September 14, 2025 7:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Kash Patel is bracing for scrutiny over his leadership of the Charlie Kirk investigation and other areas when he appears before Congress this coming week for oversight hearings. He raised eyebrows hours after Kirk’s killing when he posted on X that “the subject” in the killing was in custody when he in fact remained on the loose. That confusion was an early misstep in an investigation that has become the most consequential test of Patel’s young career as director. The hearings are expected to give a glimpse into the sustained tumult at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. (Photo: AP)
September 14, 2025 7:18 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s foreign minister says a U.S. warship illegally boarded a Venezuelan fishing boat in Venezuelan waters. The incident, involving nine fishermen, adds to tensions between the two countries. The US had previously deployed warships in the Caribbean, citing a fight against drug cartels. Venezuela accuses the US of seeking to provoke a military escalation. The Venezuelan government also claims the US committed extrajudicial killings in a separate incident involving a drug-laden vessel. Venezuela is urging citizens to join militias amid fears of a potential US incursion.
September 14, 2025 2:29 am
A few dozen people showed up for a memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed this week while speaking at a college campus in Utah. The rally was promoted on Facebook to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday in front of the Washington County Courthouse. The group, however, was left standing, with no guidance until at least 10:45, until someone in the group decided to open with a prayer. WJPA was not able to find or speak with the individual (s) who promoted the event, and everyone we spoke to said they did not know the organizer, but they saw it posted on Facebook. As a result, the memorial continued with those in attendance making personal remarks and the singing of “Amazing Grace.” Most of those whom we spoke with echoed the same thoughts, saying this isn’t the way to solve political issues, free speech is dying and it doesn’t matter what political party you are a member of, violence isn’t the answer.
September 13, 2025 7:08 am
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. —(WPXI)- A local middle school teacher is facing charges as police say she had inappropriate contact with a student. Connellsville Area School District middle school teacher Ashley Autumn Mongell, 30, is charged with unlawful contact with a minor, sexual abuse of children and corruption of minors. Fayette County District Attorney District Attorney Mike Aubele announced the charges on Friday. According to court documents, police began the investigation last Thursday after receiving a Cyber Tip about messages being sent between Mongell and a teen boy. Police said they found messages sent on Instagram that were sexually suggestive. The Attorney General issued a subpoena and police obtained information about the teen, who was 14. The boy told police both he and Mongell had sent nude photographs over Snapchat .When police interviewed Mongell on Friday, they say she admitted to using the account found in the conversations, communicating with the boy she knew to be underage and said that he was in her class last year, court documents say. Police said she also admitted that she sent the boy a fully nude photo. Investigators said that photo was found on the teen’s device. DA Aubele said Mongell could face up to 7 years in prison for the felony “Unlawful Contact with a Minor” charge.
September 13, 2025 4:43 am
OREM, Utah (AP) — A 22-year-old Utah man who was booked on murder charges in the assassination of Charlie Kirk held deep disdain for the conservative activist’s provocative viewpoints and indicated to a family member that he was responsible for the shooting. That’s what authorities said Friday as they announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson, which marked a major break in a case that shocked the country and raised fresh alarms about political violence in a deeply polarized United States. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Robinson had become “more political” in the run-up to the shooting and mentioned during a dinner with family that Kirk would be visiting Utah. Cox credited Robinson’s family with helping turn him in.
September 13, 2025 4:40 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Qatar’s prime minister Friday before he visits Israel this weekend. It shows how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies days after Israel targeted Hamas leaders in a strike on Doha. The trip to Israel is a show of support for the increasingly isolated country before the United Nations holds likely contentious debate on the creation of a Palestinian state. Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff had dinner with the Qatari premier later Friday. The Trump administration is walking a delicate line between two major allies after Israel’s strike in Doha, where Hamas leaders had gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
September 13, 2025 4:37 am
CHICAGO (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security says an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a suspect who tried to evade arrest in a Chicago suburb by driving his car at officers and dragging one of them. The officer was attempting to arrest a man Friday with a history of reckless driving who had entered the country illegally. The department says the man refused orders and drove his car at the officers. One officer was hit and dragged, prompting him to open fire. Both the officer and the suspect were taken to a hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead. ICE says the incident occurred in Franklin Park, amid an ongoing enforcement operation in Chicago.
September 13, 2025 4:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate. That characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud. President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on claims that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously. Trump is trying to reshape the central bank, in part to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”
September 13, 2025 4:32 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll send the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, to address crime concerns there. The president told Fox News on Friday that “the mayor is happy” and “the governor is happy” about the pending deployment. Democratic Mayor Paul Young pushed back on Trump’s assertion, saying “I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime.” Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee confirmed the deployment was coming and said he planned to speak with the president Friday to work out details of the mission. Trump has also mused about sending troops to New Orleans, another majority-Black city in a Republican-leaning state.
September 13, 2025 4:30 am
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Senate has passed a plan backed by President Donald Trump that could help Republicans win an additional U.S. House seat. The Senate’s vote Friday sends the measure to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe for his expected signature. But opponents immediately announced a referendum petition that could force a statewide vote on the new map. Missouri is the third state to take up congressional redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections. Republicans in Texas passed a new House map aimed at winning five more seats. Democrats in California countered with their own redistricting plan aimed at picking up five seats, but it still needs voter approval.
