Senate confirms Lee Zeldin to lead Environmental Protection Agency as Trump vows to cut climate rules
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a key role to help President Donald Trump fulfill his pledge to roll back major environmental regulations, including those aimed at slowing climate change and encouraging use of electric vehicles. The vote was 56-42...
Temple student hurt while celebrating Philadelphia Eagles win dies from his injuries
PHILADELPHIA — A college student who was hurt when he climbed a street pole and fell while Philadelphia Eagles fans celebrated the team’s victory in Sunday’s NFC championship game has died from his injuries. Temple University announced the death of Tyler Sabapathy, 18, in a statement posted Tuesday night on...
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez gets 11 years in prison for taking bribes and acting as agent of Egypt
NEW YORK — Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt — crimes his own lawyer said earned him the nickname “Gold Bar Bob.” U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein in...
Bishop’s sermon falls on deaf ears as Trump sets new tone in D.C.
President Donald Trump made his return to the White House when he was sworn in last week. In his first week, he signed more executive orders than any other president. These swift actions signaled the beginnings of the second Trump administration’s attempts to make good on promises made during campaign...
‘Remarkably poor judgment’: Wall Street Journal takes a critical eye to start of Trump’s 2nd term
Amid all of the enthusiasm in conservative media for President Donald Trump’s first week back in office, the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal has notably applied some brakes. The Journal has editorialized against Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, called presidential appointee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “dangerous to public health,”...
While signing Laken Riley Act, Trump says he’ll send ‘worst’ criminal migrants to Guantanamo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Laken Riley Act into law, giving federal authorities broader power to deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have been accused of crimes. He also announced at the ceremony that his administration planned to send the “worst criminal aliens” to a...
Trump’s orders take aim at critical race theory and antisemitism on college campuses
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is ordering U.S. schools to stop teaching what he views as “critical race theory” and other material dealing with race and sexuality or risk losing their federal money. A separate plan announced Wednesday calls for aggressive action to fight antisemitism on college campuses, promising to...
What is the Office of Personnel Management? Trump is relying on this agency to reshape government
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s new tool for reshaping the federal government is a relatively obscure agency, the Office of Personnel Management. The agency has offered millions of federal workers eight months of salary if they voluntarily choose to leave their jobs by Feb. 6. The unconventional plan shows both...
Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal grants after widespread confusion
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s budget office on Wednesday rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country. The Monday evening memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget sparked uncertainty over a crucial...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles to answer questions on Medicare, Medicaid at confirmation hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — In a contentious confirmation hearing to become the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled to answer questions about Medicare and Medicaid, programs that affect tens of millions of Americans, or to provide details about how he would work to drive down health care costs. Kennedy...
Are we all aliens? NASA’s returned asteroid samples hold the ingredients of life from a watery world
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and...
Hamas set to free 3 Israelis, 5 Thais in next hostage release, Israeli official says
JERUSALEM — An Israeli official said Wednesday that Hamas will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, and five Thai nationals in the next hostage release, slated for Thursday. The official named the Israel women as Arbel Yehoud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and the man as Gadi...
After rebuke from legislative leaders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges to veto immigration bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised Wednesday to veto a sweeping immigration bill, in the latest escalation of a statehouse showdown between the governor and the state’s Republican legislative leadership, who have sparred over whose proposals would best carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The bill, which...
Police: At least 30 people died in stampede at massive Maha Kumbh festival in India
PRAYAGRAJ, India — At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India. Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj...
Gallery: Photos from Jan. 29, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
U.S. children fall further behind in reading, make little improvement in math on national exam
WASHINGTON — America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card. The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and...
After talking tough during campaign, Trump appears to ease up on China at start of presidency
WASHINGTON — On the campaign trail last year, President Donald Trump talked tough about imposing tariffs as high as 60% on Chinese goods and threatened to renew the trade war with China that he launched during his first term. But now that he’s back in the White House, Trump appears...
Defense secretary pulls Trump critic Gen. Milley’s security clearance, protective detail
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pulling security protections and clearance for Gen. Mark Milley, retired Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and has ordered the Pentagon’s inspector general to review Milley’s actions while serving as the nation’s top uniformed officer to determine if a demotion is warranted. The inspector...
Trump makes moves to expand his power, sparking chaos and a possible constitutional crisis
Just a little over a week into his second term, President Donald Trump is taking steps to maximize his power, sparking chaos and what critics contend is a constitutional crisis as he challenges the separation of powers that have defined American government for more than 200 years. The new administration’s...
The Year of the Snake is underway with Lunar New Year festivities in Asia and around the world
BEIJING — Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday — including in Moscow. Hundreds of people lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in Hong Kong in a...
Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country. “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund,...
Weeks after fire ravaged the Pacific Palisades, residents return to dig for their mementosVideo
LOS ANGELES — Jack Hassett was among scores of residents slowly returning on Tuesday to Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by wildfires to finally sift through the rubble and salvage any cherished items. Hassett didn’t find much in the ash at his family’s Pacific Palisades house, uncovering only some pottery and...
Trump social media claim of using troops to force water flow refuted by California
President Donald Trump on Monday night heightened his battle with California over water policy by suggesting U.S. military troops had arrived in the state to turn on pumps and send more water flowing — something state officials quickly denied. On Monday evening, Trump wrote that the military “just entered the...
Sean Duffy confirmed by Senate to lead the Transportation Department
NEW YORK — Sean Duffy was confirmed Tuesday as transportation secretary, giving him a key role in helping President Donald Trump cut regulations and fix the nation’s infrastructure. The former Wisconsin congressman has promised safer Boeing planes, less regulation and help for U.S. companies developing self-driving cars — while not...
Drones over New Jersey were ‘not the enemy,’ Trump’s press secretary says
The mysterious drone sightings that cropped up over New Jersey starting late last year were “not the enemy,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday during the inaugural press briefing of President Donald Trump’s second administration. Instead, Leavitt said, the drones in the Garden State that caused a...
