May. Milling work should begin in June. The township works to have pavement programs completed during the school summer vacation season so to not disrupt bus service. One paving project out of the township’s control is Route 19. Zemaitis did say that PennDot has alerted them that a road milling and resurfacing project is scheduled for the stretch of road between the Upper St. Clair township line south to Donaldson’s Crossroads. No date has been given for that work to be completed.
