Major Michigan insurer in talks to settle lawsuits over fired workers and covid-19 vaccine
DETROIT — A major Michigan insurance company is in talks to possibly settle more than 100 lawsuits by employees who were fired after declining to get a covid-19 vaccination, court records show. The disclosure comes three months after a jury awarded more than $12 million to a woman who had...
Hamas names 3 more Israeli hostages set for release to uphold shaky Gaza ceasefire
JERUSALEM — Hamas named three Israeli hostages on Friday it will release in a weekend trade for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the latest sign that the shaky Gaza ceasefire deal appears to be holding in spite of a tense dispute that has threatened to renew fighting. The militant group and...
Very cold weather is coming. U.S. about to get 10th and chilliest polar vortex this winter
The coldest burst of Arctic air this season is coming to put an icy exclamation point on America’s winter of repeated polar vortex invasions, meteorologists warn. And it will stay frozen there all next week. Different weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually...
Philadelphia turns green on Valentine’s Day to celebrate Super Bowl champions
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia was awash in green on Valentine’s Day to celebrate its Super Bowl champions. Swooning fans screamed and cheered Friday as MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie took turns hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the start of the team’s victory parade through the City...
McConnell tests the strengths and limits of his power opposing a trio of Trump’s Cabinet nominees
WASHINGTON — No longer in charge, Sen. Mitch McConnell has been speaking his mind, the long-serving GOP leader rejecting President Donald Trump’s more high-profile Cabinet nominees — alone at times, among the Republicans, casting his no votes. When it came to Pete Hegseth, now the defense secretary, who faced allegations...
Michigan judge sentences Walmart shoplifters to wash cars in the parking lot
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters, ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring arrives. Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart and rewards shoppers who could see higher prices, or possibly...
DOGE gets mixed reviews from conservatives who have long wanted major budget cuts
DES MOINES, Iowa — Conservatives who have spent decades promoting deep cuts to government are giving mixed reviews to the Department of Government Efficiency, the Elon Musk-led project to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavored programs. The Associated Press interviewed four veteran budget hawks, including some who...
Bakery owner in New England says he was offended over town’s decision against pastry painting
CONCORD, N.H. — A New Hampshire bakery owner testified Friday that his excitement about displaying a painting by high school students of giant pastries quickly turned to annoyance after a zoning code officer told him it was a sign and had to be changed or removed. Sean Young said the...
Photos: Daily gallery for Feb. 14, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Friday, Feb. 14, 2025....
Pope Francis, suffering breathing issues, faces tests after being hospitalized to treat bronchitis
ROME — Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday to treat a weeklong bout of bronchitis and undergo diagnostic tests, the Vatican said, confirming the latest issues with the 88-year-old’s pontiff’s health that forced him to cancel his agenda through Monday at least. Francis has complained of breathing trouble and was diagnosed...
Federal funding freeze disrupts rural organizations supporting foster youth, job growth
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After surviving teen homelessness and domestic violence in West Virginia, 23-year-old Ireland Daugherty was finally feeling stable: She had her own apartment, a job and was studying for a four-year degree. Ashley Cain, 36, was celebrating four years of sobriety and working with a nonprofit that trains...
Judge sets a 5-day deadline for the Trump administration to start lifting its USAID funding freeze
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily lift a funding freeze that has shut down U.S. humanitarian aid and development work around the world, and he has set a five-day deadline for the administration to prove it’s complying. The judge’s ruling late Thursday cited...
TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores in U.S.
HONG KONG — TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the U.S., after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban. TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to comply...
Guarded optimism in India as Trump and Modi outline plans to deepen defense partnership
SRINAGAR, India — There was guarded optimism among military experts in India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump outlined plans to ramp up sales of defense systems to New Delhi, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, to deepen the U.S.-India strategic relationship. “Defense sector is a big...
Prosecutors see an Islamic extremist motive in the Munich car-ramming attack
MUNICH — The suspect in the car-ramming attack in Munich that left more than 30 people injured appears to have had an Islamic extremist motive, but there’s no evidence that he was involved with any radical network, authorities said Friday. The 24-year-old Afghan, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker...
A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying miners in southwestern Pakistan, killing 11 people
QUETTA, Pakistan — A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying coal miners in restive southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding five others, officials said. The attack happened in Harnai, a district in Balochistan province, according to a government administrator Wali Kakar. He said police had...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Feb. 14
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
Zelenskyy to Vance: Ukraine wants ‘security guarantees’ as Trump seeks to end Ukraine-Russia war
MUNICH — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks with Russia, as the Trump administration presses both countries to find a quick endgame to the three-year war. Shortly before sitting down with Vice President JD Vance for highly anticipated talks at the...
Federal freeze hits major Pa. food bank, halts fresh milk, eggs and meat program
One of Pennsylvania’s largest food banks relies on a little-known federal program that allows it to help more people by purchasing milk, eggs and meat directly from farmers at reduced prices. That program is now in jeopardy amid the widespread rollout of funding cuts and program stoppages directed by President...
Oklahoma governor says he’ll stop plan to collect kids’ immigration statusVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he will stop a plan pushed by the state’s top education official to collect the immigration status of children when they register for public school. The Republican governor said Wednesday he is a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, but that policymakers should...
Texas cancels immunization conference, while CDC under federal gag order
The state of Texas is canceling its biennial immunization conference, planned for May, amid uncertainty over how much the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could participate while under a federal gag order. The Texas Department of State Health Services wrote in an email announcement on Wednesday that the...
Man whose wife was killed in a hippo attack in Africa sues the U.S. company that booked the trip
A New Jersey man whose wife was killed in a horrific hippopotamus attack last year during a safari in Africa is suing the U.S. company that arranged the trip, alleging it failed to ensure their safety and did not adequately screen and supervise the tour guides. Craig and Lisa Manders...
Order to drop New York Mayor Adams’ case roils Justice Department as high-ranking officials resignVideo
NEW YORK — Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal...
Judge orders Trump administration to temporarily allow funds for foreign aid to flow again
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift a three-week funding freeze that has shut down U.S. aid and development programs worldwide. Judge Amir Ali issued the order Thursday in U.S. district court in Washington in a lawsuit brought by two health organizations that receive...
Linda McMahon says Trump’s plan to close Education Department would need Congress’ approval
WASHINGTON — Linda McMahon, the former CEO of a professional wrestling and entertainment juggernaut and Donald Trump’s pick as Education secretary, told senators Thursday that the president’s plan to dismantle the Education Department would need congressional approval. “We’d like to do this right,” she said. “We’d like to make sure...
