December 11, 2025 2:10 pm
(A) – A federal judge has ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration detention while he fights deportation. This decision marks a significant win for Abrego Garcia, whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. On Thursday, the judge in Maryland ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no legal basis to detain Abrego Garcia. The Department of Homeland Security criticized the decision and plans to appeal. Abrego Garcia, who has an American wife and child, is also seeking asylum in the U.S. and faces criminal charges in Tennessee. (Photo: AP)
December 10, 2025 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Using U.S. forces to take control of a merchant ship is incredibly unusual and marks the Trump administration’s latest push to increase pressure on Maduro. The seizure Wednesday was led by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported by the Navy. That’s according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Video posted to social media by Attorney General Pam Bondi shows people fast-roping from a helicopter to the deck and later moving around with their weapons drawn.
December 11, 2025 4:57 am
RANDOLPH, Minn. (AP) — Farmers in the U.S. are feeling the strain from trade disputes, particularly with China. President Donald Trump has announced $12 billion in aid to help them, but many farmers say it’s not enough. Gene Stehly, a South Dakota farmer, believes the aid is insufficient to cover losses from low commodity prices and declining sales. Farmers like Charlie Radman and Bryant Kagay express frustration, saying they need more certainty and new markets, not just temporary payments. The aid is seen as a stopgap, with many farmers wanting solutions to rising costs and market access beyond China.
December 11, 2025 6:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled that secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public. The judge Wednesday joined two other judges in granting the Justice Department’s requests to unseal material from investigations into the late financier’s sexual abuse. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman in New York reversed his earlier decision to keep the material under wraps, citing a new law that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell. The judge previously cautioned that the 70 or so pages of grand jury materials slated for release are hardly revelatory. On Tuesday, another Manhattan federal judge ordered the release of records from Maxwell’s 2021 case.
December 11, 2025 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House votes to pass a sweeping defense policy bill that authorizes $900 billion in military programs. The bill includes a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons. It comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and how President Donald Trump’s administration has handled the military. The White House has signaled “strong support” for the must-pass legislation and says it is in line with Trump’s national security agenda. Yet tucked into the over-3,000-page bill are several measures that push back on the Department of Defense.
December 11, 2025 6:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers who are now able to come to the United States without a visa might soon need to provide social media, email, and family history details to the Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration has increased monitoring of international travelers. And now, Customs and Border Protection is proposing collecting five years of social media data from travelers from about roughly 40 mostly European and Asian countries who can now come to the U.S. for tourism or business for three months without visas. The public has 60 days to comment on these proposed changes.
December 10, 2025 4:28 am
Federal health officials have expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to ByHeart baby formula to include any illnesses reported since the company began production in 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that at least 51 babies in 19 states have been sickened since 2023. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said new cases include any infants with botulism who consumed ByHeart formula since the product’s release. The outbreak was announced on Nov. 8. ByHeart recalled all of its products sold in the U.S. and around the world on Nov. 11.
December 10, 2025 5:39 pm
(AP) – Federal health officials have expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to ByHeart baby formula to include any illnesses reported since the company began production in 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that at least 51 babies in 19 states have been sickened since 2023. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said new cases include any infants with botulism who consumed ByHeart formula since the product’s release. The outbreak was announced on Nov. 8. ByHeart recalled all of its products sold in the U.S. and around the world on Nov. 11th. (Photo: AP)
December 10, 2025 4:12 pm
(AP) – The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate for the third time in a row Wednesday but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months, a move that could attract ire from President Donald Trump, who has demanded steep reductions to borrowing costs. In a set of quarterly economic projections, Fed officials signaled they expect to lower rates just once next year. Wednesday’s cut reduced the rate to about 3.6%, the lowest it has been in nearly three years. Lower rates from the Fed can bring down borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards over time, though market forces can also affect those rates.
December 10, 2025 2:27 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors ratified their budget for 2026. The budget is balanced and contains no tax raise. The spending plan comes in at $3.6 million according to Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot. Sabot says that the process of putting the budgets together has gotten easier over the last several years and the township actually has a savings fund, something that was lacking when he was elected to office his second time around. Sabot says that residents will see a lot of exciting things for them to do. Pickleball courts and a boat launch area are planned for next year. In other township business, supervisors will consider amendments to the burning ordinance at their January meeting.
