Emergency crews evacuate patients and battle blaze at Pennsylvania hospitalVideo
A fire tore through a northeastern Pennsylvania hospital, sending smoke billowing into the air as dozens of patients were evacuated and emergency medical crews were rushed in from across the region, authorities said. No one was reported injured by the Wednesday night blaze at the Lehigh Valley Hospital campus in...
Homeland Security shutdown grows more likely as Republicans rebuff Democrats’ ICE demands
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House. Democrats say they...
The last U.S.-Russia nuclear pact expires, prompting fears of a new arms race
MOSCOW — The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States expires Thursday, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century. The termination of the New START Treaty could set the stage for what many fear could...
Trump vows to donate any proceeds from $10 billion IRS lawsuit
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he would donate any money he received in a $10 billion lawsuit that he filed against the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service over an unauthorized disclosure of his tax returns to the press during his first term in office. “Any money that I...
A newborn’s death likely linked to the mom drinking raw milk while pregnant
A newborn baby died from a listeria infection likely linked to the child’s mother drinking raw milk during pregnancy, health officials said. New Mexico officials this week warned people to avoid consuming unpasteurized dairy products following the death. Interest in and sales of raw milk have been rising in recent...
On Capitol Hill, Treasury Secretary Bessent’s testimony descends into insults, shouting matches
WASHINGTON — A hearing about oversight of the U.S. financial system devolved into insults several times Wednesday as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clashed with Democratic lawmakers over fiscal policy, the business dealings of the Trump family and other issues. Appearances by treasury secretaries on Capitol Hill are more typically known...
Gunman in D.C. shooting of 2 National Guard members pleads not guilty
The gunman accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., killing one and seriously wounding the other, has pleaded not guilty to the nine charges against him — including first-degree murder. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was also shot before he was taken into custody, made his brief court appearance...
Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk won’t seek reelection to U.S. House
ATLANTA — Georgia Republican U.S. House member Barry Loudermilk, who has been active in efforts to discredit Democratic-led investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, announced Wednesday that he won’t seek reelection this year. Loudermilk has served in Congress since 2015. He is part of a wave of incumbents...
Epstein files rife with uncensored nudes and victims’ names, despite redaction efforts
NEW YORK — Nude photos. The names and faces of sexual abuse victims. Bank account and Social Security numbers in full view. All of these things appeared in the mountain of documents released publicly by the U.S. Justice Department as part of its effort to comply with a law requiring...
Trump taking steps toward installing Columbus statue near the White House
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — President Donald Trump is taking steps toward installing near the White House a replica of a statue of famed explorer Christopher Columbus that had been tossed into Baltimore’s harbor during his first term amid protests against institutional racism. John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the...
The former Prince Andrew moves to King Charles III’s private estate after Epstein document uproar
LONDON — The former Prince Andrew has moved out of his longtime home on crown-owned land near Windsor Castle earlier than expected after the latest release of documents from the U.S. investigation of Jeffrey Epstein revived questions about his friendship with the convicted sex offender. The 65-year-old brother of King...
Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration. No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation, which is...
Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, leader of Sept. 11 panel, dies
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, a crewcut-wearing Indiana Democrat who was a leading foreign affairs voice during three decades in Congress and helped oversee investigations of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, died Tuesday. He was 94. Hamilton, who also led a congressional probe of the Reagan administration’s Iran-Contra affair...
Judge appears skeptical of Trump’s latest bid to nix his hush money conviction
NEW YORK — A federal judge appeared poised to again reject President Donald Trump’s bid to erase his hush money conviction, slamming his lawyers Wednesday for legal maneuvers he said amounted to taking “two bites at the apple.” Directed by an appeals court to take a fresh look at the...
Man who tried to shoot Trump at a Florida golf course gets life in prison
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison after a federal prosecutor said his crime was unacceptable “in this country or anywhere.” U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pronounced Ryan Routh’s...
Government lawyer yanked from immigration detail in Minnesota after telling judge ‘this job sucks’
WASHINGTON — A government lawyer who told a judge that her job “sucks” during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to a person familiar with the matter. Julie Le had been working for the...
New Orleans police say recruit detained by ICE had been verified through agency’s system
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police Department is denying wrongdoing after one of its recruits was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which accused the city of violating federal immigration laws. Federal agents last month arrested New Orleans police recruit Larry Temah, a 46-year-old Cameroonian national who had...
Gallery: Near or far, the world in focus on Feb. 4, 2026
The world is always moving — and TribLive’s gallery is there to catch it. From the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania to far-flung corners of the globe, photographers near and far capture moments of place, connection and the quiet beauty of everyday life. More than a snapshot of Western Pennsylvania,...
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan pulling 700 immigration officers out of Minnesota immediately
MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continue its enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. About 700 federal officers — roughly a quarter of the total deployed to Minnesota —...
Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments is being laid off
The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow at one of journalism’s most legendary brands. The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The...
Trump says Washington has waited 200 years for the arch he wants to build. Not quite
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says history is on his side. He wants to build a towering arch near the Lincoln Memorial and argues that the nation’s capital first clamored for such a monument two centuries ago — even going so far as to erect four eagle statues as part...
Vance says U.S. seeks to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies to counter China
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies that will use tariffs to maintain price floors and defend against China’s tactic of flooding the market to undermine any potential competitors. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the trade war over the...
Democrats demand ‘dramatic changes’ for ICE, including masks, cameras and judicial warrants
WASHINGTON — Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department when it expires in two weeks unless there are “dramatic changes” and “real accountability” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies who are carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign of federal immigration enforcement...
ICE buys $87M warehouse in Berks County as it plots expansion of detention centers across U.S.
This story was produced by the Berks County bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom. Sign up for Good Day, Berks, a daily dose of essential local stories at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/gooddayberks. UPPER BERN — The Trump administration has quietly purchased a nearly 520,000-square-foot warehouse in Berks County as it plans...
Westmoreland County Community College to launch 2-year engineering program shortly after opening makerspace
Matthew Reed, vice president for academic affairs at Westmoreland County Community College, didn’t plan for the launch of the school’s new engineering program to coincide with the opening of its makerspace. “It’s kind of a happy accident,” he said with a laugh. The college’s board of trustees approved the two-year...
