Current News

/

ArcaMax

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump cancels second attack on Venezuela; fifth tanker seized

Current News / News & Features /

U.S. President Donald Trump said a second wave of attacks on Venezuela has been canceled, citing improved cooperation from the country after some political prisoners were released.

Venezuela is “working well” with the U.S. on rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure and releasing “large numbers” of political prisoners, Trump wrote in a...Read more

Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS

NY AG Letitia James warns of dire risks as she files lawsuit to reverse Trump funding freeze

Current News / News & Features /

NEW YORK — Attorney General Letitia James warned that President Donald Trump is putting the most vulnerable New Yorkers at risk as she and four other attorneys general head to court in a bid to reverse the administration’s withholding $10 billion in funding for child care and other social services programs.

The funding freeze, which ...Read more

Pennsylvania man accused of grave robbery had over 100 body parts in home, storage unit

Current News / News & Features /

A Pennsylvania man is facing nearly 500 criminal charges after an investigation led to the discovery of “over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains” recovered from his home and storage unit, officials said Thursday.

Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata, was arrested earlier this week after detectives saw him leaving Mount ...Read more

Glen Stubbe/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura speaks out against ICE in Minnesota, hints may run again

Current News / News & Features /

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is applauding students and staff at Roosevelt High School for standing up for freedom and America, and subtly hinted that he may once again be interested in running for the state’s top office.

“I did one term. I am owed a second,” he told reporters on Jan. 8. “I was leading a nice ...Read more

SpaceX/SpaceX/TNS

SpaceX targets afternoon launch of 2nd Space Coast mission of 2026

Current News / News & Features /

SpaceX has the first of a series of afternoon launches in the next week on tap Friday with another Starlink mission from Florida's Cape Canaveral.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-96 mission with 29 more of the internet satellites is targeting 2:34 p.m. Eastern time in the middle of a four-hour window from 1:03 to 5:03 p.m. from Cape Canaveral ...Read more

Judge finds illegal language in Michigan health department's proposal to restructure state mental health services

Current News / News & Features /

DETROIT — A Michigan Court of Claims judge has found that the language in the state health department's attempt to possibly privatize community health agencies violates Michigan's mental health code.

Two lawsuits were filed in August by three regional entities that manage mental health, substance abuse and disability care — called Prepaid ...Read more

Kentucky attorney general pauses effort to unseat fish and wildlife chairman

Current News / News & Features /

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky attorney’s general office has withdrawn its demand the chair of a board overseeing the state’s fish and wildlife management agency resign, pending a new legal probe of the state’s exemption for landowners hunting and fishing on their own property.

Attorney General Russell Coleman won’t immediately pursue ...Read more

Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois, 4 other states sue Trump administration over frozen child care funds

Current News / News & Features /

CHICAGO — Illinois and four other states are suing the Trump administration over its decision earlier this week to withhold $10 billion in child care and family assistance funds.

The attorneys general of Illinois, California, Colorado, Minnesota and New York filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court in New York, alleging federal officials ...Read more

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Residents, activists, officials demand police oversight board open inquiry into Chicago Police Department's actions during Midway Blitz

Current News / News & Features /

CHICAGO — Chicago residents, activists and elected officials demanded that the city’s civilian police oversight board launch a thorough probe into how the Chicago Police Department has interacted with or assisted federal immigration agents before, during and after “Operation Midway Blitz” at a heated Thursday night meeting.

City police ...Read more

TNS

NJ mayor replaced after allegations of sexual, mayoral misconduct

Current News / News & Features /

NEW YORK — Jack Tompkins, the former mayor of Pemberton Township, NJ has officially been replaced following his resignation amid allegations of sexual and mayoral misconduct.

Republican councilman Matthew Bianchini was selected in a 3-2 vote to serve out the remainder of Tompkins’ term, which comes to an end later this year, NJ Advance ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

A 'breather': Drenched California has no dry areas for first time in a quarter-century

Current News / News & Features /

LOS ANGELES — After experiencing one of the wettest holiday seasons on record, still soggy California hit a major milestone this week — having zero areas of abnormal dryness for the first time in 25 years.

This data, collected by the U.S. Drought Monitor, is a welcome nugget of news for Golden State residents, who in the last 15 years alone...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump cancels second attack on Venezuela; fifth tanker seized

Current News / News & Features /

U.S. President Donald Trump said a second wave of attacks on Venezuela has been canceled, citing improved cooperation from the country after some political prisoners were released.

Venezuela is “working well” with the U.S. on rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure and releasing “large numbers” of political prisoners, Trump wrote in a...Read more

SpaceX targets afternoon launch of 2nd Space Coast mission of 2026

Current News / News & Features /

ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX has the first of a series of afternoon launches in the next week on tap Friday with another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-96 mission with 29 more of the internet satellites is targeting the opening of a four-hour window at 1:03 p.m. rom Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space ...Read more

Iran shuts down internet in crackdown on escalating protests

Current News / News & Features /

Iran restricted internet and phone access overnight to quell escalating protests across the country, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that he won’t back down against the demonstrators.

The death toll since the unrest began late last year has risen to 42, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights News Agency, which tracks ...Read more

Russia's attack with Oreshnik missile meant to intimidate

Current News / News & Features /

The Russian Oreshnik ballistic missile that hit the Ukrainian city of Lviv carried no explosives and hit nothing of military value, implying it was meant to coerce rather than inflict major damage.

The missile struck residential areas in Lviv late Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. There were no casualties, though critical infrastructure was ...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump cancels second attack on Venezuela, cites cooperation

Current News / News & Features /

U.S. President Donald Trump said a second wave of attacks on Venezuela has been canceled, citing improved cooperation from the country.

Venezuela is “working well” with the U.S. on rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure and releasing “large numbers” of political prisoners, Trump wrote in a social-media post on Truth Social on Friday....Read more

Switzerland mourns 40 fire victims as country seeks answers

Current News / News & Features /

With flags already at half-mast across Switzerland, a chorus of church bells will ring out across Switzerland at 2 p.m. today in memory of the 40 victims of a deadly fire in a mountain resort.

As the country pauses to pay respects to the victims, many of whom were teenagers enjoying a night out, fellow citizens are asking how such a tragedy ...Read more

Alex Kormann/Star Tribune/TNS

Political tribalism consumes debate over ICE shooting

Current News / News & Features /

MINNEAPOLIS — In the minutes after an immigration agent shot and killed a driver in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, graphic bystander videos of the incident quickly prompted dueling narratives.

One side argued the videos were clear evidence the agent murdered an innocent woman. The other side said the videos definitively showed the Immigration and ...Read more

Alejandro A Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer/Alejandro A Alvarez

You can still be arrested in Delaware for smoking weed in public. A new bill might change that

Current News / News & Features /

While weed is legal in Delaware, with a baker’s dozen worth of dispensaries to buy it from, people can still face jail time for public marijuana use under current state law.

State Rep. Eric Morrison, a Democrat, introduced a bill last month that would ease those punishments. House Bill 252 would reduce the penalties for public marijuana ...Read more

California law let a politician avoid jail for child abuse charges. Lawmakers are furious

Current News / News & Features /

A mental health diversion granted to a former Kern County politician is coming under fire from numerous California lawmakers and child welfare advocates, who say a repeatedly amended state law is allowing an accused child abuser to avoid prosecution and possible jail time.

Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged with felony ...Read more