Israeli strikes in southwestern Syria kill 4 people as troops clash with residents
KOAYIAH, Syria — An Israeli strike Tuesday in southwestern Syria killed at least four people as Israeli troops occupying the area clashed with local residents, Syrian state media and a war monitor reported. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said troops fired back at gunmen who attacked them, before launching a...
Gallery: Photos from March 25, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, March 25, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Court in Japan orders the dissolution of the Unification Church
TOKYO — The Unification Church in Japan was ordered dissolved by a court Tuesday after a government request spurred by the investigation into the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The South Korea-based church said it was considering an immediate appeal of the Tokyo District Court’s revocation of...
Oscar-winning Palestinian director released by Israeli forces in the West Bank
HEBRON, West Bank — Israeli authorities released an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was detained by the army after being attacked by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, who his wife said beat him in front of his home while filming the assault. Hamdan Ballal and the other directors of...
Negotiations on a Ukraine ceasefire enter 3rd day in Saudi Arabia with renewed U.S.-Ukraine talks
KYIV, Ukraine — A series of separate meetings between American, Russian and Ukrainian interlocutors entered their third day on Tuesday as U.S. negotiators shuttled back to discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts in the Saudi capital, a continuation of talks with Kyiv officials that began Sunday over a potential ceasefire in...
French actor Gérard Depardieu acknowledges boorish behavior but denies sexual assault
PARIS — French actor Gérard Depardieu acknowledged Tuesday that he used crude and heated language around a woman who accuses him of sexual assault and grabbed her hips but denied assaulting her, as he testified for the first time at his landmark trial in Paris. She told the court that...
Senate will question U.S. intelligence officials on national security threats after war plans exposed
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s top intelligence officials face Congress this week to offer their first testimony in office about the threats facing the United States and tackle urgent questions about the security breach that unfolded when war plans were mistakenly leaked to a journalist. FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA...
Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for Israel ambassador, tries to distance from past Palestinian rhetoric
WASHINGTON — Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, attempted to distance himself Tuesday from his past controversial statements about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people, pledging on Capitol Hill to “carry out the president’s priorities, not mine.” “I am not here to articulate...
U.S. infrastructure improved with Biden-era spending but there’s a long way to go
A once-every-four-years report card on the upkeep of America’s infrastructure gave it a “C” grade on Tuesday, up slightly from previous reports, largely due to investments made during former President Joe Biden’s administration. The report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, which examined everything from roads and dams to...
Greenlanders unite to fend off the U.S. as Trump seeks control of the Arctic island
NUUK, Greenland — Lisa Sólrun Christiansen gets up at 4 a.m. most days and gets to work knitting thick wool sweaters coveted by buyers around the world for their warmth and colorful patterns celebrating Greenland’s traditional Inuit culture. Her morning routine includes a quick check of the news, but these...
Transgender Americans aim to block Trump’s passport policy change
BOSTON — When Ash Lazarus Orr went to renew his passport in early January, the transgender organizer figured it would be relatively routine. But more than two months on, Orr is waiting to get a new passport with a name change and a sex designation reflecting who he is. The...
Columbia student protester who’s lived in the U.S. since age 7 sues to stop deportation order
NEW YORK — Another Columbia University student said Monday that the Trump administration has targeted her for deportation over her pro-Palestinian views, accusing immigration officials in a lawsuit of employing the same tactics used on Mahmoud Khalil and other college activists. Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old lawful permanent resident who came...
Trump to nominate acting CDC director Susan Monarez for the position, White House official says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will nominate Susan Monarez, the acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a longtime federal staffer, to the permanent position, a White House official confirmed Monday. Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of his first pick, David Weldon, earlier this month....
Webb Space Telescope captures a star in the making and a galaxy far, far away
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Webb Space Telescope has captured a plume of gas and dust streaming from a star in the making, with a spiral galaxy as a stunning backdrop. The composite image makes it look as though the overflow of stellar material is the billowing contrail of a...
Supreme Court turns back casino mogul Steve Wynn’s appeal in defamation lawsuit
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court turned back an appeal Monday from casino mogul Steve Wynn, who had challenged a landmark libel ruling as part of a lawsuit against The Associated Press. The court declined to hear the case in a brief order without comment, as is typical. Wynn had sued...
Trump administration invokes state secrets privilege in case over deportations under wartime law
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday invoked a “state secrets privilege” and refused to give a federal judge any additional information about the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law — a case that has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension with the...
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigns after 5 years in the position
The head of the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service, Louis DeJoy, resigned Monday after nearly five years in the position and following protests last weekend by postal workers concerned about the direction of the agency. DeJoy had said last month he planned to step down but hadn’t set a date. Deputy...
Allentown employee planted noose on her desk, faces false report charges, police say
Allentown officials announced charges Monday against a city employee, alleging that she made a false police report and tampered with evidence after reporting she found a noose on her desk in January. LaTarsha Brown, who works for the city’s community and economic development department, faces charges of making false reports,...
Police: Berks County fire chief arrested after dropping 3-month-old, fracturing her skull
A fire chief in Berks County has been arrested and suspended after police said he dropped his three-month-old daughter and fractured her skull. Falls Township Fire Chief Brian Salt, 36, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault after police said he admitted to intentionally letting...
Trump officials texted war plans to a group chat in a secure app that included a journalistVideo
WASHINGTON — Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic, the magazine reported in a story posted online Monday. The National...
Powerful interests poured $18M into top Pa. lawmakers’ campaign coffers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Power plant operators, gambling magnates, charter school backers, and trade unions are among the interests that gave almost $18 million to Pennsylvania’s top...
Judge blocks DOGE from accessing sensitive information at U.S. agencies
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing people’s private data at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction in a case filed last month by a coalition...
Trump criticizes his portrait hanging in Colorado Capitol
President Donald Trump has taken aim at a portrait of himself hanging in Colorado’s Capitol. He’s demanding that it be taken down. Unveiled in 2019, the portrait was painted in oil by the Colorado-based artist Sarah Boardman, the New York Times reported. It depicts the president in a dark suit...
AOC trades barbs with Fetterman, apologizes to Conor Lamb
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York reached out publicly to apologize to fellow Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb. In a post on the social media platform X, AOC tweeted a response to Lamb’s post critiquing Democrat Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman. Lamb, of Mt. Lebanon, lost to Fetterman...
Rosie O’Donnell wrote apology letter to Irish PM after his Trump meeting
Comedian Rosie O’Donnell revealed she wrote an apology letter to Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin after her name came up during his meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House. O’Donnell, 63, moved to Ireland after Trump was reelected as president. The two have famously feuded for years. During...