National News

People run from the scene as law enforcement take four people into custody near the scene of a shoo...

Shooting at Louisiana parade leaves 5 people wounded, including 6-year-old , sheriff says

CLINTON, La. (AP) — A 6-year-old and four other people were wounded when gunfire erupted during a small-town parade Saturday in Louisiana, sending people in the crowd fleeing for cover, authorities said. East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis told reporters the shooting happened shortly after the midday start of the Mardi Gras in the Country […]
7 months ago
FILE - Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Oval Offi...

From Elon Musk to the former Prince Andrew, a who’s who of powerful men are named in Epstein files

NEW YORK (AP) — From tech titans to Wall Street power brokers and British royalty, a who’s who of powerful men make appearances in the huge Jeffrey Epstein. Many have denied having close ties to the late financier, or at least having anything to do with his alleged sexual abuse of girls and young women […]
7 months ago
From left, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi, Labor Secretary L...

Trump says feds won’t intervene during protests in Democratic-led cities unless asked to do so

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to intervene in protests occurring in cities led by Democrats unless local authorities ask for federal help amid mounting criticism of his administration’s immigration crackdown. On his social media site, Trump posted that “under no circumstances are […]
7 months ago
Government supporters carry a cutout of former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores ...

US ambassador arrives in Venezuela to reopen diplomatic mission after 7 years

CARACAS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Laura Dogu arrived in Caracas on Saturday to reopen the American diplomatic mission in Venezuela after seven years of severed ties. The move comes almost one month after a military action ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump removed the South American country’s then-leader Nicolás Maduro from office. “My team and […]
7 months ago
FILE - Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant listens to oral arguments for a case cha...

Utah governor signs bill adding justices to state Supreme Court as redistricting appeal looms

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that expands the state Supreme Court from five justices to seven as frustration has mounted among Republican lawmakers over a string of defeats before the tribunal. Advocates for the change argued that it would help improve the court’s efficiency, but legal experts […]
7 months ago

Judge orders US to release 5-year-old and dad taken into custody in Minnesota crackdown

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A judge on Saturday ordered the U.S. to release a 5-year-old boy and his father from a Texas detention center where they were taken after being detained in a Minneapolis suburb last month. Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, with a bunny hat and Spiderman backpack being surrounded by U.S. Immigration and […]
7 months ago

In the latest Epstein files are famous names and new details about an earlier investigation

NEW YORK (AP) — Newly disclosed government files on Jeffrey Epstein are offering more details about his interactions with the rich and famous after he served time for sex crimes in Florida, and on how much investigators knew about his abuse of underage girls when they decided not to indict him on federal charges nearly […]
7 months ago
A photo of Renee Good is displayed in front of a home on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Minneapolis. (...

Judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds. Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and […]
7 months ago

Louisiana authorities say they’ve captured all 8 inmates who escaped from a jail

LAKE PROVIDENCE, La. (AP) — Louisiana authorities say all eight inmates who escaped from a rural jail were captured less than 24 hours after they were reported missing. Officials have not said how the escape unfolded from the Riverbend Detention Center in Lake Providence, located in East Carroll Parish — a rural area that borders […]
7 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Jan. 3...

Trump moved fast to cut a funding deal. It’s a striking change from the last shutdown fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump moved quickly this week to negotiate with Democrats to try and avert a lengthy government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding, a sharp departure from last year’s record standoff, when he refused to budge for weeks. Some Republicans are frustrated with the deal, raising the possible of a […]
7 months ago
People gather in The Commons after a protest march, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Phot...

As officials disparage Pretti and Good, families of Black people killed by police have déjà vu

The shooting deaths of white protesters Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis followed a playbook that is painfully familiar to Black Americans: Authorities quickly moved to disparage the victims, only to be contradicted as more evidence emerged. Black families who have lost loved ones to police violence said the killings in […]
7 months ago

The Latest: Huge cache of Epstein documents includes his emails with wealthy and powerful

NEW YORK (AP) — A huge new tranche of files on millionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has revealed details of his communications with the wealthy and powerful, some not long before he died by suicide in 2019. The Justice Department said it was disclosing more than 3 million pages of documents, as well […]
7 months ago
The U.S. Capitol is photographed Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)Credit:...

What to know about the partial government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The partial government shutdown is vastly different from the record closure in the fall. That is mostly because this shutdown, which started Saturday, does not include the whole of government and may not last long, even as it now drags into the new week. The House had hoped to pass funding legislation […]
7 months ago
This undated photo provided by shows Sabrina Morley shows Sabrina Morley and Steven Devereaux in Sp...

The Carolinas emerge as new population boom states. Affordability and lifestyle drive growth

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Move over Floridaand Texas. The United States has new hot spots for growth, and they both have Carolina in their name. North Carolina last year attracted more new residents, 84,000 people, from other parts of the country than any other state, a title held by Texas in 2024 and Florida in […]
7 months ago
FILE - The crowd watches the festivities while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosti...

Punxsutawney Phil prepares to issue his Groundhog Day weather verdict from Gobbler’s Knob

The groundwork has been laid for a sunrise ceremony Monday when international woodchuck celebrity Punxsutawney Phil’s annual long-term weather forecast will be announced — six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Tens of thousands of revelers will be descending on Gobbler’s Knob in rural Pennsylvania to witness this year’s prognostication, which will be […]
7 months ago
The Hennepin County Medical Center emergency department is seen Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapol...

Takeaways from AP report on ICE claims that immigrant shattered his skull running into wall

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Mexican immigrant was taken to a Minneapolis hospital earlier this month after bones in his face and skull were broken while he was in federal custody. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according […]
7 months ago
The Hennepin County Medical Center emergency department is seen Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapol...

ICE claim that a man shattered his skull running into wall triggers tension at a Minnesota hospital

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Intensive care nurses immediately doubted the word of federal immigration officers when they arrived at a Minneapolis hospital with a Mexican immigrant who had broken bones in his face and skull. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into […]
7 months ago
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams speaks during the Starbucks Investo...

Starbucks feels the heat as more chains compete for US coffee drinkers

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are drinking more coffee than they have in decades. But fewer of them are getting it from Starbucks. The company that revolutionized U.S. coffee culture remains America’s biggest player, with nearly 17,000 U.S. stores and plans to open hundreds more. But it’s facing unprecedented competition, which will make it harder […]
7 months ago

Wowed by the agility dogs at the Westminster show? A winning handler explains how it’s done

NEW YORK (AP) — A crowd is waiting to see you run a labyrinthine obstacle course you’ve never done before. You have to complete it with enough focus to avoid wrong turns, enough precision to ensure your foot touches certain spots and enough speed to beat dozens of rivals. Also: You are a dog. Specifically, […]
7 months ago
A person serves lobster tails at the A.Y.C.E Buffet in the Palms resort-casino Wednesday, Jan. 28, ...

Gone are the days of the $1 buffet in Las Vegas. Now $175 buffets offer luxury dining

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Eighty years ago, the first Las Vegas buffet opened with the $1 western-themed Buckaroo Buffet that offered cold cuts and cheese. Today, visitors can drop $175 on luxury buffets with lobster tail, prime rib and limitless drinks. The old Las Vegas buffets didn’t make much money, but they allowed people to […]
7 months ago

Powerful storm threatens East Coast including parts unaccustomed to heavy snow

NASHVILLE (AP) — A powerful storm bore down on the East Coast on Saturday, with forecasters warning of howling winds, flooding and heavy snow, including in some Southeast coastal communities more accustomed to hurricanes than blizzards. Temperatures plummeted even as tens of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina […]
7 months ago
FILE - Democratic 18th Congressional District candidate Christian Menefee greets voters near a poll...

Democrats Menefee and Edwards compete for a House seat that will narrow GOP’s slim majority

Democrats Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards are competing Saturday for a vacant U.S. House seat from Houston, a special election that will narrow the GOP’s already slim House majority. Voters are deciding a runoff between Menefee, the Harris County attorney, and Edwards, a former Houston City Council member. The winner will replace the late Democratic […]
7 months ago
First lady Melania Trump arrives for the premiere of her movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Mem...

From stilettos to safety concerns on Inauguration Day: 4 takeaways from Melania Trump’s new movie

WASHINGTON (AP) — The new documentary “Melania” opens on a close-up of the trademark stilettos of first lady Melania Trump as she walks the halls of Mar-a-Lago, her Palm Beach home, in early January 2025, following her as she climbs into a dark SUV for the short drive to the airport and a flight aboard […]
7 months ago
Hiring sign is displayed at a grocery store in Arlington Heights, Ill., Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (...

Trump nominates government economist to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he is nominating the government economist Brett Matsumoto to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after having previously accused the federal agency of releasing low monthly jobs numbers in order to make him look bad. There is no evidence that the Bureau of Labor Statistics sought […]
7 months ago