News briefs

Tribune News Service on Dec 31, 2025

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Trump administration retreats in Newsom lawsuit over California National Guard deployment

The Trump administration backed off its effort to block a court order returning control of National Guard troops in Los Angeles to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a brief filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Tuesday, Justice Department lawyers said they no longer oppose lifting a partial administrative stay and formally withdrew their request to keep the troops under federal control while the appeal proceeds.

The move follows the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Trump v. Illinois, which cast new doubt on the administration's legal theory for using the National Guard in domestic law enforcement operations. Tuesday's filing with the appeals court does not concede the merits of California's case brought by Newsom, but it removes a major procedural obstacle to enforcing the lower court's ruling.

In the filing, federal lawyers said they "do not oppose lifting of the partial administrative stay and hereby respectfully withdraw their motion for a stay pending appeal."

"This admission by Trump and his occult cabinet members means this illegal intimidation tactic will finally come to an end," Newsom wrote on X, adding that he is looking forward to the 9th Circuit making an official ruling that would return the California National Guard to state service.

—Los Angeles Times

Pennsylvania awarded $193 million for rural health care from Trump bill that also cut Medicaid

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania's plan to stabilize its struggling rural health care systems will get a $193 million infusion as President Donald Trump's administration implements a new five-year program that some say will not offset future Medicaid cuts.

The federal funding — which the state plans to first spend on the most pressing rural care needs like preserving hospital and EMS capacity — is part of the initial tranche of a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program.

It was created with Trump's signature legislation this summer, known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill," that extended sweeping tax cuts, allowed workers to deduct taxes on tips and overtime, increased the child tax credit and more. The law's roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over a decade, meanwhile, will increase the uninsured population and threaten the survival of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania and across the country, according to independent analyses and critics of the law.

The rural health program grants will be dispersed annually, with amounts based on states' implementation of plans approved by the administration, including "Make Rural America Healthy Again goals," according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Three things to know about New Year’s Eve confetti that falls in Times Square

What would New Year’s Eve in Times Square be for the crowds there and people watching remotely without a couple of key ingredients? The glitzy ball and all ... that ... confetti.

There’s something quite magical, really, about millions of bits of colorful paper flying like snow through the air over a raucous rabble. So American of us, though an Italian man invented paper confetti.

It is so special, in fact, that there will be not one but two showers of confetti after midnight in Times Square on Thursday.

Here are three things to know about that New Year’s Eve confetti you can use to impress your friends in between the toasts.

—The Kansas City Star

Delhi’s worst air in years fuels anger in test for Modi’s party

India’s capital recorded its worst pollution in nearly a decade this winter, sparking rare public protests and criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party over its handling of the air quality emergency.

In November and December, when pollution in New Delhi typically peaks, the air quality index was above 300 on 88% of days, according to Bloomberg calculations based on official data. That’s the highest percentage since at least 2017. A reading of 50 is considered acceptable, while levels of 300 or above are deemed hazardous, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

New Delhi has battled air pollution for years, with a combination of crop-burning in neighboring states, traffic congestion and cold weather making the winter smog particularly bad. It regularly ranks among cities with the worst air in the world, creating a serious health hazard for its 30 million residents, especially children.

The worsening air quality this season has been an early test for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in its first year governing the capital after nearly two decades. Despite campaign pledges to tackle pollution, its approach so far has drawn criticism from the opposition and sections of the public.

Lawmakers failed to prioritize a discussion on pollution during the recent parliament session which ended about two weeks ago. The government also imposed stricter anti-pollution restrictions later than in previous years, prompting questions over the delay.

—Bloomberg News