April 13, 2025 7:00 am
The Trump administration has confirmed to a federal judge that a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported last month remained confined in a notorious prison in El Salvador. But the government’s filing on Saturday ignored the judge’s demands that the administration detail to the court what steps it was taking to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States and said he is under the authority of the El Salvador government. The filing comes one day after a U.S. government attorney struggled in a hearing to provide U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis with any information about Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts.
April 13, 2025 6:55 am
Russia and Ukraine’s top diplomats have used a high-level conference in Turkey to once again trade accusations of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure. The two foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Saturday, a day after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Moscow has stuck to the terms of a limited 30-day ceasefire. His Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha says Russia has launched daily attacks at Ukraine since agreeing to the pause.
April 13, 2025 6:52 am
The 145% tariff from the U.S. and the retaliatory 125% tariff from China are putting businesses doing trade between the U.S. and China on edge. They’re fretting not only about their next orders but also the viability of their business if there’s no relief soon. Experts are worried the decades-long trade ties that have underpinned the bilateral relationship between the world’s two largest economies might be unraveling. The high-stakes tariff war has come more than 20 years after China joined the World Trade Organization and began to see its economy soar on luring foreign investments and exporting to U.S. and other Western markets.
April 13, 2025 6:49 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A convalescing Pope Francis greeted the crowd in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday, wishing more than 20,000 faithful a “Good Palm Sunday, a good Holy Week,” in a reassuring sign of his recovery after a life-threatening battle with double pneumonia. Many in the crowd reached out to touch Francis’ hand or garments as he was brought in a wheelchair down a ramp to the main altar, where he issued his brief greeting into a microphone. Francis was not wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, as he had during a similar appearance last Sunday. On his way back to St. Peter’s Basilica from where he had emerged, Francis stopped to bless a rosary, and offered candy to a boy who greeted him.
April 13, 2025 4:17 am
Holy Week is the most significant week in the Church year. It begins Sunday with Palm Sunday and extends through the week until Easter Sunday. The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will celebrate Holy Week offering Catholics the opportunity to partake in several liturgies and community events throughout the week. The week begins on Palm Sunday with Bishop David Zubik celebrating Mass at 10:00 am at St. Paul Cathedral. Mass will also be celebrated on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Holy Saturday has several blessing services and the week culminates with Easter Sunday Mass at 10:00 am with Bishop Zubik celebrating Mass at the St. Alexis Church in the Saint Aiden Parish in Wexford. For the Holy Week schedule at your church, check your parish websites for details.
April 13, 2025 6:07 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. —(WPXI)- Many excited park visitors braved the cold for Kennywood’s opening day Saturday, kicking off its longest season since 1931. Not everyone who showed up, however, got to enjoy the rides and attractions. Dozens of teenagers were turned away hours before the time when park rules say they need an adult chaperone. Many angry and confused parents reached out to Channel 11 saying about 60 teens were stranded at the gate Saturday afternoon after they were dropped off without any warning. Channel 11′s cameras showed one group of teens being turned away at the gate by a Kennywood employee. Channel 11 reached out to Kennywood asking several questions, including if the rules for minors have changed. A spokesperson told Channel 11 the policy has not changed and then pointed us to the fine print at the bottom of that same web page that reads, “Our safety and security procedures, including the chaperone, bag, and outside food & beverage policies, are subject to change without notice.” Channel 11 reached out to Kennywood again for more information on specifically why minors were turned away at the gate before 4pm and how many were not allowed in. We’ve also asked Kennywood if teens could face a similar situation on Sunday if they don’t have a chaperone during the day. We’re still waiting to hear back.
April 13, 2025 4:14 am
The Trump administration has paused the enforcement of the Silica Rule. The rule is aimed at combating rising black lung and silicosis cases being suffered by coal miners. In a statement released by the Center for Coalfield Justice, the pause is temporary and is intended for operators to secure necessary equipment and otherwise come into compliance. The rule has been finalized since April of 2024 and was set to go into effect this month. In addition to the pause of the Silica Rule, the Department of Government Efficiency is closing 34 Mine Safety and Health Administration offices in 19 states and has placed all 25 employees at the CDC’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program on administrative leave. Nick Hood, Senior Organizer at CCJ said that “Coal has been on a long and steep decline for decades, but miner issues have increased, and pausing the Silica Rule only hurts them more.
April 12, 2025 10:42 am
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — Iran and the United States will hold more negotiations next week over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Iranian state television reported Saturday that U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “briefly spoke in the presence of the Omani foreign minister” at the end of the talks Saturday. It was the first round of talks between the two countries. American officials have not acknowledged the Iranian reports. The two sides spoke for over two hours at a location in the outskirts of Oman.
April 12, 2025 4:36 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has summed up his annual physical by saying, “I did well.” He says he believes his doctors would release a report on Sunday. The 78-year-old spent nearly five hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday afternoon, undergoing what he called “every test you can imagine.” Trump said that “overall, I felt I was in very good shape.” He says he has a “good heart, a good soul” and took a cognitive test in which he says he got “every answer right.” Despite long questioning predecessor Joe Biden’s physical and mental capacity, Trump has routinely kept basic facts about his own health shrouded in secrecy.
April 12, 2025 4:26 am
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Lawyers for the Trump administration say they are unable to provide information on the location and status of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The attorneys told U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis on Friday that they haven’t had enough time to review a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court the day before. The Supreme Court had directed the administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. The judge said at a hearing on Friday that it was “extremely troubling” that the Trump administration couldn’t provide more details about Abrego Garcia or plans for his return.
