National News

FILE - Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave a courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after...

A timeline of the Menendez brothers’ double-murder case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After serving nearly 30 years in prison for killing their parents, the Menendez brothers will plead their case in front of a panel of California state parole board commissioners starting Thursday. Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and […]
1 year ago
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with Ecuador's Minister of Interior John Reinberg, no...

Appeals court allows Trump to end temporary protections for migrants from Central America and Nepal

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration and stayed a lower court’s order keeping in place temporary protections for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the emergency stay pending an appeal as immigrants rights advocates allege […]
1 year ago
FILE - The campus of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen in Atlanta, on Wednesday, J...

At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says

NEW YORK (AP) — At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving permanent termination notices in the wake of a recent court decision that protected some CDC employees from layoffs but not others. The notices went out this week and many people have not yet received them, according to […]
1 year ago
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Brie...

Gabbard slashing intelligence office workforce by 40%, cutting budget by more than $700 million

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Office of National Intelligence will dramatically reduce its workforce and cut its budget by more than $700 million annually, the Trump administration announced Wednesday. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement, “Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife […]
1 year ago
FILE - "South Park" creators Matt Stone, left, and Trey Parker speak at Ubisoft's E3 2015 Conferenc...

‘South Park’ targets federal takeover of Washington, DC, police in latest episode

NEW YORK (AP) — “South Park” is continuing its cartoon assault on the Trump administration, with an episode on Wednesday that addresses the federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police department. A 20-second promo of this week’s episode released by Comedy Central depicts the show’s recurring character “Towelie” — an anthropomorphic towel — riding in a […]
1 year ago
Raymond Boodarian, charged with the fatal shooting of "American Idol" executive Robin Kaye and her ...

Man charged with killing an ‘American Idol’ exec and husband will undergo mental evaluation

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man charged with fatally shooting an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband in their Los Angeles home will undergo mental evaluation to determine whether he’s fit to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday. Raymond Boodarian, 22, was set to be arraigned in a courthouse in Los Angeles but did […]
1 year ago
Two houses sit out in the heavy surf as Hurricane Erin passes offshore at Rodanthe, N.C., on Tuesda...

2 more beachfront homes near collapse as a hurricane waves pound North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Two homes on the North Carolina Outer Banks sit precariously in the high waves with their days seemingly numbered. Since 2020, 11 neighboring homes have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean. While the swells from storms like Hurricane Erin make things worse, the conditions threatening the houses are always present — beach erosion and climate change […]
1 year ago
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a newss conference first abo...

US attorney will no longer bring felony charges against people for carrying rifles or shotguns in DC

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital will no longer bring felony charges against people for possessing rifles or shotguns in the District of Columbia, according to a new policy adopted by the leader of the nation’s largest U.S. attorney’s office. That office will continue to pursue charges when someone is accused of […]
1 year ago
FILE - Lyle, left, and Erik Galen Menendez sit in a Beverly Hills, Calif., courtroom, May 14, 1990....

What to know about the Menendez brothers’ parole hearings

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lyle and Erik Menendez are scheduled to face separate parole hearings beginning Thursday in California and — depending on the outcomes — could eventually be released from prison nearly 30 years after being convicted of killing their parents. A panel of parole officers will evaluate each of the brothers via videoconference. […]
1 year ago
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins speaks at a Senate campaign event on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Jackson, Ga....

Mike Collins argues he can unite Georgia GOP in challenge to Democratic US Sen. Jon Ossoff

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — Second-term Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is seeking to solidify support as he seeks the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026. Collins, who’d declared his intent to run in July, officially launched his candidacy Tuesday in his hometown of Jackson and then spoke at a […]
1 year ago

Fed minutes: Most officials worried about inflation moving higher

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Federal Reserve officials said last month that the threat of higher inflation was a greater concern than the potential for job losses, leading the central bank to keep its key rate unchanged. According to the minutes of the July 29-30 meeting, released Wednesday, members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee “assessed […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump listens during an event in the Oval Office to mark the 90th anniversary of t...

A look at those Trump has targeted in tactic of revoking security clearances

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s announcement this week that it would rescind the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials was hardly an isolated act. In ordering the revocation of the clearances, President Donald Trump was turning to a favored retributive tactic that he’s wielded — or at least tried to […]
1 year ago
FILE - A board outlining the case against Ghislaine Maxwell is seen during a news conference to ann...

Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York who presided over the sex trafficking case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts. The ruling Wednesday by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine […]
1 year ago
FILE - Algeria's Imane Khelif, right, fights China's Yang Liu in their women's 66 kg final boxing m...

World Boxing will require sex testing for fighters before world championships in September

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The governing body for Olympic-style boxing will require sex testing for all fighters wishing to compete in the women’s division at its world championships next month. World Boxing already had announced its plan to require competitors to undergo a polymerase chain reaction test or an equivalent genetic screening test to determine […]
1 year ago
Staff members pose for photographs several of the 16 critically endangered western Santa Cruz torto...

Tortoise hatchlings born of century-old parents come out of their shells at Philadelphia Zoo

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sixteen critically endangered western Santa Cruz tortoises born to some very old parents got a slow walk and the red carpet treatment Wednesday at a Philadelphia Zoo event to show off the highly prized hatchlings. Animal care specialists who have watched over the 16 since they were eggs held the animals on […]
1 year ago
Secretary of State Marco Rubio answers a reporter's question ahead of a meeting with Serbian Foreig...

US sanctions more ICC judges, prosecutors for probes into alleged American, Israeli war crimes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on the International Criminal Court for pursuing investigations into U.S. and Israeli officials for alleged war crimes. The State Department on Wednesday announced new sanctions on four ICC officials, including two judges and two prosecutors, who it said had been instrumental in efforts to prosecute […]
1 year ago
In an image taken from police body camera footage, a Newport Police officer closes the door of a cr...

Rhode Island prosecutor under review after warning ‘you’re gonna regret this’ during arrest

A Rhode Island prosecutor is under review after police body camera footage recorded her warning officers “you’re gonna regret this” while she was being arrested. Devon Flanagan, a special assistant attorney general, was arrested outside a restaurant by Newport police Aug. 14 for trespassing, according to law enforcement. Body camera footage provided by the police […]
1 year ago
This undated photo released by Google shows a new smartphone loaded with an array of artificial int...

Google’s Pixel 10 phones raises the ante on artificial intelligence

Google on Wednesday unveiled a new line-up of Pixel smartphones injected with another dose of artificial intelligence that’s designed to do everything from fetch vital information stored on the devices to help improve photos as they’re being taken. The AI expansion on the four Pixel 10 models amplifies Google’s efforts to broaden the use of […]
1 year ago
District of Columbia National Guard soldiers patrol on the National Mall, Thursday, August 14, 2025...

National Guard vehicle collides with civilian car near US Capitol, trapping one person

WASHINGTON (AP) — A National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning as troops continued to take up positions around the city during President Donald Trump’s crackdown. One person was trapped inside the car after the accident and had to be extricated by emergency […]
1 year ago
FILE - A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a p...

Big railroads spurn system designed to improve safety

Two and a half years after a derailed train spewed toxic gases across eastern Ohio, none of the nation’s largest freight railroads have fulfilled promises to join a voluntary federal close call program designed to reduce rail hazards and prevent accidents. Two railroads — BNSF and Norfolk Southern — launched partial trials, but haven’t fully […]
1 year ago
FILE - Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook, speaks during a conversations wi...

Trump calls on Federal Reserve official to resign after ally accuses her of mortgage fraud

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to resign after a member of his administration accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud. Bill Pulte, director of the agency that oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, urged the Justice Department to investigate Cook, who was appointed to […]
1 year ago
FILE - A derailed freight train burns on a bridge spanning Tempe Town Lake, July 29, 2020, in Tempe...

Aging U.S. railroad bridges are self-inspected and their findings are kept secret

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — The fire burned for about nine hours, billowing smoke and scorching the wooden trestles of a nearly 75-year-old railroad bridge that spans the Marys River in Corvallis, home to Oregon State University. Long after the flames died out, Michelle Emmons, a local environmental advocate, could still smell the noxious stench of […]
1 year ago
FILE - Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski is interviewed on March 23, 2023 in Madison, Wi...

Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski launches bid for lieutenant governor

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democratic Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, who passed up a chance to run for the open governor’s seat, announced Wednesday that she instead will go for the No. 2 slot in 2026. Godlewski is the first candidate from either party to announce for lieutenant governor, although others are considering getting […]
1 year ago
FILE - A granite Ten Commandments monument stands on the ground of the Texas Capitol, Thursday, May...

Texas can’t require the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, judge says

Texas cannot require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a judge said Wednesday in a temporary ruling against the state’s new requirement, making it the third such state law to be blocked by a court. A group of Dallas-area families and faith leaders sought a preliminary injunction against the law, which […]
1 year ago