Associated Press

Associated Press

Trump blasts Pirro after she refutes his claim that Reflecting Pool was damaged by vandals

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday sharply criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s assessment that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of shoddy construction and not the work of vandals, as he claims. Pirro’s office, in a moved to drop criminal charges against a former Olympian, David Hearn, who had […]
27 days ago

FBI investigates as Michigan joins Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on its water systems

Michigan on Saturday joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on nine of the state’s water systems but an official said all systems were operating “safely.” Earlier this week, authorities said cyberattacks targeted over 30 water systems in Minnesota. The source of the attacks is being investigated, but they came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been […]
27 days ago

Heat wave expected to bring record-breaking temps, heighten wildfire risk to parts of Western US

A dangerous heat wave will bring record-breaking temperatures to parts of the Western U.S. this weekend, prompting warnings for people to stay inside and heightening wildfire risks in areas that already are dry or burning. A ridge of high pressure is holding heat close to the ground — what’s known as a heat dome — […]
27 days ago

Michigan Supreme Court rejects permit for Enbridge oil pipeline under Great Lakes

The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered state regulators to reconsider a key permit that allowed a planned tunnel to carry an oil pipeline under part of the Great Lakes to move forward. The 6-1 decision further clouds the future of the 73-year-old pipeline owned by Canadian energy transportation company Enbridge that carries petroleum from Superior, […]
27 days ago

“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie begs for “someone to come forward” in her mother’s disappearance

“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie on Saturday said on social media that her family was “desperate” and “begging for help” in the disappearance of her mother, a day after authorities released two ransom notes including one saying that she had died. Authorities released an early note in the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy […]
27 days ago

Trump’s threat to push ahead on settlement fund injects new uncertainty into attorney general talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to push forward with a fund to compensate his allies if two Republican holdouts will not support his nominee for attorney general, injecting fresh uncertainty into a Senate confirmation vote planed for next week and underscoring once more his interest in securing payouts for supporters who […]
27 days ago

Democrats see an chance to flip a US House seat as abuse claims mount against Ohio Rep. Max Miller

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Faced with a narrow path to winning control of the U.S. House, Democrats are seeing fresh opportunity in a northeast Ohio congressional seat where the Republican incumbent is facing mounting pressure over domestic abuse allegations in a bitter and drawn-out dispute with his ex-wife. Allegations against U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a […]
28 days ago

Fishing closures are becoming routine as record heat warms rivers in the US West

LIVINGSTON, Mont. (AP) — Trout need cool water to survive, but record heat this summer has driven water temperatures to lethal levels for fish. Wildlife officials are banning fishing during certain hours on rivers and streams across the U.S. West, following an exceptionally dry winter and amid widespread drought. Lower water levels mean rivers can […]
28 days ago

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says he’s ‘very concerned’ Trump will interfere in the midterm elections

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland said he is “very concerned” that President Donald Trump will wield the power of the federal government to thwart the midterm elections this fall as the Republican tries to maintain his grip on power during the final two years of his administration. In an interview as […]
28 days ago

Europe’s wildfire crisis shifts as some 200,000 French return but new blazes force thousands to flee

LE PORGE, France (AP) — Firefighters held a vast wildfire inside its perimeter in southwestern France on Saturday, allowing about 198,000 people to return home after what may have been the country’s largest peacetime evacuation, even as renewed fires forced thousands from their homes elsewhere in France and Greece. In the Mediterranean Var, a fire […]
28 days ago

Trump stands to profit off US policy announcements by selling fast access to his social media posts

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump knows the world hangs on his every word. Now he wants you to pay for it. The social media posts of the world’s most powerful man are going on sale Saturday when his Truth Social business begins offering sneak peeks of them to Wall Street traders willing to […]
28 days ago

Trump threatens more strikes on Iran. Tensions from Hormuz to Kuwait and Gaza lead to more warnings

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more strikes on Iran as the United States presses for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later on Saturday, Kuwait said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran while a tanker was struck in the strategic waterway. Meanwhile, Israel carried out […]
28 days ago

Death toll in Spain-Morocco border crisis in Ceuta reaches 67

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — The death toll in Spain’s Ceuta border crisis with Morocco has climbed to 67, the Spanish government said Saturday. Spain announced it was installing a containment barrier along the breakwater fence into the sea after tens of thousands of migrants breached the tiny Spanish territory’s border this week.
28 days ago

Breakneck pace in immigration courts is driving up deportation orders

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration is packing immigration courtrooms and giving less lead-time on hearings in an effort to clear a decades-long backlog. The result is a historic rise in the number of people missing court dates and being immediately ordered deported as the system struggles to keep up, new data shows. Dozens […]
28 days ago

Leave it: Dog trainers help pets avoid poisonous snakes

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Ripley, a medium-sized dog with a strong prey drive, curiously approached Brian, a large western diamondback rattlesnake, until she got a quick zap on the neck meant to simulate a venomous viper’s bite. Suddenly, the 2-year-old blue heeler mix wanted nothing to do with Brian’s textured brown skin or furiously rattling […]
28 days ago

Trump wanted interest rate cuts to be ‘Rocket Fuel’ for the economy. He is losing that fight so far

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has been losing his own battle to cut interest rates. The president likes to vilify high rates as an affront to the size and strength of the U.S. economy, saying that America deserves the cheapest borrowing costs in the world. Trump for months publicly pressured the Federal Reserve to […]
28 days ago

Gilberto Cárdenas, revered for his advocacy for Chicanos and Latino art, dies at 79

Gilberto Cárdenas, a highly respected sociologist who many considered a great advocate for advancing Latino and Chicano identity through academia and art, has died. Cárdenas died Sunday at his home in Austin, Texas, after a long illness, according to a statement released by his family. He was 79. Born and raised in San Gabriel, California, […]
28 days ago

Infantino abandons plans to sell World Cup profits to private equity following massive pushback

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino is abandoning his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world. Infantino issued a statement on Friday saying that the divisions caused by the proposal are “no longer in the interest of the objective set out […]
28 days ago

George Santos agrees to $35,000 settlement in federal probe over Kalshi trades

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced former Congressman George Santos agreed Friday to pay $35,000 to settle a federal investigation into his suspicious trades on the prediction marketplace Kalshi after he bet against his own plans to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. The onetime Republican lawmaker from New York said he settled with […]
28 days ago

Justice Department drops criminal case against ex-Olympian charged with damaging Reflecting Pool

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that information provided since the indictment of David Hearn shows that the damage was the result of a “flawed installation by the […]
28 days ago

Zelenskyy asks Trump to help him get Elon Musk’s OK to use Starlink to help with strikes on Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pitched President Donald Trump and other American officials on helping Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia. The push for expanded use of Starlink comes as Zelenskyy looks for alternate ways to mitigate the […]
28 days ago

Turkish man arrested in UK on US charges accusing him of aiding Hamas

NEW YORK (AP) — A Turkish man was arrested Friday in the United Kingdom on charges alleging he conspired to funnel money and supplies to Hamas through his senior role in what prosecutors say was a sham global humanitarian organization. Mohammad Yousef Hasna, 45, of Istanbul, was ordered held pending extradition proceedings that will occur […]
28 days ago

Seattle mayor defends ousting police chief after festival shootout

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson on Friday defended her decision to oust the city’s police chief as the “right decision at the right time,” but she declined to explain why. The leadership change came as police continue searching for people involved in a fatal, gang-related shootout at a food festival near the Space […]
28 days ago

FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate ‘in the public interest’

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Friday defended his agency’s recent actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have a duty to “operate in the public interest” and the FCC is merely trying to restore that standard. Broadcasters like ABC, Carr said in an interview on the Fox Business Network, “struck a deal with the American […]
28 days ago