August 8, 2026 8:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators have headed for the exits in the predawn hours without having met President Donald Trump’s push to pass a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill. Trump had demanded that senators stay in session and skip their August recess. But there is not enough support for the SAVE America Act. Instead they tried to advance a slimmed-down voter ID bill, but it failed on a party-line vote. Senators wrapped an all-night session Saturday having confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general and approved stopgap funding as a step toward preventing a government shutdown later this year. They vowed to try again in autumn on the voting bill as well as a broader package to fund the Iran war.
August 8, 2026 4:33 am
Iran’s leaders believe that sooner or later the United States will have to accede to their control over the Strait of Hormuz. That would mark a victory in the five-month war, as the critical waterway carries a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas in peacetime. But Iran’s strategy also carries major risks. A prolonged conflict could inflict further damage on Iran’s economy and infrastructure, potentially triggering another wave of internal unrest. In the meantime, the conflict over the strait makes it difficult to wind down the wider war, much less resume negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
August 8, 2026 4:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is moving ahead with its efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, two months after the Supreme Court allowed her to retain her job while she fights the president’s effort to terminate her over mortgage fraud allegations that she has denied. The justices, in a 5-4 decision in June, said Cook, who was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by President Joe Biden, could remain in her post at least as long as her lawsuit challenging her firing goes on. The Trump administration is appealing a lower-court ruling in Cook’s favor. A letter this week from the White House to Cook said President Donald Trump was “considering” firing Cook but wanted to give her an opportunity to challenge the effort.
August 8, 2026 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project. Trump blasted the decision Friday as “unjust” while vowing to appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled that Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition. The panel upheld an April order from a lower court judge for aboveground work on the project to be halted.
August 8, 2026 7:13 am
Emergency responders were called to a home in the 200 block of Franklin Terrace in North Franklin Township for a vehicle that collided into the front of a home. According to 9-1-1 dispatchers, the accident occurred at 9:48 Friday night. Minor injuries occurred to the people in the vehicle and were treated at the scene. No one in the house was injured. Hazmat/collapse personnel were called to the scene to stabilize the front wall of the house.
August 7, 2026 3:39 pm
CHICAGO (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration orders inspections for hundreds of Boeing planes, following reports of cracks in some older models. The rule, finalized Thursday, applies to certain Boeing 737 Max models and takes effect September 10. The FAA estimates this covers 471 planes. So far, no cracks have been found in these specific Max models. However, the FAA received reports of cracks in older 737 planes. Boeing says it has been working with operators on this issue for six years and already initiated its own inspections. The company supports the FAA’s latest directive.
August 7, 2026 3:35 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says a federal appeals court’s decision that he cannot build a $400 million ballroom at the White House without congressional approval is unjust. The Republican president says on social media he’ll be appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled Friday that Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition. The panel upheld an April 16 order from a lower court judge for Trump’s Republican administration to halt aboveground work on the ballroom.
August 7, 2026 8:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month, and Labor Department revisions shaved 103,000 jobs off payrolls in May and June. But the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% as Americans left the job market. The June jobs numbers from the Labor Department Friday marked a sharp reversal for the U.S. labor market. Hiring had been rebounding this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets. Job growth had been solid, if unspectacular.U
August 7, 2026 4:46 am
A new building is being planned for the Tylerdale section of Washington. City Council approved the subdivision and preliminary and final land development applications for a project at the corner of Wylie Avenue and Sammy Angott Way. The Redwood Construction Services company has plans to build an office and storage building. According to Councilman Ken Westcott, the plans have been in motion for about two years. Redwood Construction will have their main offices and storage areas for trucks and related equipment. The land has been used most recently by PennDot to park their equipment during road construction in the area. No date has been set for groundbreaking.
August 7, 2026 4:45 am
The Washington County Hazmat team looked into a report of radiation on a portion of the Montour Trail in Cecil Township. During the quarterly meeting of the Washington County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Joseph Pordash, Hazmat Coordinator and Radiological Officer for Washington County delivered his findings when the hazmat crew visited the area. He said that his crew visited the area of the trail that is bordered by 5D Field Services. They are a company that stores and disposes of pipes used in the gas and oil industry. The county first became aware of the situation when local news reports spoke of an article published by Rolling Stone Magazine that said their measurements found radiation levels of 3500 picocuries per liter of air on the Westland branch of the trail. Normal radiation levels are 5 picocuries per liter of air. Pordash said that county hazmat crews measured radiation levels and found them to be in normal range along the trail. They walked the trail in two directions along the border of the company’s property and took contamination and exposure samples every 15 feet and found no radiation threat. No tests were performed on the company’s property. Pordash said there is no immediate threat of contamination. Any further investigations would be in concert with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The PA DEP did test for radiation and found no radiation threat and declined to perform soil sample tests.
