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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Norwin candidates seek fresh perspective on board
The political battles on the Norwin School Board in 2022 and 2023 may come to an end over the next two years as four incumbents will not be on the May 20 primary election ballot. Rob Bunovich, Monica Kitta, Jakub Sadowski, Chelsea Thomas and Ella Thompson, all of North Huntingdon,...
North Huntingdon: 3 vie for GOP nomination for Sixth Ward
Republican voters in North Huntingdon’s 6th Ward will be the only ones selecting from multiple candidates in a township commissioners race in the May 20 primary. Three candidates seeking the GOP nomination to succeed Fran Bevan in the ward are William Cummings, Antonio Lio and Leah McGhee. All three are...
Split decision: As Gainey claims unity in mayoral race, cracks appear among Democrats
Speaking late last month at a Hill District rally, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey claimed to be building “unprecedented unity” in his bid for a second term. That may be more wishful thinking than reality. Neither Gainey nor his primary election rival, Corey O’Connor, appears to be a surefire winner with...
Experts call Kennedy’s plan to find autism’s cause unrealistic
WASHINGTON — For many experts, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s promise for “pulling back the curtain” to find autism’s causes in a few months is jarring — and unrealistic. That’s because it appears to ignore decades of science linking about 200 genes that play a role — and...
Judge pauses much of Trump administration’s massive downsizing of federal agencies
SAN FRANCISCO — The Republican administration must halt much of its dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce, a California judge ordered Friday. Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco issued the emergency order in a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities last week, one of multiple legal challenges to Republican...
Fetterman again in the news for the wrong reasons
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, has again found himself in the news for the wrong reasons, with recent stories calling his mental health into question. Fetterman, the former Braddock mayor and Pennsylvania lieutenant governor who was once considered a rising progressive star, has faced his share of bad press over...
President Donald Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and its agenda. The dismissal was disclosed in statements from three top House Democrats and confirmed by a separate...
Trump seeks tax hike on wealthy earning $2.5 million or more
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is pushing lawmakers to increase tax rates on some of the wealthiest Americans as a way to offset other cuts in his signature economic package. The president’s proposal calls for creating a new 39.6% tax bracket for individuals earning at least $2.5 million, or couples...
Trump says he’s naming Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in D.C.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is naming Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital after abandoning his first pick for the job. Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, cohosts the...
Joe Biden blames Kamala Harris’ loss on sexism and racism, rejects age concerns
NEW YORK — Former President Joe Biden says he’s responsible for Donald Trump’s victory last fall, but he attributed Kamala Harris ’ loss, at least in part, to sexism and racism. Biden, who left office in January, addressed the Democrats’ disastrous 2024 election, concerns about his age and Trump’s divisive...
Donald Trump taps wellness influencer close to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for surgeon general 
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post. Trump said in a social media post Wednesday...
Democrats send ‘dead-on-arrival’ marijuana legalization bill to Pa. Senate
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 — The Pennsylvania House took a major step toward legalizing recreational cannabis Wednesday, passing a bill along party lines that would permit the sale...
Trump administration will provide programming from conservative network OAN for Voice of America
NEW YORK — The Trump administration, which has fought to dismantle or hollow out government-run outlets that provide news to other countries, has agreed to use the conservative media network OAN’s feed on Voice of America and other services. Voice of America hasn’t operated since mid-March because of funding cuts...
The more Trump talks about making trade deals, the more confusing the tariff picture gets 
WASHINGTON — The more President Donald Trump talks about his efforts to reach deals with America’s trading partners, the more confusing the tariff picture gets. His team seems good with that, saying Trump is using “strategic uncertainty” to his advantage. Trump says the United States does not have to sign...
Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen ballot initiatives with new requirements for petitions
Citizen activists supporting a public vote on important issues could have to brush up on their reading, writing and arithmetic if they want to get their initiatives on next year’s ballot in some states. A new Arkansas law will bar initiative ballot titles written above an eighth-grade reading level. And...
Appeals court reinstates Republican mayoral candidate to primary ballot
A state appeals court just two weeks before the May 20 primary has reinstated a Jeannette mayoral candidate to the Republican ballot. The ruling has left Westmoreland County election officials scrambling to reprogram voting machines and send more than 100 new mail-in ballots to Jeannette’s Republican voters. In a ruling...
Western Pa. universities work to address antisemitism on campuses as incidents soar nationally
The Anti-Defamation League asserts college campuses have become an “epicenter of American antisemitism,” with nearly 1,700 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and violence occurring on campuses last year alone. Western Pennsylvania’s two largest universities — the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University — say they have been working to...
Key Republican says he won’t back Trump’s pick for top D.C. prosecutor because of Jan. 6 ties
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says he’s informed the White House that he won’t support Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’spick for top federal prosecutor in Washington, stalling the nomination in the Senate weeks before the temporary appointment expires. The North Carolina Republican told reporters Tuesday that he had met...
Fetterman on article about staffer concerns: ‘It’s a one-source story’
Sen. John Fetterman on Tuesday dismissed a news report detailing staff concerns about his health as a “hit piece” and “one-source story.” A New York Magazine story last week raised new concerns about the senator’s health. The article quoted Fetterman’s former chief of staff Adam Jentleson, who wondered whether Fetterman...
Recreational cannabis would be sold at state-run stores under bill advanced by Pa. Democrats
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 — Democrats in the Pennsylvania House have advanced a bill that would permit the sale of recreational cannabis to adults at state-run stores, an...
Trump, Carney faceoff in Oval Office leaves gaping differences on tariffs, 51st state
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries. The two kept it civil, but...
What’s in Trump’s big bill? Money for migrant clampdown but tax breaks and program cuts hit ‘bumps’
WASHINGTON — Congress is deep into drafting President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up funding to halt migrants, but it’s “bumpy,” one Republican chairman says, with much work ahead to meet House Speaker Mike Johnson’s goal of passing the package out of his chamber by...
Federal Reserve likely to defy Trump, keep rates unchanged this week
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve will likely keep its key short-term interest rate unchanged on Wednesday, despite weeks of harsh criticism and demands from President Donald Trump that the Fed reduce borrowing costs. After causing a sharp drop in financial markets two weeks ago by saying he could fire Fed...
Trump, in a new interview, says he doesn’t know if he backs due process rights
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump is circumspect about his duties to uphold due process rights laid out in the Constitution, saying in a new interview that he does not know whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve that guarantee. He also said he does not think military...
Fetterman video shows argument with airplane crew about seatbelt
A video filmed earlier this year showing Sen. John Fetterman in a tense exchange with an airline crew member over his seatbelt on a flight to Pittsburgh has gone viral online — after a New York Magazine report raised new concerns about his health. The video of the senator’s exchange...


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