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  • Villanova football player accused of rape texted victim hours after alleged assault

    Villanova football player accused of rape texted victim hours after alleged assault

    A freshman football player at Villanova University texted the woman he is accused of raping to apologize for the encounter, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest, offering new details about the incident.

    D’Hani Cobbs, 20, was charged with rape, sexual assault, and related crimes after police say he assaulted a woman who also attends the university. He was removed from campus following the Dec. 7 attack, school officials said in a statement. The student newspaper the Villanovan first reported his arrest.

    According to the affidavit, Cobbs allegedly assaulted the woman in Good Counsel Hall on the Main Line school’s South Campus.

    The early morning attack began after Cobbs and the woman, whom police did not identify, met at an off-campus event and exchanged phone numbers, the document said.

    The two later got a ride with others back to South Campus, according to the affidavit. Sometime between 1 and 2 a.m., Cobbs and the woman entered a residence hall room along with another person, whom the filing did not identify. That person left, the document said, leaving the woman alone with Cobbs.

    Cobbs asked the woman for a hug, and then he “tried to kiss her, and she said no,” the filing said. Cobbs then “pinned her up against a desk” and began touching her buttocks and genitals and penetrated her with his fingers, the affidavit said. He then grabbed her and lifted her on top of his bed and allegedly raped her, according to the affidavit.

    The woman later told police she was screaming and crying during the attack. She said she left the room in tears and asked Cobbs to call a friend to pick her up.

    Cobbs later contacted the woman twice, according to the filing.

    Around 2 a.m., he texted: “Are [you for real] good tho? That was random [as hell]” and “U were jus fine.”

    Just before 5:30 p.m., Cobbs texted: “Yoo Wsp, u ok? My apologies if I made u feel uncomfortable in any way last night I didn’t have any intentions on making u feel uncomfortable. If u want to talk about it over the phone or in person we can just to come to more of a understanding.”

    When investigators interviewed Cobbs that week, he did not deny that he had sexual contact with the woman but said it was consensual.

    Cobbs’ defense attorney, Thomas G. Masciocchi, did not immediately return a request for comment.

    Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a statement Monday that prosecutors had reviewed evidence in the case and swiftly brought charges.

    “The message here is as simple as it is clear — when it comes to other people’s bodies, no means no, and stop means stop,” Rouse said. “That’s what we tell our kids and it holds true throughout life, no matter who you are or how talented an athlete you might be.”

    As of this week, Cobbs’ player bio page on Villanova’s website is out of service with an error message.

    Cobbs’ profile on ESPN is still active, and lists the New Jersey native as a wide receiver. He returned one punt last season, according to the page. A post from the Instagram account for Villanova’s football team announced Cobbs’ signing in 2024.

    A Villanova spokesperson said in a statement that in addition to ordering Cobbs to leave campus, the school is “committed to both supporting the victim and fostering a safe environment for all of our students.”

    Cobbs was arraigned Friday and was released on unsecured bail, according to court records. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 12 and is ordered not to have contact with the woman.

  • President’s House slavery exhibits were ‘not destroyed’ in storage, judge says after inspection

    President’s House slavery exhibits were ‘not destroyed’ in storage, judge says after inspection

    The exhibits about slavery dismantled from the President’s House have not been “destroyed,” a federal judge said Monday after inspecting the panels in a storage room that’s inaccessible to the public on the property of the National Constitution Center.

    “I did not see anything that concerned me about the condition, because there are some marks, but I can’t portray where they are from, and I do not believe that they’re in a worsened condition now,” Judge Cynthia M. Rufe told reporters after spending about 30 minutes in the storage facility, which is controlled by the National Park Service even though the center is not part of the agency.

    Rufe’s visit to the exhibits and the President’s House were the latest development in the high-profile lawsuit Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against the federal government.

    After the inspection, Rufe ordered the government to safeguard the removed exhibits and mitigate any potential harm to them.

    The suit came after National Park Service employees took down educational panels about slavery from the President’s House at Independence National Historical Park on Jan. 22.

    It also follows a hearing in federal court Friday in which city attorneys and U.S. attorneys sparred over the removal of the exhibits. During the hearing, Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, chastised a U.S. attorney representing President Donald Trump‘s administration for talking out of “both sides of his mouth” and making “dangerous” arguments.

    Rufe issued an order Monday preventing further removals or changes to the President’s House until further notice. The judge also instructed the city to file a new injunction request to clarify what it is seeking, and gave the U.S. attorney’s office another week to respond.

    Michael Coard, leader of advocacy group Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, which helped develop the President’s House in the early 2000s and is providing legal backing to the city’s suit, told reporters that he didn’t see any damage to the panels, but “there was desecration.”

    What he saw was “completely disrespectful, demoralizing, defiling, and desecration,” Coard said, noting that the signs, many of which are fragile, were not cushioned and that some were against the wall on a cement floor.

    Coard joined the judge and attorneys in the storage facility as a representative for the coalition’s legal support of the lawsuit. Members of the press were not allowed to review the exhibits.

    Before going to the storage facility Monday, Rufe and the attorneys gathered in the lobby of the Constitution Center, which has a direct view to Independence Hall from Arch Street to Chestnut.

    Judge chastises Trump administration attorney in hearing over dismantled President’s House exhibits

    Rufe invoked the iconic building Friday to set the stakes for the city’s suit against Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron, and their respective agencies.

    “It’s threatening to think that that could happen to Independence Hall tomorrow,” Rufe said during the hearing. “It’s frightening to think that the citizenry would not be involved in such an important change.”

    After having been in limbo for months, the informational panels were removed by Park Service employees using wrenches and crowbars on orders from the Trump administration, provoking outrage from Philadelphians. The displays were then piled into the back of a pickup truck and transported to the storage facility.

    Mijuel Johnson (left), a guide with The Black Journey: African-American Walking Tour of Philadelphia, shows Judge Cynthia Rufe (right) around the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park on Monday.

    The exhibits are stored by the National Parks Service in a room accessible through the National Constitution Center, but the civics-nonprofit “does not oversee that space, and Center staff have no knowledge of what materials may be stored there,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

    After reviewing the removed exhibits for roughly 30 minutes, Rufe and her law clerks walked across Independence Mall toward the President’s House, a block away at Market Street. The judge stood at the site of the former home of Presidents George Washington and John Adams, as a guide from The Black Journey explained the historical significance of the slavery exhibit.

    “This is the first of its kind memorial on federal property to the enslaved people of the United States,” said Mijuel Johnson, who led the tour.

    Johnson directed the judge’s attention to panels telling the story of the presidency and the enslaved Africans who lived on the property, part of the routine tour script, but the walls were bare.

    Rufe asked questions about the removed panels and what exhibits could be further removed. She walked around the site, still not cleared of the previous weekend’s snow, to review a wall in which the names of the President’s House enslaved residents are etched into the stone.

    Judge Cynthia Rufe views the “Memorial to Enslaved People of African Descent in the United States of America,” during a visit to the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park on Monday. This exhibit was not removed with other panels at the site on Jan. 22. The judge visited the site while hearing the Parker administration’s suit to have President Trump’s administration restore the panels.

    Outside the location that served as the slaves’ quarters, adjacent to the Liberty Bell, Rufe paused and took out her glasses to read a memorial panel.

    “This enclosed space is dedicated to millions of men, women and children of African descent who lived, worked and died as enslaved people in the United States of America,” the panel read. “They should never again be forgotten”

    Relevant to the core disagreement in the lawsuit, about who has the right to change the site, the bottom of the memorial panel bears the names of two entities: the National Park Service and the City of Philadelphia.

  • Groundhog Day 2026: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow

    Groundhog Day 2026: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow

    Expect the deep cold Philadelphia has been experiencing to continue for the next six weeks, at least according to Punxsutawney Phil.

    The weather-predicting groundhog saw his shadow Monday outside his hole at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney. If you believe such things, that means the entire country — including our snow-covered section of the Northeast — can expect below-average temperatures for the next six weeks.

    That won’t come as a surprise to folks in Philadelphia, where the temperature hasn’t made it past the freezing mark of 32 degrees for more than a week.

    Despite the frigid temperatures in Punxsutawney, thousands of Phil’s biggest fans gathered early in the morning for what remains the weirdest celebration of meteorology and marmots.

    What do forecasters say?

    It’s been so cold, Emily Street and much of Philadelphia remains covered in snow.

    Predicting the arrival of spring beyond the vernal equinox on March 20 is tricky business, especially when trying to apply it to a regionally diverse country as large as the United States.

    As of Sunday, NOAA was predicting below-average temperatures in February along most of the East Coast all the way west to the Mississippi River. But that’s counterbalanced by above-average temperatures predicted along the West Coast inland as far as Texas.

    NOAA’s weather outlook for February, forecasting colder-than-normal temperatures across much of the East Coast.

    As for the Philadelphia region, temperatures are expected to remain near or below freezing for at least the next week, with another cold snap possible for the weekend.

    The temperature reached above freezing at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday, ending a frigid nine-day streak dating to Jan. 23, the longest since 2004.

    If you need to get out, the warmest day of the week is expected to be Tuesday, with highs forecast to reach the mid-30s.

    “Outside of that, our high temperatures through the week are looking to be below freezing,” said Amanda Lee, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office, where it dipped to minus-1 degree Sunday morning.

    For sake of comparison, the normal high temperature in Philadelphia in the beginning of February is 42 degrees. So we have a ways to go before anything approaching spring reaches the city.

    How accurate has Punxsutawney Phil been over the years?

    Jim Means holds up Punxsutawney Phil at daybreak on Groundhog Day in 1980.

    Were you actually expecting a four-legged creature to accurately predict the weather?

    In short, no, I wouldn’t peg my plans over the next six weeks on Phil’s prediction. According to a 2025 analysis by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Phil’s forecast has been accurate only 35% of time, based on data of more than a century.

    Last year, when Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, temperatures in Philadelphia were 1.8 degrees above normal for the six weeks following Phil’s forecast, with a high of 48 degrees and a balmy low of 30. Nationally, the contiguous U.S. saw near-average temperatures in February and much-above-average temperatures in March 2025, according to NOAA.

    “Phil’s forecast was incorrect,” NOAA said bluntly.

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    A dead groundhog in Lancaster has been more accurate than Phil

    Richard Rankin, Governor of the Groundhog Lodge, poses for a photo with Octoraro Orphie in 2012.

    Why brave frigid temperatures in the early morning hours to wait on Phil when you can just pull a stuffed groundhog out of the closet?

    That’s what the folks in Lancaster do. Every Groundhog Day since 1907, handlers at the Hibernating Governor of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge in Quarryville fetch the remains of Octoraro Orphie — often sporting a top hat and bow tie — to offer some weather divination.

    They do get outside, celebrating with a parade that ends at the so-called Pinnacle of Prognostication (their tongue-in-cheek description of a manure spreader), where Orphie’s forecast is delivered to the faithful.

    What’s wild is the stuffed groundhog is surprisingly accurate, nailing its prediction more than 52% of the time, according to a NOAA analysis done last year.

    Orphie did not see his shadow Monday, predicting an early spring. We’ll see which groundhog ends up being right.

    Lancaster is a hotbed for groundhog activity, sporting several weather-predicting furballs, including Mount Joy Minnie (who did not see her shadow), M.T. Parker (who did), and a pair of actual living groundhogs in Elliott and Lilly at Acorn Acres who were set to offer their predictions Monday evening.

    Staten Island Chuck, seen here at the Staten Island Zoo in 2025.

    But none of Pennsylvania’s native groundhogs have been as accurate over the years as Staten Island Chuck. Since his first forecast in 1981, Chuck (formally Charles G. Hogg) has accurately predicted an early spring or six more weeks of winter an astounding 85% of the time, according to NOAA’s analysis.

    On Monday, Chuck agreed with Phil, predicting six more weeks of winter, which seems like a safe call.

    Chuck has been able to remain accurate despite dealing with much more harrowing conditions than his Pennsylvania counterpart. In 2009, Chuck bit then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and was secretly replaced by granddaughter Charlotte for the 2014 ceremony. Unfortunately, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped Charlotte, and the groundhog died several days later.

    How did this whole marmot-predicting-the-weather thing start?

    According to the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, Romans took the early Christian holiday Candlemas to Germany, where it was said that if there was enough sun on Candlemas Day for a badger to cast a shadow, there would be six more weeks of bad weather.

    German immigrants brought this tradition to Pennsylvania, and in 1886 the editor of Punxsutawney’s newspaper teamed up with a group of groundhog hunters to begin the legend of Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prowess. So in the United States and Canada, we celebrate Groundhog Day on the same date Christians across the globe celebrate Candlemas.

    Good luck trying to stream Groundhog Day today

    Bill Murray in a scene from “Groundhog Day.”

    You’re not wrong if you remember seeing Groundhog Day on Netflix the other day. It’s just not there now.

    The beloved 1993 comedy, staring Bill Murray and directed by the late Harold Ramis, left Netflix as of Sunday. Other than renting the film through a host of streaming platforms, the only other place to stream Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day is AMC+, a subscription service few have that’ll set you back $9.99 a month (though it does have a seven-day free trial).

    If you still have a cable subscription, Groundhog Day is airing all day on AMC beginning at 8:30 a.m. Philly time, so set your DVR.

    Are there any other Groundhog Day movies?

    If you’re looking for another good time loop flick, check out 1998’s “Run Lola Run.”

    Listen, we all love Groundhog Day, but to some watching it each and every year is starting to feel a bit like the movie’s repetitive plot.

    There are plenty of Christmas, Halloween, and even Valentine’s Day movies for us to choose from. Aren’t there any other films that take place on Groundhog Day?

    Sadly, no. About the best you’ll get are a few animated short films, such as the early Disney flick Winter (featuring Walt Disney’s uncredited voice as a raccoon) and 1947’s One Meat Brawl from Warner Bros. And that’s only if you can find them.

    Now, if you’re looking for a movie swiping Groundhog Day’s premise — someone living the same day over and over again — there are a few options, from Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow to the sci-fi comedy Palm Springs, staring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti.

    There’s also 1998’s Run Lola Run, a German thriller where Franka Potente’s protagonist gets three chances to re-run the same 20 minutes to save the life of her boyfriend.

  • One Philly school went virtual Monday because of the cold, and four others dismissed early due to broken heaters

    One Philly school went virtual Monday because of the cold, and four others dismissed early due to broken heaters

    It was so cold Monday at Farrell Elementary, a Philadelphia public school in Northeast Philadelphia, that middle schoolers — a group seemingly constitutionally averse to bundling up — were wearing coats indoors.

    That was just one example of trouble for the Philadelphia School District amid the prolonged frigid spell bearing down on the region, with a number of schools plagued by burst pipes, broken heaters, and other issues.

    Furness High, in South Philadelphia, moved to virtual instruction Monday “due to ongoing heating challenges.”

    Some classrooms in a storied Philly high school saw ‘untenable’ below-40 temperatures Friday

    “The safety and comfort of our staff remains our top priority,” wrote Teresa Fleming, the district’s chief operating officer. “Moving to virtual instruction for the day allows necessary work to continue while allowing minimal disruption to learning.”

    Though Farrell’s heat was on the fritz for the third school day in a row, the district did not pivot to virtual learning there. Instead, it was one of four schools that dismissed early due to heating issues. For much of the day until classes ended, Farrell students and staff were forced to either bundle up or find space to relocate in more-adequately heated spots in the overcrowded school, according to staffers who asked not be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

    Six Farrell classes camped out in the auditorium, including one class of 38 eighth graders. But the auditorium had to do double duty because the unplowed state of the yard where students typically play meant that students who’d typically be in the yard before or after eating lunch had to be in the auditorium also, Farrell employees said.

    Meaningful learning was “absolutely not” going on in the auditorium, one staffer said. “It’s almost impossible.” Students were instructed to complete work on Google Classroom, and teachers were balancing crowd control and working with students individually.

    In other cases, teachers and students just stayed in cold rooms, bundled up. Small-group instruction had to happen in hallways because of the population overflow; the hallways were also freezing.

    Philly schools reopened Thursday. Some students returned to snowbanks, burst pipes, and frigid classrooms

    “It’s just ridiculous,” said the Farrell staffer, of the school conditions.

    They and others were frustrated that though district officials knew Farrell was plagued by heating issues, students and staff were required to be in the building, especially while other schools were permitted to go virtual.

    District students had a snow day last Monday, learned virtually on Tuesday and Wednesday, then went back for in-person instruction on Thursday, though conditions were tough in many schools. In some places, heating issues have resolved.

    “The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priorities,” district spokesperson Monique Braxton said. “Due to sustained frigid temperatures following the recent snowstorm, combined with the age of some School District of Philadelphia facilities, several schools are experiencing heating-related challenges.”

    In addition to Farrell, Greenberg Elementary, another school in the Northeast, dismissed early because of heating issues, Braxton said. So did the U School and Parkway Center City Middle College, two district high schools.

    District workers and independent contractors are “actively addressing both ongoing and newly identified facilities issues to ensure that all students can safely return to a full day of in-person instruction as soon as possible,” Braxton said.

    At Farrell, one teacher brought in their own heater to try to keep warm, a staffer said, and one teacher known for wearing shorts every day finally broke down and wore pants.

    And then there were the middle schoolers.

    “Even the older ones have on coats,” the staffer said. “It’s so cold that they wore coats.”

    Younger students, the staffer said, are more curious.

    “They say, ‘Why is it so cold in my classroom?’“ said the Farrell staffer.

    By lunchtime, word started to spread that both Farrell and Greenberg were dismissing early, staff there said.

    But that late call came with its own set of headaches — while some parents would be able to react to the news quickly and pick up their children early, others may be stuck at work and unable to get to school at dismissal.

    Arthur Steinberg, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president, remained frustrated and angry by the district’s call. Steinberg said last week that the district’s return to buildings was “dangerous” given conditions in some places.

    “They shouldn’t have brought people in if they knew the buildings were going to be this cold,” Steinberg said.

    As to why one school was permitted to be virtual while others were brought in with inadequate heat, Steinberg was stumped.

  • Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote

    Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote

    WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized.

    Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, continued to press for criminal contempt of Congress charges against both Clintons Monday evening for defying a congressional subpoena when attorneys for the Clintons emailed staff for the Oversight panel, saying the pair would accept Comer’s demands and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.”

    The attorneys requested that Comer, a Kentucky Republican, agree not to move forward with the contempt proceedings. Comer, however, said he was not immediately dropping the charges, which would carry the threat of a substantial fine and even incarceration if passed by the House and successfully prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

    “We don’t have anything in writing,” Comer told reporters, adding that he was open to accepting the Clintons’ offer but “it depends on what they say.”

    The last-minute negotiating came as Republican leaders were advancing the contempt resolution through the House Rules Committee — a final hurdle before it headed to the House floor for a vote. It was potentially a grave moment for Congress, the first time it could hold a former president in contempt and advance the threat of prison time.

    As Comer and the Clintons negotiated over the terms of the depositions, the House Rules Committee postponed advancing the contempt of Congress resolutions.

    Comer earlier Monday rejected an offer from attorneys for the Clintons to have Bill Clinton conduct a transcribed interview and Hillary Clinton submit a sworn declaration. He insisted that both Clintons sit for sworn depositions before the committee in order to fulfill the panel’s subpoenas.

    A letter from the committee to attorneys for the Clintons indicated that they had offered for Bill Clinton to conduct a 4-hour transcribed interview on “matters related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein” and for Hillary Clinton to submit a sworn declaration.

    “The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas,” Comer said.

    The former president and secretary of state had resisted the subpoenas for months after the Oversight panel issued subpoenas for their testimony in August as it opened an investigation into Epstein and his associates. Their attorneys had tried to argue against the validity of the subpoena.

    However, as Comer threatened to begin contempt of Congress proceedings, the Clintons started negotiating towards a compromise. The Republican-controlled Oversight committee advanced criminal contempt of Congress charges last month. Nine of the committee’s 21 Democrats joined Republicans in support of the charges against Bill Clinton as they argued for full transparency in the Epstein investigation. Three Democrats also supported advancing the charges against Hillary Clinton.

    Republicans push Bill Clinton’s involvement

    Bill Clinton’s relationship with Epstein has reemerged as a focal point for Republicans amid the push for a reckoning over Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell as he faced sex trafficking charges.

    Clinton, like a bevy of other high-powered men, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He has not been accused of wrongdoing in his interactions with the late financier.

    The Clintons have remained highly critical of Comer’s decision, saying he was bringing politics into the investigation while failing to hold the Trump administration accountable for delays in producing the Department of Justice’s case files on Epstein.

    “They negotiated in good faith. You did not,” a spokesperson for the Clintons, Angel Ureña, said in response to Comer’s threats on Monday. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care.”

    Still, the prospect of a vote raised the potential for Congress to use one of its most severe punishments against a former president for the first time. Historically, Congress has given deference to former presidents. None has ever been forced to testify before lawmakers, although a few have voluntarily done so.

    House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier Monday that his caucus would have a discussion on the contempt resolutions later in the week but remained noncommittal on whipping votes against them.

    Jeffries said he was a “hard no” on contempt and accused Comer of focusing on political retribution rather than investigating the delayed release of case files. Democrats also say the Justice Department has not yet released all the material it has on the late financier.

    “They don’t want a serious interview, they want a charade,” Jeffries said.

  • Trump administration says it will limit funds for speed cameras

    Trump administration says it will limit funds for speed cameras

    The Trump administration is restricting cities from using road safety grants for automated cameras that enforce speed limits or other traffic laws, part of a shift away from safety measures that might slow or otherwise inconvenience car travel.

    The letters to city officials went out in December, saying that “for consistency with Administration priorities,” traffic cameras outside of school or work zones will not get approval under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The program was created by the 2021 infrastructure law and funds projects aimed at eliminating traffic deaths.

    “This Administration will not allow critical safety dollars to subsidize the purchase of speed cameras so governments can pursue unfair revenue schemes,” U.S. Department of Transportation spokesperson Nathaniel Sizemore said in a statement.

    Proposals to extend sidewalk curbs farther into a roadway are also barred, although the number of exceptions is greater: transit stops, roundabouts, school zones, on-street parking, and curb extensions that don’t take away lanes of traffic, according to the letters from the U.S. Department of Transportation. As with other administration grants, the language also says any “equity analysis” is disqualifying.

    The cities had been awarded grants but did not yet have a signed agreement with the White House for their implementation. Until that happens, funds can be clawed back. The Trump administration has previously said grants that include “reducing lane capacity for vehicles” with bike lanes or pedestrian infrastructure are “hostile” to cars and “counter to DOT’s priority of preserving or increasing roadway capacity for motor vehicles.”

    Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has signaled his enthusiasm for driving in various ways. He has tried to stop congestion pricing in New York, has encouraged Americans to take road trips, and on Friday announced plans to host an IndyCar street race around the capital in August, saying, “Freedom doesn’t ring, it revs!”

    Alex Engel, a spokesperson for the National Association of City Transportation Officials, a nonprofit coalition, said the change is an unwarranted restriction on “proven, lifesaving tools,” and that “limiting speed and red-light enforcement to construction and school zones leaves many of the most dangerous city streets unaddressed.”

    Research indicates that speed, red-light, and stop sign cameras are effective at reducing crashes and fatalities and popular with the public. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls them a “proven safety countermeasure” in a 2023 report and noted that “support appears highest in jurisdictions that have implemented red-light or speed cameras.”

    Advocates say merely cutting federal funding is unlikely to slow the growth of camera programs because they generally pay for themselves with fines.

    “I don’t see it as a huge barrier, given that that’s not usually where the funding comes from,” said Leah Shahum, who leads a Vision Zero Network that offers support to cities and counties trying to end road deaths. “It’s still consequential for those that have applied, and I would worry a little bit that it may send a message, that in some places it would slow enthusiasm.”

    In-person traffic enforcement has collapsed across the country in the past six years, and more communities are turning to cameras to fill the gap. But there are vocal opponents who argue that it isn’t fair to enforce traffic laws without the discretion of a human officer and that cameras are used to fine people for speed limits that are too low.

    Last month, Politico reported that the administration suggested stripping funding for the District of Columbia unless the city eliminates its many traffic cameras. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) pushed back, saying doing so “would endanger people in our community” and “mean cuts to everyday services.” Cameras bring in more than $100 million a year through ticket revenue.

    Several House Republicans are adamantly opposed to traffic cameras and have pushed for legislation banning them both in D.C. and nationwide. According to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, officials at the Federal Highway Administration have also been gathering information on the city’s bike lanes and whether they took space away from cars and caused congestion.

  • Trump plans to lower tariffs on Indian goods to 18% after India agrees to stop buying Russian oil

    Trump plans to lower tariffs on Indian goods to 18% after India agrees to stop buying Russian oil

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to lower tariffs on goods from India to 18%, from 25%, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil.

    The move comes after months of Trump pressing India to cut its reliance on cheap Russian crude. India has taken advantage of reduced Russian oil prices as much of the world has sought to isolate Moscow for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

    Trump said that India would also start to reduce its import taxes on U.S. goods to zero and buy $500 billion worth of American products.

    “This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the tariff reduction on India.

    Modi posted on X that he was “delighted” by the announced tariff reduction and that Trump’s “leadership is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity.”

    “I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights,” Modi said.

    Trump has long had a warm relationship with Modi, only to find it complicated recently by Russia’s war in Ukraine and trade disputes.

    Trump has struggled to make good on a campaign pledge to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war and has been reluctant since his return to office to place pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has simultaneously imposed tariffs without going through Congress to achieve his economic and foreign policy aims.

    The announcement of the agreement with India comes as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to hold another round of three-way talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi later this week aimed at finding an endgame to the war, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to describe the upcoming meeting.

    Trump has voiced that he believes that targeting Russia’s oil revenue is the best way to get Moscow to end its nearly four-year war against Ukraine, a view that dovetails with his devotion to tariffs.

    In June, Trump announced the United States would impose a 25% tariff on goods from India after his administration felt the country had done too little to narrow its trade surplus with the U.S. and open up its markets to American goods. In August, Trump imposed additional import taxes of 25% on Indian products because of its purchases of Russian oil, putting the combined rate increase at 50%.

    With the commitment to stop buying Russian oil and the lower rate, the tariff rate on Indian products could fall to 18%, which is close to the 15% rate charged on goods from the European Union and Japan, among other nations.

    Historically, India’s relationship with Russia revolves more around defense than energy. Russia provides only a small fraction of India’s oil but the majority of its military hardware.

    But India, in the aftermath of the Russian invasion, used the moment to buy discounted Russian oil, allowing it to increase its energy supplies while Russia looked to cut deals to boost its beleaguered economy and keep paying for its brutal war.

    The announced tariff reduction comes days after India and the European Union reached a free-trade agreement that could affect as many as 2 billion people after nearly two decades of negotiations. That deal would enable free trade on almost all goods between the EU’s 27 members and India, covering everything from textiles to medicines, and bringing down high import taxes for European wine and cars.

    The deal between two of the world’s biggest markets also reflected a desire to reduce dependence on the U.S. after Trump’s import tax hikes disrupted established trade flows. While the cost of Trump’s tariffs have largely been borne by American businesses and consumers, the taxes can reduce trade volumes among countries.

    In recent months, India has accelerated a push to finalize several trade agreements. It signed a deal with Oman in December and concluded talks for a deal with New Zealand.

    Trump seemed to hint at a positive call with Modi on Monday morning, posting to social media a picture of the two of them on a magazine cover.

    When the pair met last February, the U.S. president said that India would start buying American oil and natural gas. But the talks proved frustrating and the tariffs imposed last year by Trump did little to initially change India’s objections.

    While the U.S. has been seeking greater market access and zero tariff on almost all its exports, India has expressed reservations on throwing open sectors such as agriculture and dairy, which employ a bulk of the country’s population for their livelihood, Indian officials said.

    The Census Bureau reported that the U.S. ran a $53.5 billion trade imbalance in goods with India during the first 11 months of last year, meaning it imported more than it exported.

    At a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, India is the world’s most populous country and viewed by many government officials and business leaders as geopolitical and economic counterbalance to China.

  • Trump’s plan to close Kennedy Center for 2 years draws backlash

    Trump’s plan to close Kennedy Center for 2 years draws backlash

    President Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to close the Kennedy Center for roughly two years for the facility to undergo construction. The proposal comes amid a series of cancellations and internal upheaval since he took over the arts institution and presidential memorial nearly a year ago and remade it in his name and image.

    “I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “In other words, if we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer.”

    Under Trump’s proposal, which he said is subject to board approval, the Kennedy Center could close on July 4, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary, with construction beginning immediately.

    “Financing is completed, and fully in place!,” Trump wrote. “This important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center … and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment, far better than it has ever been before.”

    Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell confirmed the plans in a Sunday evening email to staff obtained by the Washington Post. “We will have more information about staffing and operational changes in the coming days,” he wrote.

    In a post on X, Grenell cited the $257 million designated “for capital repair, restoration, maintenance backlog, and security structures” through the One Big Beautiful Bill last year.

    “It desperately needs this renovation and temporarily closing the Center just makes sense … ,” Grenell wrote. “It also means we will be finished faster.”

    The center has already made some physical changes under the new leadership, adding Trump’s name to the building’s facade, despite legal concerns, and painting the outside columns white. Portraits of the first and second couples now hang in the center’s Hall of Nations, and the exterior is sometimes lit up in red, white and blue.

    It was not immediately clear what the closure would mean for annual events held at the center such as the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor or the Kennedy Center Honors.

    The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A White House official referred the Washington Post to Trump’s post.

    Three current staffers, who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said they had not been previously notified of any plans to close the center, though some had long speculated a shutdown was possible.

    “Once again, Donald Trump has acted with a total disregard for Congress,” said Rep. Joyce Beatty (D., Ohio) who had sued the Trump administration in December in her capacity as an ex officio trustee to stop the name change. “The Kennedy Center is congressionally funded, and Congress should have been consulted about any decision to shut down its operations or make major renovations, especially for two years,” she said in a statement.

    The center’s board in December voted to add the president’s name to the arts venue and presidential memorial — its sign now reads “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” — prompting a fresh wave of cancellations and tumult.

    Members of the Kennedy family responded to the news of the closure. Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s grandson, wrote on X that while Trump can take over the institution, his grandfather’s legacy will endure. “JFK is kept alive by us now rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice, and restore the freedoms generations fought for,” he said.

    Joe Kennedy III, Robert F. Kennedy’s grandson and a former Democratic congressman for Massachusetts, called the decision “painful,” saying that the center was built by and for the people as a shared point of connection.

    “Do not be distracted from what this Administration is actually trying to erase: our connection, our community, and our commitment to the rights of all,” he wrote on X.

    Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.) condemned the move, saying on X that “Trump is desecrating our national performing arts center.” Sen. Andy Kim (D., N.J.) pointed to Trump’s bad bet in the late 1980s on what was the world’s largest casino-hotel complex in his state. “We can’t let him do to the Kennedy Center what he did to Atlantic City,” he said in a tweet.

    Most recently, the Washington National Opera announced Jan. 9 it would move out of its longtime home, citing changes to the center’s business model and support.

    The Kennedy Center said it ended the relationship, but a person speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to represent either party told the Post that it was “definitely a WNO decision” spurred by the board’s vote.

    U.S. law and customs generally bar memorializing living figures. The statute establishing the center designates it as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and requires the board to “assure” that “no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas” of the building. The law does allow plaques and inscriptions recognizing major donations.

    Months before the renaming vote, the center’s board changed its bylaws to ensure only members appointed by the president had voting powers, the Post previously reported. The center said it was following long-standing practice.

    Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation and a lawsuit to reverse the addition of Trump’s name.

    One of the groups behind the litigation is Democracy Defenders Action. In a statement Sunday, co-founder Norm Eisen questioned the motivations behind the center’s closure, which he said would inflict further damage. “We will be considering all legal remedies to address this new and concerning development,” he said.

    Since remaking the board of trustees and becoming chairperson of the Kennedy Center last February, Trump has frequently said the building was in poor shape. The Kennedy Center is “in tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of our country,” Trump told reporters in March. “Most of it, because of bad management. This is a shame, what I’ve watched and witnessed.”

    Trump and his new leadership have claimed that the center has broken elevators, was infested with rats, and that the concrete in the parking garage was crumbling.

    They also repeatedly accused the previous leadership of financial mismanagement, declining requests from the Post to substantiate the claims. Former leaders denied the accusations. (Senate Democrats are themselves investigating the Kennedy Center, accusing Grenell of “self-dealing, favoritism, and waste,” which he has denied.)

    Grenell has said the center will rely on “common-sense programming,” meaning popular programming that breaks even. In the past year, sales of subscription packages and tickets have fallen dramatically. Empty seats became a common sight at the center.

    Dozens of artists and productions, including composer Philip Glass, soprano Renée Fleming, acclaimed banjoist Béla Fleck, and Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, have canceled upcoming events.

    Meanwhile, almost every head of programming has resigned or been dismissed. Ben Folds and Fleming quit their roles as artistic advisers earlier last year. Last week, Kevin Couch, the center’s senior vice president of artistic programming, resigned less than two weeks after his hiring was announced.

  • Take a look inside Muhammad Ali’s former Cherry Hill mansion that’s now back on the market

    Take a look inside Muhammad Ali’s former Cherry Hill mansion that’s now back on the market

    Muhammad Ali’s former Cherry Hill mansion, once fit for one of sports’ greatest icons, is back on the market.

    The 6,688-square-foot Mediterranean-style ranch house, located at 1121 Winding Dr., is listed for sale for $1.9 million, $100,000 more than it was previously listed for three years ago.

    Muhammad Ali plays with his 3-year-old daughter Maryum at his home in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Monday, June 14, 1971.

    Sitting on 1.5 acres, the six-bedroom, five-bathroom estate features a kitchen with a large center island and custom cabinetry, a sun-filled greenhouse room, a spacious living area, and an in-ground pool and hot tub, with adjacent basketball and tennis courts. On the lower level of the home is a personal gym and a 12-foot wet bar.

    Ali, who died in 2016, lived in Cherry Hill with his family from 1971 to 1973. “I made a little mansion out of it. I’ve got a lot of land,” Ali told Philadelphia magazine in the 1970s

    Muhammad Ali, who was defeated by heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, leans back in a reclining chair in his new home in Cherry Hill, N.J., March 10, 1971, as he answered Frazier’s promise to fight Ali again. “Good, we got a rematch, maybe in seven months, might be sooner,” Ali said.

    The Champion bought the home for $103,000 in 1971. He moved to Chicago a few years later, according to the New York Times, after his friend, Camden power broker Major Coxson, was shot and killed in his home down the road from Ali’s. A major franchisee of local McDonald’s bought the home from Ali for $175,000.

    Before living in Cherry Hill, Ali lived in a West Philadelphia home in Overbrook that was later sold to Kobe Bryant’s grandparents.

    The backyard and pool area of 1121 Winding Dr. in Cherry Hill, the former home of prizefighter Muhammad Ali from 1970 to 1973. It’s now up for sale for $1.9 million in 2026.

    The current owners, who purchased the Cherry Hill home in 2014, traded in the 1970s decor and design for a modern look, converting Ali’s koi pond into a centerpiece courtyard and fire pit. However, the home retains Ali’s prayer room, which can be found in the lower level, lined with bookshelves.

    The main draw is the ample entertainment spaces, including the basement bar.

    The downstairs bar area at 1121 Winding Dr. in Cherry Hill, the former home of Muhammad Ali from 1970 to 1973. It’s now up for sale for $1.9 million in 2026.

    “There’s a spiral staircase from the main level to downstairs and you walk right into this large bar area, with tables, chairs, and a large TV setup,” Nicholas Alvini of Keller Williams said. “It really is a great entertaining house.”

    The kitchen, including a large island, at 1121 Winding Dr. in Cherry Hill, the former home of prizefighter Muhammad Ali from 1970 to 1973. It’s now up for sale for $1.9 million.

    In recent years, the home has been used for short-term rentals, and “wild parties” led police to visit the home 97 times between 2018 and 2019, according to an Inquirer report. In response, Cherry Hill township council almost adopted a ban on Airbnb rentals before eventually tabling the idea after community members spoke against it.

  • Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to ban cell phones from Pa. schools

    Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to ban cell phones from Pa. schools

    Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing a proposal to ban cell phones from Pennsylvania classrooms, joining a growing chorus of parents, teachers, and officials seeking to curb school disruptions and detach kids from addictive devices.

    “It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in our schools,” Shapiro said in a post on X on Thursday.

    He called on Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass a bill that would require schools to ban the use of cell phones during the school day, “from the time they start class until the time they leave for home.”

    The endorsement from the Democratic governor — who could promote the issue during his budget address Tuesday — comes as school cell phone bans have increasingly become the norm: 31 states have restrictions of some kind on phones, including 23 states with “bell-to-bell” bans barring the use of phones the entire school day, according to Education Week.

    In New Jersey, former Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law last month requiring a bell-to-bell ban to take effect next school year.

    Pennsylvania currently lets schools set their own cell phone policies — and districts have taken a patchwork of approaches. Pennsylvania in 2024 implemented a pilot program allowing schools to access funding for lockable pouches that students could place their phones in during the day, but few districts took the state up on the money.

    Some schools have banned cell phones during classes, including by asking students to place their phones in hanging shoe organizers on the backs of classroom doors.

    Advocates for entirely phone-free school days say such measures aren’t sufficient. Phones are still buzzing, and if class ends early, “kids are constantly looking at it,” said Kristen Beddard, a parent from the Pittsburgh suburb of Sewickley and leader in the PA Unplugged coalition seeking to curb children’s reliance on phones and screens, in and out of school.

    Barring phones only during class time is “not enough to truly break the dopamine feedback loop these kids are exposed to, and inundated with constantly,” Beddard said.

    Since PA Unplugged began advocating for a bell-to-bell ban a year ago, “the landscape has changed so much,” including more states moving to restrict phones, Beddard said.

    In Pennsylvania, the state’s largest teachers’ union came out in favor of a ban, and legislation that would require school districts to adopt bell-to-bell cell phone policies was unanimously approved in December by the Senate Education Committee. The bill would grant exceptions for students with special needs.

    The Pennsylvania State Education Association “supports legislation like Senate Bill 1014 that would establish a consistent, statewide expectation that public schools will restrict the possession and prohibit use of mobile devices for all students during the school day,” said spokesperson Chris Lilienthal.

    He said that on a typical day, teenagers get 237 app notifications on their phones.

    “Think about how disruptive those notifications are during the course of the school day when students should be focused on learning,” Lilienthal said.

    In a divided Harrisburg, the proposal has bipartisan support. Beddard called banning cell phones in schools “maybe one of the few bipartisan issues left.”

    In the Philadelphia area, groups of parents have mobilized against cell phone use, circulating pledges such as a commitment to not give children phones before eighth grade. Delco Unplugged, an offshoot of PA Unplugged, has advocated for cell phone bans in school districts and encourages parents to not give children access to phones before high school.

    There has been opposition to strict bans, including from school leaders who think kids need to learn how to live with technology, rather than avoid it. Some administrators have also questioned the logistics, and some parents say they want their children to have phones in the case of emergencies, like a school shooting.

    Advocates like Beddard say kids are safer during emergencies if they pay attention to the adults in their school, rather than their phones. They also argue that the logistics aren’t so daunting and that there are many ways to enact a ban besides lockable pouches.

    Some schools require kids to put their phones in a locker or simply keep them in their backpacks, Beddard said, noting that the legislation advancing in Harrisburg would allow districts to decide how to enact a ban.

    Schools that have implemented bans “describe the experience as transformational,” going beyond academic improvements to better socializing among kids, Beddard said. “Awkward conversations in the lunchroom make you a better human being,” she said.

    At this point, “Pennsylvania isn’t a pioneer on the issue,” Beddard said. “We need to get with the program.”