Flu vaccine no longer mandated for U.S. troops, Pete Hegseth maintains
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military will no longer require all American troops to get the flu vaccine, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom. “The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance at all times...
Federal judge strikes down some Trump administration actions that have slowed clean energy projects
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down several Trump administration actions slowing down development of clean energy, including a requirement that all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters be personally approved by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Chief Judge Denise J. Casper of...
Trump, other top Republicans read passages in a marathon Bible event
President Donald Trump and many of his leading Christian supporters and top Republicans are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a “return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country.” The America Reads the Bible event...
2 CIA officers killed in Mexico vehicle crash after counterdrug operation, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. officials killed in a vehicle crash as they returned from destroying a clandestine drug lab in a rugged region of Mexico over the weekend were working for the CIA, according to a U.S. official and two other people familiar with matter. Two Mexican investigators also were...
Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigns amid ethics investigation
WASHINGTON — Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is resigning from Congress rather than be formally disciplined by the House as part of an ethics investigation into her use of campaign funds. Explaining her decision in an extended social media statement Tuesday, the Florida Democrat decried the internal investigation process as unfair. She...
Earth Day started as a U.S. ‘teach-in’ 56 years ago. Now it’s a global event
Millions of people around the world will pause Wednesday, at least for a moment, to mark Earth Day. It’s an annual event founded by people who hoped to stir activism to clean up and preserve a planet that is now home to some 8 billion humans and assorted trillions of...
Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial opens in New York, the 3rd time this case has gone to trial
NEW YORK — Prosecutors once again portrayed Harvey Weinstein as a onetime Hollywood power player who used his sway as a tool of sexual assault, painting a now-familiar picture Tuesday at a rape retrial nearly eight years after the former movie tycoon’s arrest. “This case will come down to power,...
Fired former U.K. official says he felt political pressure to approve Mandelson as U.S. ambassador
LONDON — The former head of Britain’s foreign service said Tuesday he was pressured by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to rush through the confirmation of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to Washington, and claimed Downing Street brushed aside security concerns about the choice. The testimony by Olly Robbins increases...
Kevin Warsh says he got no pressure from Trump to cut rates even as president publicly pushes for themVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee to chair the Federal Reserve said Tuesday that he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed his calls for the central bank to do so. “The president never once asked me to commit to any...
Gallery: Around the world or close to home, the world in focus on April 21, 2026
Take a closer look at the moments that defined this story. These images capture the energy, emotion, and details you might have missed. TribLive’s gallery brings stories to life — moments of connection, place and the quiet beauty of everyday life....
U.S. forces board a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon says
WASHINGTON — U.S. forces have boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as it puts into place a global warning to track down vessels tied to Tehran. U.S. forces “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction” and boarded the M/T Tifani “without...
As the planet warms, scientists burn homes to figure out how to best protect them in wildfires
RICHBURG, S.C. — It took less than three minutes for wind-whipped flames to go from licking the side of the house to shattering a window and working under the eaves to burn everything inside. Weeks later, another house in the exact same spot was burning — again in the name...
Virginia voters deciding on redistricting plan that could boost Democrats’ seats in Congress
Virginia voters on Tuesday are deciding whether to ratify an unusual mid-decade redrawing of U.S. House districts that could boost Democrats’ chances of flipping control of the closely divided chamber, as the state becomes the latest front in a national redistricting battle. A proposed constitutional amendment backed by Democratic officials...
Japan scraps a ban on lethal weapons exports in a change of its postwar pacifist policy
TOKYO — Japan on Tuesday scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change in its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry amid worries over Chinese and North Korean aggression. The approval by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet of the new guideline...
The head of Myanmar’s army-backed government proposes new peace talks with armed resistance groups
BANGKOK — The leader of Myanmar ‘s military-backed government has invited the country’s armed resistance groups to fresh peace talks, state-run newspapers reported Tuesday, marking the first such call from President Min Aung Hlaing since he took office earlier this month. Min Aung Hlaing’s call for talks was framed as...
Trump says the U.S. will extend its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request
ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is extending its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request as he waits for a unified proposal from the Islamic Republic. The announcement came as last-minute ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran looked uncertain and a two-week truce was set...
Trump and other top Republicans will read passages in a marathon Bible event
President Donald Trump and many of his leading Christian supporters and top Republicans are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a “return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country.” The America Reads the Bible event...
Northeast flower and fruit farmers grapple with whiplash weather
BRIDPORT, Vt. — An abrupt swing from hot weather to cold across the Northeast is frustrating some flower and fruit farmers who have had to either harvest blooms extra early or fear they could lose some crops altogether. Frosty nights aren’t unusual this time of year. Across the region, the...
Did Pope Leo find his voice in Africa? Or did the world finally hear him?
LUANDA, Angola — And in Africa, the lion roared. There is a case to be made that Pope Leo XIV, the careful, reserved, Midwestern Augustinian, found his voice on his epic trip through Africa, blasting the “handful of tyrants” and “chains of corruption” that have held parts of the continent...
Mexico’s Sheinbaum demands explanation after U.S. officials die after operation in Chihuahua
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she would demand explanations over what U.S. and Mexican officials were doing in northern Chihuahua when they died in an accident over the weekend, noting that any joint collaborations between the local government and the U.S. without federal permission would be...
‘This is a sacrilege’: Nancy Sinatra slams Trump for his Frank Sinatra social media post
President Donald Trump’s recent Truth Social activity featured one post that had folks wondering exactly what was going on. That post was a video of Frank Sinatra singing “My Way.” It is an iconic tune, and it begins with “And now, the end is near/And so I face the final...
The Onion launches new bid to take over Alex Jones’ Infowars and turn it into a parody platform
The satirical news outlet The Onion is back with a new plan to take over the Infowars platforms of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as his company faces liquidation over more than $1 billion in defamation judgments owed to relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Under a...
A renewed threat to the Jet Propulsion Lab as the Trump administration tries again to cut NASA
NASA recaptured the world’s attention with Artemis II, which took astronauts to the moon and back for the first time in half a century. But the agency’s scientific projects could again be under threat as the Trump administration makes a renewed push to drastically cut their funding — including at...
Cuba confirms meeting with U.S. officials on island, wants energy blockade lifted
HAVANA — Cuba’s government on Monday confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country. Senior U.S. State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said on Friday that...
Witnesses subpoenaed to testify before D.C. grand jury in John Brennan investigation
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has subpoenaed several witnesses to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington as part of its investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, three people familiar with the matter said Monday. The subpoenas were issued in recent days and represent an effort by the...
