August 9, 2026 6:33 am
(WPXI)-A Fayette County woman was convicted this week of killing her boyfriend’s young son. A jury found Brianna Bloyer, 32, guilty of third-degree murder on Friday. Bloyer was watching 2-year-old Bentlee Myers at their Fayette County home in August 2024 when he was found unconscious and turning blue. Doctors said he had a brain bleed and bruising all over his body as a result of abuse. He died of blunt force trauma to the head. “We are grateful for the many law enforcement officers, medical professionals, and witnesses who were a part of this very emotional case and ensured that we were able to secure justice for Bentlee,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said in a post on social media after Bloyer’s trial. “May his memory be eternal.” Bentlee’s father, Brett Bissett, also faces charges in the boy’s death. Online court records show he was expected to enter a plea on Friday, but the details of that plea were not posted.
August 9, 2026 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States. The 50-49 vote early Saturday came after a bruising confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns in both parties about installing President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney atop the Justice Department. While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the Trump administration’s agenda even more aggressively. Blanche’s supporters say his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned working for Trump as his personal attorney will help him in the role.
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
