Slovakia amends constitution to promote ‘national identity’
Slovakia’s laws will take precedence over EU legislation in matters concerning “national identity,” including issues of family and gender, under a constitutional change approved by parliament on Friday. Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has taken an increasingly anti-liberal position on social issues while forging closer ties with Russia and China...
Ukraine’s military chief says Russia’s 2025 offensives have failed
KYIV — Russia’s spring and summer offensives this year have failed to meet their goals, Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said, adding that Russia was firing twice as much artillery as Ukraine on the battlefield. “It can be said that the Russians’ spring and summer campaign has effectively been disrupted,”...
Parents of girl missing from Camp Mystic flooding ‘devastated’ by reopening plan
The parents of a girl who was among the victims who perished in flooding waters at Texas’ Camp Mystic in July have condemned the camp’s plans to reopen while their daughter’s body remains missing. At least 27 campers and counselors from the all-girls summer camp were killed along the Guadalupe...
Suspect in Dallas shooting sought to ‘terrorize’ ICE agents, officials sayVideo
DALLAS — The sniper who opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas left behind notes saying he acted alone in an attack intended to kill and “terrorize” ICE agents, whose work he viewed as “human trafficking,” officials said on Thursday. Although one person held in...
White House threatens sharp cuts in workforce in shutdown standoffVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has raised the stakes in a showdown with Senate Democrats over a looming partial government shutdown, threatening to permanently remove workers from some federal agencies if funding runs out on Tuesday. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget — which has played a...
Trump signs memorandum aimed at investigating liberal groups, says George Soros ‘likely’ target
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Thursday aimed at marshalling federal law enforcement to investigate liberal groups, citing concerns about domestic terrorism as he ramps up efforts to go after political opposition. “This is the first time in American history that there is an all of government effort...
FBI ex-chief James Comey criminally charged as Trump targets critics
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday, in a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against his political enemies. If convicted, Comey could face up to five years in prison. He faces charges of making false statements and...
‘Time to stop’: Trump vows Israel will not annex West Bank
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area and snuff out hopes for a viable Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has...
Trump says U.S. will distribute aid to farmers until tariffs kick in to their benefitVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would give proceeds from tariff revenues to farmers. “We’re going to take some of that tariff money and give it to our farmers,” Trump said at the White House. The U.S. farm economy is slumping this year because of...
Trump signs order declaring TikTok sale ready and values it at $14 billion
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday declaring that his plan to sell Chinese-owned TikTok’s U.S. operations to U.S. and global investors will address the national security requirements in a 2024 law. The new U.S. company will be valued at around $14 billion, Vice President JD...
Fed’s Lisa Cook urges Supreme Court to reject Trump’s bid to fire her
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her, telling the justices the Republican president’s unprecedented move would destroy the central bank’s independence and disrupt financial markets. Lawyers for Cook filed a written response opposing the Justice Department’s...
Hegseth abruptly summons top military commanders to a meeting next week in Virginia
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military’s top officers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter. The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering next...
Pennsylvania’s autistic lawmakers condemn Trump-Kennedy approach to the disorder
On Monday, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference claiming a link between Tylenol consumption during pregnancy and autism. It was the latest development in an effort promised in the early days of the Trump administration – to find a...
They were the best of us, says chief at memorial service for 3 fallen York County officersVideo
RED LION — The service began shortly after noon Thursday when Pastor Aaron Anderson took the pulpit at Living Word Community Church, trying to find the right words to say in the moment. They came hard. Anderson, the church’s lead pastor, was officiating the funeral for three police officers –...
Hamburger Helper sales rise as shoppers seek cheaper meals
Hamburger Helper’s mascot, “Lefty” — the iconic talking glove — is popping up in kitchens once again. With economic uncertainty and rising grocery prices, sales of the boxed pasta and seasoning mix have jumped 14.5% through August, as more consumers look for ways to cut down on unnecessary spending. The...
Israeli strikes kill at least 17 Palestinians in Gaza as leaders ramp up pressure for a ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel struck houses and tents in central and southern Gaza on Thursday, crushing families inside and killing at least 17 Palestinians, including 10 children and three women, local health officials said, as international pressure for a ceasefire continued to grow. On the sidelines of the...
Palestinian president: Hamas will have no role in governing postwar Gaza
UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinian president, speaking over video after the United States revoked his visa, told world leaders Thursday that his people “reject” the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that the militant group would have no role in governing Gaza after war ends and must hand over...
U.S. home sales remained sluggish in August despite late-summer mortgage rate slide
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes remained sluggish in August, even as a late-summer slide in mortgage rates brought home loan borrowing costs to a 10-month low. Existing home sales slipped 0.2% last month from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million units, the National Association of...
How to navigate social media trends without derailing your budget
NEW YORK — Did you buy a new pink dress to watch the Barbie movie, only to never wear it again? An Oura ring because your favorite TikTok influencer had it? A new pair of baggy jeans because ’90s fashion is making a comeback? Niche trends fueled by social media...
Gaza-bound flotilla says it was attacked by drones; Italy and Spain send help
ATHENS, Greece — Activists in a flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza said Wednesday that some of their boats were attacked by drones south of Greece, prompting Spain and Italy to send navy vessels for possible rescues. The Global Sumud Flotilla said it was attacked during the night...
White House budget office tells agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of potential shutdown
WASHINGTON — The White House is telling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workers if the government shuts down next week. In a memo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next...
Trump is hosting Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House as the U.S. considers lifting ban on F-35 sales
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday as the Republican leader has indicated that the U.S. government’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted. During Trump’s first term, the United States...
Paris court rules former President Sarkozy will have to go to prison even if he appeals
PARIS — A Paris court sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to 5 years in prison and — in a major surprise — said he’ll be incarcerated even if he appeals, after finding him guilty Thursday in his trial for alleged illegal campaign financing by Libya. Sarkozy said he was...
PT’s Pizza Palace marks more than 3 decades in Level Green
Jon Ledwich spent his high school years working at PT’s Pizza Palace along Murrysville Road in Penn Township — walking the quarter mile from his childhood home on Shady Drive to deliver pizzas and hand out fliers. The restaurant, one of a handful of small businesses in its Level Green...
Pa. budget impasse nears 3 months as schools, counties and others feel the pain
Pennsylvania is one of just three states that has yet to adopt a complete budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, according to an analysis by the National Association of School Budget Officers. In North Carolina, lawmakers passed a stopgap “mini budget” over the summer to keep the government running while...
