February 2, 2026 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson faces tough days ahead trying to pass a federal funding package and prevent a prolonged partial government shutdown. Democrats are demanding changes to rein in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations after the deaths in Minneapolis. But Republicans are making their own demands in support of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. A partial shutdown started over the weekend when funding lapsed for several agencies. Trump struck a deal with senators, who approved new funding, but only temporarily for Homeland Security until Feb. 13. That would give Congress time to consider new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Johnson now needs Trump to help push that deal through the House.
February 2, 2026 4:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts venue for two years starting in July for construction. Trump’s announcement on social media Sunday night follows a wave of cancellations by artists since Trump ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building. Trump announced his plan days after the premiere of “Melania,” a documentary of the first lady, was shown at the storied venue. He says the proposal is subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies.
February 2, 2026 5:03 am
When Amazon announced it was cutting 16,000 corporate jobs, many assumed it was the latest phase of CEO Andy Jassy’s push to reduce the corporate workforce as AI brings more efficiency gains. But like other companies that have tied layoffs to AI — including Pinterest and Dow — it can be hard for economists, or individual employees, to know if AI is the real reason or the message a company wants to tell Wall Street.
February 2, 2026 2:19 am
Two people were taken into custody during a drug trafficking investigation spanning Pennsylvania and Ohio. In a social media post Saturday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said the four-month investigation concluded on Thursday, with multiple agencies from both states involved. The investigation focused on the distribution of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in various municipalities, the office said. Numerous people are alleged to have taken part. On Thursday, authorities initiated a traffic stop on State Route 18 in Burgettstown. During the stop, 53-year-old Archie Orison of McDonald/Burgettstown was arrested and found to have an unspecified amount of crack cocaine on him, according to the sheriff’s office. Orison was lodged at the Washington County Correctional Facility on a bench warrant and an arrest warrant out of Mount Pleasant Township, the office said. Additional charges are pending. After Orison’s arrest, the Jefferson County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a home in Steubenville, Ohio. A person was taken into custody after authorities found cocaine, crack cocaine and more than $15,000 in cash, the office said. More arrests may come as a result of the investigation, the office said.
February 2, 2026 4:52 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 68th annual Grammy Awards took placed Sunday in Los Angeles. Bad Bunny has won album of the year, the first time a Spanish-language album has taken the Grammys’ top honor. Ms. Lauryn Hill returned to the Grammys stage to pay tribute to the late D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, Jelly Roll and Lady Gaga were among the night’s winners. Olivia Dean won best new artist. Kendrick Lamar won the first televised award for best rap album and record of the year. That brings him to a total of 27 career Grammys, the most of any rapper. Many artists used their time on stage to spread a pro-immigration and anti-ICE message.
February 1, 2026 8:30 am
(AP) – A “bomb cyclone” that brings heavy snow to parts of the Carolinas and ushers in frigid temperature to much of East Coast Saturday is likely to persist into Sunday. Charlotte, North Carolina, saw one of its heaviest snowfalls in years — about a foot or more fell in the region. Treacherous road conditions led to an hours-long backup on Interstate 85 northeast of the city. The state highway patrol said it counted at least 750 traffic collisions Saturday, but none was fatal. Temperature dips below freezing in many areas, and the frigid cold is expected to plunge as far south as Florida. Forecasters say the subfreezing weather will persist in the East into February.
February 1, 2026 8:28 am
(AP) – A judge has ordered the U.S. to release a father and 5-year-old son who were taken into custody during the immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Images of preschooler Liam Conejo Ramos in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack being surrounded by federal agents in a Minneapolis suburb on Jan. 20 added to the outcry about the immigration actions of President Donald Trump’s administration. The government says the father and son, originally from Ecuador, entered the U.S. in 2024. They were taken to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas. The judge previously ruled that they could not be removed from the U.S. for now.
February 1, 2026 8:27 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds. Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.” Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
February 1, 2026 8:26 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Newly released files on Jeffrey Epstein have prompted the resignation of a top official in Slovakia and revived calls in Britain for a former prince to cooperate with authorities. Miroslav Lajcak resigned Saturday from his role as an adviser to Slovakia’s prime minister. He was not accused of wrongdoing. But Lajcak faced pressure to resign after emails showed he met with Epstein in 2018. The disclosures also renewed questions about whether long-time Epstein friend Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, should talk with investigators about Epstein and his links to powerful people around the world.
February 1, 2026 8:22 am
(AP) – Demond Wilson, the actor who played the son on the seminal 1970s sitcom “Sanford and Son,” has died. He was 79. Wilson’s Lamont character was the subject of endless insults from Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford in an early sitcom that focused on Black characters. The Vietnam War veteran was born in Georgia and grew up in Harlem. He had starring roles in a few more short-lived shows and returned to acting occasionally. Starting in the mid-1980s, he focused on his role as a minister and had mostly disdain for Hollywood.
