December 20, 2025 4:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration launched military strikes Friday in Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State group fighters and weapons sites in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week ago. A U.S. official described it as “a large-scale” strike that hit 70 targets in areas across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons. Another U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said more strikes should be expected. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media.
December 20, 2025 3:55 am
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Thirty years ago, Claudio Neves Valente and Nuno F.G. Loureiro were classmates with bright futures. Both excelled in physics and made their way from their home country of Portugal to the U.S., settling on the campuses of prestigious East Coast universities. But Neves Valente’s path took a darker turn than his former peer. Investigators say the 48-year-old fatally shot two students last week at Brown University in Providence, where he was a graduate student in the early 2000s, and later killed Loureiro, who led one of the largest laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Authorities have offered no motive for the shootings or elaborated on what, if any, history was between the two men. Neves Valente was found dead Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a New Hampshire storage facility, ending a search that started with last Saturday’s shooting in a Brown lecture hall, where nine other people were also wounded. Authorities believe that on Monday, two days after the Brown shooting, Neves Valente shot Loureiro at the professor’s home in the Boston suburbs, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Providence. An autopsy found Neves Valente died Tuesday.
December 20, 2025 4:07 am
ANTARCTICA (AP) — The Southern Ocean is one of the most remote places on Earth, but that doesn’t mean it is tranquil. Tumultuous waves that can swallow vessels ensure that the Antarctic Peninsula has a constant drone of ocean. While it can be loud, the view is serene — at first glance, it is only deep blue water and blinding white ice. Several hundred meters (yards) off the coast emerges a small boat with a couple dozen tourists in bright red jackets. They are holding binoculars, hoping for a glimpse of the orcas, seals and penguins that call this tundra home. They are in the Lemaire Channel, nicknamed the “Kodak Gap,” referring to the film and camera company, because of its picture-perfect cliffs and ice formations. This narrow strip of navigable water gives anybody who gets this far south a chance to see what is at stake as climate change, caused mainly by the burning of oil, gas and coal, leads to a steady rise in global average temperatures. The Antarctic Peninsula stands out as one of the fastest warming places in the world. The ocean that surrounds it is also a major repository for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to warming. It captures and stores roughly 40% of the CO2 emitted by humans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
December 20, 2025 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department released thousands of files Friday about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the incomplete document dump did not break significant ground about the long-running criminal investigations of the financier or his ties to wealthy and powerful individuals. The files included photographs of famous people who spent time with Epstein in the years before he came under suspicion, including some candid snapshots of Bill Clinton, who flew on Epstein’s jet and invited him to the White House in the years before the financier was accused of wrongdoing. But there was almost no material related to another old Epstein friend, President Donald Trump, aside from a few well-known images, sparing the White House from having to confront fresh questions about a relationship the administration has tried in vain to minimize. The records, consisting largely of pictures but also including call logs, grand jury testimony, interview transcripts and other documents, arrived amid extraordinary anticipation that they might offer the most detailed look yet at nearly two decades worth of government scrutiny of Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and underage girls. Yet the release, replete with redactions, seemed unlikely to satisfy the clamor for information given how many records had yet to be released and because some of the materials had already been made public. In a letter to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the Justice Department was continuing to review files in its possession, was withholding some documents under exemptions meant to protect victims and expected additional disclosures by the end of the year.
December 19, 2025 5:45 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has started releasing its files on Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender known for his connections to powerful figures, including Donald Trump. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche tells Fox News Channel he expects the department to release “several hundred thousand” records Friday and then several hundred thousand more in the coming weeks. Trump had long opposed the files’ release but did a U-turn after political pressure from fellow Republicans. Epstein was a well-connected financier who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, who had many other prominent acquaintances. (Photo: AP)
December 19, 2025 4:46 am
Hundreds were without power Friday morning after a strong storm system pushed through with gusty winds and rain. West Penn Power reported more than 900 customers were without service at the height of the storm. The hardest hit area was South Strabane Township with more than 340 customers without service. More than one-hundred were without power in Cecil Township and Smith Township reported about 77. The outages were scattered throughout the county – with the City of Washington, West Finley, East Finley, Mt. Pleasant and Nottingham Townships also affected. West Penn said they were hoping to have everyone back on line by early evening on Friday.
December 19, 2025 2:51 am
Washington County Commissioners authorized County Solicitor Gary Sweat to make modifications to the Hotel Tax Ordinance that governs how monies generated from the county’s hotel tax are used. The proposed ordinance will mimic an ordinance adopted in 2001 that will allow county commissioners input as to how to best use those tax funds. Currently 96% of tax revenue is sent to the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency (WCTPA). Commissioners wish to return to a format where 76% of tax revenue would be deposited to a joint account where both the county and WCTPA would decide which projects to fund and how monies are spent. Under the current ordinance and the proposed ordinance, the County Treasurer would receive a 4% administration fee. The new proposal would also include a 20% payment to the WCTPA. Sweat says that communication between the two organizations has been essentially non-existent regarding spending. Sweat says that according to a 2024 audit, $3 million is being “parked” in certificates of deposit instead of being used for promotional uses. Commissioners are also questioning consultant fees and salaries. Sweat did say that this will be a several month process before the draft ordinance is ready for review. Public hearings will be held and further changes could result from those hearings. In a statement released by Jeff Kotula, President of the WCTPA, he says that he is shocked that the commissioners approved authorizing the ordinance change. He said that the agency is confident that as the solicitor continues his research, he will find that provisions of the ordinance changes are illegal.
December 19, 2025 4:52 am
Officials say a man who is suspected in last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University and in the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility. Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez says 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente was found dead Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Neves Valente is a former Brown student and Portuguese national. Perez says they believe the suspect acted alone. U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley says Neves Valente and MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro attended the same academic program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.
December 19, 2025 5:49 pm
(AP) – Ford is recalling more than 270,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in the U.S. because of a parking function problem that could lead to them rolling away. The Detroit automaker says that the recall includes some 2022-2026 F-150 Lightnings, 2024-2026 Mustang Mach-Es, and 2025-2026 Mavericks. At issue is the integrated park module, which may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park. Ford says that it will implement a park module software update for free. Vehicle owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 for additional information.
December 18, 2025 4:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast is raising new concerns about the legality of his military campaign in Latin America. It’s also fueling fears that the U.S. could be edging closer to war. The Trump administration says its blockade is narrowly tailored and not targeting civilians, which would be an illegal act of war. But some experts say seizing sanctioned oil tied to authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro could provoke a military response from Venezuela. Trump says the South American country is using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes. Venezuela says the move would violate international law.
