Pittsburgh native Larry Hailsham Jr. named executive director of Pa. Democratic Party
Pittsburgh native Larry Hailsham Jr., a top aide to Gov. Josh Shapiro, has been named executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. State Democrats also announced this week that Shapiro donated $250,000 to the party as it gears up for pivotal elections in November and next year. Hailsham was appointed...
Biden ban on offshore drilling in vast areas was illegal, court rules
Former President Joe Biden exceeded his authority by withdrawing large areas along U.S. coastlines from future offshore oil and gas development, a federal judge in Louisiana ruled on Thursday. U.S. District Judge James Cain in Lake Charles, Louisiana, sided with Republican states and oil and gas industry groups that sued...
FDA launches pilot program to fast-track review of domestically made generic drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a new pilot program to speed up the review process for generic drugs that are tested and manufactured entirely in the United States, the regulator said on Friday. The program is designed to encourage companies to invest in domestic drug production and...
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has not fully expressed remorse, judge says at sentencing
NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs has not fully expressed remorse for the conduct that led to his conviction on prostitution-related charges, a U.S. judge said on Friday at the hip-hop mogul’s sentencing hearing. A jury on July 2 convicted Combs, 55, on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts...
Trump freezes $2.1 billion in funds for Chicago in shutdown standoff
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding Friday, starving another strongly Democratic city of funds as the government shutdown entered its third day. Budget director Russ Vought said the money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was...
Trump gives Hamas until Sunday night to reach Gaza deal or ‘all HELL’ will break out
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave Palestinian Hamas militants until Sunday evening to accept his proposal to end the nearly two-year-old war with U.S. ally Israel in the Gaza Strip or “all HELL” would break out. “An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M.,...
U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge to Hawaii handgun limits
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a challenge to a Hawaii law restricting the carrying of handguns on private property that is open to the public such as most businesses, giving the justices a chance to further expand gun rights. The justices took up an...
Nestle, others warn EU law delays are endangering forests worldwide
LONDON — Major agri-food companies including Nestle, Ferrero and Olam Agri have warned that European Union delays to its anti-deforestation law are endangering forests worldwide. The EU last month proposed delaying the launch of its anti-deforestation law for a second time, citing concerns about the readiness of information-technology systems needed...
Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration
WASHINGTON — Apple said on Thursday that it had removed ICEBlock, the most popular ICE-tracking app, and other similar apps from its App Store after it was contacted by President Donald Trump’s administration. The app alerts users to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area. ICE has been a...
Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex crimes
PAWHUSKA, Okla. — Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty in an Oklahoma court on Oct. 2 to sex crimes against a girl that started in 1982 and continued for years. Morris, 64, entered guilty pleas to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child in an...
White House pushes colleges to commit to Trump agenda to boost access to federal fundsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is encouraging leaders at nine universities to sign a compact committing their schools to adopt President Donald Trump’s policy agenda for higher education in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. Administrators at nine prominent universities, both private and public institutions, received an Oct. 1...
Trump determines U.S. is at war with drug cartels, document to Congress explains
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has determined the United States is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, according to a document notifying Congress of its legal justification for deadly U.S. strikes on boats off Venezuela. The text of the document, which was reviewed by Reuters on Thursday,...
Jerry Sandusky claims prosecutors gained financially from his sex abuse case
In a new appeal, convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky alleges the lead prosecutors in his case gained financially from a post-conviction relationship with one of the eight victims who testified at trial. The once-lionized Penn State football coach also presents a sworn statement from a second victim who, according to...
Conservatives furious as FDA approves new generic abortion pill
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone, as conservatives slammed the decision as a stab in the back to the anti-abortion movement. The new generic mifepristone is manufactured by Evita Solutions, which says its mission is to “normalize abortion” and make...
ICE confirms it will patrol Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are expected to attend Bad Bunny’s halftime Super Bowl performance to potentially arrest and deport undocumented immigrants, according to Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski. ICE confirmed the move in a statement to TMZ on Thursday. “There is no safe haven for violent criminal illegal aliens in...
Trump eyes cuts to ‘Democrat Agencies’ in government shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he will meet with his budget director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine which “Democrat Agencies” to cut, as he looks to inflict pain on his political opposition in the second day of a government shutdown. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave...
Putin swipes back at Trump: Is NATO a ‘paper tiger’?
SOCHI, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin swiped back on Thursday at U.S. President Donald Trump for calling Russia a “paper tiger,” suggesting NATO might be one and warning the United States that if it supplied Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine it would trigger a dangerous new escalation. Russia’s war in...
Gallery: Photos from Oct. 2, 2025
Take a trip through Western Pennsylvania — and beyond! Join TribLive’s Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, 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...
Global tributes flood in after death of Jane Goodall
Social media filled with tributes to global activist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall — renowned for her groundbreaking research on chimpanzee social behavior — after her death at age 91. Her death was announced Wednesday by the Jane Goodall Institute. The award-winning scientist was in California at the time of...
U.S. to give Ukraine intelligence on long-range energy targets in Russia
WASHINGTON — The United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia, two officials told Reuters, as it weighs whether to send Kyiv missiles that could be used in such strikes. The U.S. is also asking NATO allies to provide similar support, the U.S. officials...
Gaza aid flotilla with Greta Thunberg intercepted by Israeli navy
Israel faced international condemnation and protests on Thursday after its forces intercepted around 40 boats carrying aid and more than 400 foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, to Gaza. Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats, verified by Reuters, showed armed Israeli soldiers sporting helmets and night vision goggles...
Government shutdowns raise uncertainty but rarely have lasting effect on economyVideo
The U.S. government shutdown has thrown the brakes on the flow of federal economic data at a moment of uncertainty and division among policymakers like those at the Federal Reserve about the health of the U.S. job market, the trajectory of inflation and the strength of consumer spending and business...
U.S. Supreme Court expands its ’emergency’ docket — and Trump’s power too
As she has done several times recently, liberal Justice Elena Kagan last week sounded the alarm after another bold emergency action by the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority again let President Donald Trump carry out one of his policies without taking the usual time or deliberation to review its legality....
2 dead in attack at U.K. synagogue on Yom Kippur, suspect fatally shotVideo
MANCHESTER, England — Two men were killed on Thursday when a man drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard in an attack at a synagogue where worshippers were marking Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, British police said. Greater Manchester Police said the man...
Trump order pledges that U.S. will defend Qatar in event of attack
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States’ own security, according to a document published on Wednesday that says U.S. forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation. Qatar on Wednesday welcomed Trump’s order, describing...
