National News

From left foreground, Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney, D-Detroit, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-...

Have progressives peaked? The next few weeks will be crucial in Democrats’ tug-of-war

NEW YORK (AP) — The progressive movement may already have hit its high point in the 2026 midterms. Or this may be the beginning of a much more powerful shift as voters, eager for change, decide to embrace far-left populism on a national scale. It depends upon who you ask within a Democratic Party that […]
19 days ago
FILE - Anthea Hartig, of the National Museum of American History, speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026...

Smithsonian history museum chief rejects White House criticism of its leaders as radical activists

WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History pushed back on Tuesday against a recent White House report that branded the institution’s leadership as radical activists who cannot be trusted. “As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the […]
19 days ago
FILE - Thriller novelist Andrea Bartz is photographed in her home, in the Brooklyn borough of New Y...

Judge approves a $1.5B Anthropic settlement over pirated books used to train the Claude chatbot

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge has approved a $1.5 billion copyright settlement in which artificial intelligence company Anthropic will pay thousands of authors about $3,000 per book after using pirated copies of their works to train its Claude chatbot. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said in a Monday ruling that the class-action settlement provides […]
19 days ago
American flags fly above the Lincoln Memorial, Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jul...

US military identifies soldier killed disarming a drone in Iraq as a 30-year-old from North Carolina

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Tuesday identified a soldier who was killed while disarming an Iranian drone in Iraq as a 30-year-old from North Carolina. The military said it was investigating the death of Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville during a controlled detonation on Sunday at an air base in Irbil in […]
19 days ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks at notes as he testifies at a Senate Appropriations Committee ...

The Latest: Hegseth estimates Iran war has cost $37.5B so far

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Tuesday to make a case for President Donald Trump’s $87.6 billion supplemental funding request, mostly intended to replenish the Pentagon after the U.S. war against Iran. Hegseth said the war has cost $37.5 billion, so far. Hegseth provided the new estimate, up from earlier accounts, during testimony […]
19 days ago
File - President Joe Biden speaks at the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C.,...

Appeals court rejects Biden’s bid to block release of recordings of ghostwriter interviews

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has rejected a request by Joe Biden to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with a memoir ghostwriter before he was elected president. A divided three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suspended its decision until […]
19 days ago
Verne the Patriot, a nutcracker sculpture, is unveiled in Luverne, Minn., Saturday, July 18, 2026. ...

A Minnesota town now boasts the world’s tallest nutcracker

LUVERNE, Minn. (AP) — Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you’ll encounter an otherworldly sight: a massive head with a beard, mustache and red-striped top hat looming over the horizon. Pull into the small town of Luverne and the figure — a nearly 66-foot (20-meter) tall nutcracker, decked out like Uncle Sam — comes […]
19 days ago

Tropical Storm Bertha in the Gulf of Mexico is moving toward the Florida Panhandle and Alabama

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico and was moving slowly toward the Florida Panhandle and Alabama, causing a tropical storm warning and storm surge watches, forecasters said. The storm was about 110 miles (177 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, and 170 miles (274 kilometers) southeast of Mobile, […]
19 days ago
FILE - Powerball lottery tickets are sold at a convenience store, Dec. 22, 2025, in Portland, Ore. ...

Powerball ticket sales begin Tuesday in the United Kingdom

Powerball ticket sales in the United Kingdom will begin Tuesday, giving players across the Atlantic a chance at winning the same massive jackpot that U.S. players already play for — with the same minuscule odds. The expansion, first announced in April through an agreement between the Multi-State Lottery Association in the U.S. and Allwyn UK, […]
19 days ago
Rep. Andy Biggs, right, R-Ariz., who is running in the primary for Arizona governor, hugs a support...

Arizona Republicans pick nominees Tuesday for governor and other top offices

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Republicans are choosing nominees Tuesday to challenge Democrats who hold top offices as the GOP searches for a path back to power in a battleground state it used to dominate. U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, who represent neighboring districts in metro Phoenix, offer a clash of styles in the […]
19 days ago
President Donald Trump, right, salutes Air Force 89th Air Wing Deputy Commander Melissa Dombrock, l...

US and Iran dig in over the Strait of Hormuz, showing the limits of intensifying airstrikes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Iran are back to bombing every day in a bid to control the Strait of Hormuz. And neither is backing down, showing the limitations of President Donald Trump’s reliance on escalating airstrikes to bend Tehran to his will. While the Trump administration says it is open to diplomacy, Iran […]
19 days ago
FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associate...

Democrats could take preliminary vote on their 2028 presidential primary calendar later this week

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democrats could vote as early as this week on the order of their primary calendar for the 2028 presidential election, although the decision wouldn’t be final until the full Democratic National Committee agrees. The panel that sets the party’s voting order could make that determination as early as Friday when it […]
19 days ago
FILE - People take photos near a John Harvard statue, left, on the Harvard University campus, Jan. ...

Trump administration opens investigation into Harvard’s financial aid for international students

The Justice Department is investigating whether Harvard University is allowing Chinese donors to create scholarships that exclude American students, adding to the barrage of federal inquiries the Trump administration has opened in its battle against the Ivy League school. Justice Department officials announced the new review Monday, saying Harvard’s foreign funding disclosures “raised concerns” about […]
19 days ago
FILE - This long exposure photo shows traffic driving on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, May 2...

Road deaths have declined globally since 1990 except in poorer countries, study finds

NEW YORK (AP) — Road deaths are declining in the U.S. and worldwide, but lower-income countries aren’t experiencing much of the improvement, according to a study published Monday. Global rates of road injuries and deaths each fell more than 30% between 1990 and 2023, according to the study published in Lancet Public Health, which noted […]
19 days ago
FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers the State of the State address at the Michigan state...

2 more convictions thrown out in 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan governor

DETROIT (AP) — A state appeals court on Monday set aside convictions for two men involved in a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were convicted of providing material support for an act of terrorism. They, along with co-defendant Joe Morrison, were accused of having secondary roles in […]
19 days ago
FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at ...

Trump imposes 50% tariff on Canadian goods, citing disputes over autos, alcohol and cheese

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products. The move could unleash a new wave of economic chaos, with risks of higher inflation and further fraying of relations between two nations that had been closely […]
19 days ago
This undated photo provided by Sotheby's shows a warmup jacket worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the ...

Wilt Chamberlain Lakers jacket found by a teen at a thrift store could fetch over $150K at auction

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 19-year-old bought a warmup jacket worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA finals for $3.07 at an Oregon thrift store. Now it could fetch over $150,000 at auction. Quinn Brown had been eyeing a massive bin of clothes at a Goodwill store outside Portland in January when he saw […]
19 days ago
In this courtroom sketch Andrew and Tristan Tate appear with their attorneys before judge Lauren Lo...

Tate brothers will fight extradition to the UK. But the law makes it difficult to win

Any extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate from the U.S. to the United Kingdom would ultimately rest with the State Department, but only after a judge determines whether the request complies with the law and a treaty between the countries. The U.S. has agreed since 2020 to send more than 20 people wanted in the […]
19 days ago
President Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after attending the World Cu...

White House: Trump to fly old Air Force One for about a month as Qatari-gifted jet gets ‘upgrades’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump will be returning to an older Air Force One plane for about a month as the new, Qatari-gifted jet undergoes “additional upgrades and enhancements.” Trump’s use of the new red, white and navy blue aircraft has faced much scrutiny not only because it was gifted […]
19 days ago
Newly appointed U.S. interim Senator, Darline Graham Nordone speaks to members of the press after b...

Darline Graham says she will run for a full term in Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham said Monday she’s running for a full term to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat. “I’ve made a decision,” Darline Graham told Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity, according to a clip released of an interview set to air later Monday. “I’m in.” The entrance of […]
19 days ago

Five dead after people jumped into an Ohio river trying to save someone in the water

POWELL, Ohio (AP) — Five people have died on a river in Ohio after several of them went into the water to assist another person who was struggling to swim, authorities said Monday. A motorist called 911 after spotting a frightened child who had been with the group and was running on a nearby road, […]
19 days ago
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Monday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)Credit...

Alaska wants to seize a pilot’s plane over a 6-pack of beer. The Supreme Court will hear his case

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to review an Alaska bush pilot’s claims that state authorities have tried to illegally seize his $95,000 airplane after a passenger brought a six-pack of beer on a flight bound for a dry village. The pilot, Kenneth Jouppi, sued to block his plane’s seizure after he was […]
19 days ago
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a tropical depr...

Tropical depression nearing US Gulf Coast set to become a tropical storm, forecasters say

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A tropical depression drifting erratically in the northern Gulf of Mexico is expected to strengthen later Monday with rain that could trigger flooding and winds capable of downing trees and power lines in several states this week. The depression was centered about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, […]
19 days ago
President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrew...

Officials sought phone records of NYT journalists and their relatives in effort to unmask sources

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration sought phone records of several New York Times journalists and even those of some of their relatives, according to a motion unsealed Monday — an unusually aggressive attempt to unmask the confidential sources of reporters who wrote about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The efforts by the […]
19 days ago