Trump claims black people love his comments about Baltimore
By JILL COLVIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is claiming a groundswell of African American support in response to his comments denigrating Rep. Elijah Cummings and his majority-black Baltimore district, despite polling showing consistently negative numbers.
Speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Tuesday, Trump claimed the building had been flooded with thousands of letters, emails and phone calls thanking him for “getting involved” and exposing corruption.
“They really appreciate what I’m doing, and they’ve let me know it,” said the Republican president. The White House did not immediately provide any evidence backing up Trump’s claims.
Trump’s comments came in response to fierce backlash against his earlier remarks lashing out at Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and calling his district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Trump also is under fire for his ongoing attacks on four Democratic congresswomen of color, whom he tweeted should “go back” to their countries — even though three of the four were born in the United States and all are U.S. citizens.
But Trump on Tuesday nonetheless declared himself “the least racist person” in the world, despite his recent comments and racist tweets. And he said “African American people love the job” he’s doing, despite the fact that numerous polls have shown African Americans are overwhelmingly negative in their assessments of his performance.
Approval among black Americans has hovered around 10% over the course of Trump’s presidency, according to Gallup polling, with 8% approving in June.
Polling also suggests his recent attacks could hurt Trump with suburban voters — and especially women — whom he may need to win next year. Trump in recent days, however, has expressed to advisers on his reelection team that he believes his broadsides against the minority Democrats will help excite his core supporters.
“I think I’m helping myself because I’m pointing out the tremendous corruption that’s taking place in Baltimore and other Democratic run cities,” Trump said Tuesday, as he continued to hammer his criticism.
“Those people are living in hell in Baltimore,” he said, adding he was open to some kind of unspecified federal involvement.
“If they ask,” he said, “We will get involved.”
Vice President Mike Pence, speaking to reporters in Columbus, Ohio, also defended Trump, pointing to the low black unemployment rate and criminal justice reform legislation that Trump signed into law last year.
“President Trump is someone who calls it like he sees it,” said Pence. “President Trump believes in being able to say when things are not what they should be, to call on leadership, to call on state leadership, and say you have to do better.”
Black unemployment did reach a record low during the Trump administration: 5.9 percent in May 2018. It currently stands at 6 percent. But many economists view the continued economic growth since the middle of 2009, when Democratic President Barack Obama was in office, as the primary explanation for hiring.
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Associated Press Deputy Polling Director Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report.

Three Rivers Regatta canceled days before slated start
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A regatta that has been a tradition in the city of Pittsburgh for more than four decades has been canceled days before its scheduled opening.
Attorney Charles Scholz told reporters Tuesday that The EQT Three Rivers Regatta promoter LionHeart Event Group hadn’t secured proper permits or paid vendors, including the state for use of Point State Park and police.
Scholz said the regatta board had no choice but to withdrew its permit application. Officials said investigations had begun and legal remedies would be pursued with an eye to bringing the regatta back next year.
The regatta, a summer tradition since 1978, features powerboat races, an “Anything that Floats” race, and various water stunts and concerts.
LionHeart president Derek Weber didn’t immediately return a call and email seeking comment.

Amazon center to bring 800-plus jobs to Pittsburgh area
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The governor of Pennsylvania says Amazon plans to establish a warehouse and distribution facility in the Pittsburgh area that will bring more than 800 jobs to the region.
Gov. Tom Wolf said Amazon will open a non-sortable fulfillment center in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh International Airport and has committed to investing more than $30 million into the project.
Amazon says on its website that employees at non-sortable fulfillment centers pick, pack, and ship bulky or larger-sized customer items such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment, or rugs.
The company is getting $1.6 million in job creation tax credits from the state.
Pittsburgh was one of the finalists for a new Amazon headquarters that the company decided in 2018 to split between Long Island City in Queens, New York, and Arlington, Virginia.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities say a shooting at a house party in Pittsburgh has left a man seriously injured. The shooting was reported early Tuesday at a rental property in the city’s South Side Slopes section. The victim was shot multiple times and was hospitalized in critical condition, but further details about him were not disclosed. Authorities have not said how many people were at the party or what may have sparked the shooting. No other injuries were reported. No arrests have been made.

CHARGE HAS BEEN DROPPED AGAINST THE ALIQUIPPA ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPODENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS DETAILS. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Beaver County officials say 26 people have died this year due to drug overdoses in the county. That’s four more than at this time last year. Officials say they began to see an uptick in calls starting in March of this year. It’s still down significantly from the peak of the epidemic in 2016 and 2017.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a Pennsylvania father died while rescuing his son who was struggling in rip currents while swimming in the ocean off Atlantic City. Emergency responders went to the beach Monday for a report of a child drowning. Before they arrived, the 59-year-old Reading man had entered the water to help his 11-year-old son, who eventually made it to shore. But the father began struggling himself. He was soon brought to shore but later died at a hospital.

Democratic sheriff candidate, Wayne Kess, was named on a list of property owners on the Tax Claim Bureau’s recent upset sale list. He claims he knows nothing about the properties, or the list. Beaver County Radio News Intern, Christina Sainovich, has more…

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is warning that food stamp benefits for about 200,000 people are jeopardized by a Trump administration move to stop allowing states to exceed federal income eligibility thresholds. Wolf said Monday that such a change would primarily affect the elderly, the disabled and lower-income families. He also says it’ll result in fewer school lunches. In Pennsylvania, more than 1.7 million people are in the food stamp program.

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — Police are seeking a woman who they say urinated on potatoes at a Walmart in Allegheny County. West Mifflin police posted surveillance photos on their Twitter account. A Walmart representative told WPXI-TV an employee saw what the woman was doing. In a statement, Walmart told the station it “immediately disposed of the affected products and sanitized the area.”