December 22, 2025 3:56 pm
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge says Kilmar Abrego Garcia should remain free for now while she considers the government’s arguments for detaining him in immigration custody. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia’s release on Dec. 11 after finding that officials had no viable plan to deport him, and he cannot be held indefinitely. Back in 2019, an immigration judge barred his deportation to his home country of El Salvador. His mistaken deportation there in March has become a lightning rod in the immigration debate. Officials now say they will deport him to a third country.
December 22, 2025 3:58 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is suspending leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction on the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentagon. The pause is effective immediately and will give the Interior Department, which oversees offshore wind, time to work with the Defense Department and other agencies to assess the possible ways to mitigate any security risks posed by the projects, the administration said. The statement did not detail the national security risks. It is the latest step the administration has taken to hobble offshore wind in its push against renewable energy sources.
December 22, 2025 2:56 am
Nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians are being sent “Money Match” checks. Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity says the checks, which total over $22 million, are being shipped all around the Commonwealth. She urges people to watch for the checks and deposit them promptly. These checks are the result of the Treasury’s new unclaimed property program that puts money back into Pennsylvanians’ pockets. The Money Match program enables the state return unclaimed property worth up to $500 automatically. “The inaugural year of Pennsylvania Money Match has been a resounding success that surpassed our goals and exceeded my expectations as we put more than $50 million back in the hands of the people who earned it,” Garrity said. Unclaimed property valued over $500, or that has multiple owners or other complexities, still requires a claim to be filed and submission of required documentation. According to the Treasury, unclaimed property includes things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates or tangible items like the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes. The Pennsylvania Treasury currently has $5 billion in unclaimed property belonging to more than 1 in 10 Pennsylvanians
December 22, 2025 5:16 am
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania couple was tricked out of more than $1 million by scammers posing as a representative from the Social Security Administration. NBC News affiliate WGAL reports the scammers told a Lancaster couple that one of their Social Security numbers had been compromised and they needed to pay to get a new one. The couple then pulled out all their retirement savings, as instructed by the scammer, and purchased gold, which they gave to the scammer. Pennsylvania State Police said the gold was valued at $1.3 million.
December 22, 2025 5:10 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — It’s been a year since demolition began at the Century III Mall. Now, we’re learning more about what developers envision for the site. Recently, Atlantic Retail began marketing a new site plan, hoping to attract “big box, junior anchor, outparcel and inline tenants.” “Become a part of the historic redevelopment of the former Century III Mall,” the site plan reads in part. Sources familiar with the plan tell the Pittsburgh Business Times that an affiliate of Chicago-based Key Development Partners is expected to be the owner of the future site.
December 22, 2025 5:22 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is defending the Justice Department’s decision to release just a fraction of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the congressionally mandated deadline. Blanche is pledging that the Trump administration will eventually meet its obligation required by law. But he tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his department was obligated to act with caution as it goes about releasing thousands of documents that can include sensitive information. Friday’s partial release of the Epstein files has led to a new crush of criticism from Democrats. They accuse the Trump administration of trying to hide information. Blanche calls the pushback disingenuous.
December 22, 2025 5:23 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. Word of the pursuit comes as the Trump administration appears to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government. The tanker pursuit Sunday was confirmed by a U.S. official. The official says the vessel was flying a false flag and was under a judicial seizure order. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro Maduro says on Telegram that his country has spent months “ denouncing, challenging and defeating a campaign of aggression” being waged against it.
December 22, 2025 5:21 am
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian general has been killed after an explosive device detonated under his car in Moscow. Investigators suggest Ukraine could be behind the attack. Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate, died from his injuries. This marks the third killing of a senior military officer in just over a year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was immediately informed. Just over a year ago, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov was killed by a bomb. In April, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was also killed by an explosive device. Moscow has blamed Ukraine for several attacks.
December 22, 2025 5:25 am
They say laughter is the best medicine. Michael Miller, a cardiologist and medical professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says they’re right. Laughter is an obvious stress reliever. But Miller says it’s even good for your heart. Madan Kataria — a physician in Mumbai and the founder of laughter yoga — agrees. Laughter yoga involves breathing exercises, light stretches, and silly movements and sounds that force you to laugh. Kataria suggests bringing laughter into your daily life, even at things that might not seem funny. Recently, he demonstrated what he calls “credit-card-bill laughter.” He held out his hand as if looking at a statement, and burst into a roiling, infectious laughter.
December 21, 2025 7:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department’s webpage for documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is missing at least 16 of its files a day after they were released. The files, which were no longer available Saturday after being uploaded to the site Friday, included photographs showing paintings of nude women and a credenza holding various photos of people including President Donald Trump. The discrepancies fueled online speculation about whether they were intentionally removed and why the public wasn’t notified — questions the Justice Department didn’t immediately answer. The missing files contributed to the long-simmering intrigue about Epstein and the powerful people who surrounded him, which wasn’t quelled by the Justice Department’s much-anticipated release of records Friday. (Photo: AP)
