DOGE targets Census Bureau, worrying data users about health of U.S. data infrastructure
The group launched by Elon Musk to cut federal spending in the second Trump administration is targeting some U.S. Census Bureau surveys it claims are “wasteful,” worrying users of federal data who are already concerned about the health of the nation’s statistical infrastructure. The Department of Government Efficiency said on...
Ex-Philadelphia officer convicted of manslaughter, not murder, in traffic stop shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A former Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a motorist during a traffic stop has been acquitted of murder charges by a jury that did convict him of voluntary manslaughter and related counts. Mark Dial could face up to six years in prison when he’s sentenced in...
Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU and 25% penalties on Apple as his trade war intensifies
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 50% tax on all imports from the European Union as well a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are made in America. The threats, delivered over social media, reflect Trump’s ability to disrupt the global economy with a burst of...
At least 60 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as Israel lets minimal aid in
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said Friday, as Israel pressed ahead with its military offensive and let in minimal aid to the strip. The dead included 10 people in the southern city...
Ukrainian official says major prisoner swap with Russia is underway
CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine — A major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine began Friday, a senior Ukrainian official said, in one of the few signs of progress from their direct talks last week in Istanbul — part of a U.S.-led effort that so far has failed to produce a ceasefire...
China criticizes U.S. ban on Harvard’s international students
BANGKOK — The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, as anxious students and parents overseas fretted over what would come next. Among the two largest parts of the international student community in Harvard are Chinese and...
Iran and U.S. hold 5th round of nuclear negotiations in Rome with enrichment a key issue
ROME — Iran and the United States prepared for a fifth round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program Friday in Rome, with enrichment emerging as the key issue. U.S. officials up to President Donald Trump insist Iran cannot continue to enrich uranium at all in any deal that...
Pa. health experts predict spike in uninsured Pennsylvanians with House bill outlining Medicaid cuts
Becky Ludwick foresees a spike in the number of Pennsylvanians without health insurance if a bill passed by the U.S. House this week moves forward. House committees have spent months developing the 1,000-plus-page legislation. It outlines a variety of House Republican priorities, including tax cuts for individuals and businesses and...
Rapper Kid Cudi says his car was set on fire weeks after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs broke into his home
NEW YORK — Rapper Kid Cudi testified Thursday that Sean “Diddy” Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home in 2011 after finding out he was dating Combs’ ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, and that he was sure Combs was behind the firebombing of his car weeks later. Speaking at Combs’...
Weight-loss drugs may lower cancer risk in people with diabetes, a study suggests
Excess body weight can raise the risk of certain cancers, leading researchers to wonder whether blockbuster drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound could play a role in cancer prevention. Now, a study of 170,000 patient records suggests there’s a slightly lower risk of obesity-related cancers in U.S. adults with diabetes...
Who were the Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead days before getting engaged?
They were colleagues, and they were a couple, days away from a marriage proposal. But the interwoven lives of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were brutally cut short Wednesday evening, when the two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a young diplomats’ reception at the Capital Jewish Museum. The...
Get ready for another busy Atlantic hurricane season, but maybe not as crazy as 2024
WASHINGTON — With warmer than normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting yet another unusually busy hurricane season for the Atlantic. But they don’t think it will be as chaotic as 2024, the third-costliest season on record as it spawned killer storms Beryl, Helene and Milton. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
U.S. Mint moves forward with plans to kill the penny
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out, a Treasury Department official confirmed Thursday. An immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs is expected by stopping penny production, according to the...
Judge blocks Trump administration’s mass layoffs at Department of Education
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to shut down the Education Department and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who were fired in mass layoffs. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from carrying out...
Gallery: Photos from May 22, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Thursday, May 22, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
No new direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks scheduled, Kremlin says
Russia and Ukraine have scheduled no further direct talks on ending their more than three-year war, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday, almost a week after the first face-to-face engagement between the countries’ delegations since 2022 and days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced they would start ceasefire negotiations “immediately.” “There...
Why Kamala Harris could run for California governor and bypass another White House bid
LOS ANGELES — Many of Kamala Harris’ supporters and detractors alike think she’d have better odds running for California governor rather than president a third time. There are several reasons for Harris to make a bid to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. She would immediately become the early front-runner instead...
Mothers and their babies face starvation in Gaza, where hospitals are overwhelmed
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Grabbing her daughter’s feeble arm, Asmaa al-Arja pulls a shirt over the 2-year-old’s protruding ribs and swollen belly. The child lies on a hospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably, throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself. This isn’t the first...
ICE agents wait in hallways of immigration court as Trump seeks to deliver on mass arrest pledge
MIAMI — Juan Serrano, a 28-year-old Colombian migrant with no criminal record, attended a hearing in immigration court in Miami on Wednesday for what he thought would be a quick check-in. The musty, glass-paneled courthouse sees hundreds of such hearings every day. Most last less than five minutes and end...
House Republicans pass Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and program cuts after all-night session
WASHINGTON — House Republicans stayed up all night to pass their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package, with Speaker Mike Johnson defying the skeptics and unifying his ranks to muscle President Donald Trump’s priority bill to approval Thursday. With last-minute concessions and stark warnings from Trump, the Republican holdouts largely dropped their...
2 staff members of Israeli Embassy killed in shooting near Jewish museum in DC
WASHINGTON — Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and...
Penn Township Ambulance ‘overwhelmed, gratified’ by statewide EMS award
Overwhelming. Gratifying. Those were the words Operations Director Ed Grant used to quantify his emotions May 8 as Penn Township Ambulance was named the EMS Agency of the Year by a statewide organization. The Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, an advisory board with more than 200 members, recognized the ambulance...
Federal cuts would eliminate program that directly benefits Pa. farmers, millions of residents
The federal Local Food Purchase Assistance program has provided more than $28 million to Pennsylvania farmers since 2022 and delivered nearly 26 million pounds of local produce to food banks and organizations. The program has helped feed more than 5 million state residents over the past three years, but it...
Canada is talking to the U.S. about joining its ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system, Carney says
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday his government is talking to the U.S. about joining President Donald Trump’s future Golden Dome missile defense program. The multilayered, $175 billion system would for the first time put U.S. weapons in space. Trump said the previous day he expected the...
New North Korea warship is damaged at its launch ceremony attended by Kim Jong Un
SEOUL, South Korea — A new 5,000-ton destroyer key to North Korea’s naval advancement was damaged during its launching ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Thursday. The ship slid off the ramp and became stuck after the flatcar failed to move alongside it, throwing off its...
