National News

Postal Service marks 250th anniversary with stamps honoring Ben Franklin and postal carriers

The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday marked its upcoming 250th anniversary with the release of new commemorative stamps, including an exclusive, modernized version of the nation’s first 5-cent stamp featuring Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster general. The event was held at the USPS headquarters in Washington and included an appearance by the 76th postmaster general. […]
1 year ago

House Democrats launch bid to subpoena Justice Department for Epstein files

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats launched a bid Wednesday to subpoena President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, goading GOP lawmakers to defy Trump and Republican leadership to support the action. Democrats on a subcommittee of the powerful House Committee on Oversight made a motion for the […]
1 year ago

Judge bars ICE from immediately taking Abrego Garcia into custody if he’s released from jail

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge in Maryland has prohibited the Trump administration from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into immediate immigration custody if he’s released from jail in Tennessee while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, according to an order issued Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the U.S. government to provide notice […]
1 year ago

Trump administration canceled a $4.9B loan guarantee for a line to deliver green power

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday canceled a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for a new high-voltage transmission line for delivering solar and wind-generated electricity from the Midwest to the eastern U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy declared that it is “not critical for the federal government to have a role” in […]
1 year ago

Man who killed Idaho firefighters had been turned away by fire department, Army

The man accused of fatally shooting two Idaho firefighters before killing himself last month had tried to join the fire department, and became angry when told he would need to go through training and testing. Wess Roley also tried to join the Army twice — his father was an Army veteran — but was disqualified […]
1 year ago

California asks court to give state control of Los Angeles County’s troubled juvenile halls

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s top prosecutor said Wednesday he has asked a court to give the state control of Los Angeles County’s troubled juvenile detention facilities because incarcerated young people are enduring unsafe conditions, including violence and rampant drug abuse. Attorney General Rob Bonta said he wants the county to hand over administration of […]
1 year ago

Hershey and other chocolate makers hike prices as cocoa remains near record highs

Here’s the good news: The Hershey Co. says it’s not raising prices for Halloween candy this year. But here’s the bad news: Hershey and other chocolate makers are continuing to hike prices, saying a volatile cocoa market gives them no choice. Hershey, the maker of Reese’s, Whoppers, barkThins and other chocolate candies, said Wednesday that […]
1 year ago

US automakers say Trump’s 15% tariff deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. automakers are concerned about President Donald Trump’s agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15%, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. “We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese […]
1 year ago

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine pleads guilty to a drug possession charge

NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug possession in violation of his supervised release, marking his latest run-in with the law since he completed a federal prison sentence on racketeering and conspiracy charges. The 29-year-old performer, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, told a Manhattan federal judge that his home […]
1 year ago

Man built and stashed homemade bombs throughout New York City, prosecutors say

NEW YORK CITY (AP) — A New York City man accused of plotting to set off homemade explosives he had stashed at sites across Manhattan has been indicted, federal prosecutors said. Michael Gann, 55, built at least seven improvised explosive devices last month with chemicals he bought online in May and took the bombs to […]
1 year ago

Harvard under investigation over participation in visa program for foreign students and researchers

BOSTON (AP) — In the latest in series of Trump administration inquiries targeting Harvard University, the State Department said Wednesday it is investigating whether the Ivy League school will remain part of a government program that provides American visas for students and researchers from other countries. Harvard has faced mounting sanctions and scrutiny from Washington […]
1 year ago

Iranian negotiator doesn’t rule out exiting nuclear treaty if sanctions are reimposed

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A top Iranian official warned Wednesday that European threats to reimpose sanctions could lead Iran to withdraw from an international pact that limits the spread of nuclear weapons, one of the last remaining safeguards against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi discussed with reporters his country’s […]
1 year ago

The Latest: Bryan Kohberger to be sentenced for murdering four University of Idaho students

A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole this week for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. The hearing will give the families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves the opportunity to describe the anguish they’ve […]
1 year ago

For hope on climate change, UN chief is putting his faith in market forces

NEW YORK (AP) — For nearly a decade United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been using science to warn about evermore dangerous climate change in increasingly urgent tones. Now he’s enlisting something seemingly more important to the world’s powerful: Money. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Guterres hailed the power of market forces […]
1 year ago

The Latest: Trump will reveal ‘AI Action Plan’ shaped by his Silicon Valley supporters

An artificial intelligence agenda formed on the podcasts of Silicon Valley billionaires is now being set into U.S. policy as President Donald Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign. Trump plans on Wednesday to reveal an “AI Action Plan” he ordered after revoking President Joe Biden’s signature AI […]
1 year ago

8 children taken to hospitals after seizure-like symptoms at Harvard Square church concert

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Eight children at a church near Harvard University where a French youth choir was holding a concert suffered seizure-like symptoms and were taken to hospitals, officials said. The symptoms were not life-threatening, the Cambridge Fire Department said in a news release. About 70 other people in attendance at the concert Tuesday […]
1 year ago

Republican congressman Mike Lawler says he won’t run for New York governor

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a moderate Republican representing a suburban New York swing district, said Wednesday he won’t run for governor next year. Lawler had been viewed as a potentially strong challenger to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. But another prominent House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik, also has been eying a candidacy. […]
1 year ago

Army secretary wants to move more quickly on an agreement for Hawaii live-fire training lands

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (AP) — The U.S. Army’s top civilian leader said Tuesday that he wants to move more quickly on an agreement that will allow the military to continue using the only large-scale live-fire training range for ground forces in Hawaii. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said he discussed the issue during a meeting with […]
1 year ago

These tips from experts can help your teenager navigate AI companions

As artificial intelligence technology becomes part of daily life, adolescents are turning to chatbots for advice, guidance and conversation. The appeal is clear: Chatbots are patient, never judgmental, supportive and always available. That worries experts who say the booming AI industry is largely unregulated and that many parents have no idea about how their kids […]
1 year ago

Teens say they are turning to AI for advice, friendship and ‘to get out of thinking’

No question is too small when Kayla Chege, a high school student in Kansas, is using artificial intelligence. The 15-year-old asks ChatGPT for guidance on back-to-school shopping, makeup colors, low-calorie choices at Smoothie King, plus ideas for her Sweet 16 and her younger sister’s birthday party. The sophomore honors student makes a point not to […]
1 year ago

Families of the Idaho students Bryan Kohberger stabbed to death are set to see him sentenced

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole this week for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. Wednesday’s sentencing hearing will give the families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves the opportunity […]
1 year ago

From tech podcasts to policy: Trump’s new AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley industry ideas

An artificial intelligence agenda that started coalescing on the podcasts of Silicon Valley billionaires is now being forged into U.S. policy as President Donald Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign. Trump on Wednesday is planning to reveal an “AI Action Plan” he ordered after returning to the […]
1 year ago

Trump’s favorability has fallen among AAPI adults since last year, AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll finds

A small but fast-growing group in the United States has soured somewhat on President Donald Trump this year, as they worry about high costs and fear that new tariff policies will further raise their personal expenses, a new poll finds. The percentage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with an unfavorable opinion of […]
1 year ago

Texas lawmakers begin review of catastrophic floods that killed at least 135

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers on Wednesday were set to begin reviewing the July 4 floods that killed at least 135 people, a disaster that put local officials under scrutiny over why residents along the Guadalupe River did not receive more warnings. The catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country and a partisan redrawing […]
1 year ago