Analysis: National security shake-up narrows Trump’s circle of influence
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s removal of national security adviser Mike Waltz brings further disruption to a national security team that has endured scrutiny over using the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive military operations as well as mounting questions over the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the...
Trump draws criticism with AI image of himself as the pope ahead of the papal conclave
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope as the mourning of Pope Francis continues and just days before the conclave to elect his successor is set to begin. Trump’s action drew rebukes from a group representing Catholic bishops in New York...
Russian drone attack wounds 47 in Ukraine’s 2nd-largest city of Kharkiv
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, wounded 47 people, officials said, and prompted another appeal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for more decisive support from the country’s allies. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said drones hit 12 locations across the city late Friday. Residential buildings,...
Marco Rubio criticized Germany. The foreign ministry hit back
BERLIN — Germany’s foreign ministry hit back at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he criticized the decision to classify the Alternative for Germany party as a “right-wing extremist” organization. The spat deepened Friday to embroil the foreign office, Rubio, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and tech billionaire Elon...
Witnesses, aid groups report looting in Gaza after 2 months of Israeli blockade
TEL AVIV, Israel — Warehouses in northern Gaza have been looted, including by armed groups, as desperation for aid spikes after more than two months of Israel’s blockade, say locals and aid workers, as Israeli airstrikes continued, killing over a dozen people. Organizations in Gaza, messages circulated between security officials...
Greensburg Salem collecting dress clothes donations for 8th grade graduation event
Cleaning out your closets this spring? Greensburg Salem is collecting gently used dress clothes for eighth grade students in need of semi-formal attire for the middle school graduation dinner and dance. The dance was launched by then-assistant principal Joseph Nava in the 1970s to celebrate students’ transition from middle to...
Trump administration sues Colorado, Denver, alleging interference in immigration enforcement
DENVER — The Department of Justice sued Colorado and Denver on Friday, alleging interference with federal efforts to enforce immigration laws, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to crack down on what some call sanctuary cities and policies. The lawsuit claims the state and its most populous city, Denver,...
World’s tallest and smallest dogs meet up for a playdate
A playdate between the world’s tallest and smallest living dogs went the way of most dog park encounters despite the 3-foot height difference — lots of tail wagging, sniffing and scampering. Reginald, a 7-year-old Great Dane from Idaho, and Pearl, a chihuahua from Florida, are certified winners in their respective...
2 women shot on campus of small technical college near Los Angeles
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Two women were shot on the campus of a Southern California technical college Friday and taken to the hospital, the city’s mayor said. Mayor James Butts of Inglewood said the shooting occurred about 4 p.m. on the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology Campus. Aerial TV video...
Hawaii lawmakers raise hotel tax to help the islands cope with climate change
HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers passed on Friday first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change -fueled natural disasters. Gov. Josh Green supports the bill, indicating he will sign it. The bill adds a 0.75% levy to the...
7 people dead after a truck, tour van collided near Yellowstone, police say
BOISE, Idaho — A pickup and a tour van with international visitors — including two people from Italy — collided on a highway leading to Yellowstone National Park, leaving seven people dead and eight injured, Idaho State Police said. The crash happened just before 7:15 p.m. Thursday on U.S. Highway...
Military parade to celebrate Army’s 250th anniversary will be held on Trump’s birthday
WASHINGTON — The Army on Friday confirmed there will be a military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June, as part of the celebrations around the service’s 250th birthday. Plans for the parade, as first detailed by the Associated Press on Thursday, call for about 6,600 soldiers to march...
Court says no rights violated when Michigan school told girl to remove hat with image of a gun
DURAND, Mich. — A Michigan school did not violate the free-speech rights of a third-grade student who was told to remove a hat that had an image of an AR-15-style rifle and the message “come and take it” in capital letters, a federal court said Friday. The principal at Kerr...
Tennessee police release video of Kilmar Abrego Garcia traffic stop in 2022
Authorities in Tennessee have released video of a 2022 traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland construction worker who’s become the face of U.S. immigration policy after his erroneous deportation to El Salvador. Posted by various news organizations, the body-camera footage shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers...
Public broadcasting chiefs vow to fight Trump’s PBS, NPR cuts
The head of PBS said Friday that President Donald Trump’s executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to public broadcasting institutions PBS and NPR is blatantly unlawful. NPR’s chief also vowed to challenge the decision. Public Broadcasting Service CEO Paula Kerger said the Republican president’s order “threatens our ability to...
Consultant says security report into arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro’s home won’t be made public
HARRISBURG — A consultant paid to review security at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after it was firebombed by a late-night intruder said Friday that his team’s findings will not be made public. Retired state police Col. Jeffrey Miller said in a statement that the “sensitive nature”...
Man sentenced to 53 years in prison in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American boy, mother
JOLIET, Ill. — An Illinois landlord who killed a 6-year-old Muslim boy and severely injured the boy’s mother in a brutal hate-crime attack days after the war in Gaza began was sentenced Friday to 53 years in prison. Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder...
CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season, the most in 15 years
NEW YORK — More U.S. children have died this flu season than at any time since the swine flu pandemic 15 years ago, according to a federal report released Friday. The 216 pediatric deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eclipse the 207 reported last year. It’s...
Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR as he alleged “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and further...
Microsoft hikes Xbox prices worldwide as gaming industry faces tariff uncertainty
NEW YORK — As new tariffs continue to strain global supply chains, some gamers are already feeling price hikes. Microsoft raised recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consoles and controllers around the world this week. Its Xbox Series S, for example, now starts at $379.99 in the U.S. — up...
7.4 magnitude quake strikes off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina, no damage reported
SANTIAGO, Chile — A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said. No damage or casualties have been initially reported. Chilean authorities issued an evacuation alert for the entire coastal section of the Strait of Magellan, in the...
A 4th person dies from Minneapolis mass shooting as suspect is charged with murder
MINNEAPOLIS — A fourth person has died as a result of a mass shooting in Minneapolis earlier this week in which investigators believe a fifth person was killed in retaliation hours later, police said Friday. The 28-year-old man had been hospitalized in grave condition since the shootings late Tuesday, and...
Prince Harry loses appeal to restore his U.K. government-funded security detail
LONDON — Prince Harry lost his appeal Friday challenging the U.K. government’s decision to strip him of his publicly funded security after he stepped away from royal family duties and moved to the U.S. The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a committee hadn’t treated Harry unfairly when it decided...
Trump re-ups his threat to strip Harvard University’s tax-exempt status
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday re-upped his threat to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, escalating a showdown with the first major college that has defied the administration’s efforts to crack down on campus activism. “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” Trump...
How to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley’s comet
Halley’s comet swings near Earth every 75 years. But debris left by the comet leads to two major meteor showers every year including the Eta Aquarids. When this meteor shower lights up the night sky, “you’ll know that Earth is crossing the path of the most famous comet,” said Shauna...
