February 12, 2026 9:30 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal officials have announced an end to an immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to mass detentions, protests and two deaths. Border czar Tom Homan made the announcement during a news conference Thursday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1. Federal authorities say the sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people. While the Trump administration has called those arrested “dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” many people with no criminal records, including children and U.S. citizens, have also been detained.
February 12, 2026 5:02 am
An employee mistake has forced South Strabane Township is revert back to the original $8.7 million budget the previous board adopted back in November. Supervisors say they must do so because a new, proposed budget that resulted from a pair of workshops in January under a new board was not properly advertised. State law requires the budget be finalized by Sunday, February 15. The new proposed budget cut some $250,000 and eliminated an Administrative Assistant Public Safety position and the Township’s Parks and Recreation Department. Supervisor Jeff Bull tells WJPA News those cuts, however, will still be made and the board is to vote on that when they meet in two weeks. He says supervisors must now work to cut spending to avoid the need to borrow money and potentially raise taxes again.
February 12, 2026 5:02 am
A search has been called off in Monongahela. Officials say a family member called police around 3 a.m. Thursday morning expressing concern for an individual that was near the Monongahela River near the Aquatorium. Search crews reportedly began looking for the individual near the Monongahela Bridge as well as Pigeon Creek. Few details were provided but officials then called off the search about two hours later saying the person had been found.
February 12, 2026 5:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to slap back President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada. The tally offered a rare rebuke of the White House agenda, though it wouldn’t actually undo the tariffs without support from Trump himself, which is highly unlikely. Almost instantly, Trump issued his own rebuke with a political warning to those who would dare cross him. He believes in the power of tariffs to force U.S. trade partners to the negotiating table. But lawmakers are facing unrest back home from businesses caught in the trade wars and constituents navigating high prices. House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to prevent a vote, but his strategy collapsed. Several Republicans joined with Democrats in favor of the resolution. It next goes to the Senate.
February 12, 2026 5:13 am
BILZEN-HOESELT, Belgium (AP) — European Union leaders are gathering in Belgium as the bloc argues over how to stand up to pressure from the United States, China and Russia. They are meeting Thursday in a session meant to shape another summit in late March. German and Italian leaders are pushing deregulation, rebooted ties with Washington and more trade deals. France is pushing “European preference” to protect key industries and to steer defense spending toward EU arms makers. Leaders will also debate new finance tools to shield trade and investment. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says economic strength drives global influence.
February 11, 2026 5:12 am
NEW DELHI (AP) — A broad coalition of unions and farmers in India has held a one-day national strike against an interim trade deal with the United States. The strike Thursday disrupted some public services and factory work. Protest leaders say the pact harms small farmers, workers and local businesses. Opposition lawmakers in Parliament demanded the deal be scrapped. Union leaders say the deal opens India to subsidized American farm products. They also condemn privatization and new labor codes. The government defends the pact and says it protects farmers. U.S. and Indian officials say the framework lowers tariffs and deepens ties.
February 12, 2026 5:11 am
HONG KONG (AP) — China has moved to curb a fierce price war between automakers sector that has caused massive losses for the industry. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released new guidelines Thursday to prevent manufacturers from pricing cars too cheaply in order to squeeze out rivals. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported this week that domestic passenger car sales fell 20% in January from a year earlier. Analysts say a cut in tax exemptions for electric vehicles and weaker EV subsidies in several Chinese regions have dampened demand. As domestic car demand slows, Chinese carmakers are expanding their global sales, and exports are expected to grow this year.
February 11, 2026 5:15 am
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — FBI agents are fanning out across an Arizona neighborhood not far from Nancy Guthrie’s home. They’re knocking on doors and searching through thick desert terrain. This comes a day after authorities investigating Guthrie’s disappearance detained a man who says he was questioned for hours before being released. The man told several media outlets on Wednesday that he had nothing to do with last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. Hours earlier, the FBI released images of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing near Tucson.
February 11, 2026 2:21 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. (AP) — Six months ago, an explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works killed two people. It also heightened the stakes in the life of a western Pennsylvania mill town even as a new mayor tries to raise hopes. But many who live and work in Clairton are wondering if they can hope for a sustained departure from decades of disinvestment and persistent pollution. Blocked by one American president, approved by the next, Japan’s Nippon Steel bought the American industrial icon for $15 billion last June. It pledged $11 billion in upgrades to domestic steelmaking. Nippon said $2.4 billion of that might reinvigorate Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley, where a half century of deindustrialization has left long strands of scarred riverside steel towns.
February 12, 2026 2:20 am
(AP) – Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing its plans to split into two companies. Steve Cahillane, a former Kellogg Co. chief who became CEO of Kraft Heinz on Jan. 1, said he wants to ensure that all of the company’s resources are focused on profitable growth. Cahillane said he thinks many of Kraft Heinz’s challenges are “fixable and within our control.” Kraft Heinz announced in September it was splitting into two companies a decade after a merger of the brands created one of the biggest food manufacturers on the planet. The transaction was expected to occur in the second half of this year. (Photo: AP)
