November 26, 2025 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A health care proposal circulated by the White House in recent days is running into Republican divisions on the issue. It’s a familiar struggle for Republicans, who have been trying to scrap or overhaul the federal health care law for the past 15 years. The tentative proposal from President Donald Trump would extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years while adjusting eligibility requirements for those who receive them. The proposal has so far been met with a stony silence on Capitol Hill. Republicans are debating among themselves whether to overhaul the health care law, tweak it or simply let the subsidies expire.
November 26, 2025 4:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is seeking to abandon a rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution, arguing that the Biden administration did not have authority to set the tighter standard on pollution from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources. The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule last year that imposed strict standards for soot pollution, saying that reducing fine particle matter from motor vehicles and industrial sources could prevent thousands of premature deaths a year. Twenty-five Republican-led states and a host of business groups filed lawsuits seeking to block the rule. In a court filing this week, the EPA said the Biden-era rule was unlawful and done “without the rigorous, stepwise process that Congress required.”
November 26, 2025 4:48 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers were much less confident in the economy in November in the aftermath of the government shutdown and amid weak hiring and stubborn inflation. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dropped to 88.7 in November from an upwardly revised October reading of 95.5, the lowest reading since April, when President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs that caused the stock market to plunge. The figures suggest that Americans are increasingly wary of high costs and sluggish job gains, with perceptions of the labor market worsening, the survey found.
November 26, 2025 4:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence at a time when the presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint. FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the guard members were hospitalized in critical condition after Wednesday afternoon’s shooting. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey had walked back his statement Wednesday announcing the troops had died, saying he received “conflicting reports” about their condition. The rare shooting of National Guard members on American soil, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes amid court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington. The suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said. (Photo: AP)
November 26, 2025 2:37 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors adopted their preliminary budget for 2026 and the good news for residents is that there will be no tax increase next year. The budget comes in at $26,025,955 and is balanced. Township Manager Andrew Walz says that spending on new buildings and financial settlements over the Majestic Hills landslide incident are now complete and those funds are now returning to township coffers. He says that residents can look for a road paving project that totals just under $1 million and they will be looking for grant funding to upgrade playgrounds and parks. The township will also be updating their comprehensive plan. Supervisors will approve the final budget in December.
November 26, 2025 2:21 am
If you live in the Amity area, you’re going to have to get your mail from the Washington Post Office for the foreseeable future. According to a Facebook Post from the United States Postal Service and shared on Pennsylvania Senator Camera Bartolotta’s page, effective immediately, service at the Amity Post Office at 630 Amity Ridge Road will be suspended while repairs are made to the facility. During this suspension, all operations will be transferred to the Washington Post Office. Customers who currently hold a Post Office Box at the Amity Post Office will be able to receive their mail at the Washington Post Office. As for home delivered mail, Bartolotta says there is no indication at this time that the service will be affected.
November 26, 2025 2:17 am
Alan Bradstock is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District, where he will challenge Republican Congressman Guy Reschenthaler. The district includes all of Washington, Greene, and Fayette Counties, as well as most of Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties. Bradstock is a Desert Storm veteran and former FBI agent. Running as a Democrat, Bradstock says his campaign will focus on restoring character, competence and civility to government; creating an economy that works for everyone; and ensuring that every community in western Pennsylvania has a voice in Washington.
November 25, 2025 1:53 pm
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joined legislative leaders and local business owners to sign HB 439, also known as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, into law. The legislation amends the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) to expand the definition of “race” to include traits historically associated with race, including hair texture, protective hairstyles, and religious creed. With the signing of this bill, Pennsylvania becomes the 28th state in the nation to prohibit discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles historically associated with race, ensuring that all Pennsylvanians can live and work without fear of racial bias in their hair or appearance. According to a 2022 Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) report, 916 complaints were filed that year alone related to racial discrimination involving hair texture and protective hairstyles. “Real freedom means being respected for who you are — no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to,” said Governor Shapiro. ”For too long, many Pennsylvanians have faced discrimination simply for hairstyles that reflect their identity and culture — that ends today. I’m grateful to Speaker McClinton, Representative Mayes, and the advocates who worked to get this done. We’re building a Commonwealth where everyone is welcomed, respected, and protected.” Speaking at Island Design Natural Hair Studio in Philadelphia, Governor Shapiro was joined by business owner Lorraine Ruley, House Speaker Joanna McClinton, Representative La’Tasha Mayes, and CROWN Act champion and advocate Dr. Adjoa B. Asamoah. (Photo: Governor’s Office)
November 25, 2025 8:50 am
The White House is circulating a proposal that would extend subsidies to help consumers pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act for two more years. Millions of Americans face spiking health care costs when the current tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year. The draft plan suggests that President Donald Trump is open to extending a provision of Obamacare as his administration and congressional Republicans search for a broader policy solution to a fight that has long flummoxed the party. The subsidies were at the heart of the Democrats’ demands in the government shutdown fight that ended earlier this month.
November 25, 2025 4:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, concluding that the prosecutor who brought the charges at President Donald Trump’s urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. The rulings from U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie amount to a stunning rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to target Trump’s political opponents as well as its legal maneuvering to hastily install a loyalist prosecutor willing to file the cases. The orders make Lindsey Halligan the latest Trump administration prosecutor to be disqualified because of the manner in which they were appointed.
