January 29, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Videos show Alex Pretti was forcefully taken to the ground by federal immigration agents after kicking out the tail light of their vehicle during a Minneapolis protest 11 days before he was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers. The Jan. 13 scuffle was captured in a pair of videos that emerged Wednesday evening, showing Pretti shouting an expletive at federal immigration agents and struggling with them before he either breaks free or is let go. The new videos have rekindled the national debate about the death of Pretti, an intensive care nurse. A Minneapolis-based attorney representing Pretti’s parents says the earlier incident in no way justified the officers’ use of deadly force.
January 29, 2026 5:02 am
(AP) – A federal appeals court says the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended legal protections that gave hundreds of thousands of people from Venezuela permission to live and work in the United States. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status for Venezuelans. The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices. An email late Wednesday night to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned. (Photo: AP)
January 29, 2026 4:56 am
DENVER (AP) — Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection in 2020. But for more than five years, he’s been trying to convince Americans the opposite is true by falsely saying the election was marred by widespread fraud. Now that he’s president again, Trump is pushing the federal government to back up those bogus claims. On Wednesday, the FBI served a search warrant at the election headquarters of Fulton County, Georgia, which includes most of Atlanta, seeking ballots from the 2020 election. It marks an escalation of Trump’s obsession with the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and some observers say his administration is using Georgia as a blueprint for challenging results this November.
January 28, 2026 4:51 am
Fire crews were called to a home in the 200-block of E. Hallam Avenue in the City of Washington early Wednesday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers say it was a small fire and electrical in nature. No injuries resulted. The Red Cross is now assisting the family.
January 28, 2026 3:26 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors took the next steps in amending their 2026 budget. During their voting meeting, they authorized the advertisement of the revised spending plan for 10 days. They also authorized the scheduling of a special voting meeting to take place on February 11 at 6:30 pm to adopt the budget. Both measures passed 3-2 as with all other votes concerning the budget. Supervisors George Rowand, Jeff Bull and Zack Morgan approved, Bob Weber and Russell Grego voted no. Supervisors also adopted a measure to direct the township manager to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to participate in an information program that could make recommendations for budget allocations. Supervisor Chairman George Rowand says that conversations held with other communities indicate that the 62% of the budget spent on public safety may be out of line. Supervisors also passed an ordinance governing the development of solar farms. The ordinance will be amended to have decommissioning fees increased and property setback lines established at 1000 feet. Supervisors also tabled a measure to advertise draft ordinances for Data Centers, Battery Energy Storage Systems and a noise ordinance. Township Manager Peter Stefansky stated that the ordinances need approval from several other governing bodies before they can be offered for public view. Stefansky also said that each of the ordinances would have public hearings before any official action would be taken.
January 28, 2026 4:57 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of squirting an unknown substance on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis has a criminal history and made online posts supportive of President Donald Trump. Minnesota court records show Anthony Kazmierczak was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989 and has multiple arrests for driving under the influence. Police say Kazmierczak used a syringe to squirt liquid at Omar on Tuesday. Kazmierczak has been charged with assault. Omar continued speaking and says she’s OK. It’s unclear if Kazmierczak has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. In social media posts, Kazmierczak criticized Democrats, calling them “angry and liars.”
January 28, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Customs and Border Protection official told Congress in a notice that two federal officers fired shots during the encounter that killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Tuesday’s notification obtained by The Associated Press said officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle. The official said that during the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times. The notice says a Border Patrol agentsr and a CBP officer each fired Glock pistols. Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation.
January 28, 2026 4:59 am
Authorities say a man who was involved in a human smuggling operation was shot Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire with the U.S. Border Patrol and after firing at a federal helicopter. The FBI says agents returned fire, striking the man and wounding him. Authorities say the 34-year-old man was transported to a hospital and was recovering from surgery Tuesday evening. He was identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says the FBI asked it to lead a use-of-force investigation of the Border Patrol. It noted that such investigations are standard when a federal agency is involved in a shooting in the county.
January 28, 2026 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve pushed the pause button on its interest rate cuts Wednesday, leaving its key rate unchanged at about 3.6% after lowering it three times last year. With the economy growing at a healthy pace and no signs of deterioration in hiring, Fed officials likely see little reason to rush any further rate cuts. While most policymakers do expect to reduce borrowing costs further this year, many want to see evidence that stubbornly-elevated inflation is moving closer to the central bank’s target of 2%. According to the Fed’s preferred measure, inflation was 2.8% in November, slightly higher than a year ago.
January 28, 2026 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says the placement of a helicopter route so close to Reagan National Airport’s secondary runway was a key factor in causing a midair aircraft collision that killed 67 people near Washington, D.C., a year ago. The NTSB said Tuesday that air traffic controllers’ over reliance on asking pilots to avoid other aircraft also contributed to an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter colliding a year ago. The Federal Aviation Administration has taken steps to ensure helicopters and planes no longer share the same crowded airspace around the nation’s capital. An NTSB investigator says air traffic control had a big workload around the time of the crash.
