March 26, 2026 4:44 pm
Governor Josh Shapiro and Visit PA, in partnership with Philadelphia Soccer 2026 — the 501(c)(3) nonprofit local host committee planning and executing FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches in Philadelphia — today announced the official locations of three “Pennsylvania World Cup Fan Zones,” which will bring the electricity of the world’s biggest sporting event to communities across the Commonwealth. The Fan Zones, championed by Governor Josh Shapiro to ensure that every Pennsylvanian can experience the magic of FIFA World Cup 2026™, will be located in Pittsburgh, Reading, and Scranton — bringing free, world-class public viewing events to tens of thousands of fans. The fan zones will be located Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium, Reading at the Reading Arena, and Scranton at the Lackawanna County Courthouse Square.
March 26, 2026 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressure is mounting on Congress to end the funding shutdown. It’s resulted in travel disruptions, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures. But lawmakers have yet to resolve the underlying issue of reining in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. Senators are expected to vote Thursday on a Republican proposal that would fund the Transportation Security Administration and much of the Department of Homeland Security, except the immigration enforcement and removal operations. But it’s expected to fail. Democrats argue the GOP plan falls short in putting guardrails on federal officers engaged in immigration sweeps. Congress is set to leave town by week’s end for its own spring break recess as calls intensify for an end to the 41-day stalemate.
March 26, 2026 5:00 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States have hardened their positions after diplomacy aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to be faltering. Tehran moved to formalize its control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz as Washington prepared for the arrival of combat forces that could be used on the ground in the Islamic Republic. Israel on Thursday carried out a wave of strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure, and Iran kept up its attacks on Persian Gulf neighbors, with Saudi Arabia intercepting multiple drones. The United Arab Emirates’ air defenses also worked to intercept incoming fire, and Bahrain was extinguishing a blaze near its international airport.
March 25, 2026 5:01 am
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks are lower and oil prices have risen as a de-escalation of the Iran war remains uncertain. U.S. futures are down 0.5%. Brent crude, the international standard, rose more than 3% to around $100 per barrel on Thursday. Meanwhile gold and silver prices dropped. Tehran on Wednesday dismissed a ceasefire plan by the U.S., after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration offered a 15-point proposal to Iran. Iran also launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 gained 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%.
March 26, 2026 5:04 am
The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive. The past week showed that neither side is easing up. Russia on Tuesday fired almost 1,000 drones and 34 missiles at Ukraine in one of the war’s biggest bombardments. The following day Ukraine launched almost 400 drones in the largest reported overnight attack on Russian regions and Crimea. Ukraine’s fate is still Europe’s top foreign policy issue, fueled by fears that Moscow has wider ambitions.
March 26, 2026 5:04 am
An appeals court has ruled that the U.S. can continue to detain immigrants without bond. The ruling Wednesday handed a victory to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. The opinion from a panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis overturned a lower court ruling. The latter ruling required that a native of Mexico arrested for lacking legal documents be given a bond hearing before an immigration judge. It’s the second appeals court to rule in favor of the administration on this issue. Both appeals court opinions counter a slew of lower court decisions across the country saying the practice is illegal.
March 26, 2026 5:06 am
MONTCLAIR, N.J. (AP) — A growing faction of concerned citizens across America’s suburbs are positioned on the front lines of the anti-Trump resistance. They are voters who are often wealthier and more educated than average Americans — and they historically tended to prefer Republicans. But now, on the eve of the 2026 midterm elections, many suburbanites are energized to fight President Donald Trump and his party. Suburbanites will be especially active at this weekend’s “No Kings” protests against Trump. Few areas illustrate the upside-down politics of the Trump era more than the nation’s suburbs, which may ultimately decide the balance of power in Washington for the president’s final two years in office.
March 26, 2026 11:32 am
GENEVA (AP) — Transgender women athletes are now excluded from the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy It aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on women’s sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The International Olympic Committee says “eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.” Eligibility will be determined by “a one‑time SRY gene screening.” It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level. (Photo: AP)
March 26, 2026 4:15 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Darrell “Dash” Crofts, who teamed with childhood friend Jim Seals for such 1970s soft-rock hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer,” has died at 87. Seals & Crofts were native Texans who had known each other since high school and had played together in various groups before becoming a duo in the late 1960s. They were part of a wave of million-selling soft-rock bands that included America, Bread and the Carpenters. “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Closer to You” all reached the Top 10, while their other popular singles included “I’ll Play for You” and “Hummingbird.”
March 25, 2026 4:51 am
BROWNSVILLE, Pa. – A Hopwood man was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh last night, after being shot multiple times during an apparent break-in at a home in Brownsville. Authorities say sixty-nine-year-old Ronald Rosiek allegedly broke into the home of a woman at the intersection of 18th and Water Street around eleven-thirty. The woman told Rosiek to leave, but court documents say he kept advancing toward her, so she shot him. She was eventually able to run out of the house. There’s been no word on his condition. The two then got into a struggle in the bathroom before the woman was able to escape and run out of the home. Rosiek is now facing 10 charges, including burglary, aggravated assault and criminal trespassing.
