Pakistani forces in a standoff as militants hold about 250 hostages on a hijacked train
QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistani forces were in a tense standoff Wednesday with hundreds of militants holding about 250 people hostage on a train they had hijacked in the remote southwest the day before, officials said. The security forces held off from full-out battles as militants wearing vests loaded with explosives...
U.S. arms flow to Ukraine again as the Kremlin mulls a ceasefire proposal
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine resumed Wednesday, officials said, a day after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyiv in its war against Russia, and Ukrainian officials signaled that they were open to a 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov...
New Pa. bill would relieve debt from childbirth, other medical care
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Medical debt harms people in different ways. It can lead them to seek payday loans, take money out of...
Court asked to intervene after email tells USAID workers to destroy classified documents
WASHINGTON — A union for U.S. Agency for International Development contractors asked a federal judge Tuesday to intervene in any destruction of classified documents after an email ordered staffers to help burn and shred agency records. Judge Carl Nichols set a Wednesday morning deadline for the plaintiffs and the government...
Education Department plans to lay off 1,300 employees as Trump vows to wind the agency down
WASHINGTON — The Education Department plans to lay off over 1,300 of its more than 4,000 employees as part of a reorganization that’s seen as a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency. Department officials announced the cuts Tuesday, raising questions about the agency’s ability to continue...
Agency that monitors weather will cut another 1,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is starting another round of job cuts — this one more than 1,000 — at the nation’s weather, ocean and fisheries agency, four people familiar with the matter tell The Associated Press. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday began plans to lay off...
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry co-sponsors bill to abolish Federal Reserve
A bill in the U.S. House to repeal the 112-year-old Federal Reserve Act and abolish the nation’s central bank has attracted several co-sponsors, including York County Republican Rep. Scott Perry. Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie introduced the bill on March 5 and Perry is one of 10 co-sponsors, all Republicans,...
NTSB urges ban on some helicopter flights at Washington airport where 67 people died in midair crash
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators looking into the cause of the January collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people recommended a ban on some helicopter flights Tuesday, saying the current setup “poses an intolerable risk.” National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy...
4 charged in death of 5-year-old boy ‘incinerated’ in hyperbaric chamber explosion
Four people have been charged in the death of a 5-year-old boy who was “incinerated” inside a pressurized oxygen chamber that exploded at a suburban Detroit medical facility, Michigan’s attorney general said Tuesday. Thomas Cooper from Royal Oak, Michigan, was pronounced dead at the scene on Jan. 31 at the...
EU wants to increase deportations and supports ‘return hubs’ in 3rd countries
BRUSSELS — The European Union wants to increase deportations and is opening the way for “return hubs” to be set up in third countries for rejected asylum-seekers, according to a new migration proposal unveiled Tuesday. Only 20% of people with a return order are effectively removed from EU territory, according...
A man torches Tesla chargers in South Carolina and catches his clothes on fire
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — A man burned three Tesla chargers in a South Carolina parking lot and also apparently inadvertently set his clothes on fire, police said. The man spray-painted “long live the Ukraine” and a crude reference to President Donald Trump on the pavement next to the charging stations...
$30K in counterfeit Estee Lauder, Sharpie markers headed to Pa. seized by customs agents
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly $30,000 in counterfeit cosmetics and Sharpie markers headed to addresses in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County over the past month. The agency said in a news release Tuesday that four shipments of counterfeit objects valued at roughly $28,550, had been seized...
15 injured when school bus overturns on Garden State Parkway in New Jersey
MONTVALE, N.J. — A school bus carrying 31 people overturned on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, sending more than a dozen people to hospitals, officials said. New Jersey State Police said 15 people, including the driver and 14 young people, were treated for injuries from the Monday night...
Trump doubles tariffs on Canadian metals, causing Ontario to back down on electricity price hikes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada, a retaliation that prompted the provincial government of Ontario to back down on its planned surcharges on electricity sold to the United States. Tuesday’s escalation and...
‘Surge’ of violence prompts crackdown in California prison system, officials say
LOS ANGELES — Faced with seven homicides in the first nine weeks of the year, California prison authorities announced they have restricted inmate movement and revoked privileges such as visits and phone calls at high-security facilities across the state. In a statement dated March 8, officials from the California Department...
Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter steps into crowded California governor’s race
LOS ANGELES — Former Democratic U.S. House member Katie Porter announced Tuesday that she is entering the 2026 contest for California governor, joining a crowded field of candidates that could be upended if former Vice President Kamala Harris joins the race. Porter, who became a social media celebrity by brandishing...
Gallery: Photos from March 11, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, March 11, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Polls open in Greenland for parliamentary elections
NUUK, Greenland — Polls opened in Greenland for early parliamentary elections Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks control of the strategic Arctic island. The self-governing region of Denmark is home to 56,000 people, most from Indigenous Inuit backgrounds, and occupies a strategic North Atlantic location. It also contains rare...
What to know about the Menendez brothers’ bid for freedom
LOS ANGELES — The district attorney of Los Angeles says he does not support the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, brothers who have spent more than 30 years in prison for killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said...
U.S. resumes military aid, intelligence sharing as Ukraine says it is open to a 30-day ceasefireVideo
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — The Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, and Kyiv signaled that it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, pending Moscow’s agreement, American and Ukrainian officials said Tuesday following talks in Saudi Arabia. The administration’s...
House passes bill to fund federal agencies through September, though prospects unclear in Senate
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Tuesday to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September, providing critical momentum as the measure now moves to the Senate, where bipartisan support will be needed to get it over the finish line. Republicans needed overwhelming support from their members...
Supreme Court seems intent on taking small steps in dealing with challenges to Trump’s agenda
WASHINGTON — In fewer than 500 carefully chosen and somewhat opaque words, the Supreme Court has now weighed in twice on President Donald Trump’s rapid-fire efforts to remake the federal government. The justices did not give Trump’s administration what it sought. The court rejected the Republican administration’s position that it...
Kentucky bourbon makers fear becoming ‘collateral damage’ in Trump’s trade war
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With a new distillery set to open soon, the makers of Brough Brothers bourbon in Kentucky were ready to put their business plan into action. They were looking to ramp up whiskey production to break into lucrative new markets in Canada and Europe. Now the on-again, off-again...
Utah will be the 1st state to ban fluoride in drinking water
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite widespread opposition from dentists and national health organizations. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said he would sign legislation that bars cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water...
Elon Musk eyes Social Security, benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about Social Security on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending. The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump, suggested that $500 billion to $700...
