National News

FILE - Former Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith departs at the end of a Republican-l...

The Latest: Jack Smith is set to testify at a public hearing about his Trump investigations

Republican lawmakers are poised to grill former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith at an open hearing, focusing fresh attention on two criminal investigations that shadowed Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. Smith testified behind closed doors last month. Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing is likely to feature starkly partisan questioning, as Republicans try […]
10 months ago
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Tuesday, ...

House moves to finish government funding as Democrats decry Homeland Security bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will look to pass this year’s final tranche of spending bills on Thursday, an effort that is being complicated by Democratic lawmakers’ concerns that the measure funding the Department of Homeland Security inadequately addresses President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The House has already passed eight of the 12 annual […]
10 months ago
A general view of gargoyles on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in...

A Kentucky cathedral called ‘America’s Notre Dame’ gets a rehab, gargoyles and all

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Gargoyles have watched over this small Kentucky city for more than a century from their lofty perches on a cathedral known as “America’s Notre Dame.” A new renovation will ensure they keep their posts for years to come on the meticulously restored facade of the towering stone sanctuary. Workers in recent […]
10 months ago
FILE - Former Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith departs at the end of a Republican-l...

Jack Smith is set to testify at a public hearing about his Trump investigations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers are poised to grill former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday at a congressional hearing that’s expected to focus fresh attention on two criminal investigations that shadowed Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. Smith testified behind closed doors last month but returns to the House Judiciary Committee […]
10 months ago
A copy of the Declaration of Independence, printed by Robert Luist Fowle in July 1776, sits on disp...

Auction marking the United States’ 250th birthday features some of its most iconic documents

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, an auction in New York will feature rare items that trace the nation’s history. The event Friday at Christie’s, dubbed “We the People: America at 250,” will bring together foundational political texts, iconic American art and rare historical artifacts. Among the highlights is a rare […]
10 months ago
FILE - The west facade of the Supreme Court Building bears the motto "Equal Justice Under Law" on M...

Homicide rate declines sharply in dozens of US cities, a new report shows

Data collected from 35 American cities showed a 21% decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides last year, according to a new report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice. The report, released on Thursday, tracked 13 crimes and recorded drops last year in 11 of those […]
10 months ago
President Donald Trump stands on the stage prior to addressing a meeting of Global Business Leaders...

Trump’s European threats could make it harder for future US leaders to repair ties

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barely a month into his presidency, Joe Biden had a message for Europe. “America is back,” Biden told the Munich Security Conference in 2021. “The transatlantic alliance is back.” It was a promise Biden delivered often as he sought to cast the disruptions of his predecessor, Donald Trump, as an anomaly. But […]
10 months ago
A person walks in the cold and wind Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)Cre...

Millions of Americans brace for potentially catastrophic ice storm. What to know, by the numbers

ATLANTA (AP) — Millions of Americans from New Mexico to the Carolinas are bracing for a potentially catastrophic ice storm that could crush trees and power lines and knock out power for days, while many northern states all the way to New England could see enough snow to make travel nearly impossible, forecasters say. An […]
10 months ago
President Donald Trump walks down the stairs after a meeting during the Annual Meeting of the World...

Inflation fears are high for most Americans. But a new poll shows one group is particularly worried

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anxiety about costs and affordability is particularly high among Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians, even at a moment when economic stress is widespread, according to a new poll. About half of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults said they wanted the government to prioritize addressing the high cost of living […]
10 months ago
A shopper buys groceries Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn., ahead of a winter storm exp...

Crews spread salt on roads and people stock up on batteries as a winter storm threatens the US

ATLANTA (AP) — Bags of ice-thwarting salt aren’t usually a hot item at Bates Ace Hardware in Atlanta, but store manager Lewis Pane sold all 275 he had in stock in one morning as residents braced for a major storm to deliver heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain on a broad section of the U.S. […]
10 months ago
The Miami Beach Water Taxi travels from Miami Beach to the city of Miami, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026....

New water taxi service launches between Miami and Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — South Florida commuters traveling to or from the beach might be able to save some time and money by getting off the roads and onto the water. Officials launched a free water taxi service Tuesday, with 40-foot (12-meter) boats carrying up to 55 people each for a scenic 20-minute ride […]
10 months ago
Tear gas is deployed as Federal agents make arrests on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis. (A...

Army orders military police to get ready for a possible Minneapolis deployment, AP source says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army has ordered several dozen additional active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minneapolis if needed, a defense official said Wednesday, amid protests over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, confirmed that members of an […]
10 months ago

Immigration officials allow suspect in $100M jewelry heist to self deport, avoiding trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal immigration authorities allowed a suspect in a $100 million jewelry heist believed to be the largest in U.S. history to deport himself to South America in December, a move that stunned and upset prosecutors who were planning to try the case and send him to prison. Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores […]
10 months ago
UN Secretary General António Guterres is welcomed by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer to 10 D...

Trump’s Board of Peace poses latest in a series of US challenges to the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump’s ambition for the “Board of Peace” to play a role in global conflicts beyond Gaza appears to be the latest U.S. attempt to sidestep the U.N. Security Council, raising new questions about the relevance of the 80-year-old world body and uncertainty about its future as a primary force […]
10 months ago
This undated photo provided by Jeanette Pagan-Lopez shows Geraldo Lunas Campos with his three child...

Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Cuban migrant held in solitary confinement at an immigration detention facility in Texas died after guards held him down and he stopped breathing, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday that ruled the death a homicide. Geraldo Lunas Campos died Jan. 3 following an altercation with guards. U.S. Immigration and Customs […]
10 months ago

Federal prosecutors in Georgia announce guilty plea in Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of $380M

ATLANTA (AP) — A financial adviser in Georgia pleaded guilty Wednesday to wire fraud in a Ponzi scheme that bilked more than 2,000 people out of $380 million, federal authorities announced. Prosecutors accused Todd Burkhalter, the founder and CEO of Drive Planning LLC, of marketing several fraudulent investment schemes and using the money in part […]
10 months ago

Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died of abnormal heartbeat from accidental overdose, report says

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Daniel Naroditsky, an influential American chess grandmaster who was found dead at his North Carolina home in October at age 29, had multiple drugs in his system at the time and was killed by an abnormal heartbeat caused by an accidental overdose, according to a toxicology report. Released Tuesday by the […]
10 months ago
Austin Thompson is sworn in during a hearing in Wake County Superior Court on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2...

Teen pleads guilty to North Carolina mass shooting that killed 5

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An 18-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges for a mass shooting in North Carolina, acknowledging that he carried out a 2022 killing rampage that left five people dead, including his older brother and a police officer. Austin David Thompson, who was 15 at the time of the attack […]
10 months ago

Judge tosses lines of NYC’s only Republican House seat, as state enters redistricting wars

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday threw out the boundaries of the only congressional seat in New York City represented by a Republican, ordering the state to redraw the district ahead of the midterm elections. Republicans are expected to appeal the decision, as a new front opens in a national gerrymandering battle that […]
10 months ago
In this undated image provided by Minnesota Public Radio, Sept. 2, 2016, canoeists navigate the Poc...

House Republicans vote to lift 20-year ban on mining near pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Congressional Republicans moved closer Wednesday to lifting a 20-year ban on mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, pushing a resolution to end the moratorium through the House despite environmentalists’ warnings that it could devastate a premier destination for campers, kayakers and canoeists. The resolution now goes to the Senate, and approval there would […]
10 months ago
A plow clears snow from a snow-covered sidewalk during a cold day in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, ...

Take these steps to protect yourself from winter weather dangers

HOUSTON (AP) — Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe. These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable. Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these winter […]
10 months ago
ADDS IDENTIFICATION: Teyana Gibson Brown, second from right, wife of Garrison Gibson, reacts after ...

Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches. The memo authorizes ICE officers to use […]
10 months ago
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan...

Astronauts say space station’s ultrasound machine was critical during medical crisis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in “super handy” during the medical crisis. During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them needed medical attention and for what reason. […]
10 months ago
Community members and neighbors of people detained by ICE gather in protest at a Target store, Mond...

Minneapolis businesses struggle during Trump’s immigration enforcement surge

At Taste of East African in Minneapolis, the manager and owner are the only employees who come to work now, serving new customers who aren’t familiar with the food but are trying to support a restaurant challenged by a federal immigration enforcement surge. Like the employees, the usual patrons are afraid to come to a […]
10 months ago