U.S./World category, Page 20
Appeals court pauses order restricting use of force by immigration agents in Chicago-area crackdown
CHICAGO — A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily halted an order restricting the use of force by federal immigration agents in the Chicago area, calling it “overbroad” and “too prescriptive.” But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also cautioned against “overreading” its stay and said a quick appeal...
NASA unveils close-up pictures of the comet popping by from another star
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA unveiled close-up pictures on Wednesday of the interstellar comet that’s making a quick one-and-done tour of the solar system. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas is only the third confirmed object to visit our corner of the cosmos from another star. It...
Trump signs bill to release Jeffrey Epstein case files after fighting it for months
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts. Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago. “Democrats...
5 accused of supporting antifa plead guilty to terrorism-related offense after Texas shooting
DALLAS — Five people pleaded guilty Wednesday to terrorism-related charges after they were accused of supporting antifa in a July shooting that wounded a police officer outside a Texas immigration detention center. The charges brought by the Justice Department followed President Donald Trump signing an order that designated the decentralized...
Joe Biden to attend Dick Cheney’s funeral, Donald Trump continues to remain silent on his death
WASHINGTON — Former president Joe Biden will attend Thursday’s memorial service for former vice president Dick Cheney at the Washington National Cathedral, which will feature remarks from another former president, George W. Bush. A spokeswoman for Biden confirmed his plans to attend. The Democratic president said in a statement after...
Veteran FBI employee sues bureau after being fired over displaying pride flagVideo
WASHINGTON — A veteran FBI employee training to become a special agent was fired last month for displaying at his workspace an LGBTQ+ flag, which had previously flown outside a field office, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court. David Maltinsky had worked at the FBI for 16 years...
Society of Professional Journalists condemns Trump’s remarks at reporters
The Society of Professional Journalists expressed solidarity with fellow journalists after President Donald Trump directed pointed remarks at reporters on at least two recent occasions. Last week, The Associated Press reported that Trump referred to Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey as “piggy” during a question-and-answer session on Air Force One,...
FirstEnergy ordered to pay more than $250 million for misconduct in broad Ohio bribery scheme
COLUMBUS — Ohio utility regulators ordered Akron-based FirstEnergy on Wednesday to pay more than $250 million in fines and refunds as a result of its misconduct in a sweeping Statehouse bribery scandal whose fallout continues five years on. The punishment meted out by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio includes...
Judge to proceed with contempt probe after U.S. flew migrants to El Salvador prison
A federal judge said Wednesday he plans to move ahead quickly on a contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington said a ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals...
Man accused of setting woman on fire on a Chicago train charged with terrorism
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man with committing a terrorist attack for allegedly setting a woman on fire on a Chicago train. Lawrence Reed was sitting at the back of a car on a Blue Line L train on Monday night when he approached a woman as she sat...
U.S. trade deficit drops 24% in August as Trump’s tariffs reduce imports
WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit fell by nearly 24% in August as President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs pushed imports lower. In a report delayed for more than seven weeks by the federal government shutdown, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the gap between what the United States buys...
Arrests now top 250 in immigration crackdown across North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. — Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people during a North Carolina immigration crackdown centered around Charlotte, the state’s largest city, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. The operation that began over the weekend is the latest phase of Republican President Donald Trump’saggressive mass...
New hurdle in Comey case as Trump’s Justice Department faces questions about the grand jury process
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey hit another hurdle Wednesday as the Justice Department acknowledged a possible lapse in how the case was presented to a federal grand jury for indictment. The concession risked further imperiling a politically charged prosecution already subject to multiple challenges...
What to know about the impacts Medicaid cuts are having on rural health care
FRANCONIA, N.H. — The closing of a health center in rural New Hampshire has raised concerns that the projected cuts in Medicaid are already taking a toll. Last month, a site of the Ammonoosuc Community Health Services in Franconia, a town of around 1,000 people, closed for good. Ammonoosuc officials...
For people in this rural New Hampshire town, a health center’s closure leaves unanswered questions
FRANCONIA, N.H. — For more than two decades, Susan Bushby, a 70-year-old housekeeper from a rural ski town in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, took comfort in knowing she only had a short drive to reach the community health center. The lodgelike medical building, which sits on a hill overlooking town,...
What to know about expanded work requirements about to kick in for SNAP
After a disruptive U.S. government shutdown, federal SNAP food assistance is again flowing to low-income households. But in the months ahead, many participants will have to abide by new work requirements. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides monthly benefits — averaging around $190 per person — to about 42 million...
Flush with cash? Fully functional, solid gold toilet sells for $12.1M at auction
NEW YORK — A Gustav Klimt portrait painting sold Tuesday for $236 million, a record for a modern art piece, at an auction where a solid gold, fully functional toilet satirizing the ultrarich also fetched $12.1 million. The toilet, by Maurizio Cattelan — the provocative Italian artist known for taping...
Bipartisan bill aims to pay air traffic controllers during future shutdowns
The flight disruptions during the record government shutdown that ended last week inspired a rare act of bipartisanship in Washington on Tuesday, when congressional representatives from both parties introduced legislation that would allow air traffic controllers to get paid during future shutdowns. The bill proposes funding salaries, operating expenses and...
Final resting place set for the historic SS United States to become an artificial reef off Florida
A historic ocean liner will become the world’s largest artificial reef after it’s sunk off Florida’s Gulf Coast early next year. Okaloosa County officials announced Tuesday that they expect to sink the SS United States in early 2026 about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin and 32 nautical miles southeast...
Fear spreads as federal immigration crackdown in North Carolina expands to Raleigh
RALEIGH — Federal agents expanded their North Carolina immigration crackdown to the area around the state capital of Raleigh on Tuesday, with fear spreading in at least one immigrant-heavy suburb where restaurants closed and many people stayed home. The North Carolina operation began over the weekend in the state’s largest...
Energy Department loans $1B to help finance the restart of nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island
HARRISBURG — The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday that it will loan $1 billion to help finance the restart of the nuclear power plant on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island that is under contract to supply power to data centers for tech giant Microsoft. The loan is in line with...
Trump attacks ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce in angry response to sharp questionsVideo
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump denounced ABC News’ Mary Bruce as a “terrible reporter” Tuesday and threatened the network’s license to broadcast after she asked him three sharp questions at the White House. The network’s chief White House correspondent was among reporters let into the Oval Office to question...
Meet Clay Higgins, the only House Republican to vote against releasing the Epstein files
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the lone House member to vote against a bill that would force the Justice Department to release its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I have been a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with the bill...
DHS plans to deploy 250 border agents to Louisiana in major immigration sweep
NEW ORLEANS — Around 250 federal border agents are set to descend on New Orleans in the coming weeks for a two-month immigration crackdown dubbed “Swamp Sweep” that aims to arrest roughly 5,000 people across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three...
The Education Department is dismantling. Here’s what that means
WASHINGTON — The Education Department is breaking off several of its main offices and giving their responsibilities to other federal agencies, an early look at how President Donald Trump could fulfill his campaign pledge to close the department entirely. Offices that serve the nation’s schools and colleges would go to...
