Pitt-Greensburg cybersecurity program receives national recognition
Michael Pry is finally seeing the outcome of a goal he has worked toward for four years. The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg information technology instructor said the Hempfield campus cybersecurity program has been recognized by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Pitt-Greensburg joins at least 494...
Department of Agriculture says no food aid benefits will be issued next month
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Saturday that food benefits under one of the country’s biggest social assistance programs will not be issued next month amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. The shutdown was in its 25th day Saturday, with Republicans and Democrats in Congress remaining at an...
Economist: Larger tax refunds in 2026 expected, thanks to Trump tax law and IRS delay
Americans, particularly the affluent, are set to receive larger tax refunds or smaller tax bills when they file in 2026, because of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending package passed in July, an economist said. Total taxpayer savings could amount to an additional $50 billion because the IRS has yet...
‘There is a plan’ for Trump to seek third term in 2028, Steve Bannon says
WASHINGTON – MAGA podcaster and former West Wing aide Steve Bannon suggested in a recent interview that a plan exists for President Donald Trump to attempt to defy the Constitution and seek a third term in office in 2028. “Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people just...
A ghost in the Oval Office: How Reagan looms over Trump presidency
WASHINGTON — Since February, a large, smiling portrait of Ronald Reagan has loomed over the Oval Office, watching Donald Trump each time he settles behind the Resolute Desk long used by U.S. presidents. The painting - provided by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute and prominently installed by Trump...
D.C. lawyer on furlough lives out dream of running a hot dog cart
Isaac Stein makes his living as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service, working mostly on his own, writing retirement plan regulations in a Washington office building. Since the federal government shut down early this month, his typical day could not be more different. Stein now spends afternoons on the...
Food banks brace for surge as shutdown threatens benefits
WASHINGTON/CHICAGO — Cynthia Kirkhart, the CEO of Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington, West Virginia, has already had to explain to customers this year why the organization is rationing bags of potatoes. The food bank, which also serves households in Kentucky and Ohio, has had to shrink its allotments as higher...
Analysis: Bulldozer and ballroom: Trump puts permanent stamp on the White House
WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump met with donors for his new ballroom at the White House earlier this month, he relayed a story that thrilled his real estate mogul heart. “I said, ‘How long will it take me?’ ‘Sir, you can start tonight, you have no approvals,’” Trump said...
U.S. corn crop could be the biggest ever. That’s terrible news for America’s farmers.
FREDERICKSBURG, Iowa — Kyle Wendland stepped away from his engineering degree two decades ago to follow his father - not just into farming corn, but into a world of debt, grit, and stubborn faith he could wrest a living from Iowa’s soil. He calls his place Comeback Farms, after his...
Social Security checks to rise 2.8% in 2026
More than 75 million Americans receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will see their monthly payments rise 2.8% in 2026, accelerating from the prior year’s increase for the first time in three years. The Social Security Administration announced the annual cost-of-living adjustment to benefits on Friday, less than...
Pentagon accepts anonymous $130 million donation from Trump ‘friend’ to pay military
WASHINGTON ‒ The Pentagon said it has accepted an anonymous $130 million donation from an ally of President Donald Trump that it plans to use to pay military members during the government shutdown. The move marks a dramatic break from the government’s process to fund the military, which relies on...
Ontario to pull tariff ad that angered Trump ‒ but it will stay up for World Series games
WASHINGTON ‒ The Ontario, Canada, provincial government will continue airing an ad critical of tariffs on American TV through the weekend ‒ and then pause the commercial ‒ after President Donald Trump halted United States trade negotiations with Canada over his objections to the ad. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in...
Putin envoy says U.S., Ukraine, Russia close to ‘diplomatic solution’ on war
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said Friday he believes his country, the United States and Ukraine are close to a diplomatic solution to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Speaking to CNN after arriving in Washington for talks with U.S. officials, Dmitriev said...
The White House has a haunted past
The White House might be home to the seat of executive power in the U.S., but if some who have walked its halls are to be believed, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. also plays host to spirits that long ago graced the mansion. Ghost stories and spiritual abnormalities have surrounded the White...
Athletes, influencers navigate fine line as sports betting booms
Livvy Dunne has parlayed her successful stint as a collegiate gymnast at LSU into a career as a social media influencer and model. She can be seen in ads for Fanatics, including one where she appears shrouded in bubbles in a bathtub in the middle of a football field. “Fanatics...
USDA memo says it will not use emergency funds for November food benefits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not use agency contingency funds to pay for food aid benefits set to lapse in November during the federal government shutdown, according to a memo seen by Reuters. More than 41 million people are set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known...
U.S. expects more flight delays as controllers soon to miss paychecks
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday said he expects more flights to be delayed, with air traffic controllers set to miss their first paycheck as a federal government shutdown enters its 24th day. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work without pay...
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges U.S. to broaden Russian oil sanctions and seeks long-range missiles
LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged the United States to expand sanctions on Russian oil from two companies to the whole sector, and appealed for long-range missiles to hit back at Russia. Zelenskyy was in London for talks with two dozen European leaders who have pledged military...
U.S. military to deploy aircraft carrier to South America amid soaring tensions with Venezuela
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump dramatically escalated a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean on Friday by deploying the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America, a show of force that far exceeds any past counter-narcotics need and represents Washington’s most muscular move yet in the Latin America region....
Picasso painting held in private collection sells for $31 million at Paris auction
PARIS — A painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, believed to be depicting his muse and partner Dora Maar, fetched $31.49 million — 27 million euros — at a Paris auction Friday. The work, titled “Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar) 1943”, was acquired by a...
N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James pleads not guilty to mortgage-related charges
NORFOLK, Va. — New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty in federal court Friday to charges related to allegedly lying on mortgage documents. James, a Democrat who last year secured a $450 million civil fraud judgment against President Donald Trump, is one of three perceived enemies that the...
Croatia reintroduces military conscription as Europe worries about Russia-Ukraine war
ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatia’s parliament on Friday voted to reintroduce compulsory military service in the European Union and NATO member country. The move comes amid heightened tensions in Europe following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as an apparent arms race and military buildup in the Balkans, which went...
Ontario premier doesn’t back down against Trump, posts video of Reagan opposing tariffs
TORONTO — The leader of Canada’s most populous province posted remarks by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan on social media on Friday showing Reagan opposed tariffs, hours after President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad that Trump said misstates Reagan’s opposition...
Violence, racism and Nazi praise: The dark side of U.S. political group chats
WASHINGTON — Three separate controversies involving leaked text messages from private online group chats have rocked U.S. political circles this month, revealing racist, antisemitic and violent statements from figures across the ideological spectrum. The messages — sent privately but now public — include racial slurs, praise for Nazis, and threats...
U.S. military takes steps to adapt new hypersonic weapons to mobile launchers
WASHINGTON — Defense startup Castelion said on Friday it has won contracts to integrate its Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon with current U.S. Army systems, the first step toward allowing the military to place the powerful and nearly unstoppable weapons around the world. The U.S. and China are engaged in an...
