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Trump signs proclamation adding $100K annual fee for H-1B visa applications

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a $100,000 annual visa fee for highly-skilled foreign workers and rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to U.S. citizenship for wealthy individuals, moves that face near-certain legal challenges amid widespread criticism he is sidestepping Congress.

If the moves survive legal muster, the visa fee for skilled workers would jump from $215. The fee for investor visas, which are common in many European countries, would climb from $10,000-$20,000 a year.

Florida federal judge tosses Trump's $15B defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida federal judge on Friday tossed out a $15 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The New York Times.

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s 85-page lawsuit was overly long and full of “tedious and burdensome” language that had no bearing on the legal case. The judge gave Trump 28 days to file an amended complaint that should not exceed 40 pages.

DA: Slain officers walked into ambush

NORTH CODORUS (AP) — A suspected stalker armed with a rifle hid inside his ex-girlfriend's home in the rolling farmland of southern Pennsylvania and ambushed police officers who came to arrest him, killing three of them in a shootout, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Two other officers were seriously wounded before police shot Matthew James Ruth, 24, to death in a hail of gunfire.

Kennedy's advisory panel recommends new restrictions on MMRV vaccines

ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee on Thursday recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopt new restrictions on a combination shot that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella.

The panel advised that the vaccine known as MMRV not be given before age 4 and that children in this age group instead get separate vaccines — one against MMR and another for varicella, or chickenpox. The vote was 8-3, with one member abstaining.

DC leaders defend crime fighting efforts to Congress as federal law enforcement surge continues

WASHINGTON (AP) — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday defended her policies to Congress as President Donald Trump's law enforcement surge is in its second month and lawmakers act to further limit the city's authority.

Three Pennsylvania police officers killed; two injured

NORTH CODORUS, Pa. (AP) — Three police officers were fatally shot and two wounded Wednesday in southern Pennsylvania; the shooter was killed by police, authorities said.

The officers were at the scene, amid rolling farmland, to follow up on a domestic-related investigation that began the previous day.

Federal Reserve cuts key rate for first time this year

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation's labor market.

Israeli troops press forward into Gaza City

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday as more people fled the devastated area, and strikes cut off phone and internet services, making it harder for Palestinians to summon ambulances during the military's new offensive.

Shapiro: US must 'turn the tide' against political violence, reject vengeance

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said Tuesday that the nation’s leaders must “turn the tide” against political violence and reject vengeance, and accused President Donald Trump of failing the moment’s test of leadership.

FBI Director Kash Patel clashes with skeptical Democrats at contentious Senate hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with skeptical Democrats at a contentious Senate oversight hearing Tuesday, defending his record amid criticism that he has politicized the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency and pursued retribution against perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump.