May 7, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland. The administration on Tuesday announced the first major talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months. The Chinese Commerce Ministry confirmed the meeting, saying they agreed to have contact “after fully considering global expectations, Chinese interests and calls from U.S. businesses and consumers.” It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs.
May 7, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to announce next week that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia. That’s according to two U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia next week. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf. The White House and National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
May 7, 2025 5:03 am
ISLAMABAD (AP) — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people including a child, in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Pakistan claimed it shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation as two planes fell onto villages in India-controlled Kashmir. At least seven civilians were also killed in the region by Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said in a statement. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.
May 7, 2025 5:02 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson allege in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Motown music luminary repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them while they worked for him. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024, A message seeking comment from a representative for the 85-year-old Robinson was not immediately returned. The four women each say that Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house then sexually assault and rape them over their objections and protests.
May 6, 2025 3:28 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of Homeland Security says travelers who aren’t REAL ID compliant by the upcoming deadline this week will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny. Kristi Noem told a congressional panel that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements. She says security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday. She says those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step.” But they will still be allowed to fly. (Photo: AP)
May 6, 2025 3:25 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals have wrapped up their pre-conclave meetings before they enter the conclave to elect a new pope. They are trying to identify someone who could follow Pope Francis and make the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church credible and relevant today, especially to young people. The cardinals held their last day of pre-conclave meetings Tuesday morning during which Francis’ fisherman’s ring and his official seal were destroyed in one of the final formal rites of the transition of his pontificate to the next. (Photo: AP)
May 6, 2025 3:21 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries. The two kept it civil, but as for Trump’s calls to make Canada the 51st state, Carney insisted his nation was “not for sale” and Trump shot back, “time will tell.” Asked by a reporter if there was anything Carney could tell him to lift his tariffs of as much as 25% on Canada, Trump bluntly said: “No.” The U.S. president added for emphasis, “Just the way it is.” (Photo: AP)
May 6, 2025 2:55 am
Washington City Police, in a release issued on Monday, say they are investigating the discovery of human remains Sunday morning around ten-thirty as a criminal investigation, as is their protocol. Police say they were called to 104 East Wylie Avenue at the Get Go to speak with a woman who claimed she found a human skull along a fence line behind 150 Terrace Avenue. The Detective Unit notified Washington County Coroner Tim Warco who said that, at this time, he doesn’t believe the death was suspicious but won’t be able to make a final determination until the remains are looked at. At t this point in time, authorities say they can not say whether the remains are male or female or what the cause of death may have been. Police say they called in the Mercyhurst Forensic Anthropology group, who specializes in the recovery of human remains. Authorities say determining gender, identity and cause of death could take day, weeks or even months.
May 6, 2025 2:59 am
Cecil Township Supervisors spent a large part of their meeting considering actions that will help their Fire Department. Currently, the three volunteer fire departments are working on guidelines and bylaws to combine their efforts and become one unified department within the township with volunteer and paid firefighters working in unison. In Monday’s meeting, supervisors approved the creation of the Cecil Volunteer Fire Department 501(c)(3) organization. The organization will allow the current volunteer units to fundraise and write grants to help them acquire turnout gear and any other apparatus equipment that they need under one unified organization. In other related business, Supervisor Chairman Tom Casciola introduced the idea of reinstituting the Township Fire Tax. Currently, fire department expenses are paid as line items within the general budget. Casciola suggests that a flat fee, equal to what is currently spent by the township be introduced as, possibly a flat fee, so residents would pay an equal amount for fire department services and they would be cognizant of the amount of money being spent on the fire department. The idea is in its infancy and no decision is imminent. Additionally, the home security website Safewise recognized Cecil Township as the number one safest municipality in Pennsylvania for the year 2025.
May 6, 2025 4:55 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has retracted his offer to at least one of two customers to tour a former Nazi concentration camp after he says the person denied responsibility for antisemitic behavior at a Barstool pub in Philadelphia. A video posted online over the weekend shows a sign with an antisemitic message that had been ordered along with bottle service. Portnoy says he fired two servers who were involved. Portnoy, who is Jewish, said he had hoped to turn the event into a teachable moment but said the customer who initially took responsibility for the actions changed course Monday saying he had nothing to do with it. Police are investigating the incident.
