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Trial begins against husband charged with Herndon double homicide

Published January 12, 2026 at 11:45AM

A framed photo of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhães on his bedside table in Herndon, provided by police as evidence in their murder case against him (courtesy Fairfax County Police Department via AP, FILE)

Jury selection began this morning (Monday) in the postponed trial against a Herndon man accused by prosecutors of concocting a scheme with his family’s au pair to frame a stranger in the fatal stabbing of his wife.

Brendan Banfield is charged with aggravated murder in the February 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan at the Banfields’ home in northern Virginia. He has pleaded not guilty in the case.

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Sen. Kaine leads renewed push in Congress to limit Trump’s war powers after Venezuela raid

By Associated Press and Angela Woolsey

Published January 8, 2026 at 11:15AM | Updated January 8, 2026 at 11:48AM

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks to reporters about a war powers resolution regarding Venezuela on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

The Senate advanced a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.

Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a later vote for final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the House. Still, it was a significant gesture that showed unease among some Republicans after the U.S. military seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

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CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who sold US secrets to the Soviets, dies in prison

By Associated Press

Published January 7, 2026 at 8:30AM

FILE - Former CIA agent Aldrich Ames leaves federal court after pleading guilty to espionage and tax evasion conspiracy charges April 28, 1994, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in U.S. history, has died in a Maryland prison. He was 84.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Ames died Monday.

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Dominion Energy sues Trump administration for halting wind projects

By Associated Press

Published December 26, 2025 at 2:45PM

Wind turbine bases, generators and blades are positioned along with support ships at The Portsmouth Marine terminal at the staging area for Dominion Energy's wind turbine project Monday Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The developers of a Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction of their project, along with four others, over national security concerns.

Dominion Energy Virginia said in its lawsuit filed late Tuesday (Dec. 23) that the government’s order is “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. The Richmond-based company is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a project it says is essential to meet dramatically growing energy needs driven by dozens of new data centers.

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Virginia offshore wind project among those halted by Trump administration

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published December 22, 2025 at 3:45PM

Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Charybdis works to install generators for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Hampton Roads (via Dominion Energy)

The Trump administration on Monday suspended leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentagon.

Among the affected projects is Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which has been under construction about 27 miles off of the Virginia Beach coast since 2023.

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JUST IN: Temporary Annandale immigration court judge fired after defying Trump deportation push

By Associated Press

Published December 19, 2025 at 12:40PM | Updated December 19, 2025 at 1:54PM

The Annandale Immigration Court is housed in an office building at 7619 Little River Turnpike (staff photo by Jared Serre)

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — A U.S. Army Reserve lawyer detailed as a federal immigration judge has been fired barely a month into the job after granting asylum at a high rate out of step with the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals, The Associated Press has learned.

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FAA head vows to maintain safety measures implemented after National Airport crash

By Associated Press

Published December 16, 2025 at 4:45PM

Nikita Joy of the Foundation for Aviation Safety, left, and Nadia Milleron of Sheffield, Mass., whose daughter Samya Stumo was killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, listen as FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford speaks during a hearing of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation Writer

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday he won’t forget the 67 people who died when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January, insisting he won’t allow operations in the airspace over the nation’s capital to revert back to the way they were before the crash.

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Trump admin wants to rebuild ‘inefficient’ Dulles Airport despite ongoing renovations

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published December 3, 2025 at 8:30AM

FILE - A sign of Washington Dulles International Airport station is seen during the opening of new Silver Line Extension at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., Nov. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Dulles International Airport has emerged as the latest target of President Donald Trump’s bid to remake the architecture of the nation’s capital.

Even as the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) pursues billions of dollars in capital projects, including a new concourse slated to open next fall, the U.S. Department of Transportation began soliciting proposals yesterday (Tuesday) from developers, architects and engineers to redesign airport just outside Fairfax County.

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Solution to ‘Kryptos’ sculpture at CIA’s McLean HQ up for auction

By Associated Press

Published November 12, 2025 at 3:45PM

RR Auction Executive Vice President of Public Relations Bobby Livingston discusses the sale of a deception key for the "Kryptos" sculpture at the CIA's headquarters (screenshot via AP Video by Rodrique Ngowi)

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — When Jim Sanborn was commissioned to create a sculpture at CIA headquarters, he wanted to do something that spoke to its world of spies and secret codes.

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N. Va. Congressmen oppose deal to reopen government without health care guarantees

By Jared Serre and Associated Press

Published November 10, 2025 at 12:00PM | Updated November 10, 2025 at 3:46PM

Rep. James Walkinshaw (staff photo by Jared Serre)

All three of Fairfax County’s Congressional representatives say they will not support a legislative deal advanced late yesterday (Sunday) by the U.S. Senate to reopen the federal government.

Without a guarantee that health care subsidies will be extended, the latest effort by lawmakers to break the record-long stalemate over funding is a non-starter, Rep. James Walkinshaw, who’s in his first term representing Virginia’s 11th District, said in a statement.