March 23, 2025 3:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in two Pennsylvania state legislative districts will elect new members in special elections Tuesday. Democrats are defending a state House seat on friendly turf with control of the deadlocked chamber on the line, while Republicans look to pad their advantage in the state Senate in a reliably GOP district. In the state House, voters in District 35 will elect a replacement for Democratic state Rep. Matt Gergely, whose death in January left the parties tied at 101 seats each. Democrats won a slim majority of state House seats in 2022 for the first time in more than a decade and have had to defend their narrow advantage in a series of special elections since then.
March 22, 2025 4:23 am
George Foreman has died, his family says. The fearsome heavyweight who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Muhammad Ali before authoring an inspiring second act as a 45-year-old champion and a successful businessman was 76. A native Texan, Foreman began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist who inspired fear as he climbed to the peak of the heavyweight division by stopping Joe Frazier in 1973. His formidable aura evaporated a year later when Ali pulled off one of the most audacious victories in boxing history in Zaire, baiting and taunting Foreman into losing his belt in one of the greatest fights ever staged.
March 22, 2025 4:21 am
A lawsuit filed by Voice of America reporters, some unions and a press freedom group charged the Trump administration with unlawfully shutting down the news outlet. They said the demise of the agency, which has beamed news into countries around the world for decades, would be a boon to authoritarian regimes that back censorship. The administration, working largely through representative Kari Lake, has described the outlet as filled with “rot” that needs to be stripped to the core. Republicans have long complained that the agency, ordered by Congress to report news objectively, is instead dominated by liberal propaganda.
March 22, 2025 4:17 am
MIAMI (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security says it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month. The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022. They arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says they will lose their legal status on April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
March 22, 2025 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Boeing will build the Air Force’s future fighter jet. President Donald Trump announced the choice Friday. The Pentagon says the new jet fleet will have stealth and penetration capabilities that far exceed its current fleet and is essential in a potential conflict with China. Known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, the manned jet will serve as a quarterback to a fleet of future drone aircraft that would be able to penetrate China’s air defenses. But critics have questioned the cost and necessity of the program. The Pentagon is still struggling to fully produce its most advanced jet and its future stealth bomber will have many of the same advanced technologies.
March 22, 2025 4:12 am
Measles cases in West Texas are still rising two months after the outbreak began. Local public health officials say they expect the outbreak to last for at least several more months and the case number is likely an undercount. More people have received a measles, mumps and rubella vaccination this year in Texas and New Mexico compared to last year, though officials would like it to be higher. Pharmacies across the U.S., especially in Texas, are seeing more demand for MMR shots. University of North Carolina epidemiologist Justin Lessler says measles has a slow way of spreading that makes it especially hard to contain.
March 22, 2025 4:06 am
A one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card was purchased by Dick’s Sporting Goods for $1.11 million after a two-week auction. There was a total of 64 bids on Skenes’ debut patch card, which is autographed and contains a patch that was on the pitcher’s jersey for his heralded major league debut in May. The final price announced by Fanatics Collect included a 20% buyer’s premium. The 22-year-old Skenes is slated to make $875,000 while in the major leagues this year with the Pittsburgh. Dick’s plans to display the card in a new collectors’ space at its House of Sport store at Ross Park in suburban Pittsburgh.
March 22, 2025 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH —(WPXI)- Pittsburgh commuters are preparing to feel the impact of expected changes coming to PRT. “I think that’s going to be hard on a lot of people. That’s going to limit a lot of mobility to and from Pittsburgh,” said Dakotah Clark, a PRT rider. People who rely on the T are worried after Pittsburgh Regional Transit proposed major service cuts and increased fares that would impact riders, businesses and communities across our region. “If I don’t have a trolley, it would be very difficult to get to and from work,” said Clark. The agency announced Thursday the proposed 35% service cut and 25 cent fare increase would go into effect in February 2026. The cuts include eliminating public transit in 19 municipalities, getting rid of all service after 11 p.m., and cutting 41 of about 100 bus routes, plus, eliminating the T’s silver line which runs between downtown through Overbrook to Library. The agency said it’s facing a $100 million budget deficit. It took a hit during the pandemic and there was a 50% drop in ridership between 2001 and 2023. PRT also said state funding is no longer able to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s second-largest transit agency. Governor Josh Shapiro spoke about these potential cuts on Friday. “For the last two and half years, I’ve been calling for increased investment at the state level for our mass transit systems like PRT and others all across Pennsylvania. I put forth a specific proposal the House of Representatives have passed it, and the Senate has refused to act. The Senate needs to step up and fund our mass transit agencies. I put forth a plan that is paid for,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. PRT’s board meets next Friday. If it approves this proposal, 3 public hearings will be scheduled in April, May and June.
March 21, 2025 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security Administration systems that hold personally identifiable data on millions of Americans. The decision from U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander also requires the team to delete any identifiable data they may have. It comes after labor unions and retirees asked for an emergency order limiting DOGE access to the agency and its vast troves of personal data. The administration has said DOGE’s work at the agency is aimed at reducing waste and fraud in the federal government.
March 21, 2025 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says war plans should not be shared with his adviser Elon Musk because of his business interests. It’s a rare suggestion the billionaire entrepreneur’s expansive role in the Trump administration will face limits. The Republican president made the comments Friday during an Oval Office meeting on developing a new fighter jet, rejecting reports Musk would be briefed on how the U.S. would fight a hypothetical war with China. Trump says Musk has businesses in China and “would be susceptible, perhaps, to that.” Musk’s businesses include Tesla, an electric-vehicle manufacturer trying to expand in China. Trump says Musk visited the Pentagon earlier to discuss reducing costs.
