Nov. 5 (UPI) — The disruption of federal benefits that help feed families spurred a Pittsburgh man to create a front-yard food bank to help others as the federal government remains shut down.
A.J. Owen. 36, resides in the Pittsburgh suburb of Whitehall, and initially started his ad-hoc food pantry after completing a $150 food run with his two sons about a week ago, according to TribLIVE.
Owen has large plastic bins containing canned goods and other foods placed on portable tables in his front yard for those who need food and for others to leave food donations.
“The amount of donations we received and the amount of people coming and getting food is both so gratifying and so horrifying,” Owentold TribLIVE.
“So many people need help,” he added, “and I’m so happy to be a resource for them.”
Owen said he initially started the food pantry to teach his sons about the need to help others, but it has become a much greater endeavor, as affirmed by a recent visit from Good Morning America and its cameras.
The single father notified others of his effort on social media, which resulted in additional food donations — including one donation that he said was thousands of dollars’ worth of $100 bills from an anonymous person.
He found the money stuffed in an envelope inside his mailbox with a note saying, “May God prosper and bless your food pantry,” Owen told ABC News.
“My body started shaking,” he said. “I started crying.”
He also said, “This was the best cry ever because whatever you want to believe, an angel truly came down and blessed us that day. And we’ve been good ever since.”
Owen didn’t say how much money was in the envelope, other than it added up to “thousands” of dollars.
He posted a video of the anonymous donation on social media, which drew millions of views and prompted others to visit and donate more food.
Among them were Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Yahya Blackand his fiancé, who donated “tons of food,” Owen said on social media.
Owen did not say if his food pantry effort might outlast the federal government shutdown, which entered a record 36 days on Wednesday and temporarily disrupted funding of the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar has a significant foot injury that could sideline him for the near future.
The Kings announced that Kopitar is “week to week” on Friday, a day after he missed the team’s 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh.
Kopitar was hit in the foot by a deflected puck during a shootout loss at Minnesota on Monday. After saying Kopitar’s availability would be a game-time decision for the game against Pittsburgh, the Kings acknowledged the injury could be more significant.
Kopitar is beginning his 20th and final season in an NHL career spent entirely with the Kings. The Slovenian center announced his impending retirement last month at the start of training camp.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion has twice won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward. He is the second-leading scorer in Kings history and a five-time All-Star.
The Kings are off to a rough start to the season, losing three straight to fall to 1-3-1. New general manager Ken Holland made only a few changes to the roster that matched the franchise records for points and victories last season.
Los Angeles hosts unbeaten Carolina on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh are six-time Super Bowl winners – a record they share with the New England Patriots – and their defence of the 1970s became known as the Steel Curtain.
The franchise has continued to be renowned for its defence and this would have been a performance to make proud the Steelers’ late president Dan Rooney, who was the US ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.
Minnesota earned more first downs, more yards and had more time in possession, yet back-up quarterback Carson Wentz was stifled by the Steelers throughout.
The 32-year-old was sacked six times and intercepted twice, and the second of those picks – by TJ Watt late in the third quarter – drew one of the biggest cheers of the day as the Steelers’ star linebacker raced to the sideline and booted the ball into the Croke Park crowd.
Rodgers said Pittsburgh’s offence is still a work in progress after the four-time MVP and star receiver Metcalf were brought in during the off-season, and he said on Friday that the “next big improvement will be the run game, getting over 100 yards”.
Their previous best this season was 72, but they managed 131 in Dublin, with Gainwell registering 99 himself, while Rodgers and Metcalf connected for the kind of highlight-reel play the Steelers hope they will produce time and again this season.
Veteran Rodgers completed an impressive 18 passes from 22 attempts for 200 yards, but it was Pittsburgh’s defence that again stepped up as Minnesota threatened a fightback in the final minute.
It was reminiscent of the team’s golden era and raised hope of Mike Tomlin’s men mounting a play-off push this season after improving their record to 3-1.
“It’s an honour to represent American football here in Dublin,” said coach Tomlin. “It was just a great trip.
“We made it a little more entertaining than maybe it should have been, but the Vikings had a lot to do with that. That group’s got a lot of fight.”
Mention Aaron Donald and nearly everyone thinks Rams, the team he spent his entire 10-year NFL career with and led to a Super Bowl championship in 2022. Donald was a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, nine-time All-Pro and is regarded as one of the greatest defensive tackles of all time.
But before Los Angeles there was Pittsburgh, where Donald grew up and where he went to college. And it is the University of Pittsburgh where Donald became an unstoppable force from 2010 to 2013, setting an NCAA record with tackles for loss by an interior lineman before the Rams plucked him as their first-round draft pick.
So it is Pitt that will retire Donald’s No. 97 on Nov. 15 during a home game against Notre Dame, Panthers athletic director Allen Greene announced Monday. Donald also will be enshrined in the Pitt Hall of Fame this weekend, joining other iconic alumni names Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka and Larry Fitzgerald.
“Born and raised in Pittsburgh, I’m grateful to the University of Pittsburgh for taking a chance on me when so many others wouldn’t,” Donald said in a statement. “I accomplished more in my career than I ever dreamed of, and for that I’m truly blessed.
“To soon see my number hanging alongside other Pitt greats is an honor beyond measure. I will always love this University. Hail to Pitt!”
Donald starred at Penn Hills High, east of Pittsburgh. As a Pitt senior in 2013, Donald led the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss and added 11 sacks and four forced fumbles. He was a unanimous first-team All-American and won every award that exists for a lineman: the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.
“Aaron Donald is a proud Pittsburgher who embodies the very best of what it means to be a Pitt Panther,” Greene said. “His humility, determination, and work ethic reflect the character of this community. Retiring his jersey honors not only an extraordinary athlete, but a leader whose relentless pursuit of excellence has defined his legacy.”
The first floor of Pitt’s Duratz Athletic Complex was renamed the Aaron Donald Football Performance Center in 2019, after Donald made a seven-figure gift to the program. He also set a high bar for workouts, as Rams teammate Jared Verse learned when he joined Donald for a punishing series of full-body circuit training in July — months after Donald retired.
“His wife came in laughing at me — I told her to call the police,” Verse joked, adding, “I tried to lie and say my mom was at my house and I had to go let her in. He told me to give my keys to his management or assistant and that they would go let my mom in. So I wasn’t leaving.
“Finished the workout. I’m dead tired, I’m exhausted. I had a plan to go jump in the sauna afterwards, didn’t happen. I had plans to watch film, didn’t happen. Went home and I didn’t work out for another day and a half because I couldn’t move my body.”
Donald also founded the AD99 Solutions Foundation, which provides Pittsburgh’s underprivileged youth access to education, nutrition and community involvement.
Accolades for his Rams career will be forthcoming. Donald will be eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame in 2029 and is considered a lock for first-ballot induction. The Rams have retired eight players’ jersey numbers and Donald’s No. 99 likely will be the ninth.
“I had the privilege — and sometimes the misfortune — of facing Aaron 14 times in his first seven years, and every snap was a reminder of his complete domination,” said Fitzgerald, an NFL Hall of Famer who spent 17 years with the Arizona Cardinals. “As a Pitt man, I was filled with pride watching him redefine what it meant to play defense, but as an [NFL] opponent, I knew he was carving his name into history at our expense.
“He wasn’t just disruptive. He was destructive, bending entire offenses to his will and still making plays no one else could make. Retiring his number is the perfect tribute because there will never be another Aaron Donald, and there will never again be another 97 at Pitt.”
Video footage from the April 30 game shows Markwood falling headfirst over the railing above the Clemente Wall in right field. He appears to flip head over heals multiple times before landing on the warning track.
Play was stopped for several minutes as the training staffs for both teams tended to Markwood. He eventually was carted off and taken to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition. According to “Inside Edition,” Markwood broke his back, neck, every rib and punctured a lung.
“I’m doing better than what I was, that’s for sure,” said Markwood, who was shown during the interview walking around outside PNC Park wearing a cast on his left forearm.
Markwood told “Inside Edition” that he had jumped out of his seat to cheer and came down awkwardly on the railing and careened off of it. Although Pittsburgh Public Safety has labeled the incident an accident, 21-year-old McKeesport resident Ethan Kirkwood has been arrested for allegedly providing alcohol to Markwood at the game.
Kirkwood faces two misdemeanor counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 29. A police report viewed by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh indicates that Markwood’s girlfriend told police that he hadn’t had anything to drink before arriving to the stadium and had two beers while there.
“I feel terrible because it wasn’t his fault,” Markwood said of Kirkwood, who can be seen on the footage from the accident climbing over the railing from a section closer to field level and jumping onto the ground to help his friend.
Markwood added that alcohol had nothing to do with what happened. It was, he said, “a tragic accident.”
“The hype was off the charts,” says New York-based sportswriter Ian O’Connor.
He already felt that Rodgers was the “most compelling and polarising figure” in the NFL and his bid to win a championship for “a loser-ville franchise in the NFL’s biggest market” inspired him to write a Rodgers biography., external
O’Connor had followed the Jets’ sorry search for a successor to legendary quarterback Joe Namath, which had turned them into a laughing stock. They have failed to reach the post-season since 2011, the longest current play-off drought in the NFL.
But, after 18 years and a Super Bowl win with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers was ready to swap the NFL’s smallest market for the Big Apple and relished his new lifestyle.
He made numerous public appearances and Jets fans warmed to their new star after seeing how he was portrayed in the Hard Knocks series, which followed the Jets’ training camp.
“I’ve been covering sports in New York for almost four decades and I’ve never seen a superstar athlete from another market embracing New York like Aaron Rodgers did,” O’Connor told BBC Sport. “It was a total love-fest.
“They didn’t care about anything except his football talent and the chance to see the Jets reach the Super Bowl for the first time since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon (1969).
“To have that ripped away four plays into the season, it was a tough night. I was in the building and I’ve never been more heart-sick for an athlete and a fanbase.”
Without Rodgers, the Jets finished the 2023 season with a 7-10 record and although he returned last year, head coach Robert Saleh was sacked as the Jets slumped to 5-12.
O’Connor said that Rodgers planned for “two healthy seasons with the Jets”. He got just one as, in February, new coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey said they wanted to go “in a different direction”.
PITTSBURGH — Over three nights in Pittsburgh this week, the Dodgers didn’t win a game, despite playing a last-place Pirates club.
They didn’t grow their division lead, despite the second-place San Diego Padres suffering their own three-game sweep.
And, as veteran infielder Miguel Rojas stressed Thursday night, they simply didn’t look like a team capable of sharing in any joy, despite their constant insistence that better play will materialize.
“I feel like ever since we started playing poorly a couple months ago, the pressure and frustration has been building up on the team,” Rojas said.
“We know what we’re capable of. We’re playing under the threshold, the goal that we have. But at the end of the day, we gotta put all that aside … and we have to find some joy and some motivation to come to the ballpark. Not just, ‘I gotta do my job.’ We have to come here and enjoy ourselves around the clubhouse, regardless of the situation.”
The situation, of course, looks bleak, with Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates sealing a confounding three-game sweep.
“It’s frustrating. It’s embarrassing,” Rojas said. “But we have to be able to turn the page and come tomorrow with a better attitude. … We have to find a way to enjoy the game a little bit more.”
This loss, granted, was the easiest to explain.
In six scoreless innings, Cy Young frontrunner Paul Skenes was his typically dominant self. Already the major-league ERA leader, the second-year right-hander stuck out eight batters, gave up just two hits, escaped his only real threat by stranding a pair of two-out baserunners in the third inning, and otherwise overpowered the Dodgers with a seven-pitch repertoire headlined by his upper-90s mph sidearm fastball.
His counterpart, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, was nowhere near top form, giving up five runs in five innings despite largely limiting much hard contact.
The Dodgers (78-62) did finally show some life offensively in the top of the ninth, scoring three times (their first runs since the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game) and putting the tying run on base. But by then, it was too little, too late — with the game ending on a three-pitch strikeout by newly called-up catcher Ben Rortvedt, the latest hair-pulling moment in a season of deflation.
“We’re just not playing good baseball, that’s really it,” Snell said. “We’ve got to figure that out. That’s on us to do that. We’ve got to get it going. It’s crunch time right now. Can’t really have excuses.”
Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes delivers against the Dodgers on Thursday.
(Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Indeed, the Dodgers lead the NL West by only two games — having missed a chance to create distance in the standings after the Padres unexpectedly dropped three straight against the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week.
They also trail the Philadelphia Phillies by three games for a top-two seed in the NL playoff picture, placing themselves in danger of facing a three-game wild-card series rather than a first-round bye.
With 22 games remaining, the Dodgers would have to be perfect the rest of the way to reach the 100-win mark. At this point, even 90 victories feels far from a certainty, given the team’s 4-12 record in their last 16 against teams with losing records.
“I want to say it’s uncharacteristic, but I think we’ve done that a lot,” manager Dave Roberts acknowledged afterward.
And when facing the current best pitcher in the sport, they certainly never seemed poised to change that trend.
Skenes set the tone immediately on what had been a rainy evening in Pittsburgh. Shohei Ohtani struck out on a 99-mph heater in the game’s first at-bat. The next seven Dodgers who came to the plate all recorded outs, flailing at Skenes’ mix of four-seamers, sweepers, curveballs and changeups to allow him to quickly find a comfortable rhythm.
It wasn’t until Dalton Rushing — who started in place of an injured Will Smith, as the team’s starting catcher awaited results on a CT scan for a bruised hand he suffered the night before — hit a third-inning fastball high off the center-field wall for a double that gave the Dodgers their first baserunner. But, after an Ohtani walk, Mookie Betts grounded out to retire that threat.
From there, the only other damage Skenes allowed was a fifth-inning single from Rojas. And though the Dodgers’ ability to at least foul off two-strike pitches — they fought off 15 in all — at least got him out of the game after six innings, it was already too late to mount a comeback.
That’s because, unlike the Dodgers, the last-place Pirates (64-77) actually managed to build rallies against another of the game’s other top pitchers.
Snell’s outing was a grind from the start, with Rushing misfiring to first base for an error in the first inning and Betts reacting slowly to a ground ball at shortstop to extend the second.
Snell worked around those jams. In the third, however, he followed a leadoff single by Bryan Reynolds with a pair of wild pitches that got by Rushing. With Reynolds suddenly on third, and the Dodgers’ infield forced to play in, Tommy Pham slapped a single through the dirt for the night’s opening run.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers in the second inning Thursday against the Pirates.
(Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Two innings later, the Pirates broke it open.
In the fifth, Snell gave up three consecutive singles that doubled Pittsburgh’s lead. Then, after an intentional one-out walk to Andrew McCutchen, Nick Yorke went after a first-pitch curveball for a two-run double down the line. McCutchen later scored from third on a grounder.
“It just seemed like today there was some seeing-eye single, balls finding the outfield grass,” Roberts said. “I thought he was good, not great. But again, a little bit unlucky. When you’re facing Paul Skenes, you just can’t afford to give up runs.”
If all that wasn’t enough, the game ended with another regrettable sequence in the ninth. Betts broke up the shutout with a leadoff home run. Singles from Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Andy Pages and Rojas brought around two more runs with the Dodgers down to their last out.
Then, however, Rortvedt came up as their ill-fated final hope.
A career minor-leaguer whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, then called up Thursday after Smith took a foul ball off his hand the night before, Rortvedt struck out after having replaced Rushing an inning earlier.
As Roberts explained postgame, he was trying to get Rushing (a rookie who has been a backup this season, but will likely start the next three games as Smith recovers from his bruised hand) off his feet. Given the way the game had gone, he wasn’t expecting Rushing’s spot in the order (which was due up eighth in the ninth inning) to come back up again.
“Obviously, in a separate world, I would’ve loved to have had Dalton up there,” Roberts said. “But when you have three hits through eight [innings] and you’re down 5-0, just kind of trying to figure out how to preserve him for the next few days, too.”
So it goes for the Dodgers right now. Their inconsistent lineup continues to scuffle. Their supposed strength of a rotation hasn’t been able to dominate. And, with their record an incomprehensible 22-30 since July 4, there remains no end in sight to their second-half slide — nor visible signs of anything other than frustration.
“I feel like, as an offense, we’re putting a little bit too much pressure on ourselves, because we feel the necessity of winning. And we’re really forgetting about the most important part, which is playing for each other and having some joy when we play this game,” Rojas said.
“We all know, when you’re losing baseball games it’s not that fun. But I feel like we have to find a way to put everything in perspective. We’re still in first place. We’re still two games ahead of the Padres. We should be able to have some fun while we’re playing the game, and kind of relax a little bit more. Because I think when this team is together like that, we’re really hard to beat.”
PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers have had an illness running through their clubhouse lately.
And on Wednesday, it forced an alteration in their pitching plans.
While Shohei Ohtani was in the Dodgers’ lineup as designated hitter for their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two-way star was scratched from his scheduled pitching start at PNC Park after feeling “under the weather” the past few days, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“When you’re sick and potentially dehydrated, the tax of pitching in a game wasn’t worth it,” Roberts said.
Instead, Emmet Sheehan will take the mound for Wednesday’s game, while Ohtani’s next pitching appearance will be pushed to “sometime this weekend” against the Baltimore Orioles.
“Just to give him a few more days to recover,” Roberts said.
Ohtani’s sickness certainly didn’t seem to hamper him at the plate Tuesday, when he had two doubles and a career-high 120 mph exit velocity on a solo home run –– his 46th of the season and 100th as a Dodger.
However, Roberts said Ohtani’s pregame catch play on Tuesday was cut short, and that the risk of overexerting the reigning National League MVP by having him make a full-length start Wednesday wasn’t worth it.
“The toll of taking four or five at-bats versus pitching five innings, there’s no comparison,” Roberts said.
Ohtani’s symptoms have included chest and sinus “stuff” as well as “a deep cough,” Roberts added.
Several other Dodgers players have dealt with similar issues recently. Max Muncy was so sick last week, the team sent him home to rest and delayed the start of his minor-league rehab assignment to this week.
“We’re trying to manage it,” Roberts said. “But there are guys that are just not feeling great right now.”
Aug. 11 (UPI) — At least one person is dead and several are injured, including those trapped in rubble, after an explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works about 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, officials said.
Allegheny County Emergency Services spokesperson Kasey Reigner told WPXI-TV that “dozens were injured” in the blast. Also, two people are missing as crews searched for victims trapped in rubble.
At 10:50 a.m. EDT, emergency medical services received a call for an “ongoing situation” at the plant for a potential mass casualty event, Reigner told the Post-Gazette.
A Level 3 Mass Casualty incident was declared and more resources across the region were deployed.
Allegheny County Health Department advised people who live within a mile to stay inside.
The extent of injuries wasn’t clear, though several people were taken to hospitals. Allegheny Health Network told WPXI that it was receiving patients at several of its hospitals, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said two patients were taken to Mercy Hospital.
WTAE-TV’s helicopter captured fire crews battling flames while ambulances rushed to the area.
Breath Project captured when the explosion occurred.
“Felt like thunder,” Zachary Buday, who was working close to the scene, told WTAE. “Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, then shook the building. Then we saw the smoke coming up from the steel mill.”
He said there wasn’t fire but black smoke.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who grew up near the area in McKeesport, posted on X: “The Commonwealth is providing whatever resources and manpower are needed to help with emergency response. Please stay away from the area at this time to allow emergency crews to do their job and follow all future guidance from officials for those that live nearby.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on X that his administration “is in touch with local officials.”
He said: “The scene is still active, and folks nearby should follow the direction of local authorities.”
Sen. John Fetterman, who serves Pennsylvanians, wrote on X: “My team and I are tracking this explosion and waiting for more information.”
Calirton Coke Works, which is situated along the Monongahela River, is considered the largest coke manufacturing plant in North America with several million tons produced annually.
In the process, raw coal is turned into coke, which is used in steelmaking.
The company’s headquarters are in Pittsburgh.
U.S. Steel, which was founded in 1901, has about 22,000 employees with revenue of $15.6 billion in 2024.
In May, President Donald Trump announced a partnership with Japan’s Nippon Steel Corporation. He also said there would be a 50% tariff on imported steel. He appeared at the Edgar Thomas Plant near Braddock.
The 41-year-old held a news conference on Tuesday after spending his first day training with the Steelers and one of the last questions was about the ring.
“Yeah, it’s a wedding ring,” said Rodgers.
Asked how long he’s been married, he added: “It’s been a couple of months.”
Rodgers was released after a disappointing second season with the New York Jets, becoming a free agent for the first time in his 20-year career.
He had visited the Steelers and reportedly received an offer from the New York Giants, but in April, Rodgers said that he was “open to anything”, including retirement.
The 2011 Super Bowl winner previously said that he delayed his decision because of personal reasons and, earlier in Tuesday’s news conference, he said: “I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life.
“Some things improved a little bit, where I felt like I could fully be all in here with the guys.
“I didn’t want to short-change the guys and be signed but be elsewhere mentally or physically. Until I could be here and be all in, I needed to take care of my business.”
May 30 (UPI) — President Donald on Friday announced a 50% tariff on steel made outside the United States as he touted a partnership between Japan’s Nippon Steel Corporation and the United States Steel Corporation during a rally near Pittsburgh.
Calling it the “heart of U.S. Steel,” Trump spoke at the company’s headquarters in Allegany County. The indoor rally began around 5:30 p.m. and ended one hour later.
Steelworkers wearing hard hats sat behind him, with some called to the podium to praise the deal and Trump.
During the appearance, he announced the tariff change.
“We are going to be imposing a 25% increase, we’re going to bring it from 25% to 50% the tariffs on steel into the United States of America,” the president said to cheers.
On Feb. 11, Trump restored a 25% tariff on steel and increased the aluminum tariff from 10% to 25%.
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the European Union, Ukraine and Britain had received exemptions, “which prevented the tariffs from being effective,” according to the order.
He touted the efforts of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who were on hand.
One week ago, Trump announced a “planned partnership between the two steel giants, promising the U.S. Steel headquarters would remain on American soil rather than shift to Japan.
Trump said the deal includes “vital protections to ensure that all steelworkers will keep their jobs and all facilities in the United States will remain open and thriving.”
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the new tariffs will take effect June 4.
Also, he said U.S. Steel would also keep all of its blast furnace facilities at full capacity for at least the next decade and vowed that there would be “no layoffs and no outsourcing whatsoever.”
Trump, who opposed the acquisition during the 2024 campaign, is now touting the $14 billion investment that the president said would create at least 70,000 jobs.
“You’re going to be very happy,” Trump said Friday. “There’s a lot of money coming your way.”
Every U.S. steelworker would be receiving a $5,000 bonus, he said.
At one time, U.S. Steel dominated production worldwide, but over the years it has “melted away just like butter melts away” as China mainly poured what he said was “garbage steel” into the country.
“If you don’t have steel, you don’t have a country,” Trump said in citing national security.
U.S. Steel, which was founded in 1901, has about 22,000 employees with revenue of $15.6 billion in 2024. Nippon, which traces its roots to Japan Iron & Steel Co. in 1934, has about 113,640 workers with revenue of $43 billion in 2019.
This week, CNBC reported Tokyo-based Nippon Steel will pay $55 per share to acquire U.S. Steel, citing sources familiar with the deal.
Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel shares rose $0.59 or 1.11% to $53.82 at the close of the U.S. Stock Exchange on Friday afternoon.
The two steel companies were working on a deal before Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Biden cited national security concerns when rejecting the deal involving the second-largest American steel producer and Japan’s largest.
Both firms later filed separate federal lawsuits in the District of Columbia and in Pennsylvania to move the deal ahead, citing “unlawful political influences.”
In April, Trump issued an executive order directing a review of the acquisition by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. U.S. Steel stock surged at the time, climbing more than 10% in a single day.
The president has said the deal will have a major positive economic effect.
The deal “will create at least 70,000 jobs, and add $14 Billion Dollars to the U.S. Economy. The bulk of that Investment will occur in the next 14 months,” Trump said on Truth Social last week.
He also teased Friday’s rally at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works factory.
“President Trump is a bold leader and businessman who knows how to get the best deal for America, American workers and American manufacturing,” Trump said in a statement to The Hill on Friday.
“U.S. Steel greatly appreciates President Trump’s leadership and personal attention to the futures of thousands of steelworkers and our iconic company.”
Trump touted other companies increasing production in the United States.
During his speech, sometimes ad-libbed, he ventured into other areas, noting undocumented immigrants coming into the nation in “open borders.” He also bragged about winning all the battleground states during the 2024 election, including Pennsylvania.
He blasted Biden and called Democrats “lunatics.”
He voiced his support for the U.S. budget bill, which is moving through Congress, including extension of the 2017 tax cuts, no taxes on tips or overtime, deductions on loan interest for U.S.-made cars and permanent extension of the $2,000 per child credit. He didn’t mention Medicaid cuts and other program reductions.
Former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier presented Trump with a Steelers 47 jersey as two current players also were called up to speak: quarterback Mason Rudolph and safety Miles Killbrew.
The rally was about 35 miles south of Butler, where he survived an assassination attempt on July 13, two days before the National Republican Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
