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California woman returns home after the Trump administration deported her to Mexico

Immigration advocates say Estrada Juárez’s removal highlights the need to offer more permanent protections for DACA recipients, often referred to as “Dreamers.”The case is a rare example of a judge ordering a person’s return to the United States after being deported, said Talia Inlender, deputy director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law.“But, perhaps unsurprisingly, it feels like this is happening with more frequency under the current administration which is

Record low Colorado mountain snow won’t bode well for water in the drought-stricken US West

The ditch that would usually move water from the nearby Illinois River to his property is also dry — tapped already by neighbors with more senior water rights than his.“A lot of the people which are closer to the mountains have to let the water go by and let those folks with the senior water rights have it,” Anderson said.The last time Anderson had to haul water in his truck from a nearby wildlife refuge was in 2002. That same year, he had to sell off his herd.North Park — about 100 miles (161 k

Vance and Rubio’s differing postures on Iran war highlight their challenges ahead of 2028 election

<block>WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump assembled his Cabinet last week, he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance to give an update on the Iran war.Rubio, known for his hawkish views, gave an impassioned defense of the war, calling it “a favor” to the United States and the world.Vance, who has long pushed for restraint in U.S. military intervention overseas, was more sedate. He said that the U.S. now has “options” it didn’t have a year ago and that it is important Iran does not get a nuclear weapon — before redirecting his remarks toward wishing the troops a happy Easter.The exchange was a distillation of their diverging postures toward the war that their boss has launched in Iran. And it comes as some would-be Republican presidential candidates begin quietly courting officials in key states like New Hampshire in the early stages of the GOP’s next nomination fight. With Vance and Rubio seen as the party’s strongest potential candidates in a 2028 primary, the two have to balance their roles in the Trump administration with their future political plans.“It’s very obvious from the way that Rubio talks about Iran and the way that Vance talks about Iran that they are of different casts of mind,” said Curt Mills, the executive director of “The American Conservative” magazine and a vocal critic of the war. The Cabinet meeting episode was telling, he said, because it seemed as though Vance, discussing Easter, was “literally trying to talk about anything else other than the war.”Vance’s office declined to comment. The State Department declined to comment but pointed to Rubio’s remarks last year during a Fox News Channel interview where he said he hopes Vance intends to run for president and wouldn’t rule out anything for himself. It’s too soon to forecast how Republican voters might feel about the war next spring, when the 2028 contest is expected to begin in earnest, but the risks for both Vance and Rubio are acute. Rubio’s full-throated support for the war could come back to haunt him depending on how the conflict develops. Vance, meanwhile, would risk accusations of disloyalty if he were to stray too far from Trump, but struggles to square an appearance of support for the war with his past comments.<hl2>Vance’s restrained comments stand in contrast to Rubio’s full defense</hl2>Vance, who served in the Iraq war, has said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but he’s long been skeptical of foreign military interventions.Trump seemed to allude that Vance may have held onto that position in private discussions about Iran, telling reporters that Vance was “philosophically a little bit different than me” at the outset of the conflict.“I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going, but he was quite enthusiastic,” Trump said.Though Vance has been careful in how he speaks about the war, what he’s not saying has been conspicuous. On a March 13 trip to North Carolina, he was twice asked by reporters if he had concerns about the conflict. Each time, he said it was important that Trump could have conversations with advisers “without his team then running their mouths to the American media.”A few days later at the White House, when Vance was again asked if he had concerns, he accused the reporter of “trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president.”For Rubio, long before he became the country’s chief diplomat, he voiced support for muscular foreign policy and American intervention abroad. Days into the war, he told reporters that it was “a wise decision” for Trump to launch the operation, that there “absolutely was an imminent threat” from Iran and that the operation “needed to happen.”<hl2>Fractures are emerging in the GOP</hl2>The apparent split between Rubio and Vance on the Iran war is emblematic of the divide starting to cleave within the Republican Party. A recent survey from some divisions within the GOP on Iran, with about half of Republicans saying the U.S. military action has been “about right.” Relatively few Republicans, about 2 in 10, say military action has not gone far enough, while about one-quarter say it’s gone too far.While some conservatives have described the war as a betrayal, many other Republicans have cheered on the president’s actions.Alice Swanson, a 62-year-old who attended Vance’s event in North Carolina, said she wants Vance and Rubio to run together in 2028 but favors the vice president.“I think he fully believes and supports exactly what his convictions are,” Swanson said.Swanson acknowledged, nonetheless, that Vance has been an outspoken opponent of interventionist policy but has been quieter on the subject since the war. “I can see both sides,” Swanson said after expressing full support for Trump’s decisions.Tracy Brill, a 62-year-old from Rocky Mount, spoke highly of Rubio, but declared, “I love JD Vance.”She made it clear she sides with the president, calling the course he’s taken “spot on.” But she defended the vice president if he seems at odds with his past statements, noting politicians do it frequently. “They’ve all changed their positions at one point or another,” she said.However, Joe Ropar, attending the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, said Rubio’s unequivocal support for the Iran war helped crystallize his preference for the secretary of state for 2028.“I’m not looking at JD Vance for president, and it’s for stuff like that,” said Ropar, a 72-year-old retired military contractor from McKinney, Texas. “I don’t 100% trust him.”Benjamin Williams, of Austin, Texas, said at CPAC that both Trump and Vance are “tied to this war.” The 25-year-old marketing specialist for Young Americans for Liberty is looking elsewhere for a candidate.<hl2>The political risks might not be known until the field fills out </hl2>Whether the war becomes a political problem for Vance and Rubio depends on who ultimately enters the GOP’s next presidential primary.While Vance and Rubio are currently considered the overwhelming front-runners, former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu expects a half dozen high-profile Republicans to enter the contest. Sununu and former RNC Committeewoman Juliana Bergeron told The Associated Press that multiple Republican presidential prospects have reached out to them in recent weeks to discuss the political landscape in the state that traditionally hosts the opening presidential primary; they declined to name them.Republican strategist Jim Merrill, a top New Hampshire adviser for Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid, predicted that Iran would become a flashpoint in 2028 — just as the Iraq war was for Democrats in 2004 and 2008.“If for some reason things don’t go as anticipated, there will be contrasts drawn,” he said.Still, Sununu is doubtful that Iran would become a meaningful dividing line in a prospective Vance-Rubio matchup given their status as prominent members of the Trump administration. Both will likely take credit if the conflict ends well, and both would look bad if it does not, he predicted.“They’re tied together with the success or failure of Iran. It doesn’t really separate one versus the other, at least I don’t think that’s how the electorate will see it,” Sununu said.___Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington, Bill Barrow in Rocky Mount, N.C., and Thomas Beaumont in Grapevine, Texas, contributed to this report.</block>

From TMZ to Trump, pressure grows to bring Congress back during partial shutdown

He spoke with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Sunday and Monday, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he has urged leadership to cancel recess “repeatedly.”“He’ll host a big Easter dinner here at the White House if Congress will come back,” she added.So far, Republican leadership has not blinked, raising questions about how much pressure Trump will ultimately apply — and whether he would be willing to concede ground to Democrats to end the shutdown.Unions are adding to that

Supreme Court hears high-profile fight over Trump’s bid to limit birthright citizenship

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up one of the term’s most consequential cases, President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. Trump plans to be in attendance.In arguments Wednesday, the justices will hear Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling from New Hampshire that struck down the citizenship restrictions, one of several courts that ha

The Latest: Trump says the military could end its Iran offensive in 2 to 3 weeks

Iranian drone attack starts fire at Kuwait International AirportA drone attack by Iran and its allies hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire, authorities said.The state-run KUNA news agency said the attack early Wednesday sparked a “large fire” at the airport.It said there were no immediate injuries from the attack and firefighters were working to control the blaze.Kuwait International Airport has been attacked before by Iran during the war. The KUNA report suggested th

Captain charged in boat crash that killed 3 girls from Miami sailing camp

<block>A tugboat captain has been charged in a deadly Miami collision that killed three girls from a sailing camp, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, of Miami, faces a charge of seaman’s manslaughter in the July collision, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.Insua didn’t have a clear view as the tugboat pushed a barge full of construction debris in Biscayne Bay, according to the office. There was also no one assigned as lookout as it sailed through the body of water sandwiched between Miami and Miami Beach, the office said.The sailboat was carrying a counselor and five girls when it stalled in the barge’s path, and Insua didn’t see it before the collision, according to the statement. The girls were ages 7 to 13, while the counselor was 19, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.The counselor and two girls were dragged under the barge, but were able to escape. The other three became trapped in the wreckage and drowned, according to the office.“Our hearts are with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. “This information alleges a preventable loss of life on our waterways, including the failure to follow basic maritime safety rules and cellphone use during transit at or near the time of the collision.”The internet had also been accessed on Insua’s cellphone around the time of the collision, according to a forensic review.Insua faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.The Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida did not immediately respond to queries about whether Insua has a lawyer.Four of the children were rushed to a hospital, where a 7-year-old and 13-year-old were pronounced dead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Days later, the Coast Guard said that a 10-year-old who had been in critical condition had also died.The sailing boat had been submerged beneath the barge in Biscayne Bay, where there are several small islands, including Star Island, peppered with ritzy mansions.The children were in their last week of camp, according to the Miami Yacht Club.Across the U.S. in 2024, there were over 550 deaths in recreational boating, but only a sliver of those — 43 — were caused by vessels crashing into each other, according to Coast Guard statistics.</block>

Trump plans to attend Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on his bid to limit birthright citizenship

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sit in on Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, making him the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the nation’s highest court.The Republican president’s official schedule, sent out by the White House, included a stop at the Supreme Court, where justices will hear Trump’s appeal of a lower court ruling that struck down his executive order limiting birthright citizenship.The order, which Trump signed on the fi

‘Shut those toll roads down immediately’: Jake demands Gov. Ferguson apply license plate law to tolls

Can we send an email to the governor’s office and ask, ‘Do we know for a fact that this information is safe?’ Because if not, I think it would be his responsibility.”RELATED STORIES'It's not compulsory — yet': Jake says 'no way in heck' he would agree to WA utilities controlling his thermostat'It's not healthy': Jake opposes Seattle's supportive housing where dealers have 'captive audience''They need a break': WA farmers, Spike plead Ferguson to pause CCA amid rising dies

DHS pauses new immigrant warehouse purchases amid review of Noem-era contracts

News of the pause was first reported by NBC News.The official also said that warehouse purchases that were already made are also being scrutinized.When asked about reports of the pause, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “as with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.”The Department also noted that Mullin said during his confirmation hearing that he wanted to “work with community leaders” and “be good partners.” Mullin inherited a $38.3 bi

Nevada lithium mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists’ worries for rare wildflower

<block>LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine they said would harm an endangered wildflower. The ruling marks a major legal victory for the 11-square-mile (28.49 square-kilometer) Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine Project in Esmeralda County, located between Reno and Las Vegas. The land holds the largest lithium and boron deposit in the world outside of Turkey, said Bernard Rowe, managing director of Ioneer, the Australia-based company behind the project. U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva ruled Friday that the federal government properly approved the project and sufficiently examined the impacts the project will have on the rare wildflower called Tiehm’s buckwheat, whose entire population grows within 10 acres (4.05 hectares) of land in the project area. Environmental groups behind the lawsuit say they may appeal.Lithium is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries. Rhyolite Ridge would be Nevada’s third lithium mine, and one of few mines that will process the materials on site, Rowe said.“Rhyolite Ridge will create hundreds of new American jobs, reduce reliance on foreign materials and processing, and provide a domestic source of two critical minerals,” Chad Yeftich, vice president of corporate development and external affairs at Ioneer, said in a statement. <hl2>Growing US manufacturing</hl2>Ioneer wants construction to start by the end of this year and production in 2029, though it is still looking for a financial partner after a major investor pulled out last year. Sibanye Stillwater said the project did not make financial sense. In January 2025, the Department of Energy finalized a nearly $1 billion loan for the project.The $2 billion mine would have a life span of over 77 years and would produce enough lithium carbonate for around 400,000 electric vehicles, Rowe said. It will also produce boric acid, which is used in pest control, flame retardant, and medical and personal care.Rhyolite Ridge was first approved under the Biden administration as an part of the former president’s clean energy agenda. The Trump administration has also supported lithium projects in Nevada as a way to bolster US manufacturing of critical minerals. The Interior Department declined to comment.<hl2>Protecting the wildflower</hl2>The Center for Biological Diversity, which has long fought to protect the wildflower and successfully pushed for its endangered species designation in 2022, is not finished in its fight, Great Basin Director Patrick Donnelly said.His organization is considering appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the case could have implications for other species and protected habitats on the Endangered Species Act.“This can seem like a little remote flower in the middle of nowhere. But if we lose on Tiehm’s buckwheat, you know, what else are we facing with the whittling away of the Endangered Species Act?” Donnelly said. Tiehm’s buckwheat is a wildflower a couple inches tall that grows in an area the size of seven football fields in the Silver Peak Range. In the spring, the plant produces green leaves and yellow flowers that look like pom-poms. When it blooms, it is the epicenter of a vibrant pollinator community, Donnelly said. Silva, a Biden-nominated judge, found Ioneer’s mitigation efforts, which include fencing around the habitat and buffer zones between the mining activities and the buckwheat, were sufficient for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act. Silva wrote that of the buckwheat’s 1.4 square mile (3.63 square kilometers) of critical habitat, it will lose 4.9% due to the project.Donnelly maintains the mining project will increase the risk of the wildflower going extinct, which would affect the ecosystem’s biodiversity. He cast doubt that fencing around the flower’s habitat will protect it.“There’s been this kind of death by a thousand cuts for Tiehm’s buckwheat,” Donnelly said, adding that if it were to move forward, it would be the “death blow” for the wildflower. </block>

Military suicides fell in 2024 but long-term rate for active duty troops still rising, Pentagon says

The number of active duty service members who died by suicide that year was 302, while 64 were reservists and 105 were in the National Guard.According to the report, nearly half of the active duty service members who died by suicide in 2024 had a mental health diagnosis such as alcohol use disorder, depression or anxiety. A third had workplace difficulties, while 45% had intimate relationship problems. “Recognizing that every death by suicide is a tragedy, the Department will continue to take ac

‘500 new units of housing in 500 days’: King County executive signs order to combat homelessness

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay signed an executive order Tuesday to increase housing availability for the homeless.Zahilay’s executive order establishes the Breaking the Cycle Initiative on homelessness.“We need to end the cycle of crisis that sends vulnerable neighbors repeatedly through emergency rooms, jails, shelters, and back onto the streets without finding stability or recovery,” Zahilay said. “This executive order will take concrete steps to align partners, actions, and fundi

Trump lashes out at Europe for not helping fix the damage his war against Iran has caused

He also is giving short shrift to the fact that his decision contributed to disrupting the flow of oil to global markets through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has managed to largely choke off even as Trump insists that Iran has been “decimated.”The president started his Tuesday by fuming on social media at two of America’s closest allies — France and Britain — while calling on the world to “Go get your own oil!” and “start learning how to fight for yourself.”“All of those countr

Judge rules that HUD effort to change criteria for homeless funding is unlawful

“We are pleased that the court has stopped the Trump-Vance administration from holding life-saving funding hostage to a political agenda.”Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said the ruling was “a victory for people across this nation who have overcome homelessness and stabilized in HUD’s permanent housing programs.” “Today’s news reinforces a fundamental truth: that the work to end homelessness is not partisan, and never should be interfered with for political means,&#8

Mill Creek police arrest suspects after finding stolen car, concealed shotgun

Several suspects were arrested in Mill Creek last week after local police found a stolen car and a passenger with a short-barreled shotgun concealed in his waistband.On March 26, the Mill Creek Police Department (MCPD) was alerted to a Flock automated license plate reader hit associated with a stolen vehicle near 132nd Avenue Southeast and 16th Avenue Southeast, MCPD announced.RELATED STORIESFederal lawsuit filed against SeaTac Motel 6s over alleged sex trafficking of minorOne teen dies, six oth

Felon causes $2K in damage during Columbia City restaurant burglary

at the Taco City Taqueria on Rainier Avenue S., the Seattle Police Department (SPD) announced.RELATED STORIESGraffiti tagger falls from overpass onto I-90 ramp in BellevueFederal lawsuit filed against SeaTac Motel 6s over alleged sex trafficking of minorOne teen dies, six others injured in single-vehicle crash in BremertonSeattle Police recover all stolen bottles from Taco City Taqueria burglaryPolice said the 37-year-old man used a crowbar to break in the door and smash windows, doing more than

Thousands more US troops are heading to the Middle East

<block>WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East as the Trump administration has insisted that progress has been made in talks with Iran and has threatened to escalate the war if a deal is not reached soon.The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush deployed Tuesday and is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors.It comes as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division also have begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other U.S. officials, who, like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.While the majority of those troops are part of a rotation of forces planned before the war, some are among roughly 1,500 paratroopers the Trump administration decided to surge into the region last week.The Trump administration has not said what those troops will be doing, but the 82nd Airborne is trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key territory and airfields. A U.S. Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines recently arrived in the Middle East, and another 2,500 Marines also are being deployed from California.The extra forces, on top of tens of thousands of service members already in the region, come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials have avoided questions about whether or not the U.S. military will deploy ground troops against Iran.“You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do to include boots on the ground,” Hegseth told reporters Tuesday.He added, “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.”But he also said the goal is to reach a deal with Iran through talks because “we don’t want to have to do more militarily than we have to.”Additional resources are heading in as the war has strained the troops and assets already in the region.The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, had a fire in a laundry room on March 12, which forced it to return from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to undergo repairs at a naval base in Crete. <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4447010/uss-gerald-r-ford-arrives-in-split-croatia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to a Navy press release</a>, the fire damaged seven berthing compartments aboard the ship, likely forcing hundreds of sailors to find new sleeping arrangements, and damaged personal effects. While Ford is now in Croatia for time off, Navy leaders said the aircraft carrier will likely set records for the length of its deployment. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier also arrived in the region in January.“You’re going to see a recordbreaking deployment by Ford,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s top officer, said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion Tuesday. Caudle said the aircraft carrier would probably go into the 11th month of deployed operations — a length of time that would put the ship returning to Norfolk, Virginia, around the end of May. The Ford was in the Mediterranean before being sent to the Caribbean to take part in the military operation in January that ousted Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and then was deployed to support the Iran war.“For those that are not in the Navy, that’s an extraordinary thing to even think about something of that kind of deployment length,” Caudle said.</block>

FAA reduces SFO arrivals, setting up delays amid runway work and safety concerns

A deadly runway crash between Air Canada jet and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in March is the latest air-traffic safety calamity, but the aviation administration said the rule change was unique to SFO and it was not triggered by broader safety concerns. The San Francisco safety concerns are unique to that airport because of how close the parallel runways are and how complicated the airspace is with several surrounding airports.FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said officials decided that

Meta lays off nearly 170 employees across King County offices

Meta Platforms announced Tuesday it is laying off 168 King County employees as part of a plan to cut 10% of its Reality Labs division.Meta will lay off employees in two Seattle offices, along with its Bellevue office, Redmond office, and nearly 40 remote employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.RELATED STORIESNearly 73,000 Seattle jobs highly vulnerable to AI, new study findsGee says 'companies are downsizing' despite CEOs saying AI has little job impactNearly 70 S