May 30, 2025 11:40 am
(WPXI) ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — At least 111 people were confirmed dead in central Nigeria on Friday after floods submerged the market town of Mokwa in the country’s Niger State following torrential rains, officials said. The heavy rains lasted for several hours Thursday, and media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse in a nearby town had worsened the situation. The flooding displaced large amounts of people, the reports said. Rescuers continued to find more bodies into the afternoon Friday. Earlier reports said 88 people had died, but then at least 23 more bodies were found, Niger State emergency agency spokesman IIbrahim Audu Husseinit told The Associated Press in the afternoon. That brought the toll to 111, but that could go higher as the search continued. “More bodies have just been brought and are yet to be counted, but we have at least 111 confirmed already,” Husseini told AP by telephone. Mokwa, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) west of Abuja, is a major meeting point where traders from the south buy food from growers in the north. In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria’s northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions, worsening the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency. Nigeria often faces seasonal floods, particularly impacting communities such as Mokwa along the banks of the Niger and Benue Rivers. Communities in the far north of the country, which experience prolonged dry spells worsened by climate change, also see excessive rainfall that leads to severe flooding during their brief wet season. In videos and photos shared on social media platforms, floodwaters cover neighborhoods where homes are fully or partially submerged, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. Residents are also seen waist-deep in water, appearing to salvage what they can carry or rescue others. The chairman of Mokwa local government area, Jibril Muregi, suggested that poor infrastructure worsened the impact of the flood. He appealed to the government to start “long overdue” construction of waterways in Mokwa under a climate resilience project.
May 29, 2025 5:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has audaciously claimed virtually unlimited power to bypass Congress and impose sweeping taxes on foreign products. Now a federal court has said: Not so fast. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Wednesday that Trump overstepped his authority when he invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare a national emergency and plaster taxes – tariffs – on imports from almost every country in the world. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday allowed the president to temporarily continue collecting the tariffs under the emergency powers law while he appeals the trade court’s decision. (Photo: AP)
May 28, 2025 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court is blocking President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law. The ruling from a three-judge panel came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority, leaving U.S. trade policy dependent on his whims. At least seven lawsuits are challenging the levies, the centerpiece of Trump’s trade policy. Trump says he has the power to act because the country’s trade deficits amount to a national emergency. The court found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the use of tariffs. The plaintiffs argued that the trade deficit is not an emergency because the U.S. has run a trade deficit with the rest of the world for 49 consecutive years.
May 29, 2025 1:00 am
In a public hearing that lasted well over two hours, Mt. Pleasant Township residents voiced their opposition to the construction of a tank pad by Range Resources. The proposed site of the tank pad would be on the Yonker well site on Baker Road near the intersection of Fort Cherry Road and Walnut Road. That intersection is governed by a four way stop sign configuration. During the presentation of the project, it was stated that the tanks on the pad would be temporary structures housing fresh and reused water. The total operational time would be 30-60 days twice each year with operations being conducted 24 hours a day. Late summer construction would then lead to first usage in the fall. Residents that spoke during the hearing largely support gas drilling in the township. Most people pre-qualifying their statements with that support. Most of the arguments centered on safety. It was stated that the intersection is deficient for large trucks. People were concerned about the proximity of the site to nearby schools. Paul Salansky, whose farm is adjacent to the would be site, called on supervisors to not just “do the lawful thing, how about we do the right thing.” Supervisors now have 45 days to render their decision.
May 29, 2025 4:46 am
State Police say they investigated 756 crashes that resulted in 140 injuries and five deaths over the four day Memorial Day holiday weekend. Total crashes were down from 849 in 2024. Intoxicated drivers were a factor in 57 of those crashes, two of which were fatal. Troopers also arrested 519 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. That’s up from 456 last year. More than 27-thousand citations were issued. More than 7-thousand for speeding, 977 for failing to wear a seat belt and 166 for not securing children in safety seats.
May 29, 2025 5:54 am
Uniontown, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12 is announcing the closure of Route 3026 (Enon Church Road) between Jackson Road and the Consol Bailey Prep Plant in West Finley Township, Washington County, will be extended from today until late June. Detour:
· Route 3037 (West Finley Road)
· Route 3035/3029 (Burnsville Ridge Road)
· Route 231 (East Finley Drive)
The Washington County maintenance department is conducting slide repairs – an infrastructure investment of $120,000. All work depends on weather and operational conditions. Remain alert and follow the posted signs and speed limits. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
May 28, 2025 4:55 am
ROUNDUP, Mont. (AP) — Mining company Signal Peak Energy sits atop a billion-ton coal reserve beneath Montana’s rugged Bull Mountains and ships 98% of the fuel it mines to Japan and South Korea. Congressional Republicans last week advanced a plan to approve a long-stalled permit for the mine, just as President Donald Trump looks to further boost coal exports. Yet Trump’s own tariffs make more exports an iffy proposition for most U.S. coal. Countries retaliating against tariffs might price U.S. coal out of competition altogether. In effect, an escalating trade war could undermine Trump’s goal of saving coal.
May 29, 2025 4:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” His announcement Wednesday adds to the uncertainty for America’s international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from President Donald Trump’s administration. China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the U.S. On Tuesday, Rubio halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students.
May 29, 2025 4:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy. The billionaire entrepreneur posted Wednesday about his decision on X, his social media website. “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote. A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed that Musk was leaving. Musk’s departure comes one day after he criticized the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda, saying he was “disappointed” by what the president calls his “big beautiful bill.”
May 29, 2025 5:47 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former personal assistant testified that the hip-hop mogul sexually assaulted her, threw her into a swimming pool, dumped a bucket of ice on her head and slammed her arm into a door during a torturous eight-year tenure. The woman testified Thursday at Combs’ sex trafficking trial under the pseudonym “Mia.” She has alleged that he put his hand up her dress, forced her to perform oral sex and climbed into her bed to have sex with her against her will. She touched on the allegations briefly at the start of her testimony and is expected to discuss them in detail as her questioning continues. (Photo: AP)
