Salem News Channel

Trump blames Biden for Q1 economic decline

President Trump is distancing himself from the latest numbers showing the economy shrank over the past three months. See more on Salem News Channel.

Storm Leaves 3 Dead In Pennsylvania And About 500K Customers Without Power

Officials are reporting at least three deaths amid a storm system that downed trees and power lines and left about half a million customers in the dark across Pennsylvania, Ohio and neighboring states. The majority of the more than 500,000 outages Wednesday were reported in Pennsylvania. Police in State College say a man was electrocuted Tuesday while trying to put out a mulch fire near a utility pole. Pittsburgh officials say first responders were called to the South Side Slopes area for reports of a person electrocuted by live wires. A man also died when a tree fell on his home in Ross Township, just outside Pittsburgh.

Ukrainian Officials Say Kyiv Ready To Sign Mineral Resources Deal With U.S.

Ukrainian officials say Kyiv is ready to sign an agreement that would give the U.S. access to its valuable rare minerals in the hopes of ensuring continued American support for Kyiv in its grinding war with Russia. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says Ukraine’s economy minister and deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump indicated in February that he wanted access to the country’s rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support in the war. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the Trump administration stands ready to sign a deal, but that Ukraine made some last-minute changes and work still remains.

U.S. And Ukraine Announce Economic Deal

Palestinian Student At Columbia Is Released After His Arrest At Citizenship Interview

A judge has released a Palestinian student activist who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship. U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford in Burlington, Vermont, issued his ruling Wednesday following a hearing on Mohsen Mahdawi. He isa legal permanent resident for 10 years, and was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on April 14. Mahdawi’s lawyers say he was detained in retaliation for his speech advocating for Palestinian human rights.