National News

FILE - Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin speaks at a news conference in Chicago, April 12, 2018. (Ash...

Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin gives record $3B to Carnegie Mellon to build Miami campus

Carnegie Mellon University announced Wednesday that hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin is donating $3 billion, with the bulk of the money for a new campus in Miami focused on societal challenges. The Pittsburgh-based private research university said the gift is the largest ever single gift to a U.S. university. Other donations topping the billion-dollar mark […]
1 month ago
Rep. Chris Pappas, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to reporters Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2...

Democrats want a blue wave. New Hampshire is Exhibit A for why that may not happen

HUDSON, N.H. (AP) — Five weeks before Election Day, Democratic enthusiasm is reaching a fever pitch. With Republicans struggling to overcome President Donald Trump’s low standing, Democrats are on the offensive in Republican strongholds like Texas and Florida, and even eyeing contests in deeper-red Kansas and Mississippi. Many Democratic leaders predict that the House majority […]
1 month ago
FILE - The Hidalgo County Republican Party Headquarters are seen, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in McA...

Republican redistricting in Texas and Florida may not turn out as Trump had hoped

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — Eric Flores, a former federal prosecutor and Army National Guard infantry captain, was one of the Republican Party’s prized recruits in this year’s midterm elections. With help from a redrawn congressional map in Texas, he seemed primed to dislodge longtime Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in a region that swung toward Donald […]
1 month ago
FILE - Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown walks after being released from the Turner Guilf...

Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown set to appear in Miami court for expected plea agreement

MIAMI (AP) — Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown is scheduled to be in a Miami courtroom Wednesday to accept a plea deal will let him avoid prison time on a reduced charge in an attempted murder case, according to his attorney. Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh has said Brown will plead no contest to […]
1 month ago

Tennessee prepares to execute a woman for a crime she committed at age 18

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is preparing to put to death Christa Gail Pike for a 1995 murder she committed at age 18 in what would be the state’s first execution of a woman in at least 200 years. Pike, now 50, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday morning by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum […]
1 month ago
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. (AP P...

Treasury yields ease and stocks rise after inflation report wasn’t as bad as expected

NEW YORK (AP) — Some of the pressure that’s ballooned in the bond market is easing after a report said inflation across the United States wasn’t as bad last month as economists expected. The better-than-expected data Wednesday helped Treasury yields pull back a bit, a day after the 10-year Treasury yield touched its highest level […]
1 month ago
FILE - An Oakland Police Department patch is shown before a baseball game between the San Francisco...

Judge ends federal oversight of Oakland police department after 23 years

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ended federal monitoring of the Oakland Police Department after 23 years, capping the longest-running oversight of a police department in U.S. history. “I’m particularly grateful to the men and women of the Oakland Police Department … for achieving substantial compliance,” San Francisco judge William Orrick said. […]
1 month ago
In this photo taken with a smartphone and provided by Erin Wolfe, Justin Wolfe, center, stands with...

Judge vacates Virginia man’s murder conviction; he walks free after 25 years

A Virginia man’s murder conviction has been vacated and he has been freed from prison after spending 25 years behind bars — including more than a decade on death row. Justin Michael Wolfe ’s release on Monday marks the end of a complex legal saga that at one point had him just days away from […]
1 month ago
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo, seated right, with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., standing right, during a disc...

Hawks? Hawkeyes? Schmitt in probing Smith mistakes basketball mascots

In Sen. Eric Schmitt’s effort to trip up former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith on Tuesday, the Missouri Republican seemed to mistake basketball teams playing about 650 miles apart. Schmitt accused Smith of perjuring himself during a Senate hearing after repeatedly prodding him about whether he’d attended an NBA game in Atlanta on the evening of […]
1 month ago
The map above shows how US states sexual assault laws handle voluntary intoxication. (AP Digital Em...

Cornell rape allegations lead to renewed scrutiny of laws on intoxication and consent

A woman’s account of being sexually assaulted at a Cornell University fraternity house has advocates and lawmakers renewing their criticism of a New York law that makes it more difficult to prosecute people who have taken advantage of others too intoxicated to consent to sex. Under state law, rape charges generally need to involve force […]
1 month ago

Powerful drill roars to life to dig Hudson River tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) — Powerful cutters have whirred to life on a giant drill that will begin boring a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting Manhattan to New Jersey. Officials gathered in North Bergen, New Jersey, on Monday to ceremonially flip the switch on the Gateway tunnel, one of the largest U.S. […]
1 month ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives before an event to mark the launch of the America.gov websit...

Hegseth is set to announce more cuts to the military’s general and admiral ranks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to announce further cuts to the number of generals and admirals serving in the military in an address set for Wednesday, the Pentagon confirmed. According to Pentagon officials, Hegseth will direct all the military services to double the 10% reduction that he ordered last spring to […]
1 month ago
FILE - Skyscrapers tower over Manhattan on June 9, 2026 in New York City. (AP Photo/Kelly Marsh, Fi...

Casino mogul and former Trump secretary join forces to take on NYC’s pied-à-terre tax

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s tax on luxury second homes has its latest moneyed opposition: casino mogul Steve Wynn and former Trump administration secretary Wilbur Ross. The pair of wealthy part-time New Yorkers sued the state on Monday hoping to block the so-called pied-à-terre tax, arguing that the surcharge is unconstitutional because it […]
1 month ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the P...

Military academies won’t give tenure to civilian faculty, Hegseth says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will no longer appoint civilians as tenured college faculty at the United States’ military service academies, according to a memo signed Tuesday by Secretary Pete Hegseth. The memo describes the decision to stop granting tenure to civilian faculty as part of an effort to refocus the military academies on […]
1 month ago
A Cornell University sign stands in Ithaca, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Ainswor...

New York Gov. Hochul pushes for investigation into Cornell’s handling of a 2024 gang rape allegation

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for an investigation into Cornell University’s response to a 2024 gang rape allegation in which a woman says she was sexually assaulted by seven students after being plied with alcohol and drugs. The woman filed a lawsuit this month saying she was sexually assaulted at the Chi […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Tuesday Sept. 29, 2026...

US withdraws from European anti-corruption panel in latest shift away from global groups

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from a top European anti-corruption watchdog as it forges ahead with plans to disengage from international and multilateral organizations that it accuses of exceeding their mandates, being inefficient or not adapting to U.S. policies. The Council of Europe said Tuesday that the U.S. formally […]
1 month ago

FACT FOCUS: The poverty rate is at an all-time low, but there are other factors to consider

President Donald Trump is adding to the economic numbers he touts, claiming the lowest poverty numbers in history. In part, he is correct. His comments, made Sunday and again Monday, are supported by the Census Bureau’s latest annual poverty report, released earlier this month, which found that the poverty rate in 2025 was the lowest […]
1 month ago
FILE - The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a news conference, May 4, 202...

Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge must end his “unlawful, unnecessary and futile” contempt investigation into whether the Trump administration ignored an order blocking the deportation of planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, a Justice Department attorney argued Tuesday before an appeals court that often appeared to be deeply skeptical of the government’s case. […]
1 month ago
FILE - A group of undocumented migrants is deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement age...

Supreme Court lets Trump continue deporting people to third countries while justices weigh policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday let President Donald Trump’s administration continue deporting people to countries other than their own for now, while the justices consider whether the policy is legal. The high court said it will hear arguments on whether migrants must have a meaningful chance to object before being sent to […]
1 month ago
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media during a signing ceremony on the...

Trump is set to extend the Qatar camp housing more than 1,000 Afghans who helped the US war effort

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is set to issue a last-minute reprieve Tuesday over the planned closure of a camp in Qatar that houses more than 1,000 Afghans who assisted America’s war effort or are the relatives of U.S. service members. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to sign off on a […]
1 month ago
Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks at the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in San...

OpenAI CEO announces new AI agent and avoids mention of security concerns at developer conference

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman introduced a “remarkably capable, always-on” artificial intelligence agent at an appearance Tuesday where he avoided any reference to security concerns around the company’s most advanced models. At the company’s annual developer conference, Altman made a slew of product announcements and updates, including the company’s new agents, called Dots. The agents, designed […]
1 month ago

Tennessee prepares to execute a woman for a crime she committed at age 18

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is preparing to put to death Christa Gail Pike for a 1995 murder she committed at age 18 in what would be the state’s first execution of a woman in 200 years. Pike, now 50, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday morning by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution […]
1 month ago
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, right, speaks with Andrew Giuliani before an event to...

Homeland Security taps $20M in taxpayer funds for pro-Trump ads

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security has tapped $20 million to pay for the campaign-style ads glorifying President Donald Trump that have drawn widespread criticism from Republicans and Democrats as a blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars and likely illegal. In a letter Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, two top Democratic senators […]
1 month ago
South Sudan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng addresses th...

As the UN ponders its next secretary-general, many say it’s well past time for a woman to lead

At a time when the fight for gender equality is facing a backlash, pressure is mounting for the next leader of the United Nations to be the first woman in its more than 80-year history. The contradiction isn’t lost on UN Women, the agency facing an uphill struggle pressing for the rights of women and […]
1 month ago