Early this month, the U.S. Department of Education issued an ultimatum to K-12 public schools and state education agencies: Certify that you are not engaging in discrimination under the banner of diversity, equity and inclusion, or risk losing federal funding — including billions in support for low-income students.

The backlash was immediate....Read more

The Trump administration is moving quickly to dramatically expand the nation’s capacity for detaining immigrants who do not have legal authorization to be in the United States.

The administration has largely turned to the for-profit, private prison industry to reopen or repurpose shuttered and aging facilities — many of which have been ...Read more

DENVER — Starting in summer 2026, ammunition sold in Colorado must be kept behind counters or in locked shelves under a law signed Friday by Gov. Jared Polis.

House Bill 1133 requires ammo be accessible to customers only with the help of a store employee. It also generally prohibits the sale of ammo to people under the age of 18, though it ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A group of Venezuelan men urgently filed requests to the U.S. Supreme Court, an appeals court and two federal courts to block their imminent deportation, saying President Donald Trump’s administration appears poised to send them to a notorious prison in El Salvador without the required chance for judicial review.

The flurry of ...Read more

David Walt received a presidential medal in January for inventions that have enabled genetic screening for in vitro fertilization, better disease diagnosis and improved crop resistance. His latest work involved early detection of Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, with the goal of developing new drugs to manage the debilitating loss of muscle ...Read more

The U.S. is prepared to recognize Russian control of the Ukrainian region of Crimea as part of a broader peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, according to people familiar with the matter.

The potential concession is the latest signal that President Donald Trump is eager to cement a ceasefire deal, and comes as he and Secretary of State ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is studying whether he’s able to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, his top economist said Friday, a day after the president publicly criticized the head of the central bank for not moving fast enough to slash interest rates.

“The president and his team will continue to study that,” National Economic ...Read more

DENVER — Joseph Koenig whooped with excitement after he threw a rock into a passing car’s windshield and killed the driver two years ago, his friend testified Friday during Koenig’s jury trial in Jefferson County District Court.

Koenig let out the whoop when he saw 20-year-old Alexa Bartell’s car had veered off the road after it was hit...Read more

President Donald Trump trashed Sen. Chris Van Hollen as a “fool” and a “grandstander” on Friday for meeting with wrongly deported immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia in his homeland of El Salvador.

The president called out the Maryland Democrat for negotiating an attention-grabbing sit-down with Abrego Garcia after delicate talks with the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In a roughly minute-long phone call to Dauphin County 911, the man accused of setting three fires in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence told dispatchers Pennsylvania’s chief executive needed to leave his family and friends alone.

“Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police who later served as chief of security for the National Football League will conduct an independent security review of the arson attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, the current head of the state police announced Friday.

Jeffrey B. Miller, who led the state ...Read more

ATLANTA — A Friday shootout in Fulton County left a suspected gunman dead and injured two officers, who were taken to the hospital, where one is in critical condition, officials said.

The shooting prompted a heavy police presence at a motel near the Fulton airport and blocked Fulton Industrial Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The ...Read more

DETROIT — A search warrant affidavit for the West Bloomfield home where three siblings died in a fire in February revealed that the first 911 call came from the family's 16-year-old daughter, who told authorities, "There's no way for us to get out."

The affidavit sheds new light on the Feb. 2 fire that killed Hannah, Jeremiah and Jacob Oliora...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is embracing its legal fight over the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man accused of gang membership who was deported to El Salvador last month, stating he is "not coming back" despite repeated judicial orders directing the administration to return him.

The case has fueled concern among Democrats and ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Multiple South Carolina churches are taking their parent denomination to the S.C. Supreme Court to try to get out from under its jurisdiction and keep their church holdings intact.

The lawsuit was filed this week by the Methodist Church of Simpsonville, with its pastor and chair of the church council named as individual ...Read more

DULLES, Va. — Appearing emotional and tired, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen arrived back in the United States on Friday afternoon, marking his return from a trip to El Salvador where he met with mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Van Hollen told reporters that, despite his ordeal, Abrego Garcia was most concerned about his family. The ...Read more

With final approval by the Indiana House Thursday, the Indiana-Illinois border bill passed both chambers of the Indiana legislature and heads to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk for signature into law.

Braun intends to sign the bill, said governor’s office spokesman Griffin Reid Thursday.

When asked about the governor’s response to the bill, Reid ...Read more

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The pounding of fists on the governor’s bedroom door was loud and urgent. The mansion was on fire, a state trooper yelled, and Pennsylvania’s first family needed to get out immediately.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Lori, jumped out of bed and rushed from room to room to wake their four children, two dogs, and their ...Read more

BOSTON — Accused murderer Karen Read’s defense team won’t be able to suggest during their opening statement that injuries to victim John O’Keefe were caused by anyone inside the home on whose lawn he died on 2022 if the prosecution has its way.

“The Commonwealth moves for an order that defense counsel refrain from claiming in their ...Read more