Somerset County sheriff charged with corruption of minors
Somerset County Sheriff Dustin Weir was charged Thursday with corruption of minors, according to court documents detailing an alleged incident at a Shop With a Cop event last December. Weir, 46, of Quemahoning, is accused of taking a 15-year-old girl to the condom aisle of a Walmart during the event...
The internet compares Grokipedia and Wikipedia
Earlier this week, Elon Musk introduced Grokipedia, an AI-powered online encyclopedia designed to rival Wikipedia. As users began exploring the new platform, social media quickly buzzed with comparisons between the information offered by the two sites. Musk, who has called Wikipedia “filled with left-wing propaganda,” according to the Associated Press,...
Why tracking spending in this year’s critical Pa. Supreme Court retention races is so difficult
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 — How much are state and national groups spending to flood the airwaves, fill mailboxes, and buy up...
Government shutdown stalls FBI investigations
WASHINGTON - FBI investigations have been slowed or stalled by the second-longest U.S. government shutdown in history, leaving the bureau without funds to pay informants or make undercover drug or gun buys, gaps that an FBI spokesperson said are putting national security at risk. The FBI does not provide detailed...
Louisiana and Virginia take steps toward redistricting in a growing battle for U.S. House power
Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and Democrats in Virginia pressed ahead Wednesday with plans that could allow mid-decade redistricting as part of a growing national battle for partisan advantage in next year’s congressional elections. Louisiana lawmakers passed legislation pushing back the state’s 2026 primary elections by a month — a move...
Trump cuts tariffs on China after meeting Xi in South Korea
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump described his face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday as a roaring success, saying he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans. The president told reporters...
Trump’s comments on nuclear testing upend decades of U.S. policy. Here’s what to know about it
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump’s comments Thursday suggesting the United States will restart its testing of nuclear weapons upends decades of American policy in regards to the bomb, but come as Washington’s rivals have been conducting tests of atomic-powered weapons and expanding their arsenals. Nuclear weapons policy,...
Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba pick up the pieces after Melissa’s destruction
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba — People across the northern Caribbean were digging out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa on Thursday as deaths from the catastrophic storm climbed. The rumble of large machinery, whine of chainsaws and chopping of machetes echoed throughout southeast Jamaica as government workers and residents began...
Trump asks Pentagon to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons
President Donald Trump, ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, said he has instructed the Department of Defense to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers. “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to...
Millions face food aid cliff in federal government shutdown standoff
WASHINGTON - Nearly 42 million people are set to lose food aid due to the second-longest U.S. government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans in Congress continue to blame each other for a weeks-long legislative stalemate. Neither party was showing signs of changing its position days before funding for the Supplemental...
Trump says it’s ‘pretty clear’ he can’t seek a 3rd term
After toying with the idea of running for a constitutionally prohibited third presidential term for months, President Donald Trump conceded that the law is “pretty clear” against such a scenario. “I would say that if you read it, it’s pretty clear, I’m not allowed to run,” Trump told reporters aboard...
Kennedy says there is not enough data to show Tylenol causes autism
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump’s top health official on Wednesday said evidence does not show that Kenvue’s pain medicine Tylenol definitively causes autism but that it should still be used cautiously, a month after the president said U.S. health officials would recommend limiting its use. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy...
Hurricane Melissa kills 25 in Haiti, nearly 30 total as storm batters Caribbean
HAVANA/KINGSTON — Hurricane Melissa barreled through the Caribbean on Wednesday after thrashing Cuba’s second-biggest city, isolating hundreds of rural communities, unleashing devastation in Jamaica and drenching Haiti, where at least 25 were killed. Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday as the strongest-ever hurricane to directly hit its shores, with sustained winds...
Federal shutdown could cost U.S. economy up to $14 billion
WASHINGTON — The federal government shutdown could cost the U.S. economy between $7 billion and $14 billion, shaving up to 2% from gross domestic product in the fourth quarter because of the lapse in government spending, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday. The partial shutdown was in its...
Death toll in police raid on drug gang in Rio rises 119, Brazilian police say
RIO DE JANEIRO — A police raid and clashes with a drug gang embedded in low-income neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro left at least 119 people dead, officials said Wednesday, a day after the massive operation drew criticism for using excessive force. The toll of 115 suspects and four policemen...
What to know as the annual sign-up window for health insurance arrives
Higher prices, less help and a government shutdown all hang over health insurance markets as shoppers start looking for coverage this week. The annual enrollment window for millions of people to pick an individual plan opens Saturday in nearly all states, and a heavy dose of politics weighs on this...
A man who spent 43 years in prison before his conviction was overturned now faces deportation
PHILADELPHIA — After waiting more than four decades to clear his name in a friend’s 1980 killing, Subramanyam Vedam was set to walk free from a Pennsylvania prison this month. Vedam and Thomas Kinser were the 19-year-old children of Penn State University faculty. Vedam was the last person seen with...
Gallery: Photos from Oct. 29, 2025
Take a trip through Western Pennsylvania — and beyond! Join TribLive’s photo adventure, where every snapshot tells a story. From the rolling hills and rustic charm of Western Pa. to far-flung corners of the world, this collection captures the little sparks of humanity that connect us all. Think of it...
Israel’s military says ceasefire is back on as death toll from overnight strikes in Gaza reaches 104
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory that killed 104 people, including 46 children, according to local health officials. The strikes — the deadliest since the ceasefire began on...
Sudan war takes a turn as paramilitary force captures Darfur, threatening to split the country
CAIRO — Sudan’s brutal two-year war has entered a new, dangerous phase. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces this week seized control of the entire Darfur region, after ousting the rival Sudanese army from its last stronghold there. The fighting for control of Sudan has killed over 40,000 people and created...
U.S. draws down troops on NATO’s eastern flank as Europe frets about security vacuum
BRUSSELS — The United States has informed its NATO allies that it will scale back its troop presence along Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine as it focuses on security priorities elsewhere in the world, Romania’s defense ministry said on Wednesday. The U.S. Army later confirmed the move, but denied it...
Trump announces trade breakthrough with South Korea on Asia trip
GYEONGJU, South Korea — President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung finalized details of their fraught trade deal at a summit in South Korea on Wednesday, and the U.S. president also sounded an optimistic note about a looming summit with China’s Xi Jinping. “We made our deal,...
Hurricane Melissa hits Cuba hours after devastating Jamaica
HAVANA/KINGSTON — Hurricane Melissa slammed into Cuba early on Wednesday, hours after causing devastation in neighboring Jamaica as the strongest-ever storm on record to hit that Caribbean island nation. Melissa hit the southern coast of eastern Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC)...
Israel kills more than 100 in strikes after soldier’s death, says it still backs ceasefire
CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Israel said on Wednesday it remains committed to the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza, despite its retaliation for the death of an Israeli soldier with day-long bombardment that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people. Even as the military affirmed it still intended to uphold the truce in the...
South Korea trade deal appears elusive as Trump seeks $350B investment
GYEONGJU, South Korea — After a charm offensive in Japan that culminated in $490 billion in investment commitments, President Donald Trump is set to meet with South Korea’s leader on Wednesday as a trade deal with that country appears more elusive. Top officials in Washington and Seoul say the sticking...
