National News

Ashley Brouillette poses for a portrait at a park in Harrison, Mich., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (...

Takeaways: The ICE officer who killed a man in Maine has a violent history, family and records say

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — When David Brouillette told his ex-wife Ashley late last year that he had joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she didn’t believe him. Her ex-husband was abusive, had a long history of psychiatric issues and never should have been given a badge and a gun, she and other relatives of his told […]
23 days ago

Threat of dangerous flooding continues in Texas while hard-hit areas launch cleanup efforts

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Some parts of Texas remained under threat for dangerous flash flooding Friday as other areas saw water levels recede enough for cleanup efforts following days of punishing downpours blamed for the deaths of two people. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in the early morning for the city […]
23 days ago
Mexico's Raul Jimenez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group A ...

This year’s World Cup has generated countless images. AP photographers pick their favorites

NEW YORK (AP) — For news organizations, the World Cup is one of the most complex recurring stories on the planet. It’s not just about match results. It’s politics, economics, culture, human rights, celebrity, nationalism, and spectacle — all unfolding in real time, across dozens of countries, with audiences who care deeply. This year’s World […]
23 days ago
From left, U.S. Senate candidates David Costello, Elizabeth Dickerson, Dan Kleban, and Ashley Webb ...

Maine Democrats running to replace Platner as Senate nominee scramble to woo his voters

The tight timeline to replace former Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner has left Democratic hopefuls scrambling to woo his progressive base while trying to turn the focus from the disgraced oysterman to defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. It’s a delicate balance for the candidates, who are vying to face Collins in a contest […]
23 days ago
People look over the New York City skyline shrouded in smoke in Weehawken, N.J., Thursday, July 16,...

Wildfire smoke kills tens of thousands of people a year. Here’s how it attacks the body

Smoke from wildfires — which are burning more of the Northern Hemisphere as Earth warms — attacks nearly every system in the human body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show. It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours, swamps emergency rooms in a […]
23 days ago

DNA from bones on a Revolutionary War battlefield solves the case of ‘America’s oldest John Doe’

After 246 years, Pvt. John Pumphrey is unknown no more. Through DNA testing and old-fashioned sleuthing, the Maryland teenager who died in one of the last big battles of the American Revolution can now take his place in history, just in time for the 250th birthday of the nation he fought to create. “There was […]
23 days ago

The Latest: Trump doubles down on election fraud claims in primetime speech

President Donald Trump used a primetime address to the nation to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss — this time, to justify his push to pass a strict voter ID bill. His allegations Thursday night of interference and influence didn’t include key context. […]
23 days ago
A Taco Bell fast food restaurant is shown Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Taylor, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul S...

Lettuce at Taco Bell in 5 states confirmed as source of a diarrhea-causing parasite outbreak

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five U.S. states as a source of the widespread outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday confirmed the source and warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell […]
23 days ago
Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Buddhist monk who led a Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, ...

How a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace thrust a Texas monk and his rescue dog into the spotlight

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chien Le first met the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara in 2005, a few years before Pannakara became a novice monk at the Texas Buddhist temple where he is now the deputy abbot. What struck Le then, and amazes him still, is Pannakara’s iron-clad determination. “When he decides to do something, he goes […]
23 days ago
The Statue of Liberty is photographed from the Staten Island Ferry as smoke from wildfires blankets...

Heavy smoke from wildfires is darkening skies from the US Midwest to the East Coast, in photos

Heavy, pungent wildfire smoke darkened skies in the U.S. on Thursday from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast, reducing visibility and prompting warnings that breathing the air outside could be dangerous. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
23 days ago
Mourners place flowers and candles in Biddeford, Maine, Wednesday, July 15 2026, near the blood-sta...

Lawmakers demand answers after ‘bombshell’ report of ICE officer shooting in Maine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic members of Congress demanded answers about Homeland Security’s vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed Thursday that the ICE officer involved in a deadly shooting this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior. The Associated Press reported that David Brouillette, the […]
23 days ago
President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Wash...

To air or not to air? Nation’s TV networks struggle to find the right balance for Trump speech

As President Donald Trump threatened sanctions for those who didn’t cover his address live Thursday night, the nation’s broadcast and cable news operations wrestled with the thorniest of questions: To air or not to air? Networks and their news operations, broadcast and cable alike, spent the hours leading up to Trump’s address debating how to […]
23 days ago
People vote in the Democratic primaries at Blair-Caldwell Library, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Denve...

Why American elections are so complicated — and secure

In a speech to the nation Thursday evening, President Donald Trump said Americans deserve secure elections, and he claimed to be using federal authority to prevent them from being “stolen.” In fact, one of the strongest security features of U.S. elections is the fact that they aren’t conducted at the federal level. America votes in […]
23 days ago
Ella and Grace Sanford and their dog Benjamin ride on a Texas Game Wardens rescue boat after being ...

Catastrophic flooding sweeps across Texas, in photos

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Catastrophic flooding has swept across parts of Texas following days of heavy rain, submerging homes and roads, prompting hundreds of rescues and leaving emergency responders working around the clock as floodwaters continue to threaten communities. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
23 days ago
FILE - People check into their flights at Harry Reid International Airport, Jan. 11, 2023, in Las V...

Outrage after ICE agents tackle an elderly man at Las Vegas airport

PHOENIX (AP) — Video footage of two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tackling a man at the airport in the Las Vegas metro area drew public outrage and criticism from elected officials. One video posted on social media showed an elderly man yelling and crying on the ground in Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International […]
23 days ago
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship stands ready but was aborted before liftoff, in Starbase, Texas, Thur...

SpaceX Starship Launch Aborted on the Pad at the last moment

SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket came within a few seconds of blasting off on a test flight Thursday, but some of the engines failed to start triggering a launch abort. Elon Musk’s company said it will have to figure out what went wrong before making another attempt to send Starship on a space-skimming flight halfway around […]
24 days ago
Blood is seen on the pavement near the scene of a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs E...

AP Exclusive: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets, several of his close relatives told The […]
24 days ago
People hug outside the chapel during a public visitation for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot a...

Family to hold a vigil for man fatally shot by immigration officer in Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — The family of a man who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in Houston is holding a public vigil Thursday evening in response to what the man’s son says is an outpouring of support amid renewed criticism of enforcement tactics. The ceremony for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national […]
24 days ago
Hugh Ghormley watches as water moves along the Pedernales River at the Blanco County Fair and Rodeo...

Weather conditions again brought devastating floods to a vulnerable swath of Texas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Long before sunrise in Texas, a shallow spot of the Guadalupe River rose above the height of a two-story house in just five hours on Thursday, sending a rush of water through a region still weary from last summer’s fatal flash floods. The dangerous flooding for a second consecutive year set off […]
24 days ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., durin...

Hegseth backs low-altitude military flyovers as a series of maneuvers draws scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sticking to encouraging low-altitude military flyovers after a fighter jet buzzed a Florida beach during a show this week, raising new scrutiny after the Pentagon has dismissed a series of safety reviews of such flights. In the latest maneuver, video spreading widely on social media shows a […]
24 days ago
Member of the National Guard patrol at the base of the Washington Monument, Wednesday, July 15, 202...

National Guard deployment to DC will last through Trump’s term

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital is being extended by more than two years and will last until the end of his term. The Pentagon confirmed the extension in an email Thursday, saying the mission will continue until Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the […]
24 days ago
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefin...

Homeland Security: Foreign journalist visas set at 240 days, Chinese reporters cut to 90 days

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Thursday it will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and retaliation against American journalists overseas. The final rule announced by […]
24 days ago
FILE - This undated photo released by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Tony Carruthers....

Complaint accuses doctor involved in failed Tennessee execution of violating ethics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The sister of a Tennessee death row inmate whose execution was halted because of problems inserting an IV has filed a complaint against the doctor who was involved. The complaint filed Wednesday with the Tennessee Department of Health by Tonya Hervey says Tony Carruthers suffered excruciating pain during the May 21 […]
24 days ago
A general view of street mall during poor air quality due to dense smoke from Canadian wildfires in...

Mets-Phillies start time moved, MLS game between Vancouver-Chicago ppd. due to wildfire smoke

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The start time for the MLB game between the Canada and northern Minnesota, and an MLS game in Chicago was postponed. Heavy, pungent wildfire smoke darkened skies in the U.S. from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast, reducing visibility and prompting warnings that breathing the air outside could be […]
24 days ago