February 25, 2026 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump sought in his first State of the Union address to sell Americans on the idea of a booming economy, falling prices, and soaring jobs, yet he faces a skeptical public with a much gloomier view. Barely 12 hours before his speech, in fact, The Conference Board, a business research group, released its latest consumer confidence report. It showed that overall confidence in the economy remains historically low, and is barely above the level it plunged to in the depths of the COVID recession. Other polling has yielded similar results: Only 39% of Americans approve of Trump’s economic leadership, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey.
February 25, 2026 1:50 pm
(AP) – Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will resign from teaching at Harvard University amid a campus review of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the university announced Wednesday. Summers, who has been on leave since November and whose name appeared hundreds of times in newly released Epstein files, will leave at the end of the school year, according to a statement from Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton. In a statement, Summers said it was a difficult decision and expressed gratitude to students and colleagues he has worked with over 50 years.
February 24, 2026 2:35 am
State, County and Local officials gathered at the Crossroads Building to begin the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The America 250 PA organization celebrated with a remembrance of the great role Washington County played in the Revolutionary War and after when events like the Whiskey Rebellion tested the Constitution of the United States was tested only three years after it was officially ratified. Washington City Councilman Joe DeThomas welcomed visitors to the city. Commissioner Nick Sherman commented on how Revolutionary War history runs through Washington County. Commissioner Larry Maggi backed that up by telling how, conceivably, the last battle of the Revolutionary War was fought near Dutch Fork Lake. State Senator Camera Bartolotta described her Choctaw and Cherokee Indian heritage along with three relatives that fought for the young nation in the Revolutionary War. State Representative Tim O’Neal reflected on how divisive feelings of the early colonists may be similar to today’s citizens. He expressed faith in the Constitution and its strength to survive any attack. The America 250 PA celebration takes place across the commonwealth. Events are planned throughout the year. A schedule of events may be found at www.america250pa.org.
February 25, 2026 4:47 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The gigantic snowstorm this week across the Northeast United States has dropped piles of snow from Maryland to Maine. Cities were scrambling Wednesday to clear towering snow heaps that were not showing signs of melting anytime soon. By Tuesday evening, New York City had spread 143 million pounds of salt, while snowplows cleared the way for ambulances and fire trucks in Rhode Island. But with another storm expected Wednesday, there is plenty more work left to do, especially for the many people with disabilities. A spokesperson for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, described parts of the city as impassable islands.
February 24, 2026 4:57 am
“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie says her family is now offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of her mother. It has been three weeks since Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Arizona home. Savannah Guthrie said Tuesday that her family is still holding out for a miracle and hopes her mother will be found alive. But she also acknowledged that they realize it might be too late. She said in the video that her mom may be dancing in heaven. Savannah Guthrie said while announcing the $1 million reward that her family needs to know where Nancy Guthrie is no matter what happened.
February 24, 2026 4:58 am
Legislation to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems to prevent midair collisions failed to win approval in the House on Tuesday. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said the system that her agency has been recommending since 2008 would have prevented last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. The bill passed the Senate and had the backing of the victims’ families and key unions. It would require all aircraft to be equipped with a system that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft. The complementary system that broadcasts an aircraft’s location is already required.
February 25, 2026 4:59 am
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — The violence that followed the killing of a cartel leader in Mexico is fueling fears that the bloodshed could hurt tourism ahead of the FIFA World Cup later this year. Maria Dolores Aguirre’s corner store has lived off the tourism that flows into her cobblestoned town of Tapalpa in the mountains of Mexico’s state of Jalisco. Then the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord Sunday just a few kilometers from her home. The killing sparked a surge in violence and put the country on edge. Now Aguirre and others are worried that the clashes between the cartel and security forces will hurt their livelihoods.
February 24, 2026 4:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. Discovery said that Paramount has raised the price of its takeover offer to $31 per share, potentially setting the stage for a fresh bidding war with Netflix over the future of the Hollywood giant. The company previously offered $30 per share when it first went directly to Warner stakeholders with its all-cash, hostile bid in December — just days after Warner struck a deal to sell its studio and streaming business to Netflix for $27.75 per share. Beyond upping its proposed purchase price, Warner said Paramount had increased its regulatory termination fee to $7 billion. Paramount also agreed to move up a previously-promised “ticking fee” payable to shareholders.
February 24, 2026 4:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will use his State of the Union address to argue that his whirlwind first year back has made America stronger and that Republicans deserve to keep control of Congress after the midterms. The president is expected in Tuesday’s speech to proclaim the economy booming while endorsing increased military funding and tighter voter ID rules. Authors of past State of the Union speeches say Trump sometimes sounds more restrained when giving the address, though exaggerations and forays into old grievances are also likely. Trump points to rising stock prices and job growth, but many Americans are worried about the economy and tariffs may yet slow growth.
February 24, 2026 4:48 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Neighbors, government workers and a powerful railroad snow-clearing machine nicknamed “Darth Vader” are scrambling to dig out the northeastern United States from a brutal snow storm. But as the snow moves northward and tapers off in other areas Tuesday, forecasters warn that another storm could be right around the corner. Meteorologists are calling Monday’s storm the strongest in a decade. It dumped more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the Northeast. Thousands of flights have been canceled. By Tuesday, roads were beginning to reopen, mass transportation was coming back online and power had returned for some of the hundreds of thousands who had lost electricity.
