Border Patrol agents shoot woman in Chicago as protesters confront immigration personnel
CHICAGO — U.S. Border Patrol personnel shot an armed woman in Chicago on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said, as scores of protesters faced off against federal immigration agents on the city’s southwest side. No law enforcement officers were seriously injured in the incident in which a group that...
FBI agent relieved of duty over refusing Comey perp walk, 4 people familiar say
WASHINGTON — An FBI agent was relieved of duty for declining to arrange a “perp walk” of the bureau’s former director, James Comey, in front of news media cameras after Comey was federally charged last month, four people briefed on the matter said on Friday. Comey was charged on Sept....
London police arrest dozens at protest against ban on Palestine Action
LONDON — London police arrested dozens of protesters for supporting a banned pro-Palestinian group at a demonstration on Saturday that went ahead despite requests to call it off after a deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester. Two people were killed in the attack in the northwestern English city on...
Did Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington work? It’s complicated
WASHINGTON — After mobilizing hundreds of federal agents and thousands of soldiers to the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump has declared victory over what he called a “crisis” of crime in Washington, and floated the idea of using such deployments to U.S. cities as training grounds for the military. “We...
Russian strike hits train station in Ukraine, killing 1 and injuring 30
KYIV — Two Russian drones struck trains at a station in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, killing one person and injuring about 30 others, officials said on Saturday, with Ukraine’s foreign minister accusing Moscow of deliberately hitting passenger trains. “A brutal Russian drone strike on the railway station in Shostka, Sumy region,”...
U.S. Border Patrol raid sweeps in citizens, families as Chicago crackdown intensifies
CHICAGO — U.S. Border Patrol agents deployed to Chicago led a late-night raid on an apartment building this week, rappelling from helicopters onto rooftops and breaking down doors in an operation authorities said targeted gang members but which swept up U.S. citizens and families. The show of force highlighted President Donald...
Israel scales back Gaza assault after Trump demands halt to bombing
CAIRO/GAZA — Israel slowed its Gaza offensive on Saturday after President Donald Trump demanded it stop bombing in response to a declaration by Hamas that it was ready to free hostages under his plan to end the two-year-old war. Despite a relatively quieter start to the day compared to recent weeks,...
Multiple drone sightings reported in Germany in past three days, Bild says
MUNICH — Drones have been spotted at airports and military installations across Germany over the past two days, Bild newspaper quoted a confidential police report as saying, suggesting sightings this week at Munich Airport were the tip of the iceberg. Dozens of flights were diverted or canceled at Munich Airport...
U.S. unveils draft design for $1 Trump coin to mark 250th independence celebrations
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury on Friday released a draft design for a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate 250 years since the declaration of American independence in 2026. The front of the potential design showed Trump in profile with the word “liberty” above him and “1776-2026” below, according...
Pennsylvania apple growers more concerned with weather than tariffs
Thousands of people are descending on the Delmont area this weekend for the annual Apple ’n Arts Festival, drinking cider, eating apple pie or just enjoying the crispy crunch of a fresh apple in autumn. And while there is no shortage of apples to go around, the larger industry has...
Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration
WASHINGTON — Apple said Thursday it removed ICEBlock and other similar ICE-tracking apps from its App Store after it was contacted by President Donald Trump’s administration, in a rare instance of apps being taken down due to a U.S. federal government demand. Alphabet’s Google also removed similar apps Thursday for...
Government shutdown will crash into the weekend as Senate votes fail
WASHINGTON ‒ The government will remain closed for the weekend after the Senate failed to reach the 60 votes needed on competing Republican and Democratic plans to fund the government. Two Democrats and an independent voted for a GOP measure to end the shutdown, but the 54-44 vote left Republicans...
Another U.S. appeals court rejects Trump’s order curtailing birthright citizenship
President Donald Trump’s effort to curtail birthright citizenship was declared unconstitutional by a second U.S. appeals court Friday, handing him another defeat on a core piece of his hardline immigration agenda whose ultimate fate might lie with the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit...
Trump tells Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas accepts parts of peace plan
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called on Israel to immediately stop its Gaza bombing campaign to secure the safe extraction of remaining hostages after Hamas agreed to portions of his peace proposal. The Palestinian militant group, Hamas, said Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead,...
Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B worker visas challenged in lawsuit
A coalition of unions, employers and religious groups filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to block President Donald Trump’s bid to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly-skilled foreign workers. The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco is the first to challenge a proclamation Trump issued...
Would-be Kavanaugh assassin sentenced to 8 years in prison
A California resident who admitted trying to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was sentenced Friday to eight years and one month in federal prison. Sophie Roske, who was charged under her birth name Nicholas Roske but now uses female pronouns, was sentenced at a hearing before...
U.S. carries out strike against alleged drug vessel near Venezuela
WASHINGTON — The United States killed four people in a strike against a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs just off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday, at least the fourth such attack in recent weeks. The strike is the latest example of President Donald Trump’s...
Free speech advocates: Book censorship in schools rampant
A free speech advocacy group warned book censorship in public schools across the United States has become “rampant and common,” with book bans increasing significantly over the past few years. Though book censorship is not a new issue, the United States has seen a sharp rise in book bans and...
Pittsburgh native Larry Hailsham Jr. named executive director of Pa. Democratic Party
Pittsburgh native Larry Hailsham Jr., a top aide to Gov. Josh Shapiro, has been named executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. State Democrats also announced this week that Shapiro donated $250,000 to the party as it gears up for pivotal elections in November and next year. Hailsham was appointed...
Biden ban on offshore drilling in vast areas was illegal, court rules
Former President Joe Biden exceeded his authority by withdrawing large areas along U.S. coastlines from future offshore oil and gas development, a federal judge in Louisiana ruled on Thursday. U.S. District Judge James Cain in Lake Charles, Louisiana, sided with Republican states and oil and gas industry groups that sued...
FDA launches pilot program to fast-track review of domestically made generic drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a new pilot program to speed up the review process for generic drugs that are tested and manufactured entirely in the United States, the regulator said on Friday. The program is designed to encourage companies to invest in domestic drug production and...
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has not fully expressed remorse, judge says at sentencing
NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs has not fully expressed remorse for the conduct that led to his conviction on prostitution-related charges, a U.S. judge said on Friday at the hip-hop mogul’s sentencing hearing. A jury on July 2 convicted Combs, 55, on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts...
Trump freezes $2.1 billion in funds for Chicago in shutdown standoff
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding Friday, starving another strongly Democratic city of funds as the government shutdown entered its third day. Budget director Russ Vought said the money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was...
Trump gives Hamas until Sunday night to reach Gaza deal or ‘all HELL’ will break out
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave Palestinian Hamas militants until Sunday evening to accept his proposal to end the nearly two-year-old war with U.S. ally Israel in the Gaza Strip or “all HELL” would break out. “An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M.,...
U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge to Hawaii handgun limits
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a challenge to a Hawaii law restricting the carrying of handguns on private property that is open to the public such as most businesses, giving the justices a chance to further expand gun rights. The justices took up an...