7 missing after explosion at California fireworks warehouse sets off massive blazeVideo
ESPARTO, Calif. — Seven people were missing Wednesday following an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in rural Northern California that caused a massive fire and forced evacuations, authorities said. Emergency crews and investigators were working with the property’s owner and monitoring the area using drones to find the individuals, said...
A look at the potential sentence faced by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in his sex trafficking trial
NEW YORK — The jury in the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking trial convicted him of a prostitution-related crime but cleared him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Here’s what we know about the potential sentence: What were the charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs? The three-time Grammy award winner was...
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top charges in sex crimes caseVideo
NEW YORK — A judge declined Wednesday to grant bail to Sean “Diddy” Combs, meaning the hip hop mogul won’t go free while he awaits sentencing in his sex crimes case. The bond decision came after a jury convicted Combs of federal prostitution-related offenses but acquitted him of sex trafficking...
Ukraine looks to jointly produce weapons with allies, while U.S. halts some shipments
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is forging ahead with embryonic plans for joint weapons production with some of its international allies, top officials said, while the U.S. announced it was halting some arms shipments promised to help Ukraine fight off Russia. Those plans come at what appears to be a key...
Hurricane Flossie weakens to Category 2 off Mexico’s Pacific coast
MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Flossie continued to weaken as a Category 2 hurricane off Mexico’s southwestern Pacific coast with maximum sustained wind of 100 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Flossie became a powerful Category 3 hurricane late on Tuesday, but was slated to steadily weaken on Wednesday and...
Gallery: Photos from July 2, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Wednesday, July 2, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Hamas says it’s open to a Gaza truce but stops short of accepting a Trump-backed proposal
CAIRO — Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but stopped short of accepting a U.S.-backed proposal announced by President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza. Trump said Tuesday that...
Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban on Wednesday, ruling 4-3 that it was superseded by a newer state law that criminalizes abortions only after a fetus can survive outside the womb. State lawmakers adopted the ban in 1849, making it...
House back to work as GOP leaders try to win over holdouts on Trump’s tax bill
WASHINGTON — The House sprang back to action late Wednesday after a prolonged stalemate as Republican leaders spent the afternoon and evening working furiously to convince skeptics to support President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts package and send it to his desk by the Fourth of July deadline. The...
Iran’s president orders country to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities, likely further limiting inspectors’ ability to track Tehran’s program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels....
Paramount to pay $16 million in settlement with Trump over ’60 Minutes’ interview
In a case seen as a challenge to free speech, Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the editing of CBS’ ” 60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in October. Paramount told media outlets the money will go...
GOP mega bill offers seniors a temporary deduction but doesn’t eliminate taxes on Social Security
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump keeps saying that Republicans’ mega tax and spending cut legislation will eliminate taxes on federal Social Security benefits. It does not. At best, Trump’s “no tax on Social Security” claim exaggerates the benefits to seniors if either the House or Senate-passed proposals is signed into...
Wildfire kills 2 people in Spain as parts of Europe bake in heat wave
BARCELONA, Spain — A European heat wave helped fuel a virulent wildfire in Spain that killed two farmers before hundreds of firefighters brought it under control thanks to a timely rainstorm, authorities said Wednesday. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday in the rural province of Lleida created an...
Lindsey Graham gets GOP primary challenge from André Bauer, South Carolina’s former lieutenant governor
CHAPIN, S.C. — Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer is mounting a GOP primary challenge to Sen. Lindsey Graham, arguing the incumbent isn’t conservative enough to represent the state. Bauer, a wealthy developer, is a longtime backer of President Donald Trump. His candidacy sets up a midterm grudge match...
Man accused of killing 2 Idaho firefighters had once aspired to be one
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — A 20-year-old man’s life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before authorities say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle and his...
U.S. won’t send some weapons pledged to Ukraine following a Pentagon review of military assistanceVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said Tuesday. The munitions were previously promised to Ukraine for use during its ongoing war with Russia under the Biden administration. But the pause reflects a new...
Trump says Israel has agreed on terms for 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urges Hamas to accept deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Israel has agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and warned Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. Trump announced the development as he prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House on...
UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case
WASHINGTON — The University of Pennsylvania says it will update records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by Thomas’ participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case. The U.S. Education Department and Penn announced the voluntary...
Day camp, summer school and after-school programs in limbo during Trump administration review
WASHINGTON — Day camp providers and schools are warning that a Trump administration funding freeze could wreck summer for low-income American families and wipe out some after-school programming next year. The administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult...
Pa. man charged with killing wife whose decomposed body was found in a box
A Columbia County man is being charged with homicide after police say the body of his missing wife was found in a box on a property he used to own. Vincent Harp, 32, of Hemlock Township, was arrested on Sunday and charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and...
Mystery surrounds the Jeffrey Epstein files after AG Bondi claims ‘tens of thousands’ of videos
WASHINGTON — It was a surprising statement from Attorney General Pam Bondi as the Trump administration promises to release more files from its sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein: The FBI, she said, was reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” of the wealthy financier “with children or child porn.” The...
The unknown costs of Amazon’s $20B promise to build 2 data centers in Pennsylvania
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 — Amazon plans to spend $20 billion to build two data centers in Pennsylvania, a move that state officials say will generate thousands of...
Justice Department says 2 Chinese nationals charged with spying inside the U.S. for Beijing
WASHINGTON — Two Chinese nationals have been charged with spying inside the United States on behalf of Beijing, including by taking photographs of a naval base, coordinating a cash dead-drop and by participating in efforts to recruit members of the military who they thought might be open to working for...
Major reports about how climate change affects the U.S. are removed from websites
WASHINGTON — Legally mandated U.S. national climate assessments seem to have disappeared from the federal websites built to display them, making it harder for state and local governments and the public to learn what to expect in their backyards from a warming world. Scientists said the peer-reviewed authoritative reports save...
Senate strikes AI provision from GOP bill after uproar from the states
WASHINGTON — A proposal to deter states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade was soundly defeated in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, thwarting attempts to insert the measure into President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts. The Senate voted 99-1 to strike the AI provision...
