NASA’s stuck astronaut steps out on a spacewalk after 7 months in orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — One of NASA’s two stuck astronauts got a much welcomed change of scenery Thursday, stepping out on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago. Suni Williams, the station’s commander, had to tackle some overdue outdoor repair work alongside...
Netanyahu says deal to release Hamas-held hostages has been reachedVideo
TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire that would pause 15 months of war. Netanyahu said he would convene...
Snow in the forecast for Western Pa.
The National Weather Service Pittsburgh released this forecast Thursday morning: The area is under a winter weather advisory until 4 a.m. Friday. Widespread accumulating snow is predicted to start Thursday morning and will continue all day, impacting both the morning and afternoon rush hours. Accumulation in the lower elevations will...
Workout class, spaghetti dinner slated to support Penn Township mom diagnosed with breast cancer
When Justine Holmes has a tough day raising her 8-month-old daughter, Bella Jo, she looks to the example of her cousin-in-law, Stefanie Cortazzo. Cortazzo of Penn Township is a stay-at-home mom to five boys, ranging from ages 3 to 16. She’s never missed one of their sporting events, Holmes said...
Democrats’ crisis of the future: the biggest states that back them are shrinking
With America’s population shifting to the South, political influence is seeping from reliably Democratic states to areas controlled by Republicans. Coming out of a presidential election where they lost all seven swing states, Democrats are facing a demographic challenge that could reduce their path to winning the U.S. House of...
Trump’s outsider Cabinet picks are rapidly gaining support for confirmation
WASHINGTON — One by one, all the president-elect’s men, and women, are falling into place in his Cabinet. While Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth’s nomination was teetering toward collapse just weeks ago, he now appears on track for confirmation after a fiery Senate hearing that focused on his drinking, views...
How much is TikTok worth and who could buy it?
NEW YORK — The supremely popular TikTok could be banned on Jan. 19 under a federal law that forces the video sharing platform to divest itself from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or shut down its U.S. operations. Several parties have expressed interest in buying the platform, but ByteDance has...
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches massive New Glenn rocket on 1st test flight and reaches orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending up a prototype satellite to orbit thousands of miles above Earth. Named after the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida, soaring from the same pad...
Speaker Johnson removes chair of powerful House Intelligence CommitteeVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday removed the GOP chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, who was a vocal supporter of assistance for Ukraine and held other views that put him at odds with President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson told reporters late Wednesday that Rep. Mike Turner, an...
Biden warns in farewell address that an ‘oligarchy’ of ultrarich in U.S. threatens future of democracyVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation Wednesday to deliver stark warnings about an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy. Speaking from the Oval Office as he...
Trump adviser says president-elect exploring options to ‘preserve’ TikTok
Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, said in an interview on Wednesday that the president-elect is exploring options to “preserve” TikTok. Waltz made the comment when Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked him about a report from The Washington Post that said Trump was considering an...
Investigation into Hempfield high school basketball coach continues, assistant coach fills in
Hempfield Area School District will continue to compensate high school basketball coach and guidance counselor Bill Swan more than $90,000 as it investigates a complaint against him. Swan has been placed on paid administrative leave from his coaching and guidance counselor positions as the district investigates the allegation — which...
Supreme Court leans in favor of state-enforced age limits on porn websites
WASHINGTON — Thanks to the internet and smartphones, children today have instant access to vast amounts of online pornography, much it graphic, violent and degrading, Texas state attorneys told the Supreme Court on Wednesday. They urged justices to restore the rules of an earlier era, when X-rated theaters and bookstores...
2 Philadelphia men plead guilty to killing SWAT officer in 2020 as police served murder warrant
PHILADELPHIA — Two men pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and racketeering charges in the March 2020 shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer. Hassan Elliott, 26, and Khalif Sears, 23, admitted killing SWAT Cpl. James O’Connor IV, as police sought to arrest them in a 2019 homicide. As police climbed...
Pam Bondi claims she won’t play politics as attorney general but doesn’t rule out probes of Trump foesVideo
WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, sought to reassure Democratic senators Wednesday that her Justice Department would not prosecute anyone for political purposes but also refused to rule out the potential for investigations into adversaries of the Republican president-elect. Her often-testy confirmation hearing centered on concerns...
Vivek Ramaswamy, an Ohio native, is interested in filling Vance’s old Senate seat
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed interest in the Ohio U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance, a person with direct knowledge of the biotech entrepreneur’s wishes told The Associated Press. The 39-year-old from Cincinnati has assumed a leading role with billionaire Elon Musk...
U.S. government sues Southwest Airlines and fines Frontier for chronically delayed flights
The Transportation Department is stepping up enforcement of persistent flight delays with a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a fine against Frontier Airlines. The agency said the U.S. District Court lawsuit it filed in California on Wednesday alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans....
Trump and Biden both claim credit for Gaza ceasefire deal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are both claiming credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the White House brought Trump’s Middle East envoy into negotiations that have dragged on for months. Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the...
U.S. appeals court hears oral arguments on Florida ban on transgender care for minors
MIAMI — Attorneys for the state of Florida argued before a federal appeals court Wednesday that a lower-court judge was wrong to block a law last year that bans gender-affirming care for minors and restricts similar care for adults, though a pending U.S. Supreme Court case creates uncertainty. Attorneys presented...
Mediators tout a Gaza ceasefire deal and plan to free hostages. Israel says details still in flux
DOHA, Qatar — Israel and Hamas agreed to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, mediators announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies. The three-phase ceasefire deal promises the release of dozens of hostages held by militants in...
U.S. population projections shrink from last year because of declining birth rates, less immigration
The Congressional Budget Office has shrunk its projections for the U.S. population in 30 years to 372 million residents, a 2.8% drop from last year, citing declining birth rates and less expected immigration. The budget office last year projected 383 million people living in the United States in 30 years...
Hope and dread as Israelis and Palestinians await a Gaza truce that may not end their suffering
TEL AVIV, Israel — With a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas tantalizingly close, families of hostages in the Gaza Strip are afraid to get their hopes up and agonizing over the unknown. “These days are horrible for us,” Yafit Zailer said Wednesday, breaking down into sobs over the thought of...
FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods
U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk. Food and Drug Administration officials granted a 2022 petition filed by two dozen food safety and health advocates, who urged the...
Gallery: Photos from Jan. 15, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Russian missile attack forces Ukraine to shut down power grid
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Wednesday launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid in some areas despite freezing winter weather, officials said. The Russian Defense Ministry said that it launched a strike on...
