Nippon Steel Announces Plans To Invest In Plants

August 29, 2024 4:53 am

BRADDOCK, Pa. — (WPXI) – Japanese-based Nippon Steel, as part of its plans to acquire US Steel, announced Wednesday it expects to invest “no less than $1 billion” into the US Steel plants in the Mon Valley: the Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock, Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, and the Irvin Plant in West Mifflin. According to Nippon Steel, the investment will improve yield and product quality, while also increasing energy efficiency and enhancing overall operating effectiveness. According to Nippon Steel, the investment will improve yield and product quality, while also increasing energy efficiency and enhancing overall operating effectiveness. In a statement, the Japanese company said, “Nippon Steel plans to ensure Mon Valley Works operates for decades to come and will undertake the necessary investments so that it remains viable and provides jobs for future generations of steelworkers in Pennsylvania.” The United Steelworkers union fired back at Nippon Steel in a statement of their own saying, “Nippon talks a big game, but at the end of the day, a press release is not a contract. Even as it pays lip service to one of the union’s ongoing concerns, Nippon continues to duck the USW’s input.” US Steel released the following statement: “Nippon Steel’s announcement of its plan to invest approximately $1.3 billion in U. S. Steel union-represented facilities, on top of the $1.4 billion capital commitment they previously announced, is further evidence of its unwavering commitment to U. S. Steel and all of our stakeholders.

Lock & Dam Renamed To Honor Late Congressman

August 29, 2024 2:51 am

A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony was held earlier today to re-name the Charleroi Locks and Dam to the John P. Murtha Locks and Dam in honor of the longest serving Congressman in Pennsylvania history.  Federal, State and local officials joined Congressman Murtha’s family and the Army Corps of Engineers for the ceremony which was held in Monessen at the sight of the former Monongahela River Locks and Dam number 4. The facility’s name change was the result of the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 authorizing the renaming in honor of Congressman Murtha who represented Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District.  Lt. Governor Austin Davis (pictured) attended the ceremony and offered remarks praising the late Congressman’s dedication to building the infrastructure of Western Pennsylvania.

FBI Releases More Info On Trump Assassination Attempt

August 28, 2024 6:00 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior FBI official says the gunman in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity.” Kevin Rojek is the FBI’s top agent in Pittsburgh. He said Wednesday that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Trump before being killed by the Secret Service at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, did extensive research for an attack before the shooting and had looked at any number of events or targets. FBI officials say they had yet to uncover a motive despite conducting nearly 1,000 interviews in their investigation.

Harris To Sit Down For First Interview

August 28, 2024 5:13 am

Vice President Kamala Harris is sitting down with CNN this week for her first interview since she launched her campaign after President Joe Biden withdrew his bid for reelection. She will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in an interview with Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia. The interview will air at 9 p.m. Thursday Eastern time. Harris has been criticized for not holding news conferences or granting interviews with news outlets since she announced her campaign on July 21. That was the same day Biden stepped aside.

Heat Wave Continues

August 28, 2024 5:11 am

CHICAGO (AP) — As a heat wave stretched into a second day this week, residents in more than half a dozen states are looking for ways to beat the heat amid hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits. The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings and advisories Tuesday in large patches of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Cities in multiple states opened cooling centers in response, including Chicago where temperatures were expected to close in on 100 degrees. Some schools dismissed students early. But relief was expected soon, with cooler temperatures expected starting Wednesday.

Kamala Harris’ Election Would Defy History

August 28, 2024 5:09 am

NEW YORK (AP) — As Vice President Kamala Harris begins her fall campaign for the White House, she can look to history and hope for better luck than others who have tried the same. Since 1836, only one sitting vice president, George H.W. Bush in 1988, has been elected to the White House. Among those who tried and failed were Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey and Al Gore. All three lost in narrow elections shaped by issues ranging from war and scandal to crime and the subtleties of televised debates. But two other factors proved crucial for each vice president: whether the incumbent president was well-liked and whether the president and vice president enjoyed a productive relationship.

Feds File New Indictment In Trump Jan. 6 Case

August 28, 2024 5:08 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith has filed a new indictment against Donald Trump over his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election. It keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations against him following a Supreme Court opinion conferring broad immunity on former presidents. The new indictment removes a section of the indictment that dealt with Trump’s interactions with the Justice Department, an area for which the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 opinion, said Trump was entitled to immunity from prosecution. The stripped-down criminal case represents a first effort by prosecutors to comply with the Supreme Court opinion.

Palestinian Officials; Israeli Raids Kill 9 People

August 28, 2024 5:07 am

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian officials say Israel is carrying out raids across the occupied West Bank, where its forces killed at least nine Palestinians and sealed off the volatile city of Jenin. Israel has carried out near-daily raids across the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza triggered the ongoing war there. Over 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began over 10 months ago. That’s according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most have died during such raids, which often trigger gunbattles with militants. Israel says the operations are required to dismantle Hamas and other militant groups and to prevent attacks on Israelis.

Gunman Saw Butler Rally As ‘Target Of Opportunity’

August 28, 2024 5:03 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior FBI official says the gunman in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump searched online for events of both Trump and President Joe Biden and saw the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he opened fire last month as a “target of opportunity.” Kevin Rojek is the FBI’s top agent in Pittsburgh. He said Wednesday that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Trump before being killed by the Secret Service at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, did extensive research for an attack before the shooting and had looked at any number of events or targets. FBI officials say they had yet to uncover a motive despite conducting nearly 1,000 interviews in their investigation.

Trump Campaign Was Warned About Photos At Arlington

August 28, 2024 5:00 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — A defense official says Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday’s events. It came a day after NPR reported that two Trump campaign staff members “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Trump’s campaign contends he was granted access to a photographer and disputes a physical altercation.