Storms across U.S. bring heavy snow, dangerous ice and a tornado in California
OMAHA, Neb. — A tornado near a mall in central California swept up cars, uprooted trees and sent several people to the hospital. In San Francisco, authorities issued the first-ever tornado warning. Elsewhere, inclement weather plagued areas of the U.S., with dangerous conditions including heavy snow in upstate New York,...
Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightings
CHATHAM, N.J. — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving,...
Former Manhattan prosecutor to represent suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
NEW YORK — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has added a prominent defense lawyer to his legal team as Manhattan prosecutors work to return him from Pennsylvania to face a murder charge. Luigi Mangione will be represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who was a high-ranking deputy in...
Ukrainian drones strike Russia as Kyiv reels from consecutive massive air attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbor that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the heaviest bombardments of the...
U.S. officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad, Blinken says
AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. Blinken is the first...
South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law order
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his stunning and short-lived martial law decree, a move that ended days of political paralysis but set up an intense debate over Yoon’s fate, as jubilant crowds roared to celebrate another defiant moment in the...
Under Shapiro, half of clemency recommendations remain unsigned
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — In his first two years as governor, Josh Shapiro has signed about 50 percent of the clemency applications recommended to him by the...
Trump wants to end daylight saving time
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate...
‘Crown of Thorns’ returns to Notre Dame Cathedral for public veneration
PARIS — An ancient relic that many Christians revere as Jesus Christ’s “Crown of Thorns” returned Friday to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, five years after it was saved from the flames of the medieval monument’s devastating 2019 fire. The crown — a circular band of branches encased in a...
Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fell
DAMASCUS — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, gathering in the capital’s historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon...
Feds propose protection for giant salamanders devastated by Hurricane Helene
You never forget your first time seeing a giant salamander, according to Andy Hill. He was a teenager, standing thigh-high in the Watauga River outside Boone, North Carolina, casting a line on an early fall day when he saw his first eastern hellbender. The salamander stretched 2 feet long and...
Texas sues New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills by telemedicine
Texas has sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. The lawsuit was filed in Collin County, Texas, by the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday and announced Friday. It appears to be the first challenge anywhere in the U.S. to a...
Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg
WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been hospitalized after she “sustained an injury” during an official engagement in Luxembourg, according to a spokesman. Pelosi, 84, was in Europe to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Her spokesman, Ian Krager, said...
Woman who falsely accused Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006 publicly admits she lied
RALEIGH, N.C. — The woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her — making national headlines that stirred tensions about race, class and the privilege of college athletes — has admitted publicly for the first time that she made up the story. Crystal Mangum,...
Canadian government asks labor board to intervene in Canada Post strike as Christmas nears
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s labor minister announced Friday he is asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order about 55,000 striking Canada Post employees back to work after a four week work stoppage that disrupted mail service during the busy holiday season. Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said if the board...
U.S. and allies mark the 80th anniversary of WWII Battle of the Bulge
BASTOGNE, Belgium — The United States, its European allies and a dwindling number of veterans will mark on Friday the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most important and deadly battles in World War II which stopped Adolf Hitler’s last-ditch offensive and opened the way...
Gallery: Photos from Dec. 13, 2024
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Friday, Dec. 13, 2024....
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials put coach on leave after AP reports sexual abuse allegations
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee placed an employee on administrative leave Thursday after the Associated Press reported that one of its coaches was accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete, causing her so much distress that she attempted suicide. Rocky Harris, USOPC chief of sport and athlete services, sent...
Bird strike disables jetliner engine, forces emergency landing at JFK airport
NEW YORK — A bird strike involving an American Airlines jetliner disabled one of the plane’s two engines shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, forcing the flight to turn around and land at John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said Friday. No one was injured in the incident...
Back trouble and brain fog bothered suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, his posts show
After Luigi Mangione made the difficult decision to undergo spinal surgery last year for chronic back pain, he became a proponent of the procedure that changed his life for the better. He repeatedly posted on Reddit about his recovery and offered words of encouragement for people with similar conditions, telling...
Biden commutes sentence of controversial Pa. judge in Kids for Cash scandal
President Joe Biden has commuted the sentence of a former judge in Northeast Pennsylvania who gained notoriety for a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks. That commutation was part of a larger move from Biden, who commuted sentences for about 1,500 people who were released...
Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen’s friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish
PORTLAND, Maine — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more...
A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list
A nonprofit leader who supports at-risk New Orleans youth. A social worker who fosters animals. A counselor and recovery coach who volunteers at organizations that fight sexual assault and domestic violence. They are among the roughly 1,540 people whose sentences were commuted or who were pardoned by President Joe Biden...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Dec. 13
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
American who says he crossed into Syria on foot is free after 7 months in detentionVideo
DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday said he was detained after crossing into the country on foot seven months ago on a Christian pilgrimage. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus...
