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Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

DOJ targets another Philly 'ICE Out' ordinance after a court win on masking ban

Current News / News & Features /

PHILADELPHIA — When the President Donald Trump’s administration sued Philadelphia over one of seven new local restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a ban on law enforcement officers from wearing masks or concealing their identity — the federal lawsuit included a footnote.

“The United States has grave concerns over the ...Read more

Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Country legend Dolly Parton dies at 80, days after health update

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Dolly Parton — country music icon, movie star, theme park owner, sex symbol and philanthropist — has died at 80.

The news was shared in an Instagram video on her account by Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver.

Parton had recently canceled multiple engagements, including the opening of a new ride at her theme park, and updated fans Friday to ...Read more

Clarens Siffroy/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Haitian officials confirm 25 dead in Kenscoff gang attack, mayor says

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Haitian authorities have confirmed 25 deaths in an overnight gang attack in the hills overlooking Port-au-Prince, the mayor of Kenscoff said.

Mayor Massillon Jean told the Miami Herald that a justice of the peace, accompanied by the chief prosecutor for Port-au-Prince, confirmed the deaths and also determined that 15 people remain missing after...Read more

NHC/TNS

Odds climb for 1 of 2 Atlantic systems to develop, hurricane center says

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The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday increased the odds one system in the Atlantic could become the next tropical depression or storm, while dropping chances on a second Atlantic system it had been tracking.

As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. EDT tropical advisory, the more likely of the two, and the one of more concern to Florida, was an area of low...Read more

Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

'Meritless': Judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's claim to toss her prison sentence

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A New York federal judge Tuesday denied convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s last-ditch effort to throw out her 20-year-sentence, calling her self-filed legal petition “lengthy,” “rambling” and “meritless.”

In a brutally worded 67-page order, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ⁠further warned Maxwell against ...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump threatens to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America as trade war rages

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America if Canada doesn’t cave to his demands in the still-escalating trade war.

After days of verbal jousting, Trump singled out the Canadian industrial powerhouse province whose premier has derided him as a dictator and worse.

“The United States is ...Read more

Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS

Inside DeSantis' $2 million quest to put up bronze American statues

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First came the bronze-cast statue of George Washington.

Then came Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and 11 other American icons, their homes ranging from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle.

Coming soon? A joint sculpture of baseball icons Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

All told, Florida has so far approved spending nearly $2 million for 18 statues in ...Read more

Mail voting is under assault by the Trump administration. Alfieri Getty Images

Narrow mail-in voting ruling by Supreme Court adds uncertainty to midterm elections without addressing constitutionality of Trump’s executive order

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The reaction to a procedural ruling by the Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026, was immediate and sharp.

The conservative justices’ decision in the 6-3 ruling to lift a block on implementation of President Donald Trump’s March 2026 executive order imposing restrictions on mail voting had voting rights advocates and many state officials...Read more

Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Country legend Dolly Parton dies at 80, days after health update

Current News / News & Features /

Dolly Parton — country music icon, movie star, theme park owner, sex symbol and philanthropist — has died at 80.

The news was shared in an Instagram video on her account by Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver.

Parton had recently canceled multiple engagements, including the opening of a new ride at her theme park, and updated fans Friday to ...Read more

KFF HEALTH/TNS

Where Florida's gun violence exacts its biggest toll on Black and Latino children

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just west of the St. Johns River, which divides this sprawling city racially and economically, 2-year-old A’mahri Robinson was murdered in his mother’s arms.

Ladonna Johnson was rocking A’mahri to sleep in March when he was shot in the head with a gun she kept for protection.

A’mahri loved going outdoors and ...Read more

Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Pennsylvania reports 2 measles deaths, state's first in 35 years

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PHILADELPHIA — Two people have died from measles in Pennsylvania, state officials confirmed Tuesday, the first fatalities from the highly contagious disease in the state in 35 years and the only deaths involving the highly contagious disease reported nationally so far this year.

The deaths occurred in Lancaster County, the center of a major ...Read more

TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Ebola is still killing in central Africa. These groups are working to save lives

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Misinformation and distrust are among the challenges facing public health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo as they confront the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. Even though the virus has faded from U.S. headlines, key organizations are still at work providing medical care and training to counter the spread of the disease.

...Read more

Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

NY judge denies Ghislaine Maxwell's self-represented habeas corpus bid

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NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge on Tuesday denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s self-represented, Hail Mary bid to get out of prison, finding the “rambling petition” brought by Jeffrey Epstein’s madame meritless.

The Manhattan Federal Court petition filed by the British former socialite in December argued that new information arising in related ...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump threatens to rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America' amid Canada trade war

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LANSING, Mich. — President Donald Trump floated the idea of changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in a social media post Tuesday amid an intensifying feud with Canada.

The Republican president posted about the possibility of the name switch at about 7 a.m. Last year, he issued an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of ...Read more

Roberto Schmidt/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Alex Pretti's family gives emotional first interview since Border Patrol killing

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The grieving family of Alex Pretti broke their silence Tuesday on his killing by federal immigration agents on the streets of Minneapolis last winter, demanding answers about the shooting death and justice for their slain son.

The ICU nurse’s parents and sister said Pretti was documenting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Alligator attacks Charlotte triathlete swimming in South Carolina river, police say

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-based triathlete and coach was attacked by an alligator while training in the Savannah River along the border between South Carolina and Georgia, according to police.

The victim has been identified as 31-year-old Jonathan Bruney of Charlotte, and his injuries were not life-threatening, officials said.

The attack...Read more

A 15-minute express train to O'Hare? One group is making the pitch, but the proposal faces hurdles

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CHICAGO — A group of business and transportation leaders wants to build a private train they say could take travelers from downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport in 15 minutes, but the project would need to clear significant planning, financial and regulatory hurdles to get rolling.

The aspirational plan, called the O’Hare Flyer...Read more

Ibrahima Mbaye/GoFundMe/TNS

Death of immigrant who was found after Baltimore fire ruled a homicide

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BALTIMORE — The death of a 31-year-old man whose body was found at a ground-floor apartment fire in Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood has been ruled a homicide, the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday.

The ruling provides the first official determination of the manner of death for ...Read more

Critics of needle exchange programs often express concerns about syringe litter.  Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Syringe litter did not increase after a needle exchange ban was overturned in Pueblo, Colorado, but health services suffered

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The City Council of Pueblo, Colorado, voted to ban the distribution of syringes through syringe service programs starting in May 2024.

Also called needle exchanges, these programs are run by community organizations that provide healthcare services. The impetus for the ban, as council members noted, was syringe litter in public spaces....Read more

A herder helps to move a flock of sheep near California's border with Mexico to graze on alfalfa in 2025. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Relentless heat and drought take a toll on herders’ physical and mental health, in Kenya and the US

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If being outside in the heat for even a few minutes felt miserable this summer, imagine what it’s like for herders who are always out walking with their livestock and rarely get a break.

“We have never experienced such hot days,” a woman herder in northern Kenya told our research team in 2024. “It is difficult to [do things] ...Read more