Mayor arrested at immigration detention center

Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at a federal immigration detention center where he has been protesting its opening this week, a federal prosecutor said.

Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka committed trespass and ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave Delaney Hall, a detention facility run by private prison operator GEO Group.

Habba said Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law” and added that he was taken into custody.

Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration.

U.S. poets laureate criticize Trump’s firing of Hayden

Outgoing U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón and her two immediate predecessors, Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith, are condemning President Donald Trump’s firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who had appointed each of them to their positions.

“Dr. Carla Hayden is the kindest, brightest, most generous librarian of Congress we could have hoped for as a nation,” Limón, who last month completed a three-year run as poet laureate, said in a statement Friday.

The library, an outgrowth of Thomas Jefferson’s personal book collection, holds a vast archive of the nation’s books and history.

Hayden, whose 10-year term was scheduled to end next year, was notified late Thursday that she had been fired.

On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Hayden “did not meet the needs of the American people.”

Company says first at-home test kit approved by FDA

U.S. regulators have approved the first cervical cancer testing kit that allows women to collect their own sample at home before shipping it to a laboratory, according to a medical device company.

Teal Health said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved its Teal Wand for home use, offering a new way to collect vaginal samples that can detect the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer. Currently, HPV tests and Pap smears are performed at a health clinic or doctor’s office.

An influential federal panel recommended last year the use of self-collection of HPV samples to boost screening. The FDA also recently expanded the use of two older HPV tests for self-collection, but those must be done at a medical office or mobile clinic.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and is spread through sex. Most HPV infections clear up on their own, but persistent infection can lead to cancer of the cervix.

Color additives made from minerals, algae, flower petals OK’d

U.S. regulators said Friday that they would allow three new color additives made from natural sources to be used in the nation’s food supply.

It comes after health officials pledged a sweeping phase-out of petroleum-based dyes widely used in foods from cereals to sports drinks to boost health — although action is still pending.

The Food and Drug Administration said it is granting petitions to allow galdieria extract blue, a blue color derived from algae; calcium phosphate, a white color derived from a naturally occurring mineral; and butterfly pea flower extract, a blue color made from dried flower petals.

The colors will be approved for use in a range of foods from fruit drinks and yogurt to pretzels, ready-to-eat chicken and candies.

Secretary calls on Congress to raise or suspend debt ceiling

The U.S. is on track to run out of money to pay its bills as early as August without congressional action, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Friday.

He is calling on Congress to either raise or suspend the debt ceiling by mid-July.

“A failure to suspend or increase the debt limit would wreak havoc on our financial system and diminish America’s security and global leadership position,” Bessent wrote in the letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson. “Prior episodes have shown that waiting until the last minute to suspend or increase the debt limit can have serious adverse consequences for financial markets, businesses and the federal government.”

Air traffic controllers briefly lose radar access again

The air traffic controllers directing planes into the Newark, N.J., airport briefly lost their radar Friday morning for the second time in two weeks, renewing concerns about the nation’s aging air traffic control system that President Donald Trump wants to overhaul.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the radar at the facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of Newark airport went black for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. Friday.

That’s similar to what happened April 28.

The number of cancellations and delays spiked after the FAA limited traffic at Newark and has remained high since then.

Pentagon directs military to pull some library books

The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on Friday.

It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign to rid the military of diversity and equity programs, policies and instructional materials. And it follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies.

Men convicted of cutting down Sycamore Gap tree

Two men were convicted Friday of cutting down the beloved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England in 2023.

A Newcastle Crown Court jury found Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers guilty of two counts each of criminal damage for felling the tree and toppling it onto the ancient Hadrian’s Wall.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 15.

— Denver Post wire services