WASHINGTON — The Defense Department said Friday that it's cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place. It comes after staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, were at the Pentagon earlier in the week and received lists of such employees,...
Bannon Denies Nazi Salute Accusation at CPAC, Calls It ‘a Wave’
OXON HILL, Md. — Steve Bannon was accused of making a Nazi salute as he concluded a speech at a conservative gathering where President Donald Trump is slated to speak this weekend, but Bannon said Friday the gesture was merely a "wave." Bannon, who once served as Trump's chief strategist...
AP Sues 3 Trump Administration Officials, Citing Freedom of Speech
The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The AP says its case is...
LA Mayor Bass Removes Fire Chief Kristin Crowley After Wildfire Response Criticism
LOS ANGELES — Six weeks after the most destructive wildfire in city history, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the city’s fire chief Friday amid a public rift over preparations for a potential fire and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the devastation. Bass said in...
Salman Rushdie’s Attacker Found Guilty of Attempted Murder in New York
MAYVILLE, N.Y. — A New Jersey man was convicted Friday of attempted murder for stabbing author Salman Rushdie multiple times on a New York lecture stage in 2022. Jurors, who deliberated for less than two hours, also found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of assault for wounding a man who was...
Judge Extends Temporary Block on NIH Funding Cuts
BOSTON — A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary block of the Trump administration's drastic cuts in medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and delay new lifesaving discoveries, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley had issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month in response to...
Judge Considers Further Blocking Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze
A federal judge on Friday will consider a request to further block President Donald Trump's administration from freezing trillions of dollars of grants and loans that fund everything from clean energy programs to bridge repairs to emergency shelters. U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island, who already approved...
Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother and Keeper of His Legacy, Dies at 78
NEW YORK — Voletta Wallace, the dedicated mother of the late great rapper The Notorious B.I.G., died Friday morning at 78. Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac confirmed her death Friday to The Associated Press, saying she died at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, after a stint on hospice care. She...
Measles Outbreaks Surge in Texas and New Mexico: What You Need to Know
The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 90 cases across seven counties, the state health department posted online Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized. In neighboring eastern New Mexico, the measles case count is up to nine, though state public health officials said Thursday there's still no...
Yankees End 49-Year Beard Ban Imposed by Owner George Steinbrenner
TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees dropped their ban on beards Friday, 49 years after it was imposed by owner George Steinbrenner, in a move aimed to improve player recruitment as the team tries to win its first World Series title since 2009. Current owner Hal Steinbrenner, son of...