NATIONAL NEWS

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, has died

Aug 21, 2025, 6:49 AM

In a Tuesday, March 11, 2008 photo, Christian evangelical leader and founder of "Focus on the Famil...

In a Tuesday, March 11, 2008 photo, Christian evangelical leader and founder of "Focus on the Family", James Dobson, listens to President Bush, not pictured, address the National Religious Broadcasters 2008 Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. (AP) — Dr. James Dobson, a politically influential child psychologist who started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents, founded the conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was long a campaigner against abortion and gay rights, died on Thursday. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

National News

Children look through a book of first words at a Head Start preschool in Immokalee, Fla., Thursday,...

Associated Press

A Head Start preschool in Florida faces changes under proposed English-only education rules, in photos

IMMOKALEE, Fla. (AP) — Head Start preschools are bracing for changes proposed by the Trump administration that would require all education to be conducted in English. This shift could impact centers like one in Immokalee, Florida, where both English and Spanish are used daily.

1 hour ago

Associated Press

California helicopter crash kills 2 people and leaves 2 hospitalized and 1 missing, report says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A medical helicopter crashed off Catalina Island near Los Angeles, killing two people and leaving two hospitalized on Wednesday night, authorities said. L.A. County Fire Engineer Jonathan Torres confirmed the two deaths and said two people were transported to local hospitals, while a fifth person remained missing, KTLA-TV reported. Los Angeles […]

2 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks during an East Room event at the White House celebrating Hispanic Her...

Associated Press

Trump and Vance hit the campaign trail in deep-red areas where GOP candidates seek a boost

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will both hit the campaign trail on Thursday, but they will be heading to heavily Republican areas to shore up lagging enthusiasm in their party ahead of next month’s midterm elections. Trump’s travel on Thursday to Texas and Oklahoma kicks off what the president […]

5 hours ago

Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesd...

Associated Press

Trump’s campaign against noncitizen voting demonstrates it’s rare and not enough to swing elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s campaign to root out noncitizen voting is demonstrating what critics of President Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories have long argued — that it’s incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of elections. The administration has dedicated enormous resources to what election experts […]

5 hours ago

FILE - President Barack Obama talks to two young boys during a Native American dance on the Standin...

Associated Press

Presidents rarely visit Indian Country. Trump’s planned Choctaw Nation rally will be the latest

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump is holding a campaign rally on the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma on Thursday, putting him in the company of just a handful of U.S. presidents who have visited tribal nations while in office. The rally is part of Trump’s recent campaign push through deep red states, where he […]

5 hours ago

Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling arrives before an event to mark the launch of the Americ...

Associated Press

Senate approves Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Labor on Wednesday just before heading home to campaign for the midterm elections. Keith Sonderling, who was confirmed 47-41, has been the acting secretary since April and has served in multiple roles within the department over the course of his […]

6 hours ago

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, has died