November 12, 2025 2:10 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Governor Josh Shapiro has signed Pennsylvania’s state budget. That ends the longest state budget impasse in recent history. On Wednesday, after multiple sessions and discussions, the state Senate voted 41-9 to pass the state budget bill. The budget is a $50.09 billion spending plan. Both parties spent much of Tuesday evening caucusing, trying to iron out an agreement. Much of the progress in moving the budget forward can be credited to removing Pennsylvania from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The initiative is essentially a co-op among a number of states attempting to lower carbon emissions, which Republicans referred to as an unfair carbon tax that stifled job growth.
November 12, 2025 1:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll finds U.S. adults’ opinions of how President Donald Trump is managing the federal government have dropped sharply since early in his second term, highlighting the risks posed by the government shutdown and his efforts to reshape the federal workforce. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll was conducted after Democrats notched sweeping victories in this month’s off-year elections but before Congress took major steps to try to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The poll finds Americans, particularly Republicans, are less likely to approve of the Republican president’s management of the government than they were in March. Trump’s overall approval remained steady since October.
November 12, 2025 4:49 am
MONESSEN, Pa. — A teen is hospitalized after a shooting Tuesday afternoon in Monessen. Monessen Police say the 16-year-old was shot along Rostraver Street near Linden Avenue. A 911 official says first responders were sent to the area after 4 p.m. for a report of shots fired. That teen was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. The boy’s mother tells WPXI that he was shot in the head, but is responding to doctors. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office says someone is in custody. Monessen School District Superintendent Robert Motte says the shooting took place near an elementary school. As a result, the district plans to have students learn remotely on Wednesday. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and reassess conditions tomorrow. Updates will be shared with families as soon as possible,” Motte wrote. It wasn’t immediately clear if the teen shot is a Monessen School District student.
November 11, 2025 4:57 am
An end to the long state budget impasse may be near. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say they expect a budget to be passed sometime this week. Both parties spent much of Tuesday evening caucusing, trying to iron out an agreement. “I think we’re getting close to a solution,” Republican State Senator Devlin Robinson said. Democratic State Rep. Abigail Salisbury agreed. She tells WPXI, “I am getting the impression we are moving toward a final budget. People’s patience have worn thin. We need to get this done because costs are rising and services need to be provided to people. It is my belief we are looking at a budget this week.” She says they have been vocal about lifting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and believe that may come to fruition. The RGGI is essentially a co-op among a number of states attempting to lower carbon emissions. Robinson calls it an unfair tax on consumers. There could be a vote as early as today.
November 12, 2025 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be nearing an end, but not without leaving a mark on an already-struggling economy. About 1.25 million federal workers missed at least one or two paychecks. Thousands of flights have been canceled. Government contract awards have slowed and some food aid recipients have seen their benefits interrupted. Most of the lost economic activity will be recovered when the government reopens, as federal workers receive back pay. But some canceled flights won’t be retaken, missed restaurant meals won’t be made up, and some postponed purchases by workers will not happen at all.
November 12, 2025 5:06 am
The Supreme Court has extended an order blocking full SNAP payments. The high court’s decision Tuesday came amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume — though exactly when is unknown. The order keeps in place at least for a few more days a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. SNAP helps 42 million Americans buy groceries. The order will expire just before midnight Thursday.
November 12, 2025 5:00 am
Some small grocery stores and neighborhood convenience stores are eager for the U.S. government shutdown to end and for their customers to start receiving federal food aid again. Late last month, the Trump administration froze funding for the SNAP benefits that about 42 million Americans use to buy groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says about 74% of the assistance was spent last year at superstores like Walmart and supermarkets like Kroger. Around 14% went to smaller,stores that are more accessible to SNAP beneficiaries. A former director of the United Nations World Food Program says SNAP is not only a social safety net for families but a local economic engine that supports neighborhood businesses.
November 12, 2025 2:52 am
Airlines have canceled over 9,000 flights across the U.S. since the Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight cuts late last week. The cuts aim to ease demands on short-staffed control towers during the federal government shutdown. On Tuesday, another 1,200 flights were canceled as the FAA increased its target for reducing flights at major airports. Flights are expected to remain disrupted even as the shutdown nears an end, and cancellations are unlikely to ease right away. The pace of airline ticket sales for Thanksgiving travel has slowed as more travelers have reconsidered whether to fly amid all the delays and cancellations.
November 12, 2025 5:04 am
The southeastern U.S. has plunged into record-low temperatures, affecting 18 million people under a freeze warning across Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. The cold spell moved from the Northern Plains and brought an abrupt transition to wintry temperatures. Some daily records were shattered, including a low of 28 degrees in Jacksonville, Florida. In Florida, temperatures led to a “falling iguana advisory” as iguanas froze into survival mode and fell from trees. Meanwhile, parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast experienced significant snowfall, causing hazardous driving conditions. Forecasters expect temperatures to rise by the end of the week.
November 12, 2025 5:09 am
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered security forces to stop sharing intelligence with the United States until it stops striking suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean. It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of information Colombia will stop sharing with the United States after Petro acted Tuesday. At least 75 people have been killed by the U.S. military in strikes in international waters since August. The strikes began in the southern Caribbean but have shifted recently to the eastern Pacific. In October, the Trump administration placed financial sanctions on Petro over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.
