Venezuela to continue accepting deported migrants despite Trump’s airspace closure assertion
CARACAS, Venezuela — U.S.-operated flights returning deported migrants to Venezuela will continue despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that the airspace of the South American country should be considered closed. The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday announced that the twice weekly flights will go on following a request...
Trump says he doesn’t want Somalis in the U.S.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the U.S., saying residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country are too reliant on U.S. social safety net and add little to the United States. Trump’s contemptuous description of the entire immigrant community is the...
Man charged in National Guard shooting pleads not guilty during court appearance from hospital bed
WASHINGTON — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to murder and assault charges during his first appearance before a judge via video from a hospital bed. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot, faces charges...
Hegseth cites ‘fog of war’ in defending follow-on strike on alleged drug boatVideo
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cited the “fog of war” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in early September. During a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said he did not see any survivors in the water, saying...
Sabrina Carpenter and Franklin the Turtle publisher condemn Trump administration’s use of their workVideo
WASHINGTON — Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and the publisher of the beloved children’s character Franklin the Turtle are disavowing the Trump administration’s use of their music and imagery to support its agenda. Responding to the use of her song “Juno” in a video montage depicting ICE raids, Carpenter tweeted Tuesday:...
Crystal Fabergé egg crafted for Russian royalty shatters record and sells for $30.2 million
LONDON — A rare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg crafted for Russia’s ruling family before it was toppled by revolution shattered records Tuesday as it sold at auction for $30.2 million (22.9 million pounds). The Winter Egg, which was compared to the iconic Mona Lisa, was just one of seven...
Federal prosecutors say Afghan national made bomb threat on TikTok video in Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas man has been charged with making threats online after authorities said a video showing him threatening to build a bomb, conduct a suicide attack and kill Americans was posted to TikTok and other social media sites. The charge against Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, an Afghan...
State budget was 135 days late, but Pa. lawmakers got their pay raise on time
Pennsylvania lawmakers just received a 3.25% pay increase on Dec. 1, raising their base salary to $113,575. Only New York and California’s legislators make more. The national average for state lawmakers was $47,904, less than half of what the commonwealth’s lawmakers made, per the National Conference of State Legislatures. The...
NATO chief dismisses concerns about U.S. commitment to the alliance ahead of Ukraine meeting
BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte brushed off fresh concern Tuesday about the United States’ commitment to the military organization on the eve of a meeting of allied foreign ministers focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend Wednesday’s meeting, which will unfold...
Eugene Hasenfus, key figure in 1980s Iran-Contra affair, dies at 84
MADISON, Wis. — Eugene Hasenfus, who played a key role in unraveling the Iran-Contra affair after his CIA-backed supply plane was shot down over Nicaragua in 1986, has died. Hasenfus died on Nov. 26 in Menominee, Michigan, after a nine-year battle with cancer, according to his obituary from the Hansen-Onion-Martell...
Putin accuses Europeans of sabotaging peace efforts to end Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine’s European allies Tuesday of sabotaging U.S.-led efforts to end the war that have gained momentum in recent weeks. “They don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war,” Putin said after speaking to an investment forum and before he held talks...
Gallery: 1st snow of the season falls on Pittsburgh and Western Pa.
The first snowfall of the season hit Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, blanketing the region with a several inches of snow, closing or delaying schools, and bringing out shovelers to start cleaning up. Though some light snow showers are still making their way through the area, the heaviest...
U.S. mass killings down in 2025, but experts say it’s likely just a return to more typical levels
A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in California that left four dead was the 17th mass killing this year — the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. Experts warn that the...
More than 1,300 dead from floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as rescue efforts intensify
BATANG TORU, Indonesia — Emergency crews raced to reach survivors and recover more bodies Tuesday as the death toll from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides surged past 1,300 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with nearly 900 people missing. Days of heavy monsoon rains inundated vast areas, leaving thousands...
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández freed after Trump pardon
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday....
Israel says it receives ‘findings’ handed over by Palestinian militants in Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel on Tuesday said it had received “findings” handed over by Palestinian militants in Gaza to the Red Cross. They were believed to be remains of one of the two hostages still in the territory: an Israeli and a Thai national. Israel’s government said they...
Poll shows Fetterman still tanking among Dems, while Republicans give him a thumbs up
Sen. John Fetterman remains more popular with Pennsylvania Republicans than fellow Democrats, according to a new poll. In the survey commissioned by RealClearPennsylvania and Emerson College, Fetterman has a 31% job approval rating from Democrats compared to 57% from Republicans and 30% from independents. The poll questioned 2,000 Pennsylvanians and...
Son of drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ pleads guilty in U.S. drug trafficking case in a plea deal
CHICAGO — One of the sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded guilty on Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, months after his brother entered a plea deal. Known locally in Mexico as the “Chapitos” — or “little Chapos” — Joaquín Guzmán López and brother Ovidio Guzmán López...
Heavy snow predicted for Northeast as Midwest still struggles with Thanksgiving weather snarlsVideo
PORTLAND, Maine — Black ice, snow showers and fog pestered post-holiday travelers in the Midwest on Monday while the Northeast geared up for its first major snowstorm of the season. More than 8 inches of snow fell at Chicago O’Hare International Airport this weekend, setting a record for the highest...
Trump rallies Tennessee GOP by speakerphone on eve of U.S. House special election
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — President Donald Trump and top Republicans made a last-ditch push on Monday to prevent embarrassment in a hotly contested Tennessee special election for Congress, while Democrats enlisted former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to back their candidate. The crush of big-name politicians came...
Babson College supports student deported flying home for Thanksgiving surprise
CONCORD, N.H. — Babson College has instructed faculty and staff to provide “academic and community support” to a student who was deported to Honduras when she tried to fly home to visit family for Thanksgiving. Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, 19, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 20...
Schumer says 3 of his New York offices were targeted with bomb threats
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that three of his New York offices were targeted with emailed bomb threats from an email address alleging the “2020 election was rigged.” Schumer said in a statement that local law enforcement received bomb threats referencing his offices in Rochester, Binghamton...
White House says admiral ordered follow-on strike on alleged drug boat, insists attack was lawful
WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in a September U.S. military operation that has come under bipartisan scrutiny. White House press secretary...
Federal review finds 44% of U.S. trucking schools don’t comply with government rules
Nearly 44% of the 16,000 truck driving schools in the United States may be forced to close after a review by the federal Transportation Department found they may not be complying with government requirements. The Transportation Department said Monday that it plans to revoke the accreditation of nearly 3,000 schools...
Pennsylvania loses hundreds of pharmacies after a law promised help
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — As pharmacy closures have continued across the state, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has questioned how the...
