Lawmakers question Kennedy on staffing cuts, funding freezes and policy changes at health departmentVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats alike on Wednesday questioned the deep staffing cuts, research funding freezes and drastic policy changes that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made in a few short months at the helm of the nation’s health department. Kennedy, who was to...
Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds
NEW YORK — Six months after Donald Trump’s presidential victory, Democrats remain deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, although neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party is viewed favorably by a majority of U.S. adults. A new poll conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center...
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 70 people, including 22 children, health officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes pounded northern and southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children, according to local hospitals and health officials, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was “no way” he would halt Israel’s offensive in...
Trump meets with Syria’s insurgent-turned-leader in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. President Donald Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international...
Federal judge OKs use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans who are labeled gang members
A federal judge says President Donald Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan citizens who are shown to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang. The ruling Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines in Pennsylvania appears to be the first time a federal judge has...
Flash flooding forces evacuation of elementary school in western MarylandVideo
BALTIMORE — Flooding in rural western Maryland forced the evacuation of an elementary school Tuesday afternoon as water began to breach the second floor, according to local officials. Homes and businesses in downtown Westernport were also inundated with floodwaters as a result of hours of heavy rain. Officials reassured the...
Federal grand jury indicts Wisconsin judge in immigration case, allowing charges to continue
MADISON, Wis. — A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, allowing the case against her to continue. The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan escalated a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the...
Penn State president wants to close 7 campuses; internal records explain why
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging...
More than 200 firefighters battle massive warehouse blaze in Baltimore. No injuries reported
BALTIMORE — More than 200 firefighters battled a massive blaze that broke out at a west Baltimore warehouse, disrupting Amtrak service in the area and prompting officials to move dozens of area residents. Commuter rail service was canceled Tuesday amid fears the building could collapse onto railroad tracks. Firefighters were...
Newark mayor returns to immigration detention center days after trespassing arrest
NEWARK, N.J. — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka briefly returned Tuesday to the gates of the federal immigration detention center where he was arrested last week on trespassing charges. Baraka, a Democrat running for governor in the June 10 primary, was turned away from Delaney Hall, the facility where he was...
Chuck Schumer vowing to hold up Justice Department nominees for answers about luxury plane from Qatar
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Department of Justice nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar. Trump said this week that...
3 die in North Cascades National Park climbing fall
NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK, Wash. — Three climbers from suburban Seattle were killed in a fall over the weekend in North Cascades National Park, sheriff’s officials said. Sheriff’s personnel and county search and rescue volunteers responded to the accident late Sunday morning about 16 miles west of Mazama in an...
Judge reduces Menendez brothers’ murder sentences, putting them a step closer to freedom
LOS ANGELES — Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents, a judge ruled Tuesday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They’re now...
Florida State student accused in a mass shooting on campus to remain jailed
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A judge on Tuesday ordered the Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a mass shooting on campus last month to remain jailed without bond. During 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner’s first court appearance since the April 17 attack, Leon County Judge...
FDA, RFK Jr. aim to remove ingestible fluoride products used to protect kids’ teeth
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators announced an effort Tuesday to phase out ingestible fluoride supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth, opening a new front in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort against a mainstay of dental care. The Food and Drug Administration said it will conduct a scientific...
Bill to sell legal marijuana through Pa. state stores rejected by GOP-led panel
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. HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania Senate panel has rejected a bill advanced by Democrats that would permit the sale of recreational cannabis to adults at state-owned...
U.S. egg prices fall for 1st time in months but remain near record highs
U.S. retail egg prices fell in April from the record-high prices they hit earlier this year, according to government data released Tuesday. The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 last month after reaching a record $6.23 in March, according to the Consumer Price Index. It...
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he will be waiting for Russian leader Putin in Turkey on Thursday for talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he will be waiting for Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than three-year war amid heavy pressure from the U.S. and European leaders to reach a settlement. Putin hasn’t...
Gallery: Photos from May 13, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, May 13, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Former UPMC doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on Hawaii hiking trail denied bail
A judge on Tuesday denied a Maui doctor’s request to be released on bail while he fights an attempted murder charge on allegations that he tried to kill his wife on a Honolulu hiking trail. Gerhardt Konig previously pleaded not guilty. His wife wrote in a petition for a temporary...
What to know about California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s move to ban encampments
SAN FRANCISCO — California’s governor called upon the state’s cities and counties to ban homeless encampments this week, even providing blueprint legislation for dismantling the tents lining streets, parks and waterways throughout much of the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made homelessness a priority of his administration when he...
UnitedHealth Group CEO steps down; suspends 2025 outlook on higher-than-expected medical costs
UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty is stepping down for personal reasons and the nation’s largest health insurer suspended its full-year financial outlook due to higher-than-expected medical costs. UnitedHealth cut its 2025 forecast last month following its first quarterly earnings miss in more than a decade. Shares of UnitedHealth, which have plummeted...
Trump lays out Mideast vision as he looks to revamp U.S. approach in Iran, Syria and beyond
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump on Tuesday held out Saudi Arabia as a model for a reimagined Middle East, using the first major foreign trip of his term to emphasize the promise of economic prosperity over instability in a region reeling from multiple wars. Offering partnership to longtime...
Hempfield Area to present new details on high school renovation, district budget next week
Hempfield Area School Board will present next week a schematic design for the district’s high school renovation. The district has discussed in recent years overhauling the high school building — gutting and renovating the interior while leaving most of the exterior intact. School officials declined to share details of the...
