U.S. consumer confidence plummets in February, biggest monthly decline since 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence plummeted in February, the biggest monthly decline in more than four years, a business research group said Tuesday, with inflation seemingly stuck and a trade war under President Donald Trump seen by a growing number of Americans as inevitable. The Conference Board reported that its...
Gallery: Photos from Feb. 25, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
American woman in custody after newborn thrown from Paris hotel window
A young American woman on a European trip was taken into custody after she allegedly threw a newborn out of a hotel window in Paris, killing the baby, authorities said Tuesday. The baby was reportedly thrown from a second-floor window of a hotel on Monday morning, according to the Paris...
Trial begins in Germany for 4 alleged Hamas members accused of seeking weapons caches across Europe
BERLIN — A trial began Tuesday in Germany for four alleged Hamas members suspected of organizing weapons caches across Europe. The country’s top prosecutor accuses the men of membership in a foreign terrorist organization. It’s a pilot case for prosecutors, German news agency dpa reported. “For the first time in...
UK to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, Starmer says 2 days before Trump meeting
LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged Tuesday to raise U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027, saying Europe is in a new era of insecurity that requires a “generational response.” The announcement came two days before Starmer is due at the White House to try...
Pope Francis’ health crisis sparks prayers from thousands outside the Vatican
VATICAN CITY — Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, hope for his recovery and gratitude for his efforts to steer the Catholic Church in new directions. The 88-year-old Francis has pneumonia in both lungs and remains...
What to know about air traffic control towers after a midair collision in Arizona prompts questions
Tens of thousands of planes take off, land and perform touch-and-goes at the Marana Regional Airport in southern Arizona every year. Without an air traffic control tower, it’s a calculated dance that requires communication by pilots. Two small planes collided in midair over one of the runways on the outskirts...
Trump says Canada and Mexico tariffs are ‘going forward’ with more import taxes to come
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that his tariffs on Canada and Mexico are starting next month, ending a monthlong suspension on the planned import taxes that could potentially hurt economic growth and worsen inflation. “We’re on time with the tariffs, and it seems like that’s moving along very...
‘Puppy Mountain’ photo draws onlookers to a Chinese riverside
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei province in late January. When...
House Speaker Mike Johnson tries to push Trump’s ‘big’ agenda forward, but GOP votes are in jeopardy
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson will try against the odds to muscle a Republican budget blueprint to passage this week, a step toward delivering President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts over stiff opposition from Democrats — and...
A 4th person is presumed dead after a boat sank off the coast of New York City
NEW YORK — Three people died and a fourth person is presumed dead after a boat sank off the coast of New York City, authorities said Monday. Two others were hospitalized. The U.S. Coast Guard called off its search around 6 p.m. Monday after failing to locate 52-year-old Vernon Glasford,...
Trump backs Musk as he roils federal workforce with demands, threats
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump backed Elon Musk’s demand that federal employees explain their recent accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, even as government agency officials were told that compliance with Musk’s edict was voluntary. Confusion and anger over the situation spawned new litigation and added...
U.S. refuses to blame Russia for Ukraine war, splitting with European allies in U.N. votes
UNITED NATIONS — In a dramatic shift in transatlantic relations under President Donald Trump, the United States split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions Monday seeking an end to the three-year war. The growing divide follows...
Millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy joins the Ohio governor’s race
COLUMBUS — Vivek Ramaswamy, the Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur who departed the Department of Government Efficiency initiative on President Donald Trump’s first day, launched his bid for Ohio governor Monday with promises to institute work requirements for Medicaid and merit pay for all public school teachers and administrators. Ramaswamy, 39, kicked...
Does lip balm help chapped lips? Here’s what to know
NEW YORK — A tube of lip balm may seem like the perfect antidote to dry, cracked lips. But do these over-the-counter products soothe flaking or can they make it worse? Though dry lips can happen year-round, they’re most common during the winter. The cold outdoors paired with the low-humidity...
Mississippi city drops lawsuit over newspaper editorial that judge ordered removed
A Mississippi city dropped its lawsuit Monday against a newspaper that had its editorial criticizing local leaders removed by a judge in a case that sparked widespread outrage from First Amendment advocates. The city of Clarksdale’s board of commissioners sought to dismiss its libel lawsuit against The Clarksdale Press Register,...
Funeral set for officer killed while responding to gunman in a Pennsylvania hospital
HARRISBURG — A funeral service will be held later this week for a Pennsylvania police officer shot and killed while responding to a hospital intensive care unit where authorities said a gunman had shot three hospital employees and taken staff members hostage last weekend. West York Patrolman Andrew Duarte’s funeral...
Gov. Shapiro says the Trump administration has unfrozen billions in grants, loansVideo
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday that President Donald Trump ‘s administration has freed up billions in federal aid that the Democrat had accused it of withholding illegally and unconstitutionally. Shapiro said in a news conference that more than $2 billion that his administration had identified as either...
Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not demonstrated it had suffered any irreparable harm. But he urged the Trump administration to reconsider its two-week-old ban, saying that case...
Idaho town hall meeting turns chaotic after woman forcibly removed for heckling speakersVideo
BOISE, Idaho — A Republican-hosted legislative town hall meeting in northern Idaho descended into chaos after three plainclothes security workers forcibly removed a woman who was heckling the speakers. The incident Saturday at Coeur d’Alene High School, first reported by the Coeur d’Alene Press, drew widespread attention after videos of...
Jury selection begins for trial of suburban Chicago July 4 parade mass shooting suspect
WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The man accused of opening fire on a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade, killing seven people, is about to stand trial, nearly three years after the attack. Jury selection started Monday after several delays. Part of the reason is the erratic behavior of the defendant, Robert Crimo...
Judge blocks Trump immigration policy that permits arrests in churches for some groups
GREENBELT, Md. — A federal judge on Monday blocked immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations in houses of worship for Quakers and a handful of other religious groups. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang found that the Trump administration policy could violate their religious freedom and should be blocked while a...
Trump expresses hope Russia’s war in Ukraine is nearing an endgame as he meets with France’s Macron
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he was hopeful that Russia’s war in Ukraine was nearing an endgame as he met on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron on the third anniversary of the invasion. Trump, in broad-ranging comments on the state of the conflict, said he believed Russian President...
Pope Francis shows slight improvement and resumes some work, Vatican says
ROME — Pope Francis showed slight improvement in laboratory tests Monday and resumed some work activities, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began, the Vatican said. The Vatican’s evening bulletin was more upbeat than in recent days. It...
Prosecutor says golden toilet was stolen from English palace in ‘audacious raid’
LONDON — It was not your typical smash-and-grab burglary and the booty was precious: a toilet worth more than its weight in gold. The one-of-a-kind 18-carat gold toilet was swiped in under five minutes from Blenheim Palace, the sprawling English country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born,...
