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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Speaker Johnson tells GOP lawmakers to skip town halls after onslaught of protests
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson is encouraging Republican lawmakers to skip town halls that have been filled with protesters decrying the Trump administration’s slashing of federal government, echoing the president’s claims that the demonstration’s are fueled by professional protesters. The speaker’s advice Tuesday comes as GOP lawmakers often find...
Tariffs bring uncertainty for Western Pa. consumers, businesses
Ami Robinson said she had been pinching pennies before President Donald Trump’s new tariffs against America’s three biggest trading partners took effect Tuesday. “I think things were already more expensive than they were last year,” Robinson, 40, of Dormont, said after leaving the Target store in Downtown Pittsburgh. “It’s just...
Trump takes credit for ‘swift and unrelenting’ action in speech to Congress
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy Tuesday in an address to Congress and the American people about his turbulent first weeks in office, as Democratic legislators immediately registered their dissent with stone faces, placards calling...
Zelenskyy calls Oval Office spat with Trump ‘regrettable,’ says he’s ready to work for peace
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday the Oval Office blowup with U.S. President Donald Trump last week was “regrettable,” adding that he stands ready to work under Trump’s “strong leadership” to get a lasting peace. Zelenskyy’s remarks — an apparent attempt to placate Trump — came in...
Western Pa. residents flock to Pittsburgh to rally against Trump’s policies
Trisha Kleckley traveled by bus almost two hours from her Beaver Falls home on Tuesday morning to get to Pittsburgh in time to be part of the city’s 50501 anti-President Donald Trump protest. A pro-democracy and pro-human rights national movement, 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement. Pittsburgh’s...
Treasury ends enforcement of business ownership database meant to stop shell company formation
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department announced it will not enforce a Biden-era small business rule intended to curb money laundering and shell company formation. In a Sunday evening announcement, Treasury said in a news release that it will not impose penalties now or in the future if companies fail...
Vaccine critic RFK Jr. backs measles shot amid deadly Texas outbreak
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly backed the measles vaccine amid an outbreak of the disease in Texas that has already killed one child. The 71-year-old vaccine skeptic had previously criticized the immunization and called the outbreak “not unusual” last week, even though the child was the first person...
Trump says 25% tariffs on Mexican, Canadian imports will start Tuesday, with ‘no room’ for delay 
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that 25% taxes on imports from Mexico and Canada would start Tuesday, sparking renewed fears of a North American trade war that already showed signs of pushing up inflation and hindering growth. “Tomorrow — tariffs 25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico. And...
Wisconsin audit of Trump win finds not a single voting machine error
MADISON, Wis. — An audit of the November election won by President Donald Trump in swing-state Wisconsin found that not a single vote was counted incorrectly, altered or missed by tabulating machines. The audit also found no evidence that any voting machine or software had been hacked or otherwise tampered...
Trump sends crypto prices on a short-lived surge after announcement of strategic government reserve
Cryptocurrency prices briefly jumped after President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement he wants the U.S. government to purchase and hold a variety of digital assets in a strategic reserve fund, an announcement that highlights Trump’s growing attempts to use volatile cryptocurrency prices as a barometer of his public support. Trump said...
Trump’s past speeches to Congress asked them to pass his agenda. Now, he’s willing to go it alone
WASHINGTON — Judging by his past speeches to Congress, President Donald Trump once felt the need to ask lawmakers to pass his agenda. Not so much anymore. Trump, who is addressing Congress on Tuesday night, has asserted his authority to reshape the federal government without needing to consult the legislative...
How to watch the 1st joint address to Congress of Trump’s 2nd term
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday night will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency. It’s not officially called the State of the Union, a title reserved for a president’s annual address to Congress during other years of an administration. But it is an opportunity for...
Pa. GOP House members vote for measure that could cut Medicaid, threaten care for constituents
Pennsylvania faces billions in Medicaid and other health funding cuts, which could force tens of thousands out of programs, under a budget resolution approved by Congressional Republicans, according to opposition groups. The Center for American Progress (CAP) and Commonwealth Communications’ PA Accountability Hub, both left-leaning outfits, have criticized Republican U.S....
From Cabinet secretary to doomsday president: What being a designated survivor is like
WASHINGTON — They start the day often as low-profile Cabinet secretaries. They end it that way, too, God willing. But, when the rest of the government is gathered together for a big event, like President Donald Trump ‘s joint congressional address Tuesday night, a designated survivor is kept away to...
Trump cutoff of humanitarian parole for immigrants from Ukraine, 6 other countries challenged
MIAMI — A group of American citizens and immigrants is suing the Trump administration for ending a long-standing legal tool presidents have used to allow people from countries where there’s war or political instability to enter and temporarily live in the U.S. The lawsuit filed late Friday night seeks to...
The Pentagon is sending about 3,000 more active-duty troops to the US-Mexico border
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is sending about 3,000 more active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as President Donald Trump seeks to clamp down on illegal immigration and fulfill a central promise of his campaign, U.S. officials said Saturday. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has ordered elements of a Stryker brigade...
Texas GOP leaders defend appointee after tense exchange over diversity hiring
AUSTIN, Texas — An appointee of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wiped away tears and gave an emotional defense of her credentials after a tense exchange over diversity hiring policies, which was later followed by the state’s top Republicans rushing to support her publicly. Texas Water Board Development Chair L’Oreal Stepney,...
Ukrainian community in Western Pa. shaken by Trump and Zelenskyy public spat
Negotiations between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy deteriorated into shouts Friday during what was supposed to be the signing of a minerals deal. The argument left some members of the Pittsburgh region’s Ukrainian community disturbed. The tense meeting occurred in the Oval Office over a proposed deal that...
No big new revelations in Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday released government documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the first wave of files posted on the Justice Department website have largely been circulating in the public domain for years and didn’t include any new bombshells about the sex trafficking case...
Transgender troops are now being identified for removal under Pentagon orders
WASHINGTON — The military services have 30 days to figure out how they will seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force — a daunting task that may end up relying on troops self-reporting or tattling on their colleagues. A memo sent to Defense Department...
Republican lawmakers look for ways to weaken state judges
TOPEKA, Kansas — Measures in several state legislatures this year have called for new approaches to weaken the power of judges. One would abandon a centuries-old precedent that courts can decide whether laws are constitutional. Another would change how judges are selected. Tension between the courts and other branches of...
Pa. Republican says he’ll protect Medicaid’s ‘core mission’ while looking for budget savings
Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation railed against the budget blueprint that passed the House on Tuesday night, warning it could result in steep cuts to Medicaid. But an Altoona Republican who serves on a committee tasked with coming up with $880 billion in savings over 10 years says he...
What you need to know about possible cuts to Medicaid
Nearly a quarter of Pennsylvanians are on Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that covers medical costs for poor people along with nursing home and personal care home expenses. If Republicans on Capitol Hill target Medicaid as they seek to slash federal spending by $2 trillion and enact $4.5 trillion in...
House GOP pushes ‘big’ budget resolution to passage, a crucial step toward delivering Trump’s agenda
WASHINGTON — With a push from President Donald Trump, House Republicans sent a GOP budget blueprint to passage Tuesday, a step toward delivering his “big, beautiful bill” with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite a wall of opposition from Democrats and discomfort among Republicans....
Trump says he will offer ‘gold cards’ for $5 million path to citizenship, replacing investor visas
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to offer a “gold card” visa with a path to citizenship for $5 million, replacing a 35-year-old visa for investors. “They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and...


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