August 9, 2026 6:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it expects every officer and agent in the field to be equipped with a body camera by the end of August, a rapid expansion that could provide an unprecedented visual record of the federal government’s immigration enforcement operations. But whether the public will get to see that footage remains largely up to ICE. The agency defended its body-worn camera policy amid questions about provisions allowing ICE leadership to withhold or indefinitely delay footage after serious injuries or deaths in custody. Venturella’s statement came in response to an Associated Press report on ICE policy.
August 9, 2026 6:42 am
FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, is running in a crowded Republican Senate primary on Tuesday. She was appointed to fill out his term after he died from a torn aorta. Now she wants to serve a full six years and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump. But some South Carolina Republicans said her lack of experience in elective office makes her a less appealing candidate. Graham in response cites her state government experience, plus the past several weeks she’s had serving as an interim senator doing work in Washington.
August 9, 2026 6:41 am
BOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) — The largest reservoir in the United States has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was created some 90 years ago. Federal data shows Lake Mead fell Friday to a level just below the prior record-low set in July 2022. It’s another sign of the crisis plaguing the Colorado River, a major waterway that supplies the U.S. West. The record comes after the worst snowpack on record for the Colorado River Basin. Federal officials recently announced a proposal to stave off a crisis in the beleaguered waterway by having the states of California, Nevada and Arizona to share cuts.
August 9, 2026 6:38 am
Iran has issued dramatic new demands around the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Oman says talks to manage the strait between it and Iran are continuing. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday that an Iranian missile targeted one of its ships that’s owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-run ADNOC oil company. No casualties were reported. Elsewhere in the region, Yemen’s military attacked the country’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in response to the strikes, escalating tensions and threatening to reignite the civil war. And Turkey’s foreign minister gave new details on a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
August 9, 2026 4:17 am
A Peters Township teen has been accused of sexting a 14 year old boy. Earlier this year Alexander Scott, 18 attempted to try and set up another 14 year old teen for a sexual encounter. Court documents show that Washington Police charged Scott on Thursday with multiple felonies after communicating with him on an internet chat board. The communications were on June 29 and continued with the juvenile until they became too uncomfortable and then they contacted police. The police investigation said Scott allegedly brought another adult into the messaging that was a Peters Township graduate in an attempt to set up a sexual encounter. It is not clear if this incident is tied to a previous sextortion and catfishing scheme that found Peters Township graduate Zachariah Meyers charged with 67 felony charges. Since Meyers’ arrest, Aaron White, 30 of Fallowfield Township was charged with sending lewd photos to a 15 year old boy last summer. Charles Usner, 23 of Mt. Lebanon was charged communicating with a 15 year old boy and driving him to a park to have a sexual encounter earlier this summer. Scott is charged with disseminating images of child sex acts, corruption of minors and additional felonies. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on August 18.
August 9, 2026 4:19 am
The Peters Township School District is making changes to its cell phone policy. The new policy will prohibit students from using their cell phones throughout the school day. New rules prohibit students from using cellphones, smart devices, smart watches or any portable device capable of accessing the internet during the school day. Students will be required to keep the devices powered off and store them in lockers or cubbies. Students will be able to use them during extracurricular activities. Exceptions can be made for students with medical needs. Students who try to get around the ban will have their devices confiscated. The measure is in anticipation of a statewide ban that could take place in 2027. Currently, the Pennsylvania House and Senate have approved separate bills that would prohibit cellphone use in schools. Currently, the Washington and Ringgold School Districts have cellphone bans in place.
August 9, 2026 6:33 am
(WPXI)-A Fayette County woman was convicted this week of killing her boyfriend’s young son. A jury found Brianna Bloyer, 32, guilty of third-degree murder on Friday. Bloyer was watching 2-year-old Bentlee Myers at their Fayette County home in August 2024 when he was found unconscious and turning blue. Doctors said he had a brain bleed and bruising all over his body as a result of abuse. He died of blunt force trauma to the head. “We are grateful for the many law enforcement officers, medical professionals, and witnesses who were a part of this very emotional case and ensured that we were able to secure justice for Bentlee,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said in a post on social media after Bloyer’s trial. “May his memory be eternal.” Bentlee’s father, Brett Bissett, also faces charges in the boy’s death. Online court records show he was expected to enter a plea on Friday, but the details of that plea were not posted.
August 9, 2026 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States. The 50-49 vote early Saturday came after a bruising confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns in both parties about installing President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney atop the Justice Department. While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the Trump administration’s agenda even more aggressively. Blanche’s supporters say his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned working for Trump as his personal attorney will help him in the role.
August 8, 2026 8:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators have headed for the exits in the predawn hours without having met President Donald Trump’s push to pass a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill. Trump had demanded that senators stay in session and skip their August recess. But there is not enough support for the SAVE America Act. Instead they tried to advance a slimmed-down voter ID bill, but it failed on a party-line vote. Senators wrapped an all-night session Saturday having confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general and approved stopgap funding as a step toward preventing a government shutdown later this year. They vowed to try again in autumn on the voting bill as well as a broader package to fund the Iran war.
August 8, 2026 4:33 am
Iran’s leaders believe that sooner or later the United States will have to accede to their control over the Strait of Hormuz. That would mark a victory in the five-month war, as the critical waterway carries a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas in peacetime. But Iran’s strategy also carries major risks. A prolonged conflict could inflict further damage on Iran’s economy and infrastructure, potentially triggering another wave of internal unrest. In the meantime, the conflict over the strait makes it difficult to wind down the wider war, much less resume negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
