Trump chooses former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as NATO ambassador
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump says he has chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO, the bedrock Western alliance that the president-elect has expressed skepticism about for years. Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker was “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure...
Gallery: Photos from Nov. 20, 2024
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region — and the world — with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Battle over mail ballots in Pennsylvania is latest example of messy disputes over election rules
HARRISBURG — The recount underway in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race marks the end of a chaotic post-election period that has become the latest example of how disputed election rules can expose weak points in a core function of American democracy. The ballot-counting process in the race between incumbent Democratic Sen....
Dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say
NEW YORK — Distant, ancient galaxies are giving scientists more hints that a mysterious force called dark energy may not be what they thought. Astronomers know that the universe is being pushed apart at an accelerating rate and they have puzzled for decades over what could possibly be speeding everything...
Trump has called for dismantling the Education Department. Here’s what that would mean
WASHINGTON — Throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump heaped scorn on the federal Department of Education, describing it as being infiltrated by ”radicals, zealots and Marxists.” He has picked Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive, to lead the department. But like many conservative politicians before him, Trump has called for...
Trump’s casting call as he builds out his administration: TV experience preferred
WASHINGTON — There’s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television. Trump loves that “central casting” look, as he likes to call it. Some, like his choices for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and transportation secretary,...
‘Bomb cyclone’ kills 2 and knocks out power to over half a million homes across the northwest U.S.Video
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — A major storm swept across the northwestern U.S., battering the region with strong wind and rain, causing widespread power outages, closing schools and downing trees that killed at least two people. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in...
Trump to nominate professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be education secretary
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating the billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump has promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as...
Putin lowers threshold for using his nuclear arsenal after Biden’s arms decision for UkraineVideo
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday formally lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of its nuclear weapons, a move that follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russian territory with American-supplied longer-range missiles. The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to...
Vladimir Shklyarov, ballet star who dazzled with Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre, dies at 39
Vladimir Shklyarov, who impressed ballet audiences as a principal dancer with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Ballet Theatre, has died. He was 39. Shklyarov died “tragically” Saturday, the Mariinsky announced Monday in a statement on its website. “His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world.”...
AI photos showing girl students with nude bodies roil private school in Pennsylvania
Images that depict the faces of girls with nude bodies have led to the departure of leaders from a private school in Pennsylvania, prompted a student protest and triggered a criminal investigation. A juvenile suspect was “removed from” Lancaster Country Day School and his cellphone was seized by investigators in...
House Republicans signal support for proposal to ban bathroom access for 1st transgender member
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled support Tuesday for a Republican effort to ban Democrat Sarah McBride — the first transgender person to be elected to Congress — from using women’s restrooms in the Capitol once she’s sworn into office next year. “We’re not going to have men in...
‘Bomb cyclone’ threatens Northern California and Pacific Northwest
SEATTLE — Northern California and the Pacific Northwest are bracing for what is expected to be a powerful storm, with heavy rain and winds set to pummel the region and potentially cause power outages and flash floods. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks beginning Tuesday and lasting through...
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro defends Sen. Bob Casey’s recount choice and points to Dave McCormick’s own failed recount
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday defended U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s decision to move forward with a recount, pointing to Republican Dave McCormick ‘s own unsuccessful recount in 2022 in a much closer election. Shapiro has been under pressure from state and national Republicans to intervene in the...
Trump chooses TV doctor Mehmet Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans and selected Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department. “Dr....
Iran defies international pressure, increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, UN says
VIENNA — Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency...
Delina’s EthioCafe serves traditional Ethiopian coffee on the go
Meaza Tesfahun, owner of Delina’s EthioCafe, runs a mobile cafe based in Cranberry, Butler County. Often, you might find her vending her authentic Ethiopian coffee in the parking lot at the Meeder housing development, a local farmers market, or outside of a church. On a breezy fall morning in late...
Gallery: Photos from Nov. 19, 2024
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region — and the world — with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Forget driverless cars. One company wants autonomous helicopters to spray crops and fight fires
HENNIKER, N.H. — When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night. The heart-stopping flights led to his research of unmanned aircraft systems while getting his doctorate degree in aerospace engineering at Massachusetts Institute of...
1,000 days of war in Ukraine, distilled in a single 24-hour span of violence and resilience
KYIV, Ukraine — The clock on her wall stopped almost as soon as the day began, its hands frozen by the Russian bomb that hit the dormitory serving as home for Ukrainians displaced by war. It was 1:45 a.m. in an upstairs room in the eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, Natalia...
A surge in mass attacks has killed dozens in China in recent months
BEIJING — Dozens of people have been killed in China in the past three months in a series of mass attacks. The latest on Tuesday saw primary school students injured by a car as they arrived for classes. The attacks take one of two forms — either drivers mowing down...
U.S. envoy says truce in Lebanon is ‘within our grasp’ as Gaza’s food crisis worsens after looting
BEIRUT — A United States envoy said an agreement to end the Israel-Hezbollah war is “within our grasp” after talks in Lebanon on Tuesday. There was no such optimism in the Gaza Strip, where the looting of nearly 100 aid trucks by armed men worsened an already severe food crisis....
Tens of thousands crowd New Zealand’s Parliament grounds in support of Māori rights
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — As tens of thousands crowded the streets in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, on Tuesday, the throng of people, flags aloft, had the air of a festival or a parade rather than a protest. They were marching to oppose a law that would reshape the county’s founding...
Takeaways from the AP’s investigation into Osprey safety issues
After being grounded for months following a crash last November that killed eight service members in Japan, the V-22 Osprey — a complicated aircraft that flies fast like a plane but converts to land like a helicopter — is back in the air. But there are still questions as to...
Osprey’s safety issues spiked over 5 years and caused deaths, but pilots still want to fly it
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. — Over a New Mexico training range named the Hornet, two Osprey aircraft speed 100 feet off the ground, banking hard over valleys and hills as they close in on a dusty landing zone. A flight engineer in the back braces a .50-caliber machine gun...
