Financial pain for many Pa. service providers will continue after budget impasse ends
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 — Schools and nonprofits that provide critical services to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable have not received billions in payments...
Verona high-rise evacuated after police say man intentionally set off sprinklers
Authorities evacuated a seven-story senior high rise in Verona on Thursday night after police said a man intentionally set off sprinklers inside the building. The incident, reported just after 6 p.m., displaced nearly 60 residents of A.J. Demor Towers, according to Verona police Chief Tom Dessell. Dessell said the displaced...
Many swings, few knockout hits as Cuomo and Mamdani trade jabs in heated 1st NYC mayoral debate
NEW YORK — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo entered Thursday evening’s first New York mayoral debate trying to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s momentum. Instead he spent much of the contentious face-off on defense, batting away criticisms over his long tenure in office from Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo, now...
Ohio Rep. Dave Taylor says swastika flag was a ‘ruse’ that targeted Republicans
Rep. Dave Taylor, a Greater Cincinnati Republican, says his office was targeted in a “ruse” after a photo of an American flag with a swastika seen in his office circulated on social media. In an emailed statement Thursday, Taylor, whose district includes Clermont and other southern Ohio counties, said multiple...
In a first, strike in Caribbean leaves survivors, U.S. official says
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a U.S. official told Reuters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,...
Trump barred from deploying troops to Chicago, for now
CHICAGO — A federal appeals court won’t allow President Donald Trump to deploy — at least for now — troops to Illinois as part of his crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz, according to a decision published Oct. 16. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based in...
Trump says he will meet Putin in Budapest, touting progress in Ukraine talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday to another summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a surprise move that came as Moscow feared fresh U.S. military support for Kyiv. Trump said he and Putin could meet within the next two weeks in...
Israel, Hamas trade blame over truce violations amid delay in return of dead hostages
CAIRO — Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. A dispute over the return of hostages’ bodies held by...
In surprise move, head of U.S. military for Latin America to step down
WASHINGTON — The admiral who leads U.S. military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday, in a surprise move amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters...
Trump wants more U.S. babies. This is his plan to lower costs, expand access to IVF
WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump announced a plan aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization, seeking to fulfill a 2024 campaign promise by launching a new effort to lower IVF costs for families. Trump’s plan, which he unveiled Thursday in the Oval Office, also calls for eliminating red tape...
Young Republicans call for immediate resignations of leaders who made racist texts in chat
WASHINGTON ‒ The Young Republican National Federation called for the immediate resignations of leaders in the organization exposed in a Politico story to have sent racist, antisemitic and other derogatory text messages to one another in a private chat. Included in the text messages in the Telegram chat are racial...
States sue to stop Trump cancellation of $7 billion solar grant program
Nearly two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its cancellation of a $7 billion grant program aimed at expanding solar energy in low-income communities, according to court papers. In a statement on Thursday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced two lawsuits by a group of states that received...
John Bolton, former Trump adviser, charged with sharing classified information
John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was charged on Thursday in a sweeping indictment that accuses him of sharing sensitive government information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing. The indictment marked the third time in recent weeks the Justice...
Mitch McConnell trips and falls while being confronted by protester
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, tripped and fell on Thursday, Oct. 16 while being confronted by a protester in the basement of a Senate office building. Videos of the incident show an activist, who identified herself as Stella, challenging the 83-year-old GOP lawmaker over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies....
Roughly 46,000 troops won’t be paid during the government shutdown
Roughly 46,000 full-time U.S. military members are without pay during the federal government shutdown despite President Donald Trump’s push to pay active duty troops. The impacted service members, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other military reserve units who under federal law must wear...
Day 16 of government shutdown; Senate voting for 10th time on funding bill
It’s now Day 16 of the government shutdown, which officially makes it the third-longest shutdown in history. (It’s tied with the 2014 shutdown, which happened under former President Barack Obama). The Democrats and Republicans are still deadlocked as the Senate failed to muster enough votes for a ninth time on...
Will a paycheck arrive? Shutdown leaves military families in limbo.
NORFOLK, Virginia – As the days ticked down to Oct. 15, military families in Hampton Roads, Virginia, eyed their bank accounts with growing apprehension. That day, active duty military members were due for their mid-monthly paycheck. But amid an ongoing government shutdown, military families grappled with difficult financial decisions and...
Gallery: Photos from Oct. 16, 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...
Trump diverts anti-terror funds from Democratic strongholds to Republican states
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration plans to shift terrorism prevention funding from Democratic-led states toward those led by Republicans, government records show, as it overhauls a $1 billion program created after the 9/11 attacks. Twelve Democratic-led states are suing to block the cuts, alleging that the Trump administration is trying...
Shutdown could cost U.S. economy $15 billion a week, Treasury says
Washington - The two-week-old federal government shutdown may cost the U.S. economy as much as $15 billion a week in lost output, a Treasury official said late on Wednesday, correcting an earlier statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that put the cost at up to $15 billion per day. Bessent...
French PM faces day of reckoning, but likely to survive no-confidence votes
PARIS - French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu appears likely to survive two no-confidence votes in parliament on Thursday after offering to suspend President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark pension reform to win support from the left. Lecornu, already France’s shortest-serving prime minister in modern times before he was re-appointed last week, had...
Diane Keaton’s cause of death released by her family
Diane Keaton’s cause of death has reportedly been released days after news of her death became public. The 79-year-old Hollywood staple died Oct. 11 from pneumonia, her family said in a statement to People magazine on Oct. 15. “The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love...
Dozens still missing days after Mexico’s mass flood
MEXICO CITY - Five days after historic floods that killed at least 66 people and affected 100,000 homes, Mexico is still scrambling to get help to the worst-hit communities and locate 75 missing people amid criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis. After a year of meteoric approval ratings,...
U.S. judge blocks Trump’s plan to lay off thousands of government workers
A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to halt mass layoffs of federal workers during a partial government shutdown while she considers claims by unions that the job cuts are illegal. During a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a request...
Why a Supreme Court case from Louisiana will matter for the future of the Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON — Voting rights activists were relieved in 2023 when, in a surprise to some, the Supreme Court upheld the most important remaining element of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling forced Alabama and later Louisiana to redraw their congressional maps to give Black residents greater representation, moves that eventually...
