January 28, 2025 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sign the Laken Riley Act into law as his administration’s first piece of legislation. Trump will sign the immigrant detention measure on Wednesday. It mandates the detention and potential deportation of people in the U.S. illegally who are accused of theft and violent crimes before they have actually been convicted. The Laken Riley Act was named for a Georgia nursing student who was killed in 2024 while out for a run by a Venezuelan national in the U.S. illegally. The measure swiftly passed the Republican-controlled Congress with some Democratic support. Immigrant advocates say it could trigger mass roundups over offenses as minor as shoplifting.
January 28, 2025 4:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives. The order Tuesday capped the most chaotic day for the U.S. government since Trump returned to office, with uncertainty over a crucial financial lifeline causing panic and confusion among states, schools and organizations that rely on trillions of dollars from Washington. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect. The administrative stay, prompted by a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal money, lasts until Monday afternoon.
January 27, 2025 3:48 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s superstars are tumbling as a competitor from China threatens to upend the artificial-intelligence frenzy they’ve been feasting on. The S&P 500 fell 1.9% Monday. Big Tech stocks took some of the heaviest losses, with Nvidia down 18%, and they dragged the Nasdaq composite down 3.7%. Besides chip companies, utilities hoping to electrify power-hungry AI datacenters also tumbled. Stocks outside of AI-related industries held up much better, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 243 points. A Chinese company called DeepSeek said it had developed a large language model that can compete with U.S. giants at perhaps a fraction of the cost.
January 27, 2025 3:31 pm
OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) — Auschwitz survivors have warned of the rising antisemitism and hatred in the modern world as they gathered with world leaders and European royalty on the 80th anniversary of the death camp’s liberation. In all, 56 survivors gathered under a huge tent on Monday set up over a gate and railway tracks at the site of the former camp. Many participants believe it will be the last major observance with any notable number of survivors. The numbers have dwindled sharply over the years; 200 attended the 75th anniversary. (Photo: AP)
January 27, 2025 1:43 pm
(WPXI) – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the one-year-only site for the Three Rivers Arts Festival. The beloved annual celebration of the arts will be in a different format and location in 2025 due to construction at the 8th Street Block Civic Space and other downtown renovation projects. So, this year, the event, which runs June 5-8, will be held at the 15th Street Plaza along Waterfront Place in the Strip District. The Festival will remain near its namesake three rivers, not far from its future long-term home in the Cultural District. A map of the festival grounds will be released in the spring, along with the lineup of free performing and visual art attractions.
January 27, 2025 12:35 pm
(WPXI) – Two people were flown to area hospitals after a crash in Ligonier Monday morning. According to Westmoreland County 911, around 8:10 a.m. crews were called to the 3000 block of PA-711 for a vehicle crash with reported entrapment. First responders tell Channel 11 that seven people were hurt in the crash, including five juveniles. One adult and one child were flown to area hospitals. Everyone else was transported in ambulances. We’ve learned a Porsche and Chevy Trailblazer crashed head-on. All of the juveniles were in the Trailblazer. PA-711 closed while crews were on scene investigating the crash.
January 27, 2025 7:51 am
The Trump administration has announced a sweeping freeze on all federal grants – those funds already approved by Congress. The administration says it is a temporary pause – but it could have major consequences. This directive may be the most far-reaching executive action this White House has taken yet. It could potentially halt hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending on everything from assistance to farmers to head start programs to disaster relief and public transportation. In a memo describing this that was obtained by ABC News – the White House budget office has ordered all federal agencies to cease any financial assistance if they believe the program might conflict with President Trump’s executive orders.
January 27, 2025 5:29 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The first report on last month’s Jeju Air crash in South Korea has confirmed traces of bird strikes in the plane’s engines, though officials haven’t determined the cause of the accident that killed all but two of the 181 people on board. The preliminary accident report released Monday said feathers and bird blood stains were found in both engines. It says a DNA analysis determined they belonged to migratory ducks. The report also says the plane’s black boxes stopped recording about 4 minutes before the crash.
January 27, 2025 5:29 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of Palestinians are returning to the most heavily destroyed part of the Gaza Strip. Israel lifted its closure of northern Gaza on Monday for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas in accordance with a fragile ceasefire. Massive crowds of people carrying their belongings on foot stretched along a main highway running next to the coast in a stunning reversal of the mass exodus from the north at the start of the war, which many Palestinians had feared Israel would make permanent. Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps for over a year are eager to return to their homes — even knowing that they have likely been damaged or destroyed.
January 27, 2025 5:27 am
West Alexander has been working on reclaiming its independence from Donegal Township since 2021. On Saturday, several steps forward in that initiative took place. Doctor Kathleen Miller is the coordinator of the West Alexander Borough Project and she launched a petition signing drive. The drive comes immediately after she received a certified sealed map of the proposed borough boundaries. In addition to those official steps, a resident of West Alexander stepped forward to do their part. Pamela Johnson, who has lived in West Alexander for only six years, made a contribution to the project of $20,000. Johnson said she has fallen in love with the area and calls West Alexander her own “Mayberry.” Miller says the contribution was a “God Send” and will cover all expenses for the creation of the map, attorney retainer and deed transfers should they be successful in gaining their separation from the borough. Miller is hoping to get 80% of the registered voters of West Alexander and 80% of land owners that do not live there to sign the petition. After that, the initiative will be advertised for 30 days and the petition will then be presented to Washington County Courts to work through the legal process. Postcards have been sent out to alert residents when petitions will be available for signing.
