Trump’s pick to lead Defense Department was accused of sexual assault in 2017
WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, a popular Fox News host who is Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women’s event in Monterey, California, according to a statement released by the city. No charges were...
Rudy Giuliani has turned over his luxury watches in defamation case, rep says
NEW YORK — A representative for Rudy Giuliani says the former New York City mayor is relinquishing his cherished watches ahead of a Friday deadline to turn over his assets to two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him. A judge last week ordered...
Daughters of Malcolm X sue the CIA, FBI and NYPD over the civil rights leader’s assassination
NEW YORK — Three daughters of Malcolm X have accused the CIA, FBI, the New York Police Department and others in a $100 million lawsuit Friday of playing roles in the 1965 assassination of the civil rights leader In the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, the daughters — along...
Trial begins for the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley
ATHENS, Ga. — A Venezuelan man “went hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus” earlier this year and ended up killing nursing student Laken Riley after a struggle, a prosecutor said Friday. A defense attorney said the evidence is circumstantial and doesn’t prove his client is guilty. Jose...
Texas Supreme Court rules against lawmakers who stopped execution with last-minute subpoena
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that a legislative subpoena cannot be used to stop an execution after Republican and Democratic lawmakers used the novel maneuver to pause Robert Roberson’s lethal injection at the last minute. The ruling addressed a subpoena issued for Roberson by the Texas House Criminal...
Maryland looks to preserve over 1,100 acres to protect against development and solar farms
BALTIMORE — Harford County is moving to preserve 1,110 acres of agricultural land to meet its goal of preserving 75,000 acres by 2040 as solar farms pose mounting pressure for land use across the state. The 1,110 acres for preservation are outlined in 19 resolutions introduced to the Harford County...
Belize issues warnings as Tropical Storm Sara scrapes along Honduran coast, bringing heavy rain
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Belize issued tropical storm warnings for the Central American country’s coast on Friday as Tropical Storm Sara moved through the Caribbean, dousing Honduras’ northern coast with heavy rain. Sustained rain fell overnight in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, but there were no signs...
Judge sets April trial for 3 former officers charged with murder in Tyre Nichols’ beating
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three former Memphis police officers charged with murder in the beating of Tyre Nichols will go on trial in April, a judge decided Friday. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder in the death of Nichols, who...
Gallery: Photos from Nov. 15, 2024
Photos from around the Western Pennsylvania region for Friday, Nov. 15, 2024....
Insurers say bear that damaged luxury cars was actually a person in a costume
LOS ANGELES — California has seen its share of bears breaking into cars. But bears caught on camera entering luxury cars tipped off insurers that something wasn’t quite right. In what’s dubbed “Operation Bear Claw,” the California Insurance Department said four Los Angeles residents were arrested Wednesday, accused of defrauding...
As he fills his new administration, Trump values loyalty above all else
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump spent much of his first term feeling stung and betrayed by those he’d placed in power. This time, he’s not taking chances. As he works to fill his administration a second time, Trump has turned to a head-spinning mix of candidates. Many of those he’s chosen...
Trump wants to end ‘wokeness’ in education. He has vowed to use federal money as leverage
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s vision for education revolves around a single goal: to rid America’s schools of perceived ” wokeness ” and “left-wing indoctrination.” The president-elect wants to keep transgender athletes out of girls’ sports. He wants to forbid classroom lessons on gender identity and structural racism. He wants to...
Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him
WASHINGTON — After a resounding election victory, delivering what President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans call a “mandate” to govern, an uneasy political question is emerging: Will there be any room for dissent in the U.S. Congress? Trump is laying down a gauntlet even before taking office challenging the Senate, in...
The last actions the Biden administration will take before Trump takes over the White House
WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials are working against the clock doling out billions in grants and taking other steps to try to preserve at least some of the outgoing president’s legacy before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. “Let’s make every day count,” President Joe Biden said in an...
Texas man accused of supporting ISIS charged in federal court
HOUSTON — A Texas man charged with trying to provide material support to the Islamic State group and planning violent attacks in Houston appeared in federal court Thursday. Anas Said is accused of offering his home as a safe sanctuary for members of ISIS and saying he wants to take...
Pressure mounts to release House ethics report on Matt Gaetz sex trafficking allegations
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, abruptly resigned his Florida congressional seat on Wednesday ahead of the potential release of a House Ethics Committee report about alleged sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old high school girl that a congressional source described to the Miami Herald as...
Trump rewards legal defense team, picks lawyer Todd Blanche as No. 2 Justice official
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Todd Blanche, an attorney who led the legal team that defended the Republican at his hush money criminal trial, to serve as the second-highest ranking Justice Department official. A former federal prosecutor, Blanche has been a key figure on Trump’s defense team both...
Pa. House Democrats spent more than $18 million to hold on to their narrow majority, as legislative races get more expensive
HARRISBURG — The campaign arms behind both parties in the Pennsylvania House and Senate spent more than $35 million to influence the outcome of last week’s election — nearly half of which was spent by House Democrats to hold on to their narrow majority as the GOP swept races throughout...
New Pentagon report on UFOs includes hundreds of new incidents but no evidence of aliens
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin. The review includes hundreds of cases of misidentified balloons, birds and satellites as well as some that defy easy explanation, such as a...
5 things to know about Pennsylvania’s Senate election recount
The Pennsylvania Senate race is headed to a recount. Republican businessman Dave McCormick led by about 24,000 votes over Democratic incumbent Bob Casey as of Thursday afternoon. McCormick has secured 48.9% to Casey’s 48.5%. The Associated Press and Decision Desk have called the race for McCormick. But because the race...
Museum finds remains from a victim of a notorious 1980s Philadelphia police bombing
PHILADELPHIA — Additional human remains from a 1985 police bombing on the headquarters of a Black liberation group in Philadelphia have been found at the University of Pennsylvania. The remains are believed to be those of 12-year-old Delisha Africa, one of five children and six adults killed when police bombed...
Trump expected to choose vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretaryVideo
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net...
Tropical Storm Sara forms in Caribbean, could threaten Florida next weekVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Sara formed in the Caribbean on Thursday, and long-term forecast models show it could enter the Gulf of Mexico and turn toward Florida’s Gulf Coast. As of the NHC’s 10 a.m. advisory, Sara was located about 205 miles east of...
Pennsylvania courts get lawsuits over ballot-counting in Senate contest headed toward a recount
HARRISBURG — Republicans went to court in Pennsylvania on Thursday amid vote counting in the U.S. Senate election between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick, as the campaigns prepare for a recount and press counties for favorable ballot-counting decisions. The lawsuits ask courts not to allow counties to...
Gallery: Photos from Nov. 14, 2024
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region — and the world — with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....