Almost 4,400 people abused by priests in Italy, victims’ group alleges
ROME — Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims’ group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis that has long plagued the world’s largest Christian faith. The unofficial tally by Rete l’Abuso, Italy’s largest church...
Social media’s impact on children topic of panel discussion on ‘Anxious Generation’
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg communications professor Jessica Ghilani likens the design of social media platforms to casinos without windows. The introduction of algorithmic sorting to Facebook in 2009 paved the way for social media platforms to generate endless streams of content for users — a system Ghilani describes as...
Trump says all trade talks with Canada are terminatedVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said late Thursday that all trade talks with Canada were terminated following what he called a fraudulent advertisement in which former President Ronald Reagan spoke negatively about tariffs. “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote on Truth...
Arson suspect in deadly Los Angeles Palisades fire pleads not guilty
LOS ANGELES — The man accused of deliberately setting the blaze that grew into one of the most devastating wildfires in Los Angeles history, killing 12 people and incinerating thousands of homes, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to three federal arson-related charges. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is charged with “maliciously” starting...
U.S. warns it could force some Pennsylvania rail cars out of service
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy late Thursday warned that the department could soon force a Pennsylvania transit agency to stop using a fleet of railcars due to fire risks as he raised broad safety and financial concerns. The Federal Railroad Administration on October 1 issued an emergency order requiring...
Trump said he’s good at building ‘on budget.’ Then the ballroom cost escalated by 50%
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has often touted his experience as a real estate builder who is good at building things “on budget and on time,” as he did when he hosted a dinner last week for donors to his long-championed White House ballroom. Then, exactly a week later, on...
Virginia Democrats will try to reshape U.S. House districts in counter to Trump’s redistricting push
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats are taking steps to redraw their state’s U.S. House districts, hoping to boost their party’s chances in next year’s midterm elections and counter President Donald Trump’s push for more partisan districts in Republican-run states. Virginia House Speaker Don Scott sent a letter Thursday to members...
Top Trump official defied court order on tear gas during Chicago crackdown, protesters say
CHICAGO — A top U.S. Border Patrol official violated a court order limiting the use of tear gas during demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Chicago, a group of protesters, journalists and clergy members told a U.S. judge on Thursday. The group said in a court filing that...
New York Attorney General James to challenge U.S. Attorney Halligan’s appointment
WASHINGTON — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday said her legal team plans to ask a federal judge to dismiss the criminal charges against her on the grounds that the U.S. Attorney in Eastern Virginia who obtained the indictment was unlawfully appointed, according to a court filing. James’...
Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the Caribbean, killing an elderly man in HaitiVideo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Melissa lumbered through the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, bringing a risk of dangerous landslides and life-threatening flooding to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — an island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Officials urged residents in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground. The...
U.S. reopens Alaska wildlife refuge to oil and gas development
The Trump administration on Thursday announced a series of steps to open up Alaskan wilderness to energy and infrastructure development, including by allowing oil and gas drilling in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The administration has announced a string of policy swings involving the sprawling refuge for polar bears,...
Harrisburg mayor fined by Ethics Commission for using city dumpster for personal trash
The state Ethics Commission ordered Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams to pay a $912.70 fine for instructing city employees to deliver a city-owned dumpster to her home in 2022 for her personal use. Williams agreed to pay the fine instead of going through a hearing, which the commission said would have...
Cause of death released for Kada Scott, who was reported missing in Philadelphia
A Philadelphia woman last seen nearly three weeks ago was shot to death, health officials have confirmed. Kada Scott, 23, died of a gunshot wound to the head, and her death has been declared a homicide, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health told USA Today on Thursday. Human remains, later...
Trump calls off federal agent deployment to San Francisco
Donald Trump will not deploy federal agents to San Francisco, the U.S. president and the California city’s mayor said in separate social media posts on Thursday, a surprising stand-down as Trump pressures Democratic-led cities around the country to step up enforcement against crime and illegal immigration. San Francisco Mayor Daniel...
As vaccine policies shift under Trump admin, Pa. pediatricians focus on keeping patients informed
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. As federal vaccine policies and messaging shift under the Trump administration, pediatricians across Pennsylvania are working to maintain proven...
U.S. mayors urge USDA to fund November food benefits amid shutdown
WASHINGTON — A group representing mayors of more than 1,000 U.S. cities has urged the Agriculture Department to use emergency funds to pay for food assistance benefits threatened by the ongoing federal government shutdown. Tens of millions of Americans might not receive food stamps and other food aid in November...
Trump pardons convicted Binance founder ‘CZ’ Zhao
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, the White House said Thursday, in the latest move by Trump to boost the crypto industry and expunge its past misdeeds. Zhao, a billionaire known as “CZ” who is one of the most...
2 federal judges say use of AI led to errors in U.S. court rulings
Two federal judges admitted in response to an inquiry by U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley that members of their staff used artificial intelligence to help prepare recent court orders that Grassley called “error-ridden.” In letters released by Grassley’s office on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate in Mississippi...
Trump to quadruple Argentine beef imports while U.S. ranchers fume
President Donald Trump’s administration is quadrupling the country’s low-tariff imports of Argentine beef in his attempt to lower grocery store beef prices, a White House official said Thursday, evoking fury from the nation’s cattle ranchers. Raising the tariff rate quota on Argentine beef to 80,000 metric tons will let the...
Clearing Gaza’s surface of bombs will take up to 30 years, aid group says
GENEVA — Clearing the surface of Gaza of unexploded ordnance will likely take between 20 to 30 years, according to an official with aid group Humanity & Inclusion, describing the enclave as a “horrific, unmapped minefield.” More than 53 people have been killed and hundreds injured by lethal remnants from...
Gallery: Photos from Oct. 23, 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...
Senate to vote on paying ‘essential’ workers as shutdown hits Day 23
WASHINGTON ‒ The Senate is set to vote Thursday on a Republican-backed bill to pay some federal workers who are working through the government shutdown as the shutdown rolls into Day 23. The bill, known as the Shutdown Fairness Act and sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, would pay employees...
How Trump is demolishing the White House East Wing for his new ballroom
Workers have demolished much of the 83-year-old East Wing in preparation for President Donald Trump’s planned $250 million ballroom at the White House. Demolition work began without prior public notice on Oct. 20, when workers took down the entrance to the East Wing. Dismantling continued the next day when much...
Trump waltzes into ballroom controversy with ‘2 geniuses’ and an East Wing demolition
WASHINGTON - Standing at a podium last week in the East Room, President Donald Trump talked about two men who had advised him about zoning permits for his long-desired White House ballroom. At that Oct. 15 dinner, ordered up to thank private donors to the project, America’s 45th and 47th...
6 vie for 4 seats on Youngwood council
Six people are running for four spots on Youngwood council — including three incumbents, two newcomers and one who has filled in for a vacant seat on the board for about four months. Managing borough finances, replacing public works equipment, updating stormwater infrastructure, fostering community and addressing blighted properties are...
