ICE activity increases in Maine as anxiety grows in immigrant communities
PORTLAND, Maine — The Trump administration is now targeting its mass deportation campaign on Maine, a state with relatively few residents in the United States illegally but notable African refugee communities in its largest cities. The Department of Homeland Security named the operation “Catch of the Day,” an apparent play...
Minneapolis businesses struggle during Trump’s immigration enforcement surge
At Taste of East African in Minneapolis, the manager and owner are the only employees who come to work now, serving new customers who aren’t familiar with the food but are trying to support a restaurant challenged by a federal immigration enforcement surge. Like the employees, the usual patrons are...
Former DEA agent sentenced to 5 years in prison for using badge to protect drug trafficking friends
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In two decades of kicking in doors for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Joseph Bongiovanni often took on the risks of being the “lead breacher,” meaning he was the first person into the room. On Wednesday, he felt a familiar uncertainty awaiting sentencing for using his DEA...
Supreme Court seems inclined to keep Lisa Cook on Fed board despite Trump attempt to fire her
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed inclined to keep Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook in her job, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s bid to wrest control of the nation’s central bank. The justices heard arguments over Trump’s effort to fire Cook based on allegations she committed mortgage...
Greensburg native, a federal judge in Va., questioned legitimacy of Trump-appointed prosecutor
A federal district judge, who excoriated a former Justice Department prosecutor for pursuing indictments against political adversaries of President Donald Trump, grew up in Greensburg and earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College. David Novak, a Trump-appointed district judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, is one of two...
Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya announces Republican Senate bid in Minnesota
A former NFL sideline reporter is making a bid for the U.S. Senate. Michele Tafoya announced Wednesday that she’s running as a Republican for an open Senate seat in Minnesota. She retired from NBC in 2022. A California native, Tafoya joins a fledgling Republican primary field in the race to...
Photos from around the world to our backyard
From the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania to far-flung corners of the globe, TribLive’s gallery captures the world in motion — one frame at a time. Shot by photographers near and far, these images tell stories of place, connection and the quiet beauty of everyday life. More than a look...
Meteorologists blame a stretched polar vortex, moisture, lack of sea ice for dangerous winter blast
WASHINGTON — Warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the dreaded polar vortex in a way that will send much of the United States a devastating dose of winter weather later this week with swaths of painful subzero temperatures, heavy snow and powerline-toppling ice. Meteorologists said...
‘Sad to see’: Ruthie’s Diner in Ligonier Township destroyed by blazeVideo
Rob Iscrupe saw no signs of smoke at 6 p.m. Tuesday when he clocked out from his shift as a dishwasher at Ruthie’s Diner. By Wednesday morning, he was surveying the icy mass of charred wood that remained where the longtime Ligonier Township landmark once stood. The building was destroyed...
‘West Wing’ actor Timothy Busfield released from New Mexico jail pending trial
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Actor Timothy Busfield was released from jail Tuesday night in New Mexico, where he is facing counts of child sexual abuse. Hours earlier, Busfield’s attorneys successfully argued that the actor best known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething” wasn’t a danger to...
House committee takes first step to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress in Epstein probe
WASHINGTON — A House committee advanced resolutions Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, opening the prospect of the House using one of its most powerful punishments against a former president for the first...
Air Force One returns to Washington area due to minor electrical issue, White House says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plane, Air Force One, returned to Joint Base Andrews about an hour after departing for Switzerland on Tuesday evening. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to return was made after takeoff when the crew aboard Air Force One identified “a minor electrical...
A former flight attendant posed as a pilot and received hundreds of free flights, U.S. authorities say
HONOLULU — A former flight attendant for a Canadian airline posed as a commercial pilot and as a current flight attendant to obtain hundreds of free flights from U.S. airlines, authorities said. Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was arrested in Panama after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal...
Trump cancels tariff threat over Greenland, says NATO agreed to ‘framework’ of future Arctic deal
DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was scrapping his planned tariffs on eight European nations in an effort to force U.S. control over Greenland, pulling a dramatic reversal shortly after insisting he wanted to get the island “including right, title and ownership.” In a post on...
‘This is not good policy’: Some GOP senators question advice Trump is receiving
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis is one of a growing number of Republicans who believe that President Donald Trump is getting faulty policy guidance from his White House advisers, potentially jeopardizing his legacy and the GOP’s chances of retaining their majority. Several in the Senate Republican Conference, including those at...
Supreme Court does not rule on tariffs, with next potential decision in February
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court is dashing any hopes of a quick rollback of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The justices are set to start a four-week recess next week without having ruled on pending challenges to most of the duties Trump has imposed over the last year. After Wednesday’s...
Penn calls federal commission’s request for personal employee information ‘unconstitutional,’ ‘disconcerting’ and ‘unnecessary’
The University of Pennsylvania in a legal filing Tuesday pushed back against a federal commission’s demand that in effect would require it to turn over lists of Jewish faculty, staff and students, calling the request “unconstitutional,” “disconcerting” and “unnecessary.” The filing comes in response to a lawsuit filed against the...
Trump-appointed prosecutor who pursued indictments against Trump’s foes is leaving post
WASHINGTON — Lindsey Halligan, who, as a hastily appointed Justice Department prosecutor, pursued indictments against a pair of President Donald Trump’s adversaries, is leaving her position as her months-long tenure has now concluded, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday night. Halligan’s departure from the role of interim United States attorney...
Justice Department subpoenas Gov. Walz, others in immigration enforcement obstruction investigation
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors served six grand jury subpoenas Tuesday to Minnesota officials as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a person familiar with the matter said. The subpoenas, which seek records, were sent...
Lehigh County official calls for ICE’s eviction, demands overdue rent
Lehigh County’s top financial elected official is calling for the eviction of ICE from county-owned property. Mark Pinsley, the county controller, said the federal agency has been delinquent on three years of rent for county-owned office space. He added the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, or Immigration and...
Supreme Court appears likely to strike down laws in 5 states banning guns in stores, restaurants
WASHINGTON — Do licensed gun owners have a right to carry a loaded weapon into stores, restaurants and other private places that are open to the public? California and Hawaii are among five states with new laws that forbid carrying firearms onto private property without the consent of an owner...
Forecasters warn of a ‘potentially catastrophic’ storm from Texas to the CarolinasVideo
ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South. The storm...
Broadband expansion on hold as feds miss self-imposed deadline to review Pa.’s spending plan
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand broadband access in Pennsylvania is still on hold, after federal...
Mexico sends 37 cartel members to U.S. in latest offer to Trump administration
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s security minister said Tuesday that it had sent another 37 members of Mexican drug cartels to the United States, as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure on governments to crack down on criminal networks it says are smuggling drugs across the border. Mexican Security Minister Omar...
The U.S. is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters
It’s been a year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, and international health authorities say they will meet in April to determine if the U.S. has lost its measles-free designation. Experts fear the vaccine-preventable virus has regained a foothold and that the U.S. may soon follow Canada in...
