This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Faith Pinnow with LA Times Studios.

Here are some of today's headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

One person is dead and one is missing following a massive explosion at a U.S. steel plant just outside of Pittsburgh this morning.

Reporters say the blast erupted just before 11, sending a tower of thick black smoke across the sky

in Clareton, Pennsylvania. Allegheny County officials said at a news conference this afternoon

that 10 others were injured in the blast. 20 EMS and 14 fire crews, along with other emergency

response teams, rushed to the scene, where they're still desperately searching for a worker

who's thought to be trapped beneath the rubble. Residents within a mile radius are told to shelter

in place. They're told to stay inside and seal off outside air while officials test for toxic fumes.

The Clareton facility is one of the largest coking operations in North America, and it's just one of four steel plants in the state to employ over a thousand workers.

Senator John Fetterman, who was a former mayor in a nearby town, called the

explosion, quote, absolutely tragic and promised to stand with steelworkers in the aftermath of

the explosion. The rescue mission is still underway, and the cause of the explosion remains under

investigation. In other news, Israel's military confirmed a deadly strike on a journalist tent in

Gaza City Sunday, which killed seven people, including Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al-Jazeera reporter.

Reporters say that during his 22 months covering the war, Al-Sharif emerged as one of the top

voices in the Arab world, drawing millions of followers on social media.

Al Jazeera called the attack a, quote, targeted assassination and a direct assault on press freedom.

Israel claimed Al-Sharif was a terrorist and head of a Hamas cell, accusing him of hiding behind his journalist status,

allegations that have been disputed

by journalists advocates and the United Nations.

...