April 17, 2026 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, a key executor of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced Thursday. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described Lyons as a great leader of ICE. “We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullin said in a statement. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Lyons in a post on X as “an American patriot who made our country safer.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking why he is resigning.
April 17, 2026 5:01 am
Some new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers started working before passing background checks and had problems in their past. ICE announced in January that it completed an unprecedented hiring spree, adding 12,000 officers and agents to double its force. Their mission is to help carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. But the speed with which they were brought on to the payroll, to jobs considered important for national security, has raised alarm. The Associated Press found one new ICE hire had filed for bankruptcy twice and worked for six law enforcement agencies in three years. Another was accused of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman. A third quit his only prior policing job after three weeks.
April 16, 2026 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is more overtly leaning into some of the spoils of his office in his second term, drawing comparisons to French Queen Marie Antoinette from political opponents. He has celebrated renderings of his $400 million White House ballroom even during the war in Iran and a partial government shutdown. His administration is pushing ahead with plans to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch near the Lincoln Memorial. Democrats say Trump is more interested in the gilded trappings of the presidency than in everyday Americans’ concerns about affordability. The White House says the projects “will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors.”
April 17, 2026 5:06 am
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is marking the halfway point in his four-nation tour of Africa with a day focused on encouraging Cameroon’s young people. Leo was travelling Friday to Douala, Cameroon’s main port city, to celebrate Mass. The Vatican predicted some 600,000 people would turn out for the liturgy, the biggest crowd Leo is expected to draw on his 11-day, four-nation trip through Africa. Later Friday back in the capital Youande, Leo had an appointment with students, professors and administrators at the Catholic University of Central Africa. Popes have often used such encounters, especially in the developing world, to rally young people to persevere in the face of poverty, corruption and other challenges.
April 16, 2026 4:48 pm
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Israel has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. The truce announced Thursday could pause fighting with the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed militants inside the country. Hezbollah said in a statement that any truce must apply across all Lebanese territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon.
April 16, 2026 4:47 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the range of the past few years even as the war in Iran continues to threaten the global economy. The number of Americans applying for jobless aid for the week ending April 11 fell by 11,000 to 207,000 from the previous week’s 218,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s less than the 217,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting but within the range of the past several years. Filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.
April 16, 2026 4:44 am
East Washington Borough will host a Town Hall meeting Thursday evening to discuss a new dormitory planned by Washington & Jefferson College. The proposed location includes East Pine Street, Forrest Avenue and Penn Street. The community is being invited to attend to learn more about the project and share feedback. The Town Hall will be held at Burnett Center-Yost Hall at 292 E. Wheeling Street. It will begin at 7 p.m.
April 15, 2026 2:43 am
The Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency (WCTPA) on Wednesday, released its 2025 Annual Report, showcasing a year of significant economic impact, strong visitor growth, and strategic investments that continue to position Washington County as a premier regional destination. Tourism officials say the report underscores the importance of the visitor economy in Washington County and demonstrates how tourism continues to be an important economic driver in the overall economy. According to the most recent data available from Tourism Economics, Washington County’s tourism industry generated $1.3 billion in total business sales and $764.9 million in direct visitor spending. This report compiled for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also highlights how the tourism industry supported 8,663 jobs and delivered $429.5 million in labor income in the county, showcasing tourism’s importance to the county’s workforce and overall economic stability.
April 16, 2026 4:53 am
The old Pittsburgh International Airport terminal could be getting a second act. The Pittsburgh Film Office is pitching the massive space to Hollywood as a one-of-a-kind production location. “We’re calling it ‘Terminal P’ for Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Film Office Executive Director Dawn Keezer said. A new website touts the old airport terminal, which just closed six months ago, as something far more valuable than a relic. They see a Hollywood studio hiding in plain sight. The website includes endorsements from Governor Shapiro and actor, singer, writer, director and Pittsburgh native Billy Porter. Productions would also have an adjacent hotel and direct flights to Los Angeles right next door.
April 15, 2026 4:56 am
CAIRO (AP) — Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continued as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing business with it, calling the move the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator after it hosted direct talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad that authorities said helped narrow differences between the two sides. Mediators are seeking a new round before the ceasefire expires next week.
