October 4, 2025 9:20 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s army has announced plans to prepare for the first phase of President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and return hostages. The army has moved to a defensive position and will not actively strike. The announcement follows Trump’s order for Israel to stop bombing after Hamas accepted some elements of the plan. The proposal has international support and was endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Talks are underway for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Despite progress, questions remain about the plan’s implementation and its impact on Palestinians in Gaza.
October 4, 2025 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he ordered another strike on a small boat he accused of carrying drugs off Venezuela. It expands what the Trump administration has declared is an “armed conflict” with cartels. In a social media post Friday, Hegseth asserted that the “vessel was trafficking narcotics” and those aboard were “narco-terrorists.” He said the strike killed four men but offered no details on who they were or what group they belonged to. This follows the U.S. designating several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. It’s the fourth deadly strike in the Caribbean and the latest since revelations that President Donald Trump said he was treating drug traffickers as unlawful combatants and military force was required to combat them.
October 4, 2025 4:26 am
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration is offering migrant children $2,500 to voluntarily return to their home countries, dangling a new incentive in efforts to persuade people to self-deport. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t say how much migrants would get or when the offer would take effect, but The Associated Press obtained an email to migrant shelters saying children 14 years of age and older would get $2,500 each. ICE said in a statement that the offer would initially be for 17-year-olds. Advocates say the sizable sum may prevent children from making informed choices.
October 4, 2025 4:22 am
BROADVIEW, Ill. (AP) — Federal officials have reported the arrests of 13 people protesting near an immigration facility outside Chicago. This facility has been frequently targeted during a surge in immigration enforcement. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with employees inside the facility on Friday. Protesters gathered outside, upset by newly installed barricades. Some aimed to block vehicles from entering or leaving the area. Federal agents have used tear gas and pepper balls in response to protests. Illinois State Police set up barriers to separate protesters from law enforcement. Critics have raised concerns about the tactics used by federal agents.
October 4, 2025 4:20 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Hamas said Friday it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements. There was no immediate response from Israel, and Hamas’ response fell short of its demands that the group surrender and disarm.
October 4, 2025 4:12 am
A tractor trailer accident caused the partial closure of Interstate 70 East early Saturday morning. According to 9-1-1 dispatchers, a westbound tractor trailer crossed the median and came to rest in the passing lane of the eastbound side of Interstate 70 causing the closure of that lane. The accident occurred at mile marker 3. Crews cleared the wreckage and lanes are now open. No injuries are reported.
October 3, 2025 5:13 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was sentenced Friday to four years and two months in prison in case involving sex workers, violence and “freak-offs.” The judge said a lengthy sentence was needed for deterrence and that he was unconvinced that if Combs is released these crimes won’t happen again. Combs, 55, was convicted in July of flying people across state lines for drug-fueled marathon sexual encounters. Jurors acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have carried a life sentence. (Photo: AP)
October 3, 2025 4:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have approved another generic version of the abortion pill, prompting outrage from some abortion opponents aligned with President Donald Trump. Anti-abortion groups quickly criticized the move Thursday, calling it a “stain” on the Trump administration. The groups have been pushing for a safety review of mifepristone for months. The FDA first approved the drug as a safe and effective way to end pregnancies in 2000. The new version of the pill is from drugmaker Evita Solutions. It’s not the first generic version, which FDA previously approved in 2019.
October 3, 2025 4:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans’ routine interactions with the federal government this week are increasingly being met with partisan messaging. As a Senate deadlock keeps the federal government unfunded, some traditionally apolitical federal agencies are using their official channels to spread a coordinated political message that the shutdown is the Democrats’ fault. The messages are appearing in banners on agency websites, in autoreplies to emails, and in social media posts. They blame the political party that is out of power in Washington, when both sides are refusing to accommodate the other. Some experts suggest that they might be violating a federal law related to political activity by federal employees.
October 3, 2025 4:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is now openly embracing the conservative blueprint he desperately tried to distance himself from during the 2024 campaign. In a post on his Truth Social site Thursday morning, Trump announced he would be meeting with his budget chief, “Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame,” to discuss which federal agencies should be cut and whether the cuts should be permanent. Trump’s comments represent a dramatic about-face after he and his campaign spent much of last year denouncing the massive proposed overhaul of the federal government that was drafted by many longtime allies and current and former administration officials.
