February 19, 2026 4:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Governors Association is pulling out of an annual meeting at the White House after President Donald Trump declined to invite two Democratic governors. The Republican president is still expected to meet with governors at the White House on Friday but the event won’t be facilitated by the governors’ group. Trump had refused to include Democratic Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland and he recently blasted them on social media as “not worthy of being there.” The episode underscores the confrontational approach Trump has taken during his second term toward state leaders he doesn’t like.
February 20, 2026 4:46 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Federal workers are restoring an exhibit on the people once enslaved by President George Washington in Philadelphia despite an ongoing legal fight between the city and the Trump administration. Mayor Cherelle Parker visited the site Thursday morning to thank the National Park Service workers reinstalling the panels. The work is set to continue Friday, the deadline set by a judge who ordered it restored. The exhibit details the lives of the nine people enslaved at the former President’s House on Independence Mall. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is appealing the judge’s ruling. A spokesperson says the office has no comment on the restoration work.
February 20, 2026 4:50 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States. That’s according to congressional documents and an arms control group. Both U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom. The kingdom’s assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue a nuclear weapon if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.
February 20, 2026 5:41 pm
(AP) – All truckers and bus drivers will have to take their commercial driver’s license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Earlier this week, the Transportation Department said 557 driving schools should close because they failed to meet basic safety standards. The department has been aggressively going after states that handed out commercial driver’s licenses to immigrants who shouldn’t have qualified for them ever since a fatal crash in August.
February 20, 2026 4:51 am
Eric Dane, the actor known for “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria,” has died at 53 due to ALS. His representatives say he died on Thursday afternoon. His family says he spent his final days with loved ones. Dane rose to fame as Dr. Mark Sloan on “Grey’s Anatomy” and later played Cal Jacobs on “Euphoria.” He also starred on “The Last Ship,” where production paused as he battled depression. In April 2025, Dane shared his diagnosis of ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He later spoke publicly to push ALS awareness and research. He leaves two daughters with wife Rebecca Gayheart, who he married in 2004.
February 19, 2026 6:20 am
LONDON (AP) — The former Prince Andrew was arrested and held for hours by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The arrest Thursday was an extraordinary move in a country where authorities once sought to shield the royal family from embarrassment. It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years. King Charles III took the unusual step of issuing a statement on the arrest of his brother, saying the law must take its course. The former prince was released about 11 hours later.
February 19, 2026 1:47 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package. The president said at Thursday’s meeting that five countries have also agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have pledged to send troops for a Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police. Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a major population center where the U.S. administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts. (Photo: AP)
February 19, 2026 1:46 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week as layoffs remain at historically low levels. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 14 fell by 23,000 to 206,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s significantly fewer than the 225,000 new applications that analysts had forecast. Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as representative of U.S. layoffs. The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Feb. 7 increased to 1.87 million, up 17,000 from the previous week, the government said.
February 19, 2026 6:53 am
State Police in Summerhill Township, Cambria County have charged a McDonald woman with theft by deception and financial exploitation after they say she led her mother to believe she was being held against her will and needed the money to be released. Troopers say 42 year old Erica Bardell later admitted that she was not in danger and was “just trying to get money”. According to the criminal complaint, Bardell received $1,400 through electronic transfers from her 70 year old mother who lives in Portage, Pa.
February 19, 2026 4:51 am
No injuries are reported after a crash knock down several poles and wires in Canton Township early Thursday morning. It happened around 12:30 a.m. at Jefferson Avenue and Brush Run Road. Crews from West Penn Power were called in to make repairs and the crash reportedly did knock out power to some customers. West Penn Power’s Outage map showed more than one-hundred customers without service in Canton Township as well as 82 in Buffalo Township and 28 in Blaine Township.
