National News

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
FILE - This photo combination shows, from left, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., in Miami, Feb.11,...

DeSantis awards posthumous Governor’s Medal of Freedom to Jimmy Buffett, Florida lawmakers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has posthumously awarded five notable Floridians with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, one of the state’s highest honors. The awardees include the state’s last Democratic governor, Buddy MacKay, who was a citrus farmer, policy wonk and diplomat; former Democratic governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who was […]
1 year ago
This image provided by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism shows a train carrying tank c...

Many towns are unprepared to handle train derailments and hazmat spills

A train derails and spills at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous materials in the U.S. about once every two months. Nearly half of those derailments resulted in evacuations; more than a quarter resulted in a fire or explosion since 2015, an analysis of federal derailment data showed. And many communities along the rail lines aren’t […]
1 year ago
FILE - Beyoncé performs during halftime of an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and H...

Black Cowboy joy is spread by ‘Boots on the Ground’ viral line dance

NEW YORK (AP) — When Tre Little two-stepped in his cowboy boots at the BET Awards preshow this summer, he was overcome with joy and gratitude. “I used to watch this on TV every year, and I’m now performing,” said the 22-year-old Atlanta-area resident. “I started crying … tears of joy.” He joined Southern soul […]
1 year ago
An Intel sign is shown at the chipmaker's global headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. on Friday, Aug...

Trump thinks owning a piece of Intel would be a good deal for the US. Here’s what to know

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Donald Trump wants the U.S. government to own a piece of Intel, less than two weeks after demanding the Silicon Valley pioneer dump the CEO that was hired to turn around the slumping chipmaker. If the goal is realized, the investment would deepen the Trump administration’s involvement in the computer […]
1 year ago
Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, executive director of the Hope Community Center looks over inventory for d...

As hurricane season collides with immigration agenda, fears increase for those without legal status

If a major hurricane approaches Central Florida this season, Maria knows it’s dangerous to stay inside her wooden, trailer-like home. In past storms, she evacuated to her sister’s sturdier house. If she couldn’t get there, a shelter set up at the local high school served as a refuge if needed. But with aggressively accelerating detentions […]
1 year ago
Texas state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, right, looks at a protester dressed as death standing outsid...

First domino in national redistricting fight likely to fall with Texas GOP poised for vote on maps

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The first domino in a growing national redistricting battle is likely to fall Wednesday as the Republican-controlled Texas legislature is expected to pass a new congressional map creating five new winnable seats for the GOP. The vote follows prodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that […]
1 year ago

Bus crash in Afghanistan kills more than 70 Afghans returning from Iran

A bus crash in northwestern Afghanistan killed at least 79 people returning from Iran, including 19 children, an official said. Two people were also injured in the crash, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told The Associated Press. Tolo News, citing the official, said the accident happened Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. local time in […]
1 year ago

Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy the last hurrahs of summer along the coast were met with rip-current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inched closer Wednesday. While forecasters remain confident that the center of the monster storm will stay far […]
1 year ago
FILE - A view of the Sununu Youth Services Center on Jan. 28, 2020, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/C...

9/11 victims’ fund architect slams changes to New Hampshire abuse settlement program

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — An attorney who helped design and implement the 9/11 victims’ compensation fund says New Hampshire lawmakers have eroded the fairness of a settlement program for those who were abused at the state’s youth detention center. Deborah Greenspan, who served as deputy special master of the fund created after the Sept. 11, […]
1 year ago

A flight delay, a jazz band and a viral moment: How Dave Koz and fellow musicians lifted spirits

Passengers on a flight from St. Louis to Seattle got an unexpected pick-me-up when jazz saxophonist Dave Koz and bandmates held an impromptu jam session in the aisle while the plane was stuck on the tarmac hundreds of miles from their final destination. It happened Aug. 11, when Koz and fellow musicians on the Dave […]
1 year ago
In this Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, satellite image released by NASA, Hurricane Erin, left, continues i...

It’s the time of year for Cape Verde hurricanes, the longest and most powerful storms

They are the hurricanes of legend, the bowling balls that cross the entire Atlantic Ocean, menaced ships of yore and make the long, curved lines on the hurricane charts. Cape Verde storms, named for the group of islands about 450 miles (725 kilometers) off the west coast of Africa, typically form from clusters of thunderstorms […]
1 year ago
A visitor takes pictures of the TCL Chinese Theatre as a street vendor works nearby in the Hollywoo...

Dangerous heat descends on California and the Southwest, raising wildfire risk

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dangerous heat wave descended on much of California and the U.S. Southwest, with triple-digit temperatures expected along with a higher risk of wildfires. Officials opened cooling centers this week in Los Angeles, where residents are warned to avoid strenuous outdoor activities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state firefighting resources deployed […]
1 year ago
FILE - Katheryn Millwee holds a portrait of Kilmar Abrego Garcia outside the federal courthouse on ...

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers want smuggling charges dismissed on grounds of vindictive prosecution

Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia asked a federal judge on Tuesday to dismiss a human smuggling case against him, saying the government was prosecuting the Maryland construction worker to punish him for challenging his removal to El Salvador. Their motion filed in court said attempts to dismiss indictments on the grounds of “selective or vindictive […]
1 year ago
A group of people, including Shannon Joslin, a Yosemite National Park ranger and biologist who was ...

Ranger fired for hanging transgender flag in Yosemite and park visitors may face prosecution

A Yosemite National Park ranger was fired after hanging a pride flag from El Capitan while some visitors face potential prosecution for alleged violations of protest restrictions that have been tightened under President Donald Trump. Shannon “SJ” Joslin, a ranger and biologist who studies bats, said they hung a 66-foot wide transgender pride flag on […]
1 year ago
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with a reporter on her plane while in the air e...

DHS Secretary says entire southern border wall to be painted black to stop people from climbing it

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that the entire border wall along the southern border with Mexico is going to be painted black to make it hotter and deter illegal immigration — and she credited President Trump with the idea. Noem spoke during a visit to a portion of the wall […]
1 year ago
In this photo provided by the Coos Bay District Bureau of Land Management, the top of the Doerner F...

A fire is burning one of the world’s tallest trees near the Oregon coast

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities in Oregon are trying to extinguish a fire that is burning in one of the world’s tallest trees near the state’s southern coast. The Doerner Fir, a coastal Douglas Fir tree over 325 feet (99 meters) tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has been burning since Saturday […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump participates in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and E...

Trump moves to use the levers of presidential power to help his party in the 2026 midterms

President Donald Trump has made clear in recent weeks that he’s willing to use the vast powers of his office to prevent his party from losing control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. Some of the steps Trump has taken to intervene in the election are typical, but controversial, political maneuvers taken to his […]
1 year ago
Armed officers prepare to place handcuffs on a man from within an apartment complex, Tuesday, Aug. ...

Photos show Trump’s federal crackdown in a DC neighborhood

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington’s Columbia Heights, usually lively with vendors, has been abnormally quiet, reflecting the impact of President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge. While troop deployments and foot patrols in downtown areas and around the National Mall have gotten the most attention, life in historically diverse neighborhoods like Columbia Heights is being reshaped […]
1 year ago