Democratic states weigh more support for immigrants as Trump administration cracks down
As President Donald Trump tightens the nation’s immigration policies, lawmakers in Democratic-led states are proposing new measures that could erect legal obstacles for federal immigration officials and help immigrants lacking legal status avoid deportation. The resistance efforts in California, New York and other states are a counterpoint to the many...
The only person in the world with a functioning pig organ is thriving after a record 2 months
An Alabama woman passed a major milestone Saturday to become the longest living recipient of a pig organ transplant — healthy and full of energy with her new kidney for 61 days and counting. “I’m superwoman,” Towana Looney told The Associated Press, laughing about outpacing family members on long walks...
Big Tech wants to plug data centers right into power plants. Utilities say it’s not fair
HARRISBURG — Looking for a quick fix for their fast-growing electricity diets, tech giants are increasingly looking to strike deals with power plant owners to plug in directly, avoiding a potentially longer and more expensive process of hooking into a fraying electric grid that serves everyone else. It’s raising questions...
He’s emboldened, he’s organized and he’s still Trump: Takeaways from the president’s opening days
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s first week in office isn’t over yet, but already it offers signals about how his next four years in the White House may unfold. Some takeaways from the earliest days of his second term: He’s emboldened like never before Within hours of being sworn in,...
Conservatives of color have lofty expectations for Trump’s second term
WASHINGTON — Delivering his first address as a reinaugurated president, Donald Trump spoke directly to communities that had historically shunned his party. “To the Black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote,” Trump...
Trump’s border emergency declaration comes amid relative calm after years of major turmoil
SAN DIEGO — Long stretches of silence on a Border Patrol scanner are punctuated with updates on tracking a single migrant for hours. The radio traffic sounds like a throwback to earlier times, before the United States became the largest destination for asylum-seekers in 2017. “There’s a pair way down...
National reproductive health care resource website goes dark
When Elizabeth Ringstad found out that the national reproductive health care resource website www.reproductiverights.gov had been taken down, she felt fear. “I feel like taking down such a major research tool for women is kind of removing our ability to educate ourselves on our bodies and our rights,” said Ringstad,...
‘AI-driven’ cyber charter school wants to teach Pa. kids core academics in 2 hours per day
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A cyber charter school network that says it will use “AI-driven” technology to allow students to learn all the core academics they need...
Hegseth confirmed as Trump’s defense secretary in tie-breaking vote despite turmoil over his conduct
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s defense secretary Friday in a dramatic late-night vote, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women. Rarely has a Cabinet nominee faced such wide-ranging concerns about his experience...
State Department freezes new funding for nearly all U.S. aid programs worldwide
WASHINGTON — The State Department ordered a sweeping freeze Friday on new funding for almost all U.S. foreign assistance, making exceptions for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt. The order threatened a quick halt to many of the billions of dollars in U.S.-funded projects globally to...
Trump and Vance join March for Life anti-abortion activists in celebrating the movement’s gains
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vowed to support anti-abortion-rights protesters in his second term as tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Washington on Friday for the annual March for Life. “We will again stand proudly for families and for life,” Trump declared in a prerecorded video address. Protesters...
Federal agencies begin removing DEI guidance from websites in Trump crackdown
WASHINGTON — Federal agencies have begun removing resources for underrepresented Americans from their webpages following President Donald Trump’s executive order cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Agencies also have been cancelling staff trainings and shuttering diversity offices to comply with the order from Trump, who has called for...
Trump leans in on targeting Russian oil revenue as he tries to fulfill pledge to end Ukraine war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is emphasizing that targeting Russia’s oil revenue is the best way to get Moscow to end its nearly three-year war against Ukraine. Trump, who pledged in the campaign that he’d broker a quick end to the grinding conflict, in his first days in office has...
Just days into the new Trump administration, worries spike amid a show of force on immigration
NEWARK, N.J. — Less than a week into his presidency, the Trump administration touted deportation efforts and published new rules Friday making it easier to remove people — part of a flurry of actions to make good on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration. Amid officials’ latest show...
What JFK assassination files are still classified? Trump’s order could bring them to light
DALLAS — Millions of documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas have already been made public, but President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of still-classified files. Trump signed the executive order Thursday as part of a flurry of executive actions taken...
Desperate families await return of 4 female soldiers held by Hamas for 15 months
TEL AVIV, Israel — Hamas announced Friday that it would release four female soldiers held hostage for 15 months in Gaza, as part of an exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners laid out in its ceasefire agreement with Israel. An advocacy group representing the families of hostages confirmed the identities...
Abortion pill-related social media posts blocked, hidden by Meta
Social media posts related to obtaining abortion pills were blocked and hidden on the platforms Instagram and Facebook, the New York Times reported. Specifically, two abortion pill providers’ posts were recently blurred, blocked or removed on the platforms, the Times said, and several abortion pill providers’ accounts were suspended on...
Trump ends Fauci’s security detail and says he’d feel no responsibility if harm befell him
President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. Fauci is the latest in a string of former Trump aides-turned-critics to see their federal protection canceled despite...
Washington state woman arrested in fatal shooting of Vermont Border Patrol agent
The FBI said Friday that it arrested a Washington state woman in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a traffic stop in Vermont earlier this week. Teresa Youngblut, 21, was charged in Monday’s killing of Border Patrol Agent David Maland, the FBI said, noting that Youngblut...
Putin echoes Trump’s claim that conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided had he been in office
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday echoed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022. He also said Moscow is ready for talks with the U.S. on a broad range of issues. In an...
What to know about the ruling blocking Trump’s order on birthright citizenship
SEATTLE — President Donald Trump’s executive order denying U.S. citizenship to the children of parents living in the country illegally has faced the first of what will be many legal tests. It didn’t fare well. A Justice Department lawyer had barely started making his arguments in a Seattle courtroom Thursday...
Trump proposes ‘getting rid of FEMA’ while touring disaster areas
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump surveyed disaster zones in California and North Carolina on Friday and said he was considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation’s central organization for responding to disasters. In...
Belarus election poised to extend 30-year rule of ‘Europe’s last dictator’
The last time Belarus staged a presidential election in 2020, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with 80% of the vote. That triggered cries of fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown with thousands of arrests. Not wanting to risk such unrest again by those opposing his...
Who is Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop who upset Trump during an inaugural prayer service?
WASHINGTON — The Right Rev. Mariann Budde made headlines this week after she angered President Donald Trump with her sermon during an inaugural prayer service. It was not the first time the cleric has publicly disagreed with Trump, but it became a striking moment in what is usually a staid...
UN suspends all trips into Houthi-held areas of Yemen over staffers being detained
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Nations on Friday suspended all travel into areas held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after more of their staff were detained by the rebels. The Houthis already have detained U.N. staffers, as well as individuals associated with the once-open U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s...
