National News

FILE - Portraits of Presidents Donald Trump and Theodore Roosevelt hang above the Department of Lab...

Claims for unemployment benefits drop to 196,000, lowest since mid-July as layoffs remain low

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week, another sign that layoffs remain rare and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims slid to 196,000, the fewest since mid-July and down from 206,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which […]
7 days ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Gastonia Municipal Airport, Wednesday,...

The Latest: Trump says EU allowing Canada as associate member could be a ‘hostile act’

President Donald Trump suggested that the European Union allowing Canada to become an associate member could be a “hostile act” and threatened to respond to the proposed move by imposing more tariffs on the bloc. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home to campaign for the midterm elections, but not without a scathing rebuke […]
7 days ago
FILE - Democratic Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, a former three-term U.S. senator, speaks at ...

Ohio voters rejected Sherrod Brown. Two years later, are they ready to give him a second chance?

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — In the wood-paneled basement of a union hall, retirees sat in folding chairs last week as they recalled how miles of steel mills and plentiful jobs had slowly disappeared. “We told our children to get your education, get out, and don’t come back,” said Al Antonelli, who has been a member […]
7 days ago
This photo taken with a smartphone shows Steve Perry, of Kansas City, holding a sign in opposition ...

Redistricting moved 1 in 10 Americans into a new House district, report finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study. A report by Protect Democracy found that 34.8 million people — about one in 10 Americans — […]
7 days ago
Samba Diallo, right, wears his daraa, a traditional robe worn in his homeland, Mauritania, after ea...

PHOTO ESSAY: A small town on Cincinnati’s outskirts is among those transformed by immigration surge

An old building in Lockland, Ohio, bustles every Friday afternoon, the sound of hammering old bicycle tires mixing with laughter and conversation that switches from English to the West African language Pular. The shop, called Bikes and Stuff, offers free bikes to anyone willing to help refurbish one, and it has become the center of […]
7 days ago
A Venezuelan mother sits with her daughter among food trucks Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Midvale, Ut...

Many Venezuelan immigrants shun Florida and turn to smaller cities in Utah, elsewhere

MIDVALE, Utah (AP) — Snow-covered mountains ringing a valley of wide, free-flowing roads remind Venezuelan transplants that the growing suburbs south of Salt Lake City offer what Miami can’t. One million Venezuelans were released into the United States after crossing the Mexican border during a record immigration surge, and many shunned Miami and other longtime […]
7 days ago
Khalidou Sy, a Mauritanian immigrant, talks in the backyard of his family's home in Lockland, Ohio,...

African asylum seekers find home in unlikely new American melting pots

LOCKLAND, Ohio (AP) — He keeps his American clothes in the closet: jeans, T-shirts, a hard hat for his job at a meatpacking plant. He folds his African clothes — including the blue robe he had shipped from home, the one he jokes makes him look like a king — and tucks them into a […]
7 days ago
Khalidou Sy's young daughter looks out a window inside the family's home in Lockland, Ohio, Friday,...

How AP obtained and analyzed data on 4.5 million migrants released in the US at the border

Newly obtained data on the unprecedented surge of border crossings over the past decade is shedding light on who entered the U.S. and where they went. Here is some information on the crossings, the data on 4.5 million migrants, and how The Associated Press obtained and analyzed it. Millions of migrants crossed the border from […]
7 days ago
FILE - A group of people, including many from China, walk along the wall after crossing the border ...

A border surge reshaped America. Now, data shows who 4.5 million migrants were and where they went

An unprecedented surge in border crossings over the past decade reshaped America: Millions of people from more than 150 countries arrived, bringing the U.S. immigrant population to its highest levels ever. Now, data obtained exclusively by The Associated Press paints a picture of who these migrants are, where they went, and what happened after the […]
7 days ago
FILE - This undated photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections on June 11, 2026, shows...

Alabama set to execute man for pawn shop killings months after his nitrogen gas execution blocked

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is set to execute a man Thursday night via lethal injection, three months after a judge’s ruling blocked the state from putting him to death with nitrogen gas. Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled to receive an injection beginning at 6 p.m. at south Alabama’s William C. Holman Correctional Facility for […]
7 days ago
The exterior of the federal courthouse is seen March 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thaye...

Former Syrian official convicted of torture under Assad faces sentencing in the US

A former Syrian military official convicted of torturing prisoners during President Bashar Assad’s regime is facing a possible decades-long prison sentence in the U.S. A federal judge in Los Angeles is scheduled to sentence Samir Ousman Alsheikh on Thursday. A jury found him guilty in March of one count of conspiracy to commit torture and […]
7 days ago
An aerial view of the aftermath of a news helicopter that crashed in Chatsworth, a neighborhood in ...

LA news helicopter crashed in birthplace (and, arguably, epicenter) of ‘eye-in-the-sky’ reporting

Los Angeles has been viewed from above by news helicopters for nearly seven decades. When there was a wildfire, a mudslide or O.J. Simpson fleeing the police across its ribbons of highway, an “eye in the sky” tracked it and advised millions how to keep out of harm’s way. On Tuesday, one of those flying […]
7 days ago
FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cell phone in front of an image generated by ChatGPT's Dal...

OpenAI flags new concerning AI behavior, to track model misalignment regularly

OpenAI has disclosed six reports of “unexpected or concerning” behavior in artificial-intelligence models as the debate on AI safety becomes increasingly heated. The AI company also said Wednesday it was introducing a new framework for tracking, probing and disclosing AI model misalignment instances, such as new ways for the models to act without authorization, coordinate […]
7 days ago
This image made from body camera video provided by the Minneapolis Police Department of a Wednesday...

Dramatic video captures the moment 2 officers were wounded in a deadly Minneapolis shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dramatic video released Wednesday shows the moment two Minneapolis officers were shot after racing to an upper floor of an apartment building in pursuit of a shooter who had also killed two people and wounded three others, one the mother of his child. The videos released by the City of Minneapolis provide […]
7 days ago
FILE - People gather on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall during a protest on Jan. 30, 2026 in Los...

Federal judge restricts warrantless immigration arrests in Southern California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge has issued an order blocking immigration officers from making warrantless arrests in Southern California unless they determine the person is likely to escape. In a preliminary injunction granted Sept. 2 and unsealed Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said the government must consider the “totality of the […]
7 days ago
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends the inauguration ceremony of the Innovation and Excelle...

Trump administration again denies visas for Palestinian delegation to attend the UN General Assembly

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has denied visas for a high-level Palestinian delegation to attend an annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations for the second year in a row. The State Department said Wednesday that Palestinian officials, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, had failed to live up to their commitments […]
7 days ago
FILE - Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference on Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. ...

Man who sprayed vinegar at Rep. Ilhan Omar faces sentencing

Minneapolis (AP) — The man who sprayed vinegar at Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall meeting as the city was going through an immigration crackdown and the deaths of two U.S. citizens is expected to be sentenced Wednesday after reaching a deal with prosecutors. Prosecutors had recommended a 14-month prison term […]
7 days ago

Florida woman pleads guilty to defrauding fund for Jeffrey Epstein victims

NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida woman who was paid $750,000 by a fund for people sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein has pleaded guilty to falsifying records she used in her application for the money. Jennifer Percival, a scholar who has written books on autism, entered the plea in federal court in New York on […]
7 days ago
Meta data centers operate, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, near Social Circle, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)...

House passes bill aimed at addressing impact of data centers on energy costs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday that aims to have artificial intelligence data centers pay for their substantial energy needs as lawmakers used what was expected to be their final day in Washington before the midterm elections to address a growing voter concern. The legislation would require state utility regulators to […]
7 days ago

Trump suggests EU allowing Canada as associate member could be a ‘hostile act’

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) — President Donald Trump suggested that the European Union allowing Canada to become an associate member could be a “hostile act” and threatened to respond to the proposed move by imposing more tariffs on the bloc. Trump conditioned his threat Wednesday on the “intention” of European leaders, saying that, “If it’s […]
7 days ago
FILE - Artist Peter Max poses for a photo during his retrospective with the Road Show Company exhib...

The psychedelic pop artist Peter Max has died at 88, his son says

NEW YORK (AP) — Peter Max, whose colorful, psychedelic pop art expressed the optimism of the “flower power” movement of the 1960s and graced everything from postage stamps to a cruise ship, has died at 88, his son said in a written statement Wednesday. Max died on Monday, the statement said. No cause was given. […]
7 days ago
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce runs the ball after making a catch against the Denver Bro...

Investment firm leader gets 11 years for Ponzi scheme that bilked dozens, including Travis Kelce

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The creator of a Texas-based investment company has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for his role in a Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say bilked 64 victims, including Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone sentenced Siddharth Jawahar, 38, on Tuesday and ordered him […]
7 days ago
The Washington Monument is seen beyond the East Potomac Park Golf Course, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, i...

Park Service quietly awards contracts to work on Trump’s takeover of East Potomac golf course

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has awarded contracts to begin work on President Donald Trump’s planned takeover of the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee said Wednesday. Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the panel’s top Democrat, revealed during a committee hearing that the National Park Service hired […]
7 days ago

3 dead after being swept away by floodwaters on the Navajo Nation

NEWCOMB, N.M. (AP) — Three people are dead after being swept away by floodwaters early Wednesday on the Navajo Nation, authorities said. Tribal police officers received a report around 12:30 a.m. about people being washed away near the community of Newcomb in northwestern New Mexico. The report followed a day of heavy rain that left […]
7 days ago