Associated Press

Associated Press

Teen accused in deadly Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia set for plea and sentencing hearing

ATLANTA (AP) — A teenager accused of killing four people nearly two years ago at Apalachee High School in Georgia is due in court Friday for a plea and sentencing hearing. Colt Gray, 16, previously pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting that killed two students and two […]
8 days ago

Democrats select South Carolina for their first presidential nominating contest in 2028 election

WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina was selected Friday to once again lead off the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating schedule, most likely cementing a dramatic break from decades of tradition by keeping Iowa off the top of the calendar and elevating more racially diverse states. The decision by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws […]
8 days ago

New York Police Department investigates 2 stabbings as possible hate crimes

NEW YORK (AP) — A man was arrested Thursday after police said he stabbed two men in separate, nonfatal attacks on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that the New York Police Department is investigating as possible hate crimes. Raul Morales, 51, allegedly stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man and yelled the Arabic phrase “Allahu […]
8 days ago

From prison fears to fireworks, Chinese pastor recounts sudden release after Trump’s intervention

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ezra Jin Mingri was inside a detention center in southern China on the morning of July 3, worrying that he would likely spend at least 15 years behind bars. The 57-year-old Chinese Christian pastor had even previously wondered whether he would live to see freedom again. In the span of 24 hours, […]
8 days ago

Man dressed as Spider-Man jumps to assist a person using a wheelchair to cross lanes of traffic

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A man using a wheelchair was struggling to get across six lanes of traffic in an Arkansas city when help came in an unexpected way — from a spidery superhero who jumped into action from a red Jeep waiting at a light. Christopher Hellenthal was still garbed in his Spider-Man […]
8 days ago

Federal judges allow new Tennessee congressional map that splits majority-Black district in Memphis

A federal judicial panel has allowed Tennessee to use a new congressional map that splits apart a majority-Black district in Memphis, providing another legal victory for Republicans who hope to gain an additional seat in this year’s midterm elections. A three-judge panel on Thursday declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the new districts, paving […]
8 days ago

Alaska sends 3,000 letters asking voters to verify their citizenship ahead of this year’s elections

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state has sent more than 3,000 letters to Alaska voters asking them to verify their citizenship ahead of the Aug. 18 primary, a number a top state elections official said is unusually high. The letters have raised concerns among some state lawmakers, including one who said some constituents who received […]
8 days ago

Nearly 150,000 mail ballots rejected in California’ primary despite efforts to count every vote

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nearly 150,000 California voters had their mail-in ballots rejected for the state’s June primary, a spike from recent elections even as the state attempts to make voting easier with the goal of boosting participation and counting every ballot. California has become notorious for its ponderously slow vote counts that can drag […]
8 days ago

Next stop, Trump Station? Administration wants to rename New York’s Penn Station

NEW YORK (AP) — Will President Donald Trump ’s name grace one of the most famous — and sometimes maligned — landmarks in his hometown of New York City? The Republican administration this week urged leading U.S. Senators to rename Penn Station as it undertakes a projected $8 billion redesign of the dreary, underground Manhattan […]
9 days ago

Giant metal roosters spread autism acceptance in Maine after town zoning spat

OGUNQUIT, Maine (AP) — Giant metal roosters are popping up on lawns in and around a coastal Maine community and as far away as New Zealand in support of a 6-year-old autistic girl and her love of the colorful creations. David and Sara LeBlanc had a rotating display of the roughly 6-foot-tall (1.8-meter-tall) ornaments decorating […]
9 days ago

Black members of Oklahoma Native American tribe file federal lawsuit to gain citizenship rights

Two descendants of Black people once enslaved by a Native American tribe are asking a federal court in Oklahoma to force tribal leaders to issue them citizenship cards as ordered a year ago by a tribal court. A lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City on behalf of Rhonda Grayson and Jeffrey […]
9 days ago

2 dead in flash floods caused by heavy rain in West Virginia, governor’s office says

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (AP) — Two people have died in flash floods caused by torrential rains in West Virginia this week, the governor’s office said Wednesday. An emailed statement from Lars Dalseide, communications director for Gov. Patrick Morrisey, did not provide details on where the bodies were found or how the people died. Their identifies were […]
9 days ago

Senate committee postpones vote on whether to advance CDC director nominee

NEW YORK (AP) — The Senate health committee delayed a planned vote Thursday on whether to advance the nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The committee plans to vote next week on whether to forward Schwartz’s nomination to the full Senate. The committee’s chair, Sen. Bill […]
9 days ago

Democrats urge IRS watchdog to find out why a top lawyer who clashed with White House left his job

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats want a watchdog at the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the recent departure of a high-ranking IRS attorney who clashed with President Donald Trump’s White House after the attorney raised concerns about influence over taxpayer audits. Kenneth Kies, an assistant Treasury Department secretary and acting chief counsel of the IRS, […]
9 days ago

Democrats say Social Security boss’ message pushed misleading statements on Trump tax law’s benefits

Some Democrats are squaring off with President Donald Trump’s administration over one of the most potent political issues in the country ahead of this year’s midterm elections: Social Security. The social safety net program that financially supports more than 70 million people — mostly retirees but also those with disabilities — was at the center […]
9 days ago

Gas, groceries and back-to-school items are where shoppers might see higher oil prices surface

NEW YORK (AP) — Already feeling pinched since the start of the Iran war, consumers are likely to feel more pain ahead as oil prices pushed past $100 a barrel Thursday amid renewed fighting and military strikes that have left global oil supplies stranded in the Middle East. The elevated price marked a turn from […]
9 days ago

Laura Loomer meets with Zelenskyy in Ukraine after major reversal on the war

KYIV (AP) — Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of President Donald Trump with a reputation for incendiary social media commentary, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday after a dramatic turnaround on the war that could have political reverberations back in Washington. Loomer had spent years minimizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amplifying Russian […]
9 days ago

More than 24 states sue Trump administration after it put conditions on receiving disaster funding

BOSTON (AP) — More than two dozen states on Thursday sued the Trump administration for requiring them to comply with election and immigration conditions in order to receive billions of dollars in federal funding for disasters. The lawsuit, filed in Rhode Island and challenging Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security policies, argued […]
9 days ago

US Virgin Islands faces second lawsuit over right to bear arms as Florida resident seeks license

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation are suing the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands and its police commissioner as a fight over the Second Amendment deepens. The nonprofits are asking a federal judge to allow nonresidents to apply for and be issued licenses to carry concealed […]
9 days ago

Nun who was detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas says many are in her situation

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A nun who was taken into immigration custody after being arrested while walking to Mass in her habit last month in Texas pleaded Thursday for people to have the chance to be heard before being taken into custody, saying she was speaking out to help others. “There are many others in […]
9 days ago

A member of Vance’s Secret Service detail is being investigated over a suspected news leak

WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of Vice President JD Vance ’s security detail is being investigated over allegations tied to a suspected news leak, the U.S. Secret Service said Thursday. Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, said the security-team member faces an internal investigation and potential criminal inquiry over allegations involving compromised “operational and information […]
9 days ago

Captain pleads guilty in boat crash that killed 3 girls from Miami sailing camp

MIAMI (AP) — A tugboat captain has pleaded guilty to causing a deadly Miami collision that killed three girls from a sailing camp last summer. Yusiel Lopez Insua, 47, of Miami, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to seaman’s manslaughter, according to court records. The charge carries up to 10 years in federal prison, but prosecutors have […]
9 days ago

Salman Rushdie testifies at the terrorism trial of the man convicted of stabbing him

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Four years after being stabbed on an amphitheater stage, Salman Rushdie sat across a courtroom from his convicted attacker Thursday and told jurors for a second time about the ambush that nearly killed him. The prize-winning writer recalled feeling what he thought was a punch under his chin, then feeling blood […]
9 days ago

Trump will welcome the World Series champion Dodgers to the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is welcoming Shohei Ohtani and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House on Thursday with a Rose Garden event celebrating their second title in as many years. The Dodgers edged the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 last October to become the first repeat […]
9 days ago