A new $200M White House ballroom to break ground in September, the first major upgrade since 1948
WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday announced that construction on a new $200 million ballroom will begin in September and be ready before President Donald Trump ‘s term ends in early 2029. It will be the latest change introduced to what’s known as “The People’s House” since the Republican...
U.S. and NATO allies warn of increasing Iranian threats in Europe, North America
WASHINGTON — The United States and many of its NATO allies are accusing Iran of a growing number of threats throughout Europe and North America and demanding that it end its attempts to harm dissidents and others. “We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services...
China summons Nvidia over ‘backdoor safety risks’ in H20 chips
WASHINGTON — China’s cyberspace regulators on Thursday summoned Nvidia over security concerns that its H20 chips can be tracked and turned off remotely, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on its website. In the meeting, Chinese regulators demanded that the U.S. chip company provide explanations on “backdoor safety risks” of...
Tropical Storm Gil strengthens in the eastern Pacific but isn’t expected to threaten land
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Gil was strengthening in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday but wasn’t expected to threaten land, forecasters said. The storm is forecast to remain over open water and become a hurricane on Friday, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It’s about 785 miles south-southwest...
Vatican strikes a solar deal that aims to make it the world’s 1st carbon-neutral state
ROME — Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 1,000-acre field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm that will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of Vatican City and turn it into the world’s first carbon-neutral...
Trump injects new dose of uncertainty in tariffs as he pushes start date back to Aug. 7
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Donald Trump was promising the world economy would change on Friday with his new tariffs in place. It was an ironclad deadline, administration officials assured the public. But when Trump signed the order Thursday night imposing new tariffs on 66 countries, the European Union, Taiwan...
Campaign cash already flowing in Pa. ahead of pivotal 2026 midterms
Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation outraised their Democratic counterparts by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, on average, during the first half of the year, according to federal election filings. Chris Borick, a political science professor at Allentown’s Muhlenberg College, said the fundraising gap is less of a reflection of any...
Americans’ views of racial discrimination have shifted since 2021, new poll finds
WASHINGTON — Slightly less than half of U.S. adults believe that Black people face “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of discrimination in the United States, according to a new poll. That’s a decline from the solid majority, 60%, who thought Black Americans faced high levels of discrimination in...
Trump envoy arrives in Israel amid rising Gaza death toll of Palestinians seeking aid
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — President Donald Trump’s special envoy arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the death toll of Palestinians waiting for food and other aid continued to climb. At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while...
Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 13 people and injures more than 130
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missile and drone attacks overnight on Ukraine’s capital city killed at least 13 people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounded 132 others, authorities said Thursday. A 5-month-old girl was among 14 children wounded, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said. It was the highest number of children injured in...
Gallery: Photos from July 31, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Thursday, July 31, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
All the ways Republicans want to honor Trump, from the $100 bill to Mount Rushmore
WASHINGTON — Imagine getting the day off work for Donald Trump’s birthday. Receiving a $100 bill with Trump’s portrait on it. Touching down at Donald J. Trump International Airport near the nation’s capital. And taking in a show at the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts. All would be...
Trump seeks to use Canada’s recognition of Palestinian state as leverage in trade talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Canada’s announcement it will recognize a Palestinian state “will make it very hard” for the U.S. to reach a trade agreement with its northern neighbor. Trump’s threat, posted in the early hours Thursday on his social media network, is the latest way he has...
Trafford resident leads charge in replacing steps in Veterans Memorial Park
When Trafford native Donna Morocco walked to elementary school as a child, she always took the small set of stone steps leading up to Edgewood Avenue. Morocco, who grew up on parallel Duquesne Avenue, walked the concrete ramp through Trafford Veterans Memorial Park to get to school each day —...
ICE entices new recruits with patriotism pitch, promise of $50,000 signing bonuses
WASHINGTON — The agency responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportations is launching a recruiting campaign to entice “brave and heroic Americans” to serve as new deportation officers, lawyers and investigators as the government gears up for a major expansion of immigration enforcement thanks to a recent infusion...
Pennsylvania’s new monitoring stations will better alert residents to floods and other weather events
Pennsylvania is on track to install 30 new weather stations across the state by this time next year, allowing meteorologists and emergency officials the ability to better track severe weather and flooding and provide more timely alerts to the public. The upgrade to the Pennsylvania Integrated Flood Warning and Observation...
Brown University strikes agreement to resolve discrimination complaints and restore federal funding
WASHINGTON — Brown University will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations in a deal with the Trump administration that restores lost federal research funding and ends investigations into alleged discrimination, officials said Wednesday. The university also agreed to several concessions in line with President Donald Trump’s political...
Colorado dentist convicted of murder, gets life sentence for lacing wife’s shakes with poison
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A Colorado dentist was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in the death of his wife, whose protein shakes he laced with poison before delivering a fatal dose of cyanide. District Judge Shay Whitaker sentenced James Craig to life without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence...
Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by Trump braces to defend them against deportationVideo
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — An Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by President Donald Trump last year as he pitched voters on his plans for an immigration crackdown is now bracing to defend the community against possible deportation. A group of about 100 community members, clergy and Haitian leaders in...
U.S. to share biometric data with Chile ‘to track criminals,’ Homeland Security’s Noem says
SANTIAGO, Chile — The United States will deploy biometric technologies in partnership with Chile to control migration and disrupt criminal networks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday during a visit to the South American nation. “This arrangement is going to serve as a bridge to help Chile and the...
Radioactive wasps found in former South Carolina nuclear weapons site
Radioactive wasps were on the loose in South Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, The State reported. The newspaper said the discovery was made July 3 at an old nuclear weapons facility in South Carolina. The Savannah River Site in Aiken is 310-square-miles, and it produced plutonium and...
Demolition begins on last pieces of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge
BALTIMORE — Demolition crews are using giant saws, backhoes and other heavy equipment to remove large sections of the remaining pieces of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed last year after a container ship lost power and veered off course, killing six people. Its replacement, which is expected to...
Trump administration is launching a new private health tracking system with Big Tech’s help
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness. Leaders from more than 60 companies,...
Trump administration freezes $108M at Duke amid inquiry into alleged racial preferences
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is freezing $108 million in research funding to Duke University as the federal government accuses the school of racial discrimination in the form of affirmative action, according to a person familiar with the matter. The National Institutes of Health halted the funding to the private...
FDA vaccine chief leaving agency after less than 3 months
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration’s polarizing vaccine chief is leaving the agency after a brief tenure that drew the ire of biotech executives, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump. Dr. Vinay Prasad “did not want to be a distraction” and was stepping down from his...
