FBI Moves Toward Sole-Source UFC Contract for Agent Combat
QUANTICO, Va. — Federal contracting papers show the FBI lining up a yearlong, no-bid deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to put special agents through mixed-martial-arts defensive tactics at the bureau academy here. The Sept. 30 paperwork argues only the UFC can deliver the full mix of striking, clinch and takedown work, weapon defense, ground
Privacy Groups Challenge DHS Nationwide Voter Record Sweep
WASHINGTON — Civic plaintiffs opened a federal case here Thursday against Homeland Security, saying the department quietly assembled a vast store of Americans registration files from nearly every state. The suit in D.C. federal court comes from a voting-rights membership network, a digital-privacy research center and a Latino civil-rights federation. They want judges to freeze
Trump Faults Kyiv Over Fresh Hits on Russian Fuel Plants
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump blasted Kyiv for restarting attacks on Russian oil and diesel plants, saying the raids lift world fuel prices after an energy pause he floated last weekend fell apart. Speaking in a Thursday television interview from the White House, Trump said Ukrainian forces have plenty of other military targets and that
Alaska Senate Rivals Trade Personal Blows in Final Debate
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola spent Thursday night hammering each other on character and policy in the closing Debate for the State of a U.S. Senate contest that national scorekeepers call a toss-up race. They argued over household energy bills, the Iran conflict, retirement benefits, medical coverage
Press Secretary Zacharia Says She Did Not Pass California
WASHINGTON — A senior administration official said Katie Zacharia, now the White House briefing-room lead, sat for California bar testing after Pepperdine Law and did not pass, intensifying scrutiny of how she has billed her credentials. President Donald Trump introduced her as an attorney. Zacharia has long used the word lawyer on television. Several practitioners
Democratic Senate Candidates Post Huge Third-Quarter Hauls
WASHINGTON — Fresh midterm finance filings show Democratic Senate hopefuls flooding accounts in the July-September window, with Texas Democrat James Talarico reporting a $64 million quarter. His team called that haul the biggest Senate total ever logged for those three months, beating Jaime Harrison $57 million South Carolina mark from 2020, and said cycle receipts
Blountville, Tenn., driver center reopens Oct. 12
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. — Bristol-area drivers who need a license or ID can head back to the Blountville Driver Services Center starting Monday, Oct. 12. The state Department of Safety and Homeland Security said the Sullivan County office will reopen after a round of upgrades. The center sits at 3769 Highway 11-W. State officials said the […]
Bristol, Tenn., hosts TWRA commission at Motor Speedway
BRISTOL, Tenn. — State wildlife officials spent two days at Bristol Motor Speedway this month, when the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission brought its October meeting to Northeast Tennessee and covered everything from long-term fishing plans to Hurricane Helene repairs. Fisheries staff presented a final version of the state’s black bass management plan for 2027-36. […]
Category 4 Hurricane Simon hugs Mexico coast with flood threat
Hurricane Simon sat just off Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday morning as an extremely dangerous Category 4, with forecasters expecting it to approach or push slightly inland over west-central Mexico later in the day. Overnight winds peaked at 155 mph, just shy of Category 5. By 6 a.m. Central the National Hurricane Center had it at […]
Tennessee voters face 3 constitutional amendments, including bail
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three constitutional questions will appear on Tennessee’s Nov. 3 ballot immediately after the governor’s race. Each needs more than half the vote to pass. The bail rewrite (Amendment 1) would broaden when a court may detain someone before trial without bond — covering capital charges, terrorism, second-degree murder, certain aggravated sex crimes,