National News

This combination of photos made by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the same area on the s...

NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have discovered a crater on the moon that’s bigger than the Roman Colosseum and is the result of a powerful impact two years ago that initially went undetected. The steep-sided hole — about 728 feet (222 meters) across and up to 141 feet (43 meters) deep — is the […]
4 days ago
Gear from a television crew is seen outside of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts o...

Fencing goes up around the main Kennedy Center building after Trump-aligned board votes to close it

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fencing went up Wednesday around the main Kennedy Center building, a day after the Trump-aligned board voted to close the performing arts center for repairs.
4 days ago

Jimmy Lai’s son pleads in Washington for his father’s release ahead of Xi’s US visit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of imprisoned former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai appealed for his father’s release at a congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday, one week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the U.S. Sebastien Lai urged his father’s release on humanitarian grounds at a hearing of the Congressional-Executive […]
4 days ago
This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)Credit: AP Photo/undefined...

Afghan man sentenced to 20-year prison term in case tied to suicide bombing at Kabul airport

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An Islamic State group member was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for aiding the terrorist organization that took credit for a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and about 160 Afghans at the Kabul airport five years ago during the American military’s chaotic withdrawal from the country. […]
4 days ago
Lakiya Malone, center, charged with fraud involving federal homelessness aid programs, is arrested ...

Federal prosecutors charge 3 in alleged $12M homelessness aid fraud in Southern California

Three people were charged by federal authorities in Los Angeles on Wednesday with stealing $12 million in federal and state homelessness aid dollars to buy real estate, go on luxury trips and buy vintage vehicles. This is the second such arrest of people on federal fraud charges in Southern California this week, as President Donald […]
4 days ago
FILE - A child holds hands with workers at an emergency shelter for migrant children, July 2, 2021,...

AP exclusive: Change in human trafficking reporting alarms advocates for migrant children

The Trump administration has ordered caregivers for migrant children to stop reporting human trafficking concerns directly to the office created to help victims, a change that critics say could make some vulnerable minors easier to deport. The directive, in a Sept. 10 memo reviewed by The Associated Press, could mean that some victims would be […]
4 days ago
Bill Robling as Benjamin Franklin, left, and Carol Spacht as Betsy Ross, center, greet the Philadel...

Scenes from a colonial resurrection: First-person interpretations of history draw America 250 crowds

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Betsy Ross is a dynamo with a T-shirt cannon. America’s 250th birthday has been a banner year for the actors of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. who immerse visitors in Colonial history via first-person interpretations and true stories. In the last few months, Betsy, played by Carol Spacht, has waved the checkered flag at […]
5 days ago
FILE - Sunny, President Barack Obama's newest dog takes a walk at the White House, Sept. 9, 2013, i...

The Obamas’ family dog Sunny dies, the former president says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obamas’ pet dog Sunny has died, former President Barack Obama said Wednesday. Sunny, a 13-year-old Portuguese water dog the Obamas got in 2013 while living in the White House, died Tuesday. “We got Sunny at the start of our second term in the White House, and all of us – including […]
5 days ago
The per-gallon price for regular unleaded fuel is displayed electronically on a sign outside a Cono...

Retail sales rise a better-than-expected 1.2% in August after shoppers pulled back spending in July

NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers stepped up their spending at a better-than-anticipated pace in August after an unexpectedly sharp pullback in July. Retail sales rose 1.2% last month after recording a revised 0.5% dip in July, according to Commerce Department data released Wednesday. Economists were expecting a 0.7% gain for the month, according to FactSet. […]
5 days ago
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, attend a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anni...

The Latest: House votes for a third time to end the Iran war as conflict drags on

For a third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval. The roll call was similar to earlier efforts this summer. None of the resolutions have made it to the president’s desk, […]
5 days ago

Dr. Nicole Saphier, Trump’s 3rd surgeon general pick, faces Senate questions over her vaccine stance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s third surgeon general nominee, was grilled at her confirmation hearing Wednesday about her stance on childhood vaccines, voicing support for immunization as she seeks to serve in an administration that has moved to make sweeping changes to vaccine guidance. Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News […]
5 days ago
FILE - Women pray at a memorial outside Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-f...

Charlie Kirk’s family says security failures by Utah officials led to his assassination

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Charlie Kirk’s family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative activist’s assassination at a state university, in a wrongful death notice announced Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit. Attorneys for the family said Kirk’s death resulted from a string of “reckless decisions” by officials at Utah Valley University […]
5 days ago
FILE - Cars drive past data centers, July 16, 2023, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)Cr...

Americans are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of AI, new poll finds

On the way home from a recent trip, Eriech Tapia drove past a sea of dark industrial buildings lining an already jam-packed northern Virginia road: data centers. “It was interesting to see how many were going up,” said Tapia, a 30-year-old Republican from Arlington, Virginia, who works in higher education advocacy and policy. He said […]
5 days ago
This photo provided by Kayla Jackson shows Peter Martin at Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton, Minn., ...

Staffing problems stall federal investigations of missing and killed Native people

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Peter Martin went missing two years ago from the Fond Du Lac reservation in Minnesota. His family hasn’t stopped looking, but they say the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs investigation into Martin’s disappearance has stalled since the agent assigned to the case left the role in early 2025. “They’ve never […]
5 days ago
Michael Whatley, North Carolina senatorial candidate, greets delegates as he takes the stage at the...

Trump to campaign in North Carolina rally with his handpicked Senate nominee Michael Whatley

President Donald Trump will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to campaign with Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley as the former national party chairman tries to shore up his campaign against Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper. The trip marks Trump’s first campaign rally since his unusual midterm convention in Dallas. The president, despite voter frustrations […]
5 days ago
This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows LeJames Norman on Feb. 28, 20...

Texas plans to execute a man convicted in the killings of 3 people; Georgia execution put on hold

A man convicted in the shooting deaths of three people is set to be executed Wednesday in Texas. Meanwhile, another execution that was scheduled for the same time in Georgia has been halted by a judge. This would be the fifth execution in Texas, while Georgia has yet to put anyone to death this year. […]
5 days ago
Students participate in a learn-to-ride program at Terra Vista Elementary School in Rancho Cucamong...

A childhood rite moves indoors as kindergartners learn to ride bikes in school gyms

For generations, kids have learned how to ride a bike — a quintessential childhood milestone — in driveways, on sidewalks and in neighborhood streets. Now, they’re learning in school gyms and playgrounds. On a recent September day, kindergarteners at Terra Vista Elementary School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, were fitted with helmets and assigned a black-and-white […]
5 days ago
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh attends an observance ceremony on the 25th anniversary o...

Warsh likely to side with financial markets over Trump as Fed rate hike expected

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barely four months into the job, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is stuck between two strong and opposing forces: Financial markets that anticipate the central bank will raise interest rates, and President Donald Trump, who wants the Fed to cut them or leave them unchanged. Economists expect that on Wednesday, Warsh and […]
5 days ago
This undated photo released by the Georgia Department of Corrections on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, sh...

Judge halts Georgia execution to allow hearing for condemned man under new survivor justice law

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge has put on hold an execution scheduled for Wednesday, saying the condemned prisoner is entitled to a hearing on whether his sentence should be reduced under a new state law that allows victims of abuse to have their sentences reconsidered. Stacey Humphreys, 53, was convicted of malice murder in […]
5 days ago

Helicopter crashes, killing at least 1 person, near a bus crash in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, killing at least one person near a deadly bus crash, officials said. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had survived the helicopter crash. “We’re trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter,” Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los […]
5 days ago

House votes for a third time to end the Iran war as conflict drags on

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval. The roll call late Tuesday, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans […]
5 days ago
Cassandra Sotos, co-owner and CEO of AmpRx, poses for a portrait at the company's warehouse Saturda...

US-Canada trade war further taxes small businesses as costs rise during the Iran war

NEW YORK (AP) — A trade war between the United States and Canada is making it more difficult and expensive for small businesses in the economically entwined countries to operate, according to business owners caught in the crossfire. Canada imposed reciprocal tariffs on about $20 billion (CA$27.6 billion) worth of U.S. goods last week after […]
5 days ago

Indictment says FBI shut down Russian plot to kill US individuals and target Ukraine supporters

NEW YORK (AP) — The intelligence services of the Russian Federation are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the United States and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said Tuesday as they announced charges against five people who remain at large. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court said a network of the […]
5 days ago
FILE - Leon Black, a billionaire who was close with Jeffrey Epstein, arrives for a closed-door inte...

House panel recommends contempt charge for billionaire Leon Black in Epstein probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to recommend that billionaire Leon Black be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena for testimony in the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Republicans and Democrats joined unanimously in the bipartisan vote after Black refused to appear this month for a sworn […]
5 days ago