Hamas set to free 3 Israelis, 5 Thais in next hostage release, Israeli official says
JERUSALEM — An Israeli official said Wednesday that Hamas will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, and five Thai nationals in the next hostage release, slated for Thursday. The official named the Israel women as Arbel Yehoud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and the man as Gadi...
After rebuke from legislative leaders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges to veto immigration bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised Wednesday to veto a sweeping immigration bill, in the latest escalation of a statehouse showdown between the governor and the state’s Republican legislative leadership, who have sparred over whose proposals would best carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The bill, which...
Police: At least 30 people died in stampede at massive Maha Kumbh festival in India
PRAYAGRAJ, India — At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India. Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj...
Gallery: Photos from Jan. 29, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
U.S. children fall further behind in reading, make little improvement in math on national exam
WASHINGTON — America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card. The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and...
After talking tough during campaign, Trump appears to ease up on China at start of presidency
WASHINGTON — On the campaign trail last year, President Donald Trump talked tough about imposing tariffs as high as 60% on Chinese goods and threatened to renew the trade war with China that he launched during his first term. But now that he’s back in the White House, Trump appears...
Defense secretary pulls Trump critic Gen. Milley’s security clearance, protective detail
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pulling security protections and clearance for Gen. Mark Milley, retired Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and has ordered the Pentagon’s inspector general to review Milley’s actions while serving as the nation’s top uniformed officer to determine if a demotion is warranted. The inspector...
Trump makes moves to expand his power, sparking chaos and a possible constitutional crisis
Just a little over a week into his second term, President Donald Trump is taking steps to maximize his power, sparking chaos and what critics contend is a constitutional crisis as he challenges the separation of powers that have defined American government for more than 200 years. The new administration’s...
The Year of the Snake is underway with Lunar New Year festivities in Asia and around the world
BEIJING — Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday — including in Moscow. Hundreds of people lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in Hong Kong in a...
Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country. “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund,...
Weeks after fire ravaged the Pacific Palisades, residents return to dig for their mementosVideo
LOS ANGELES — Jack Hassett was among scores of residents slowly returning on Tuesday to Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by wildfires to finally sift through the rubble and salvage any cherished items. Hassett didn’t find much in the ash at his family’s Pacific Palisades house, uncovering only some pottery and...
Trump social media claim of using troops to force water flow refuted by California
President Donald Trump on Monday night heightened his battle with California over water policy by suggesting U.S. military troops had arrived in the state to turn on pumps and send more water flowing — something state officials quickly denied. On Monday evening, Trump wrote that the military “just entered the...
Sean Duffy confirmed by Senate to lead the Transportation Department
NEW YORK — Sean Duffy was confirmed Tuesday as transportation secretary, giving him a key role in helping President Donald Trump cut regulations and fix the nation’s infrastructure. The former Wisconsin congressman has promised safer Boeing planes, less regulation and help for U.S. companies developing self-driving cars — while not...
Drones over New Jersey were ‘not the enemy,’ Trump’s press secretary says
The mysterious drone sightings that cropped up over New Jersey starting late last year were “not the enemy,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday during the inaugural press briefing of President Donald Trump’s second administration. Instead, Leavitt said, the drones in the Garden State that caused a...
Trump offering federal workers buyouts with about 8 months’ pay in effort to shrink governmentVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is offering buyouts to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by next week — an unprecedented move to shrink the U.S. government at breakneck speed. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency,...
New top prosecutor for D.C. advocated for Jan. 6 rioters and echoed Trump’s false 2020 election claims
WASHINGTON — For years, conservative activist Ed Martin has promoted Donald Trump’s false claims about a stolen 2020 election, railed against the prosecution of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol and represented some of them in court. Now he’s leading the office that prosecuted the nearly 1,600 defendants charged...
Danish leader on European tour as Copenhagen moves to strengthen presence around GreenlandVideo
BERLIN — Denmark’s prime minister embarked on a tour of major European capitals Tuesday as the continent faces what she called “a more uncertain reality” and her country moves to strengthen its military presence around Greenland. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen planned stops in Berlin, Paris and Brussels, the latter to...
Caroline Kennedy warns senators that cousin RFK Jr. a ‘predator’Video
WASHINGTON — Calling Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “predator” who is addicted to power, Caroline Kennedy urged the U.S. Senate in a Tuesday letter to reject the nomination of her cousin to be President Donald Trump’s health secretary. In a letter to Senators, Ms. Kennedy, who previously served as a...
Deportation flights from the U.S. to Colombia resume after diplomatic spat
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian migrants returning home Tuesday on Colombian military flights described being shackled during earlier U.S. flights that were blocked by their country’s leader in a dispute with President Donald Trump that nearly sparked a trade war. Deportation flights between the U.S. and Colombia resumed Tuesday after the...
Israel’s prime minister says Trump has invited him to the White House on Feb. 4
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says President Donald Trump has invited him to visit the White House on Feb. 4, which would make him the first foreign leader to visit Washington in Trump’s second term. The visit comes as the United States pressures Israel and...
What is Lunar New Year and how is it celebrated?
On Jan. 29, Asian American communities around the U.S. will ring in the Year of the Snake with community carnivals, family gatherings, parades, traditional food, fireworks and other festivities. In many Asian countries, it is a festival that is celebrated for several days. In diaspora communities, particularly in cultural enclaves,...
Some Trump voters are skeptical of his opening moves to embrace fellow billionaires
MESA, Ariz. — Enrique Lopez votes sporadically but bought into Donald Trump’s vows to fight for everyday workers, helping the Republican flip Arizona last year. Then the home construction contractor watched how the billionaire president opened his second administration. “So, the rich control the poor, I guess. They do whatever...
Oklahoma proposal requires parents to provide immigration status when enrolling students
OKLAHOMA CITY — Parents enrolling children in Oklahoma public schools will be required to provide proof of their child’s U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status under a proposal rule approved Tuesday by the State Board of Education. The board voted unanimously to approve the rule aimed at helping President Donald...
Police accuse Michigan mom of setting house fire that killed daughter
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A western Michigan woman is accused of setting a house fire that killed her 12-year-old daughter who was trapped in a bedroom. “This is a shockingly cruel, unimaginable crime committed by a mom against her three kids,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said. The child...
‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight amid threats of climate change, nuclear war, pandemics, AIVideo
Earth is moving closer to destruction, a science-oriented advocacy group said Tuesday as it advanced its famous “Doomsday Clock” to 89 seconds till midnight, the closest it has ever been. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists made the annual announcement — which rates how close humanity is from ending —...
