Fort Worth, Texas — Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican Texas Senate district that President Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024. Rehmet, a veteran and labor union leader, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss by 14 percentage points after county officials tallied almost all...
Washington, President Donald Trump said Saturday that India has agreed to buy Venezuelan oil, shifting purchases away from Iran, and invited China to do likewise. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the United States accepted Venezuela's offer of 50 million barrels valued at about $5.2 billion. He repeated...
Elkland, Pennsylvania, municipal officials issued a boil-water advisory after a Jan. 31 water main break caused loss of positive pressure and risked contamination; the advisory superseded a Jan. 29 elevated-manganese warning. This week, similar advisories were issued in Atoka (Tenn.), Youngstown (Ohio), Maitland (Fla.) and Williamson (N.Y.) following leaks, mechanical...
Washington — President Trump said Saturday he ordered the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Noem not to intervene in protests in Democratic-led cities unless local officials request federal assistance or federal property is threatened. He directed ICE and Border Patrol to protect federal buildings and act forcefully when properties...
United States: Fire departments responded to multiple residential fires this week that displaced residents and caused structural damage across small cities and towns. Crews in Athens, Grimes, Milwaukee, Ansonia, New Haven and Smyrna extinguished blazes, conducted searches, and secured scenes between Friday night and early Sunday morning. Authorities reported no...
SAN ANTONIO — A judge ordered the U.S. government on Saturday to release by Tuesday a 5-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, from a Texas detention center after their arrest in a Minneapolis suburb last month. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery cited concerns about deportation...
United States — The Transportation Security Administration began enforcing a $45 identity‑verification charge on Feb. 1, 2026, for travelers lacking a Real ID, passport, or other accepted identification. TSA implemented the fee through its TSA ConfirmID system, which grants a 10‑day verification window; passengers may pay online in advance or...
MINNEAPOLIS, A federal judge on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction that sought to stop an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit proceeds. The suit, filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, contends the Department...
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — Punxsutawney Phil emerged at Gobbler's Knob on Monday, and his handlers announced he saw his shadow, forecasting six more weeks of winter. Tens of thousands of people attended the annual event, which dates to 1887 and expanded after the 1993 film Groundhog Day. Organizers staged multi-day festivities...
Orlando, Fla. — North Carolina and South Carolina drew the largest domestic inflows in the United States this past year, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released this week. North Carolina gained 84,000 residents relocating from other states while South Carolina recorded the highest percentage growth at 1.5 percent. Texas...
