Kremlin welcomes the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Putin
The Kremlin has welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Moscow official said Friday. Russia attaches no conditions to the possibility of face-to-face talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call. Trump said Thursday that “Putin wants to meet”...
Bodies found after gas explosion causes coal mine to collapse in southwest Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan — At least three miners have died after a methane gas explosion caused a coal mine to collapse in a remote area of southwest Pakistan, officials said Friday, as authorities launched an operation to rescue nine other missing workers. Abdul Ghani, a mines inspector, said the blast happened...
Judge will weigh holding Giuliani in contempt of court after jury’s $148 million defamation award
WASHINGTON — A federal judge is set to hear arguments Friday on whether to hold Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for continuing to spread lies about two Georgia election workers after they secured a $148 million defamation judgment against him. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have asked U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell...
Trump gets no-penalty sentence in his hush money case, while calling it ‘despicable’
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment at all in his hush money case, an outcome that cements his historic conviction while letting him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. With Trump appearing by video...
Americans have dimmer view of Biden than they did of Trump or Obama as term ends, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — As Joe Biden prepares to leave office, Americans have a dimmer view of his presidency than they did at the end of Donald Trump’s first term or Barack Obama’s second, a new poll finds. Around one-quarter of U.S. adults said Biden was a “good” or “great” president, with...
Biden to deliver a capstone address on his foreign policy legacy as he makes way for Trump’s return
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to deliver a capstone address Monday on his foreign policy legacy, according to the White House. The outgoing president is expected to use his address at the State Department to highlight his administration’s efforts to expand NATO, rally dozens of allies to provide Ukraine...
LA area’s 2 biggest blazes burn at least 10,000 structures, while new fire leads to more evacuations
LOS ANGELES — The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures, officials said as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew. The Kenneth Fire started...
Appeals court denies bid to block public release of special counsel’s report on Trump Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday denied a bid to block the public release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down a emergency challenge from Trump and his co-defendants...
American orange juice, steel will be on Canada’s list for retaliation if Trump imposes tariffs
TORONTO — Canada is looking at putting retaliatory tariffs on American orange juice, toilets and some steel products if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his threat to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products, a senior official familiar with the matter said Thursday. The official said the wide-ranging...
IRS service improving, report to Congress says. But it’s still dogged by ‘delays, frustration’
As tax filing season begins, the Internal Revenue Service will struggle to provide “the quality service that taxpayers and tax professionals need, leading to delays, frustration, and unnecessary costs,” a report from the National Taxpayer Advocate reported. Erin Collins, the taxpayer advocate, has warned of service problems in the past,...
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman will become the chamber’s first Democrat to meet with President-elect Donald Trump since the election and plans to travel to Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The trip marks Fetterman’s continuing evolution from a leading surrogate for President Joe Biden into a Trump-friendly lawmaker...
‘Unbelievable’: Pittsburghers with Los Angeles ties shocked by wildfire devastation
Natalie Kurlander can’t turn away from TV updates of the wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area. “It’s just so devastating,” said Kurlander, 57, who lived in the city for more than 25 years. She now lives in Pittsburgh’s Murdoch Farms with her husband, Carl, who is director of the...
The Los Angeles landmarks from film and TV damaged by wildfires
The high school where Brian De Palma brought Stephen King’s “Carrie” to life, Will Rogers’ ranch house and a motel owned by William Randolph Hearst are among some of the famous structures that have been damaged or destroyed by the California wildfires. Los Angeles is a town full of landmarks,...
What to know about thousands of evacuations and homes burned in Los Angeles area fires
LOS ANGELES — At least five people were killed and thousands of structures were burned as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area, officials said. Fast-moving flames blazed through homes and businesses as residents fled smoke-filled canyons and picturesque neighborhoods that are home to many celebrities. Many of the...
Fetterman, DeLuzio among Democrats who support bill for deporting immigrants
A bill that lowers the threshold for detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants accused of criminal activity will head to the U.S. Senate on Friday, with support from two Western Pennsylvania Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Senate Democrat to co-sponsor the Laken Riley Act, named for a 22-year-old Augusta...
Michelle Obama absent from state funeral for President Jimmy Carter
Former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend the state funeral Thursday for former President Jimmy Carter. Except for Michelle Obama, all of the living former presidents and their spouses were at the funeral, including Barack Obama, sitting in the front pews of Washington National Cathedral behind only President Joe...
Striking ski patrollers at the biggest U.S. resort return to work claiming victory
Two hundred Utah ski patrollers returned to work Thursday after voting to accept a new labor contract and end a nearly two-week strike that closed many trails and caused long lift lines at the ones that remained open during a busy time of year at the country’s biggest ski resort....
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case
WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s bid to delay his sentencing in his hush money case in New York. The court’s 5-4 order clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence Friday on Trump, who was convicted in what prosecutors...
No more fact-checking for Meta. How will this change media — and the pursuit of truth?
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts,” the late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan memorably wrote four decades ago. That seems like a simpler time — especially when you consider Meta’s decision to end a fact-checking program on social media apps Facebook, Instagram and...
Trump gives GOP senators no set strategy as leaders struggle to craft his priorities
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump likes the idea of “one, big beautiful bill” for his top legislative priorities, but he emerged from a lengthy closed-door meeting with Republican senators late Wednesday open to other strategies as GOP leaders strain to develop a plan before the party gains full power in...
A powerful winter storm’s heavy snow and sleet cancels flights and closes schools across the South
DALLAS — A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and icy conditions to parts of the South on Thursday, forcing officials to close schools, cancel flights and warn residents in some of the worst-hit areas to stay off roads as it lumbered eastward through Oklahoma and Texas. Arkansas Gov. Sarah...
Working Well: Saying no is hard, but setting boundaries can improve your health
NEW YORK — When Justin Stewart started his career, he juggled several jobs to make ends meet. He poured himself into his full-time role as a news show production assistant from 3 a.m. until noon. Then he rushed to the airport where he rented cars or to the big box...
Trump, the ‘America First’ candidate, has a new preoccupation: Imperialism
NEW YORK — Donald Trump ran on a return to his “America First” foreign policy platform. The U.S., he said, could no longer afford to be the world’s policeman. On his watch, he pledged, there would be no new wars. But since winning a second term, the president-elect has been...
New LA-area fire prompts more evacuations while over 10,000 structures lost to the 2 biggest blazes
LOS ANGELES — The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said Thursday as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew. The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late...
TikTok’s fate arrives at Supreme Court in collision of free speech and national security
WASHINGTON — In one of the most important cases of the social media age, free speech and national security collide at the Supreme Court on Friday in arguments over the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular digital platform that roughly half the people in the United States use for entertainment...
