Republicans forge their tax bill in Trump’s image, with ‘MAGA accounts’ and more
WASHINGTON — Days before Republicans unveiled their sweeping tax cut plan, the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee had one last person to consult. He went to the White House, where he and President Donald Trump went over the legislation “line by line.” “He was very happy with...
Easily distracted? How to improve your attention span
MILWAUKEE — Feel like you can’t focus? Like you’ll never finish a book again? Like the only way to keep your mind and hands busy is to scroll on social media for hours? You’re far from alone. One body of decades-long research found the average person’s attention span for a...
Severe weather leaves at least 27 dead, including 18 in Kentucky
LONDON, Ky. — At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition. A devastating tornado...
Comey interviewed by the Secret Service over ’86 47′ social media post
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service on Friday about a social media post that Republicans insisted was a call for violence against President Donald Trump. The interview was part of an ongoing Trump administration investigation and was expected to help authorities assess the...
Trump warns Walmart: Don’t raise prices due to my tariffs but do eat the costs from those taxes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday ripped into Walmart, saying on social media that the retail giant should eat the additional costs created by his tariffs. As Trump has jacked up import taxes, he has tried to assure a skeptical public that foreign producers would pay for those taxes...
At least 4 dead after tornado and severe storm batters St. Louis, mayor says
ST. LOUIS — At least four people died and authorities were searching from building to building for people who were trapped or hurt after severe storms including a possible tornado swept through St. Louis. The storms Friday afternoon tore roofs off buildings, ripped bricks off of siding and downed trees...
10 escape from New Orleans jail through hole in cell wall while lone guard left to get food
NEW ORLEANS — Ten men broke out of a New Orleans jail Friday in an audacious overnight escape by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall while the lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, authorities said. Nine of the escapees, which...
Two dead and others injured in Las Vegas gym shooting, police say
LAS VEGAS — There was a shooting Friday afternoon inside a gym, killing two people, with multiple people injured, Las Vegas police said. One person died as gunfire erupted at the Las Vegas Athletic Club on the city’s west side, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said. There is...
FDA clears first blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
U.S. regulators have approved the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, potentially making it easier to find and treat patients with the mind-robbing disease that affects nearly 7 million Americans. The test made by Fujirebio Diagnostics Inc., a unit of Japan’s H.U. Group Holdings Inc., was cleared for...
‘Medical aid in dying’ bill fails in Nevada Legislature
A proposal to give some terminally ill patients in Nevada access to life-ending medications failed to move forward in the Legislature on Friday. Assembly Bill 346 — which would have set up a legal framework for competent and willing terminally ill patients to self-administer life-ending drugs — has had an...
Angler fishing in Lake Michigan fog discovers remains of abandoned tugboat J.C. Ames
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin angler fishing in the fog this week discovered the wreck of an abandoned tugboat submerged in the waters of Lake Michigan for more than a century, state officials announced Friday. Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen said that the society confirmed that Christopher Thuss...
Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to resume quick deportations of Venezuelans under 18th-century law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday barred the Trump administration from quickly resuming deportations of Venezuelans under an 18th-century wartime law enacted when the nation was just a few years old. Over two dissenting votes, the justices acted on an emergency appeal from lawyers for Venezuelan men who have...
Federal judge strikes down workplace protections for transgender workers
A federal judge in Texas struck down guidance from a government agency specifying protections against workplace harassment based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Thursday determined the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission exceeded its statutory...
1st week of testimony in Diddy trial concludes with graphic accusations
The first week of testimony in the Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial is concluding — and with it Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s testimony. Ventura, the R&B singer who was Combs’ girlfriend for around a decade, had filed a lawsuit alleging he sexually and physically abused her. It was settled in late 2023,...
Police seize 2 pounds of methamphetamine from Derry man’s car
A Derry Township man was arrested Thursday after police seized two pounds of methamphetamine from him, according to court documents. Todd F. Stumpf, 59, is charged with possession with intent to deliver. Police received a tip Wednesday that Stumpf was traveling from Maryland to Blairsville, carrying two to four pounds...
Podcast: Previewing the Pittsburgh mayoral race
The Pittsburgh mayoral primary next week on May 20 features competitive races on both side for the Democrat and Republican candidates. In the Democratic primary, incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey is seeking a second term but faces a challenge from Corey O’Connor, the Allegheny County Controller and a well-known figure in...
Springsteen, Trump, Kid Rock trade political barbs
Bruce Springsteen’s songs have chronicled the working American’s hopes and dreams for 50 years. In that time, The Boss’ political bent has never been buried. Sure, some Reaganites may have misunderstood “Born in the U.S.A” as a patriotic anthem, but “American Skin (41 Shots)” clearly details the fears some have...
Trump suspends asylum system, leaving immigrants to face an uncertain future
They arrive at the U.S. border from around the world: Eritrea, Guatemala, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ghana, Uzbekistan and so many other countries. They come for asylum, insisting they face persecution for their religion, or sexuality or for supporting the wrong politicians. For generations, they had been given the chance to make...
Student loans have been confusing lately. Here’s a guide to know where you stand
NEW YORK — Between collections resuming, courts blocking student loan programs and layoffs at the Education Department, borrowers might be confused about the status of their student loans. Recently, the Education Department announced it would start involuntary collections on defaulted loans, meaning the roughly 5.3 million borrowers who are in...
Divided Greensburg Salem board OKs $535K student tech purchase
A divided Greensburg Salem School Board approved spending more than $535,000 over four years to replace aging computer tablets and laptops that officials say will no longer function when the next Microsoft Windows update comes in October. The board voted 5-4 to buy 900 iPad tablets for the district’s high...
Russia and Ukraine hold their first direct peace talks in 3 years amid low expectations
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expected them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war. A Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov sat...
Trump’s ‘beautiful’ bill spans 1,116 pages. Here’s what’s inside it
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are advancing President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up border security as Speaker Mike Johnson attempts to pass the package over unified Democratic opposition by Memorial Day. House committees have labored on the legislation, which runs a whopping 1,116 pages and...
Biden audio release pressures Democrats who would rather talk about Trump
PHOENIX — Joe Biden’s time in public office is now behind him, but his age and mental acuity have become a litmus test for the next leaders in his party. Audio was published Friday from portions of interviews Biden gave to federal prosecutors in 2023, the latest in a stream...
Conservatives block Trump’s big tax breaks bill in a stunning setback
WASHINGTON — In a massive setback, House Republicans failed Friday to push their big package of tax breaks and spending cuts through the Budget Committee, as a handful of conservatives joined all Democrats in a stunning vote against it. The hard-right lawmakers are insisting on steeper spending cuts to Medicaid...
After Putin is a no-show at talks in Turkey, Trump says he’ll meet the Russian leader soon
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump said Friday he’s moving to set up direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as he can, after Putin opted to skip peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. “I think it’s time for us to just do...
