Italy, Albania and UAE ink clean energy cooperation deal
ROME — Italy, Albania and the United Arab Emirates signed a three-way clean energy cooperation deal Wednesday that calls for the Gulf country’s expertise to be put to use in Albania to produce solar, wind and other renewable energy, some of which would then be transferred to Italy via an...
Few U.S. adults confident Justice Dept. and FBI will act fairly under Trump, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — As President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, prepares for questioning from senators on Wednesday, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” confident that the Department of Justice will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during his second term, a poll...
Obesity won’t be solely defined by BMI under new plan for diagnosis by global expertsVideo
A group of global experts is proposing a new way to define and diagnose obesity, reducing the emphasis on the controversial body mass index and hoping to better identify people who need treatment for the disease caused by excess body fat. Under recommendations released Tuesday night, obesity would no longer...
Westmoreland municipalities, organizations benefit from casino revenue
Revenue from Hempfield’s Live Casino Pittsburgh will provide $800,000 to help the North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority replace one of its 14 pump stations. And the money couldn’t have come at a better time. “With each passing year, the structural integrity of this station comes into question, and it’s been...
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey proposes $8 billion investment in transportation over 10 years
BOSTON — The Bay State will spend upward of $8 billion over the next 10 years improving its roads, bridges and regional transportation services if a proposal announced by the governor Tuesday is passed by the legislature. Gov. Maura Healey, speaking from Union Station in Worcester, said that the investment...
Pete Hegseth asked to define ‘jagoff’ at Senate confirmation hearing
The term “jagoff” is more than just an insult in Pittsburgh. Here, it holds great cultural significance. But that’s not what Pete Hegseth was trying to convey during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth, a combat veteran and former Fox News host, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary....
Speaker Johnson orders U.S. Capitol flags raised to full height for Trump’s inauguration
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order as a result of the death of former President Jimmy Carter. The Republican leader’s decision means that President-elect Donald Trump will not take...
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday is notifying Congress of its intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island. Senior U.S. administration...
Trump says he will create an External Revenue Service agency to collect tariff income
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to create a new agency called the External Revenue Service to collect tariffs and other revenues from foreign nations. “We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying,” Trump said Tuesday on...
A look at the terms — and tensions — in the Israel-Hamas draft ceasefire deal
CAIRO — If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed. In this first phase Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza, and...
Michelle Obama will skip Trump inauguration, but ex-Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush will be there
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses, but former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will...
NATO announces a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region
BRUSSELS — NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the strategic region, the alliance’s leader said on Tuesday. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the mission dubbed Baltic...
Irregular migration into the European Union fell sharply last year, border agency says
WARSAW, Poland — The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell significantly in 2024, according to the bloc’s border control agency Frontex, something which it attributed to intensified cooperation against smuggling networks. The Warsaw-based agency said in a statement that its preliminary data for last year reveal...
‘The labor shortage will only get worse:’ Trump deportation plans could hit Pa. agriculture hard
Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 155,000 undocumented migrants, according to the American Immigration Council. And around 30,000 of them may work in the state’s agricultural sector, according to estimates from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. With the state’s agriculture industry already facing a workforce shortage, President-elect Donald Trump’s promise...
Gallery: Photos from Jan. 14, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Trump’s Cabinet picks are set for Senate hearings. Here’s the schedule
After the initial crush of personnel announcements for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, now the nominations process officially begins. Senate hearings are scheduled this week for several of Trump’s picks for the Cabinet. Many nominees have met with senators individually. Now, they will go before the committees overseeing the agencies...
Wisconsin Legislature to put photo ID requirement on ballot for voter approval
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement for voting would be elevated from a state law to a constitutional amendment under a proposal up for approval Tuesday in the Republican-controlled Assembly. Once passed by the Assembly, the proposed constitutional amendment would appear on the April 1 ballot for voter consideration....
Why hundreds of miners are still trapped and starving in an abandoned South Africa mine
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months, with more than 100 of them believed to have died of starvation or dehydration. Authorities launched...
Blinken will make a case for post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion. Blinken will tout the proposal, which has been in the works for...
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, officials say
CAIRO — Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday. Mediator Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal that...
Pete Hegseth confronts allegations of misconduct as senators grill Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, vowed Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon and confronted allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking and questions about his derisive views of women in combat during a heated Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth repeatedly deflected the...
Dire fire warning for Los Angeles area pushed back as wind eases
LOS ANGELES — Easing wind delivered a brief but much-needed reprieve to firefighters Tuesday as they battled two massive blazes burning in the Los Angeles area, and the National Weather Service pushed back its unusually dire warning of critical fire weather until early the following day. Forecasters said the winds...
Special counsel report says Trump would’ve been convicted for Jan. 6 ‘unprecedented criminal effort’
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith said his team “stood up for the rule of law” as it investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, writing in a much-anticipated report released Tuesday that he stands fully behind his decision to bring criminal charges that...
Traffic into Manhattan drops 7.5% in first week of new toll. That’s 43,000 fewer cars a dayVideo
NEW YORK — A new toll on drivers entering the core of Manhattan brought modest but measurable traffic reductions to New York City’s heavily-gridlocked streets in its first week of operation, according to preliminary data released Monday by the state’s transit authority. Known as “congestion pricing,” the first-in-the-nation program launched...
Up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. What you can do to lower your risk
WASHINGTON — About a million Americans a year are expected to develop dementia by 2060, roughly double today’s toll, researchers reported Monday. That estimate is based on a new study that found a higher lifetime risk than previously thought: After age 55, people have up to a 4 in 10...
