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Senators from both parties speak out against Russia as Ukraine offers ceasefire

Current News / News & Features /

WASHINGTON — Hours after President Donald Trump announced to reporters that Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, a bipartisan group of senators took to the Senate floor to urge support for Ukraine.

The senators confirmed reports that the peace talks between Ukraine and the United States restored military support and intelligence sharing ...Read more

Rob Carr/TNS/TNS

Johns Hopkins braces for cuts amid federal funding fight

Current News / News & Features /

Cuts to the Johns Hopkins University might be on the way as federal funding for the school’s research is under fire from the Trump administration, according to a letter posted by the school’s Office of the President.

Referencing a “cascade of executive orders and agency actions,” Johns Hopkins President Ron Daniels wrote that he ...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois farmers, saying they face 'so many challenges as it is,' criticize USDA funding freezes

Current News / News & Features /

Funding freezes by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump could have a “generational” impact on vulnerable Illinois communities and are already causing financial hardships for farmers, a state House legislative committee was told in testimony Tuesday.

“Farmers face so many challenges as it is, and now they must ...Read more

File/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

ICE increases detention capacity in Southern Nevada

Current News / News & Features /

LAS VEGAS — Immigration and Customs Enforcement increased in capacity in Southern Nevada and three other states or persons in the federal agency’s custody.

CoreCivic, a company that operates private prisons and detention centers across the U.S., announced contract modifications with ICE late last month.

One amended agreement adds up to 784...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Trump picks second Muslim mayor of Michigan city for Middle East ambassadorship

Current News / News & Features /

President Donald Trump has chosen Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Mayor Bill Bazzi to be his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Tunisia, rewarding a second Metro Detroit Muslim mayor who backed his candidacy in 2024.

Trump last week appointed Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib to be the ambassador to Kuwait. Both nominations require approval in the Republican...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Measles at LAX: LA County resident had highly contagious disease when they flew into airport

Current News / News & Features /

Public health officials have confirmed the first case of measles in a Los Angeles County resident this year — the second infected person known to have passed through Los Angeles International Airport in 2025.

A county resident who traveled while infectious arrived at LAX in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B) on a China ...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California lawmakers may give inmate firefighters a raise

Current News / News & Features /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Inmate firefighters housed in California’s county jails and state prisons would earn an hourly wage of up to $19 under legislation being considered by state lawmakers.

Assembly Bill 247 would raise the hourly wage of jail inmates assigned to work on active fire scenes.

“They put themselves on the front lines,” ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

'Where does it stop?' Workers speak out about cuts to VA services in Puget Sound region

Current News / News & Features /

Workers hit with recent funding freezes and firings involving the Department of Veterans Affairs said the recent tumult might result in more long-term damage than any short-term financial gains for the federal budget.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., noted that, as the daughter of a World War II Purple Heart recipient, the fight was personal.

“...Read more

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images Europe/TNS

Ukraine accepts US-brokered ceasefire plan in deal for aid

Current News / News & Features /

Ukraine accepted a U.S. proposal for a 30-day truce with Russia as part of a deal with the Trump administration to lift its freeze on military aid and intelligence for Kyiv.

The agreement laid out in a joint statement follows eight hours of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that raised the possibility of a pause of hostilities in Russia’s ...Read more

Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Raskin, other Democrats say athletes could lose if Congress intervenes in college sports

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WASHINGTON — Federal lawmakers on Tuesday called for Congress to help stabilize college athletics, but Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and other Democrats said they worry the NCAA would use legislation to roll back significant gains made by student-athletes.

“The NCAA has had a monopoly on college sports and the revenue they generate for decades...Read more

News briefs

Current News / News & Features /

NTSB calls for ending risky helicopter route near Reagan national airport

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday issued “urgent recommendations” that the Federal Aviation Administration prohibit helicopters from using the route an Army Blackhawk was taking when it collided with a passenger plane near Ronald ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Lawmakers want Idaho 'undesirable' for undocumented immigrants, target health care

Current News / News & Features /

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho is one step closer to imposing state crimes that would allow local police agencies to wade into immigration enforcement, which historically has been under the authority of the federal government.

Senators voted 29-6 to advance a bill Tuesday that would create the new state crimes of illegal entry and reentry. Police can ...Read more

Bettina Hansen/The Seattle Times/TNS

British tourist in custody at Tacoma ICE detention center for weeks

Current News / News & Features /

A British tourist who had been traveling through the U.S. has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention in Tacoma, Washington, for about two weeks after she was denied entry into Canada, according to ICE and social media posts from the woman’s family.

Rebecca Burke, 28, is detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center “related...Read more

Texas Republican introduces bill to make being transgender a felony

Current News / News & Features /

A Republican representative in Texas has introduced a bill that would make being transgender a felony in the state.

The bill, authored by state Rep. Tom Oliverson, creates a new crime of “gender identity fraud” punishable by up to two years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.

Oliverson, who represents a section of Houston, has not publicly...Read more

Alaska House debates amendments to education bill in marathon session

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The Alaska House is poised to take a final vote on a school funding bill later this week, after a marathon debate Monday on dozens of amendments to the proposal.

House Bill 69 would increase the state's annual $1.2 billion education budget by more than $250 million per year. The measure is intended to compensate for almost a decade of virtually...Read more

'Inclusion is not a divisive word': Ban on DEI in public schools divides NC Senate

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RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools and put in place new rules for how teachers can discuss racism and sexism in classrooms.

Senators voted 28-18, along party lines, to pass the “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Education” bill that...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

After tapes reveal racist and sexist comments, LAPD watchdog demands investigation

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LOS ANGELES — The civilian commission that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department demanded a thorough internal investigation into racist, sexist and homophobic comments that were captured on recordings of LAPD officers.

One official said the tapes, which were first disclosed this week by the Los Angeles Times, exposed a “toxic ...Read more

Jill Toyoshiba/Kansas City Star/TNS

State takeover of St. Louis Police Department clears Missouri Senate with bipartisan support

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Senate on Monday easily approved a state takeover plan for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department over the objections of the city’s mayor and local senators.

The plan, approved on a 27-5 bipartisan vote, now moves to the House, which could vote this week to send the measure to Republican Gov. Mike ...Read more

4 Brazilian illegal immigrants in Massachusetts charged with running black market pharmacy

Current News / News & Features /

BOSTON — An illegal immigrant from Brazil has been arrested along with three of his alleged drug runners — also Brazilian nationals — on federal charges that they pushed controlled substances from their home country to customers who thought they were legitimate pharmaceutical drugs.

“For years, these defendants allegedly exploited a ...Read more

Jose A. Iglesias/Miami Herald/TNS

Trump administration weighs barring Cubans, Haitians from US as part of new travel ban

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The Trump administration is weighing including Cuba and Haiti on a list of countries whose nationals will face restrictions to enter the country, sources with knowledge of the ongoing discussions told the Miami Herald.

Cuba, which is on a State Department list of countries that sponsor terrorism, might end up on a “red list” of countries ...Read more