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U.S. Steel‚ once the largest steel producer and world’s largest corporation‚ agreed to be bought by Japan’s largest steelmaker‚ Nippon Steel‚ for $14.9 billion. The company‚ headquartered in Pittsburgh‚ is now the world’s 24th-largest steel producer and the second-largest in the United States behind Nucor Corporation. The deal remains pending due to regulatory and shareholder approval. “Under terms of the deal‚ US Steel’s operations will retain its name and will continue to have a headquarters in Pittsburgh. But the deal could still stir opposition‚” CNN reports. “To say we’re disappointed in the announced deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon is an understatement‚ as it demonstrates the same greedy‚ shortsighted attitude that has guided U.S. Steel for far too long‚” the United Steelworkers Union said. “Our union intends to exercise the full measure of our agreements to ensure that whatever happens next with U.S. Steel‚ we protect the good‚ family-sustaining jobs we bargained‚” the statement added. The union hopes to block the deal. WATCH: U S STEEL SOLD FOR 14.9 BILLION – ALL CASH pic.twitter.com/cayx1QBEu7 — Annie (@Annie_2045_47TG) December 18‚ 2023 Per CNN: Earlier this summer the United Steelworkers union vowed to only support a proposed offer by another unionized American steel company‚ Cleveland Cliffs‚ to buy US Steel‚ in a cash and stock deal then valued at $32.53 a share‚ or 40% less than Nippon’s all cash offer. The US Steel board rejected that offer and started considering other bids. The union‚ which has 11‚000 members at US Steel‚ attacked the Nippon Steel deal on Monday. “The acquisition of U.S. Steel by a foreign company is wrong for workers and wrong for Pennsylvania. I’m gonna do everything I can to block it‚” said Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). WATCH: The acquisition of @U_S_Steel by a foreign company is wrong for workers and wrong for Pennsylvania. I’m gonna do everything I can to block it. pic.twitter.com/9EqohwRhRJ — Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) December 18‚ 2023 “According to an October press release‚ U.S. Steel ‘supported an estimated 11‚417 jobs’ in Pennsylvania‚ including more than 3‚700 directly employed by the company. The October report estimated that U.S. Steel generated $3.6 billion for the local and state economy in fiscal 2022‚” The Hill reports. Japan's Nippon Steel said it would buy US Steel in a deal valued at $14.9 billion including debt‚ months after the steelmaker put itself up for sale. The per-share offer of $55 represents a premium of about 40% to U.S. Steel's Friday's close https://t.co/tERFX6tRzJ — Reuters (@Reuters) December 18‚ 2023 From The Hill: U.S. Steel said in its announcement that Nippon Steel will “honor all collective bargaining agreements with United Steelworkers Union as part of commitment to maintaining strong stakeholder relations” and that the headquarters will remain in Pittsburgh‚ Pa. Nippon Steel said that the higher demand for steel under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was one of the contributing factors in the deal. “Energy and manufacturing industries [will] return to the U.S. under changes in the world economy structure and cheap energy in the U.S. The infrastructure bill and spending is expected to drive steel demand uptick moving forward‚” the company wrote in a statement analyzing the deal.

A man crashed into a parked SUV guarding Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night. The incident occurred while Biden was departing a visit to his Wilmington‚ Delaware‚ campaign headquarters. The driver was identified as 46-year-old James Cooper of Wilmington. Collin Rugg writes: The man who crashed his car into President Joe Biden’s motorcade in Wilmington‚ Delaware has been identified as 46 year old James Cooper. Cooper smashed his car into one of the SUV’s in Biden’s motorcade while Biden was walking out of a dinner. Cooper was was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and has since been released from custody. “Following our investigation‚ Wilmington Police have determined that this was an accidental collision‚ and have charged the driver of the striking vehicle‚ a 46-year-old Wilmington man‚ with Driving a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol and Inattentive Driving‚” a Wilmington Police Department spokesperson said. WATCH: NEW: The man who crashed his car into President Joe Biden's motorcade in Wilmington‚ Delaware has been identified as 46 year old James Cooper. Cooper smashed his car into one of the SUV's in Biden's motorcade while Biden was walking out of a dinner. Cooper was was charged with… pic.twitter.com/3bfgrLlizR — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 18‚ 2023 The collision happened immediately after Biden was asked why he’s losing to Trump in the polls. WATCH: Q: Why are you losing in the polls? BIDEN: "You're reading the wrong polls" *crash* pic.twitter.com/VQKeLpZrYK — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 18‚ 2023 NBC 10 Philadelphia reports: Biden was walking from his campaign office in Wilmington to his waiting armored SUV when a sedan struck a U.S. Secret Service vehicle that was being used to seal off the area surrounding the headquarters for the president’s visit. The driver‚ who investigators identified as Cooper‚ then tried to continue forward into the closed-off intersection‚ before Secret Service agents surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and instructed the driver to put his hands up. A loud bang and sound of crunching metal echoed on the quiet street as Biden paused and looked over toward the sound‚ surprised‚ before he was ushered into the vehicle. Jill Biden was already seated inside‚ and the two were driven swiftly back to their home. His schedule was otherwise unaffected by the incident. Neither the president nor the first lady were injured during the incident. Investigators determined the crash was accidental. WATCH: BREAKING: A car has crashed into President Joe Biden’s parked motorcade in Wilmington‚ Delaware‚ leaving Biden “shocked.” According to the Daily Mail‚ Biden’s Secret Service agents pulled their guns on the driver who rammed into one of the SUVs. The man who was driving the car… pic.twitter.com/AgDknqHgl2 — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 18‚ 2023 Axios added: After the crash around after 8pm ET‚ USSS agents quickly surrounded the car and pulled weapons on the driver‚ who held his hands up‚ according to a pool report. The incident happened at the intersection across from the entrance of Biden’s campaign headquarters after Jill Biden got into the first couple’s vehicle‚ per the pool report that noted the president looked surprised as he stood near the vehicle. Footage from the scene showed agents helping the president into the Bidens’ vehicle after the incident. USSS Special Agent Steve Kopek‚ an agency spokesperson‚ said in an emailed statement Sunday night there was “no protective interest associated with this event and the President’s motorcade departed without incident.”