TribLive stories, Page 12

A man accused of shooting a Monroeville police sergeant as he responded to an armed robbery last year took the witness stand on Tuesday and told the jury he didn’t do it. Jamal Brooks said he didn’t rob Crumbl Cookie the night of Jan. 3, 2024, and he didn’t fire...

A tractor-trailer overturning on the roundabout near the I-70 westbound exit in New Stanton snarled traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Tuesday evening. The tractor-trailer overturned at 5:33 p.m. Tuesday at the roundabout, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. There were no injuries, the dispatcher said. PennDOT cameras showed...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to slain activist Charlie Kirk, a prominent voice in the conservative movement before his assassination last month. “Today we’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, beloved leader who...

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday at the White House that his administration planned to produce a list on Friday of “Democrat programs” that will be closed as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. He did not specify the programs but indicated that the closures would...

D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer whose retro R&B sound epitomized the neo-soul movement of the mid-’90s, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 51. The singer, born Michael Eugene Archer, died on Tuesday, Oct. 14, D’Angelo’s family confirmed to USA TODAY in a statement provided by a...

The Penn State football world is swirling for the players this week. They are still trying to absorb the loss of their longtime head coach while preparing for another defining game Saturday, this time at revving Iowa. They are also trying to find the means to break a stunning three-game...

Trader Joe’s Halloween-themed mini tote bags are having a moment. Since the “Trick-or-Treat Mini Canvas Totes” became available for purchase at Trader Joe’s stores nationwide on Oct. 8, customers have been posting reviews, customizing their bag on camera, or simply fangirling on social media. The viral bags, despite Black Friday-like...

George Washington, who set long-followed precedents by voluntarily giving up first military and then civilian power, and who built the foundation of the nation’s wall between its military and partisan politics, would by all historical evidence be appalled by successor Donald Trump’s escalating efforts to tear down that wall in...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a challenge by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to a $1.4 billion judgment awarded to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut over the Infowars website founder’s false statements that the 2012 incident...

Instagram will limit what users under 18 can see on the platform using filters inspired by the PG-13 movie rating system, in the latest step by its parent Meta to address criticism that it has not done enough to protect teenagers online. Modeled on the Motion Picture Association’s ratings, the...

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Tuesday the end of the central bank’s long-running effort to shrink the size of its holdings, widely known as quantitative tightening, or QT, may be coming into view. Given the central bank’s long-running goal of leaving enough liquidity in the financial system to...

Take a trip through Western Pennsylvania — and beyond! Join TribLive’s photo adventure, where every snapshot tells a story. From the rolling hills and rustic charm of Western Pa. to far-flung corners of the world, this collection captures the little sparks of humanity that connect us all. Think of it...

As the government shutdown nears the two-week mark, several federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration (SSA), remain impacted by furloughs and cannot operate as usual. Thousands of SSA employees have been furloughed, in turn limiting the agency’s available services during the shutdown. However, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income...

WASHINGTON — Families and educators across the country were plunged into a state of uncertainty over the weekend after the federal Education Department laid off practically every staffer in the government’s special education division. Nearly the entire Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, including the Office of Special Education...

Do treasure chests full of gold and jewels rest beneath the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie off eastern Erie County? Probably not. But scientists, who are using an uncrewed surface vehicle to explore and map nearly 100 square miles of lakebed along the Pennsylvania, New York and Canadian borders, are...

Day 14 of the government shutdown is upon us, and the stalemate continues, with Congress still at an impasse over spending proposals. The main bone of contention is a deadlock over healthcare funding and the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace that expires at the end of...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is set to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a White House ceremony on Tuesday. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at...

As it turns out, Twitter is not the town square. Someone might want to alert American political leaders. In the era of social media, Democratic and Republican politicians have grown hyper-sensitive, and responsive, to activists who seemingly live their lives online. Whether on X, formerly Twitter, where the right ruminates...

The writer of the letter “We need competence, not chaos, from our leaders” (Oct. 9, TribLive) quips in his last paragraph, “Readers, I apologize for this poorly worded letter, but you can easily tell it was not written by AI, because it would be much better.” Well, sir, I respectfully...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed peacemaker who has campaigned for a Nobel Prize, finally got a camera-ready diplomatic victory on Monday as world leaders flew to Egypt for the signing of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas. But if lasting peace is to...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court is set on Wednesday to hear a Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, giving its conservative majority a chance to deal another blow to the landmark federal law enacted 60 years ago to prevent racial discrimination in voting. The case involves electoral districts...

NEW YORK — Americans headed to pharmacies for covid-19 vaccines are running into roadblocks and confusion due to new U.S. guidance that abandoned broad support for the shots, contributing to the lowest vaccination rates since they were introduced. For the four-week period ended Oct. 3, covid immunizations were down about...

FRANKFURT/WASHINGTON — U.S. companies and consumers are bearing the brunt of the country’s new import tariffs, early indications show, contradicting assertions by President Donald Trump and complicating the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation. Trump famously predicted that foreign countries would pay the price of his protectionist policies, wagering that exporters...

GAZA — As the Gaza war dragged on, a diminished Hamas faced growing internal challenges to its control of Gaza from long-standing rivals, many of them affiliated with powerful local clans. Since Friday’s ceasefire took hold, Hamas has sought to reassert itself, killing dozens of opponents in a crackdown after...

CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Israel delayed aid into Gaza and kept the enclave’s border shut on Tuesday, while re-emergent Hamas fighters demonstrated their grip by executing men in the street, darkening the outlook for President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war. Three Israeli officials said Israel had decided to restrict aid...