March 2, 2025 5:26 am
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States. Starmer says the plan emerged after talks among the four countries’ leaders following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Oval Office blowout with U.S. President Donald Trump. The prime minister told the BBC he believes the U.S. president wants a durable peace in Ukraine. He repeated his assertion that American security guarantees will be needed to make it stick. Starmer is hosting a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday to discuss Ukraine.
March 2, 2025 5:39 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the head of a federal watchdog agency must remain in his job, saying President Donald Trump’s bid to remove the special counsel was unlawful. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sided Saturday with Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel, in a legal battle over the president’s authority to oust the head of the independent agency. Dellinger sued Trump last month after he was fired even though the law says special counsels can be removed by the president “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” The Justice Department quickly filed court papers indicating it will challenge the ruling to Washington’s federal appeals court.
March 2, 2025 5:42 am
BOSTON (AP) — Demonstrators have gathered outside Tesla stores across the U.S. to protest the automaker’s billionaire leader, Elon Musk. Protesters are targeting Musk over his push to slash government spending on behalf of President Donald Trump. The demonstrations are part of a growing backlash in North America and Europe to Musk’s disruptive role in Washington. Critics of Trump, Musk and their cost-cutting initiative known as DOGE hope to discourage and stigmatize Tesla purchases, ultimately denting Musk’s fortune. Shares in Tesla, the world’s most valuable automaker, make up a significant portion of Musk’s wealth.
March 2, 2025 5:30 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says it’s stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip. It warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas doesn’t accept what Israel says is a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire extension. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the fragile truce and said its decision to cut off aid was “cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack” on the existing agreement. The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which included a surge in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, when Hamas is to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for Israel’s pullout and a lasting ceasefire.
March 2, 2025 4:02 am
Governor Josh Shapiro released a statement in reaction to the White House meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President J. D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Shapiro’s statement read in part, “The Oval Office should be a place where we advance American values-not where we retreat from them. When the President and Vice President attacked President Zelenskyy today, they served to undermine the safety and security of America and our national security interests. I support a diplomatic end to this war. Achieving this requires an honest reckoning of who started the war and who the aggressor is, and to that question, there is only one answer: Russia.” After the meeting and outburst, Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House without signing a minerals deal with the United States.
March 2, 2025 12:27 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Back in November, three Pennsylvania Republicans won seats in Congress by tight margins. Today, the three find themselves navigating the delicate politics of a divided electorate once again as President Donald Trump makes economy-altering decisions early in his second term. That includes imposing tariffs on raw materials such as steel and aluminum, firing federal workers and pushing for votes on budget legislation that could require cuts to Medicaid. Those moves are already having an effect on the 2026 election. First-term Rep. Ryan Mackenzie has drawn a Democratic challenger. And there’s talk about challengers to another first-term GOP congressman in a nearby district, Rob Bresnahan.
March 2, 2025 3:59 am
Beginning March Monday, March 3, PennDot is announcing a single lane restriction on the Westbound I-376 off ramp to southbound I-79 in Robinson Township. That ramp is Exit 64A toward Washington and it will in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, through Friday, March 14. The work being performed is to conduct debris removal work in the rockfall area. The work is part of a $14.97 million highway restoration project in Robinson and Kennedy Townships. Work on the project is expected to end in late spring of this year.
March 2, 2025 3:55 am
PennDot has extended a single lane restriction on northbound Rt. 28 indefinitely. The restriction on northbound Rt. 28 occurs just south of the I-279 North/East Ohio Street exit. Inspection crews found significant deterioration of a pier that carries the I-579 HOV lane over Rt. 28. Closure of the I-579 HOV lane is also necessary until a permanent repair can be made. Additional lane restrictions on southbound Rt. 28 may also occur.
March 1, 2025 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump berated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, then abruptly called off the signing of a minerals deal that Trump said would have moved that country closer to ending its war with Russia. The astonishing turn of events on Friday has the potential to scramble affairs in Europe and around the globe. During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy had planned to sign a deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, then hold a joint news conference. Instead, Ukraine’s leader left the White House shortly after Trump shouted at him, showing open disdain.
March 1, 2025 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ongoing tariff threats from Washington and potentially sweeping government job cuts have darkened consumers’ mood and may be weighing on an otherwise mostly healthy economy. Data released Friday showed that consumers slashed their spending by the most since February 2021, even as their incomes rose. On a positive note, inflation cooled, but President Donald Trump’s threats to impose large import taxes on Canada, Mexico, and China — the United States’ top trading partners — will likely push prices higher, economists say. Some companies are already planning to raise prices in response.
