national.

FILE - Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, director of Army Aviation, center, answers questions, joined from left by Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, and Chris Rocheleau, acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, as the Senate Transportation Subcommittee holds a hearing to examine the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board on the Jan. 29, 2025, midair collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet, on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Army’s head of aviation, who faced questions over deadly midair collision, has new role

The U.S. Army’s head of aviation has changed jobs to become chief of its enterprise marketing office. The move comes just before the National Transportation Safety Board holds hearings next week on the midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jet in January. The crash near Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman became chief of the Army Enterprise Marketing Office this month to focus on advertising and boosting recruitment. An Army spokesperson said Braman’s move was planned before the tragedy occurred. Braman was among those who faced criticism from some in Congress following the deadly collision over the Potomac River.

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Parked RVs are seen on Lake Merced Boulevard in San Francisco, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco bans homeless people from living in RVs with new parking limit

San Francisco has banned homeless people from living in RVs with a new citywide parking limit of two hours on large vehicles. The proposal by Mayor Daniel Lurie also calls for a new permit program to help people living in RVs move into housing. This is part of the mayor’s pledge to clear San Francisco’s streets. People registered in RVs as of May will get a permit exempting them from parking limits. In exchange, they must accept housing options when offered and give up their RV. Critics say the city doesn’t have enough housing to help everyone. RV dwellers say they can’t afford rent no matter how much they work.

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a discussion at the Federal Reserve Integrated Review of the Capital Framework for Large Banks Conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

OpenAI’s Sam Altman warns of AI voice fraud crisis in banking

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns of a looming fraud crisis in the financial industry due to AI’s ability to mimic voices. Speaking at a Federal Reserve conference on Tuesday, Altman criticized financial institutions still using voiceprints for authentication. He called this practice outdated, as AI can now create voice clones that are nearly indistinguishable from real voices. Voiceprinting became popular over a decade ago for wealthy clients but is now vulnerable to AI-driven fraud. Altman emphasized the need for new verification methods. The central bank’s top regulator Michelle Bowman suggested exploring partnerships to address these challenges.

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FILE - Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr. holds the Bible during a ceremonial swearing-in for his wife, Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

NTSB: Heavy plane, drag from antlers contributed to crash that killed ex-Rep Mary Peltola’s husband

Federal investigators say a small plane that crashed in 2023, killing the husband of former Alaska U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, was overweight for takeoff and impacted by winds. The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday released its final report on the crash that killed Eugene Peltola Jr. It listed among its probable cause findings factors including decisions by Peltola to fly the plane above its maximum takeoff weight and place a set of moose antlers on the right wing strut, along with turbulent flight conditions. He died almost exactly one year after Democrat Mary Peltola was sworn in as Alaska’s only U.S. House member — and first Alaska Native member of Congress. She lost reelection last year.

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FKA Twigs agrees to settle lawsuit alleging abuse from Shia LaBeouf

FKA Twigs and Shia LaBeouf have agreed to settle her lawsuit alleging he was physically and emotionally abusive to her during their relationship. An attorney for the 37-year-old English singer and actor FKA Twigs filed a request Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court to dismiss her case against the 39-year-old American actor. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The two said in a joint statement that they are committed to forging a constructive path forward. The two met when she was cast in his 2018 autobiographical film “Honey Boy” and began a relationship.

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Migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Lawyers say Venezuelan migrant ordered returned to US sent to home country under prisoner exchange

A Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered the U.S. as a child has been sent back to his home country after being deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison earlier this year. The man, who’s known only as Cristian in court papers, was among over 250 Venezuelans released from El Salvador as part of a prisoner exchange deal reached last week. A federal judge has ordered the government to help the man’s attorneys get in touch with him. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher says that would be the first step to facilitating his return to the U.S., which is required under a 2019 settlement agreement.

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FILE - Federal immigration agents toss tear gas at protesters during a raid in the agriculture area of Camarillo, Calif., Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker, File)

There are many illegal marijuana farms, but federal agents targeted California’s biggest legal one

Nearly two weeks after the Trump administration staged major raids at two legal cannabis farm sites in California, the reason for the operation remains unclear. More than 360 people were arrested at the Glass House farm sites, most suspected of being in the country without legal status. The government says the business was being investigated for potential child labor, human trafficking and other abuses. Glass House says it complied with immigration and naturalization warrants and “has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.”

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Pentagon, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Pentagon tightens rules on getting medical waivers to join the military

The Pentagon says people with congestive heart failure, undergoing treatment for schizophrenia or who have a history of paraphilic disorders will no longer be eligible for a medical waiver to serve in the military. The guidance signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and issued Tuesday updates a list of conditions that disqualify potential recruits from service. Waivers have long been granted for a long list of medical conditions including asthma or past sports injuries. Hegseth says the change will help ensure the physical and mental capabilities of service members. The updated rules come after the Pentagon announced it would remove transgender troops.

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FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping attends an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

US government employee banned from leaving China

The State Department says a U.S. government employee has been banned from leaving China while traveling there in a personal capacity. The department said Tuesday that it’s closely monitoring the case and engaging with Chinese authorities to resolve it. China has faced accusations of misusing exit bans to keep both foreign and Chinese nationals from leaving the country. Because of that, the U.S. previously warned citizens about traveling to China, but it eased its advisory in November after three Americans were released. Last week, reports emerged of a U.S.-based banker also being barred from leaving China. Chinese officials claim these cases follow legal procedures.

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FILE - Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones speaks at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Georgia Ethics Commission won’t investigate source of Republican Burt Jones’ $10M loan

Georgia’s State Ethics Commission is declining to investigate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones over a $10 million loan to a campaign committee. The commission wrote in a Monday letter to a lawyer for Attorney General Chris Carr’s campaign that the complaint didn’t allege a legal violation. Carr and Jones are both running for the 2026 Republican nomination for governor. Carr questions the source of the funds. He says Jones’ earlier financial disclosures don’t show enough cash. Carr’s separate request on whether it’s legal for Jones to make loans to his leadership committee remains pending. Carr argues loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a separate leadership committee.

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FILE - The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Sarepta shares slide again as drugmaker bows to FDA pressure to pause gene therapy

Sarepta Therapeutics is pausing shipments of its gene therapy for muscular dystrophy following several patient deaths that have attracted attention from regulators. The company said late Monday it would comply with a Food and Drug Administration request to halt distribution of Elevidys. The decision comes just days after the company rebuffed FDA regulators in an extremely unusual decision. Elevidys is the first gene therapy approved in the U.S. for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. The fatal muscle-wasting disease affects boys and young men, resulting in early death. Company shares continued to slide in early trading Tuesday morning.

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FILE - Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, speaks to thousands during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington. (AP Photo/File)

Things to know about the release of federal documents related to MLK’s assassination

Federal records related to the investigation into the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. have been released. Their release follows the disclosure in March of tens of thousands of documents about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In January, President Donald Trump ordered the release of thousands of classified governmental documents about Kennedy’s assassination, while also moving to declassify federal records related to the deaths of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and King more than five decades ago. King was killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, attends a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House

President Donald Trump plans to host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House. The visit Tuesday highlights efforts to strengthen security and economic ties between the two countries as tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific. Their talks are expected to focus on mutual defense as China has become increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over hotly contested territory. The leaders also are negotiating a potential tariffs deal. Marcos met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday. Both sides emphasized their commitment to regional peace and economic collaboration.

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FILE - A Missouri and American flag fly outside Planned Parenthood in St. Louis, June 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Planned Parenthood wins partial victory in legal fight with Trump administration over funding cuts

Planned Parenthood has won a partial victory in a legal fight with President Donald Trump’s administration over its efforts to defund the organization in tax legislation. A provision in the bill would end Medicaid payments to abortion providers for one year. But U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston on Monday granted a preliminary injunction that blocks the government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood member organizations that either don’t provide abortion care or didn’t meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursement in a given year. It wasn’t immediately clear how many organizations and clinics would continue to get reimbursements.

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This photo provided by the San Jose Fire Department shows firefighters responding to a fire burning after a car crashed into the Post Office, early Sunday, July 20, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (San Jose Fire Department via AP)

Brother of late NFL star Pat Tillman arrested after fiery crash at San Jose post office

The brother of late NFL player-turned-soldier Pat Tillman has been arrested after a car crash ignited a fire at a San Jose post office. Police say the car rammed into the building early Sunday, causing significant damage but no injuries. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible intentional act. Richard Tillman faces arson charges and remains in custody with bail set at $60,000. Messages were sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney asking if he has an attorney. His family released a statement Monday, expressing relief that no one was hurt.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at the Nashville International Airport, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Trump officials lash out at NYC after shooting of off-duty US customs officer

The Trump administration is lashing out at New York City officials over their sanctuary policies. The criticism comes after two men living in the U.S. illegally were arrested in connection with the nonfatal shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer at a park. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the suspects had lengthy criminal records and should not have been free to commit Saturday’s robbery-gone-wrong. The officer is recovering and expected to survive. Border czar Tom Homan, meanwhile, vowed to send more federal immigration agents into sanctuary cities. Immigrant and civil liberties groups say the Trump administration is “exploiting a tragedy” to further its immigration agenda.

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Gen Xers mourn drowning death of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known as Theo on ‘The Cosby Show’

For Black youth and teens growing up in the mid-1980s, “The Cosby Show” offered something rarely seen on television up until that time. It was a sitcom that placed characters who looked like them in a positive light. And Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s “Theo Huxtable” was the one Generation X most related to. Fans took quickly to social media on Monday as news of Warner’s accidental drowning death in Costa Rica spread. Detroit author and speaker Harriet Cammock watched “The Cosby Show” in her youth and describes Warner’s death as “like losing one of us.” Authorities in Costa Rica say Warner drowned while swimming Sunday afternoon in the Caribbean.

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President Donald Trump holds his signed signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Washington, as House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., left, watches and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., takes a photo. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Budget office says Trump’s tax law will add $3.4 trillion to deficits, leave 10 million uninsured

President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cut bill will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits through 2034. That’s a slight increase compared with a prior estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that had been made just before Republicans made final tweaks to get the legislation passed. Meanwhile, the picture for the number of people who would become uninsured improved. That estimate dropped to 10 million more uninsured in 2034, compared with 11.8 million in the prior projection. Republicans have insisted that economic growth will exceed the CBO’s projections for the next decade. But nonpartisan watchdogs have also said the bill would greatly increase future deficits.

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New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell speaks at a news conference, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Latham, N.Y., about the arrest of a Canadian man who reported his 9-year-old daughter missing in upstate New York. (Associated Press/Michael Hill)

Father arrested in New York in death of 9-year-old daughter he had reported missing

A man whose 9-year-old daughter was found dead after he reported that she was abducted while they were vacationing in upstate New York has been charged with murder. New York State Police Capt. Robert McConnell says Montreal resident Luciano Frattolin, the father of Melina Frattolin, is charged with murder and concealing of a corpse. State Police said Luciano Frattolin reported the girl missing and possibly abducted on Saturday, leading officials to issue an Amber Alert. But authorities said there were inconsistencies in the father’s account, and that they concluded there was no evidence of an abduction. Authorities found the girl’s body on Sunday north of Lake George village.

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FILE - A newspaper with a photograph of Etan Patz is seen on May 28, 2012, at a makeshift memorial in the SoHo neighborhood of New York, where Patz lived before his disappearance on May 25, 1979. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

What to know about the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz and the hunt for his killer

The 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz was one of the nation’s most notorious missing child cases. The six-year-old Manhattan resident was among the first children whose disappearance and likeness were publicized on milk cartons across the country. The high-profile case helped catalyze a national missing-children’s movement and ushered in an age of parental anxiety. After a decades-long search, Pedro Hernandez was arrested in 2012. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2017. But on Monday, a federal appeals court overturned the guilty verdict and ordered a new trial for the now 64-year-old New Jersey resident.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump ‘caught off guard’ by recent Israeli strikes, White House says

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by recent Israeli military operations. An Israeli strike last week hit a Catholic church in Gaza, and Israel has also bombarded Syria during sectarian violence there. Leavitt told reporters Monday that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have “a good working relationship” but that Trump called him to “rectify those situations.” The president has been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and trying to support the new Syrian government as the country emerges from years of civil war.

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FILE - Easterseals Head Start program teaching assistant Tania Ortiz helps a student practice writing his name, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Lawsuit challenges restrictions on Head Start for kids in the US illegally

A coalition of 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration’s restrictions on social services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education. Individual public benefits, such as food stamps and federal financial aid, have been largely unavailable to people in the country without legal status, but the new rules and guidance from the administration curbed their access to community-level programs that receive federal money. The lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, argues the changes will create significant harm.

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Jimmy Buffett’s widow accuses financial adviser of breaching fiduciary duty in $275M trust battle

Jimmy Buffett’s widow, Jane Buffett, has asked a Florida judge to remove her late husband’s financial adviser, Richard Mozenter, as cotrustee of his $275 million estate. On Monday, she accused Mozenter of breaching fiduciary duties, withholding information about the trust and charging unreasonable fees. Jimmy Buffett, known for his “Margaritaville” empire, passed away on Sept. 1, 2023, at 76. Legal battles between Jane Buffett and Mozenter have unfolded in both California and Florida, with each accusing the other of mishandling funds. Jane Buffett’s filing claims their working relationship is “untenable” and seeks Mozenter’s removal from overseeing the trust.

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Crawford Pond is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Union, Maine. Police are investigating the murder of a woman last seen paddleboarding on the pond. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Prosecutors seek to try 17-year-old as an adult in Maine paddleboarder’s death

Prosecutors in Maine say they will seek to try a 17-year-old charged with murder in the death of a paddleboarder as an adult. The body of 48-year-old Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart of St. George was found this month on Crawford Pond in Union. Stewart went missing while paddleboarding before her killing, and her death sent shockwaves through the local community. Police charged Deven Young, of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in the death of Stewart last week. The Office of the Maine Attorney General said Monday it will attempt to try Young as an adult.

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FILE - NYPD police commissioner Jessica Tisch speaks during a news conference in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Off-duty US Customs and Border Protection officer shot in NYC in apparent robbery, police say

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer has been shot in a Manhattan park in what authorities say was an apparent botched robbery. Police say the officer was shot Saturday night after being approached by two men on a moped. The officer returned fire, hitting one of the men before the suspects fled. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday there was no indication the officer, who was not in uniform, was targeted because of his employment. He was in stable condition and expected to survive. Tisch says a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant with a criminal history was taken into custody as a person of interest in the case after showing up at a hospital with gunshot wounds.

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Over 5.2 million pools sold across the U.S. and Canada are under recall after reports of nine deaths

More than 5.2 million aboveground swimming pools sold in the U.S. and Canada since 2002 are being recalled. Regulators say certain Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup pools have straps on the outside that can act as footholds, potentially allowing small children to climb in unsupervised. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports nine drowning deaths of children aged 22 months to 3 years between 2007 and 2022. No deaths have been reported in Canada. Consumers in possession of these now-recalled pools are urged to contact the manufacturers for a free repair kit — and, in the meantime, ensure the pools are inaccessible to children.

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FILE - A sheet of new $1 bills is seen, Nov. 15, 2017, at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

More Americans shift money from checking and savings to accounts with investment income, study says

New research finds that more Americans are shifting their money from checking and savings accounts into financial vehicles that pay an investment income. The trend  helps to explain the resilience of the U.S. economy after a bout of high inflation and recent uncertainty due to tariffs. The analysis by the JPMorganChase Institute examined the accounts of 4.7 million households. It found that people’s total cash reserves are increasing after including brokerage accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit to assess people’s well-being. This helps to explain the strong consumer spending even though checking and savings account balances were below historical trends.

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FILE - Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, testifies during a committee hearing, Feb. 25, 2025, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kans. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)

Kansas Republican senate president announces 2026 gubernatorial bid

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson has entered the 2026 race for governor as the Republican primary field gets more crowded. Republicans are keen to recapture the governor’s office in GOP-leaning Kansas after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a second four-year term in 2022. Kelly is term-limited and cannot run again. Masterson, a small-business owner, announced his candidacy Sunday. He became Senate president in 2021. Other Republicans in the 2026 governor’s race include Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who built his public profile pushing back against unfounded election conspiracy theories, and former Gov. Jeff Colyer.

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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs looks out of a helicopter window during her aerial tour of wildfire damage along the Grand Canyon's North Rim, Ariz., Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Joe Rondone/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)

Arizona governor tours wildfire destruction along Grand Canyon’s North Rim

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has toured the destruction left by a wildfire along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Hobbs surveyed what she called devastating damage Saturday. She has called previously for an investigation into the handling of the blaze. The governor has questioned why the National Park Service did not immediately put out the flames during the hottest and driest period of summer. The wildfire was sparked by a lightning strike July 4.

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Mario and Gail Cirasunda, of Orchard Park, N.Y., share a kiss on a bench following a Memory Cafe event at the National Comedy Center Monday, May 5, 2025, in Jamestown, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Memory cafes at the National Comedy Center ignite laughter and connection for dementia patients

The National Comedy Center has begun hosting regular “Memory Cafes,” inviting people with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s through the western New York museum to share laughs and connection. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates more than 7 million older Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and an even higher number of people care for them. Memory cafes have emerged around the world as a way to connect and support individuals and caregivers. The National Comedy Center held its first one earlier this year. Comedy Center staff say they heard from caregivers that loved ones with memory loss became more communicative while walking through the displays.

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Family of a man crushed at an Atlanta homeless encampment sues the city

The family of Cornelius Taylor, a homeless man killed when a bulldozer crushed his tent during an encampment sweep, has sued Atlanta. The lawsuit, filed Friday, accuses city employees of failing to check tents for occupants before clearing the area. Taylor, 46, died from severe injuries, including a broken pelvis and internal bleeding. The sweep was conducted ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Advocates have criticized the city’s approach to homelessness, calling it inhumane. The family seeks damages and accountability, urging leaders to treat homeless people with dignity. Atlanta officials have not commented on the lawsuit.

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Woman, 66, is the 10th person to die after Massachusetts assisted-living facility fire

Officials are confirming Saturday that a tenth person has died after the fire that tore through an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts last weekend. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III says that 66-year-old Brenda Cropper died Friday at a hospital. Quinn says she had been in critical condition all week. The fire erupted Sunday evening, leaving some residents hanging out windows of the three-story facility screaming for help. The cause remains under investigation, but Quinn’s office says it does not appear suspicious. Fire officials say the blaze started in a room on the second floor.

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FILE - American Ballet Theatre dancer Gillian Murphy performs "Other Dances" by Jerome Robbins during the BAAND Together Dance Festival on July 25, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

What does one do on their last day as a ballerina? Gillian Murphy jumped off a cliff (gracefully)

After a career of nearly three decades, one of America’s most celebrated ballerinas is hanging up her pointe shoes. American Ballet Theatre’s Gillian Murphy joined the company at 17 and is retiring at age 46. Noted for her technical abilities as well as her longevity, Murphy chose to go out with one of the most challenging roles in all of ballet: the dual swan queen role in “Swan Lake.” She performed for a cheering crowd Friday night at the Metropolitan Opera House, where fellow dancers feted her onstage afterwards in a blur of bouquets, hugs and glittery confetti.

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FILE - The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Gene therapy maker Sarepta tells FDA it won’t halt shipments despite patient deaths

Drugmaker Sarepta Therapeutics says it won’t comply with a request from U.S. regulators to halt all shipments of its gene therapy. The Food and Drug Administration made the request Friday after the confirmation of a third death receiving one of its treatments for muscular dystrophy. The company’s decision not to comply is highly unusual. The FDA says officials met with Sarepta executives and requested the halt in sales. Sarepta says in a statement that its scientific review showed no new safety concerns for younger patients with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. The company said it plans to keep the drug, Elevidys, available for those patients.

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A guardian drops off a child at the Guidepost Montessori school on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Beaverton, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Immigration arrest outside Oregon preschool rattles parents

Parents at a preschool in Oregon are reeling after immigration officers arrested a father in front of the school. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Mahdi Khanbabazadeh this week as he was pulling out of the preschool’s parking lot in Beaverton. Witnesses and ICE say officers broke a car window to arrest him. Khanbabazadeh is a 38-year-old chiropractor and citizen of Iran. ICE says it detained him because he overstayed his visa. His wife says he has always maintained lawful status. The company that oversees the Montessori school says the event is deeply upsetting. It comes as immigration officials have dramatically ramped up arrests across the country.

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President Donald Trump holds a gavel after he signed his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Washington, surrounded by members of Congress. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

With gavel in hand, Trump chisels away at the power of a compliant Congress

When House Speaker Mike Johnson gifted to President Donald Trump the gavel used to enact the Republicans’ tax breaks and spending bill, it was a memorable moment at the White House. The image from the bill signing on Independence Day underscored the symbolic transfer of political power from a compliant Congress to the White House during Trump’s second term. Since Trump’s return to office in January, the Republicans in control of Congress have shown an unusual willingness to give the president of their party what he wants. And that poses a risk to Congress, an equal branch of government but one the Founding Fathers placed first in the Constitution.

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An aerial view shows the home of Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Arcadia, Calif., where a number of children were removed from the couple's home after a child abuse allegation in May, according to Arcadia police. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Two surrogates speak out about California couple under investigation

Authorities are investigating a Southern California couple after their infant child was taken to a hospital with a traumatic head injury and 21 children were discovered in their custody. Many of the children were born by surrogate, and at least eight women have spoken out on social media about the couple aggressively pursuing them or misleading them in the surrogacy process. Charges have not been filed against Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan, but detectives are still investigating the couple for potential child abuse. The couple did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.

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A plane carrying migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown lands at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Makeup artist is one of the US deportees sent from El Salvador to Venezuela, congressman says

Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist from Venezuela who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration and held in a notorious mega-prison, was among the scores of migrants sent back to Venezuela in a three-nation exchange Friday. California Rep. Robert Garcia posted on social media Friday night: “We have been in touch with Andry Hernández Romero’s legal team and they have confirmed he is out of CECOT and back in Venezuela. We are grateful he is alive and are engaged with both the State Department and his team.” Romero fled Venezuela last summer and sought asylum in the U.S. before being deported.

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FILE - This undated booking photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Corrections shows Byron Black. (Tennessee Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Judge orders Tennessee to turn off inmate’s heart-regulating implanted device at execution

A judge is ordering state officials to turn off a death-row inmate’s heart-regulating implanted device to avert the risk that it might try to shock him during his execution by lethal injection scheduled for Aug. 5. Nashville Chancellor Russell Perkins issued the order Friday. Byron Black is slated to die by a single dose lethal injection of pentobarbital. Black’s attorneys have said that the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator could shock him in an attempt to restore his heart’s normal rhythm, causing extreme pain and suffering. Attorneys for the state deemed it highly unlikely that the pentobarbital would trigger the device’s defibrillating function. And if it did, they say he would be unconscious and unaware, and unable to perceive pain.

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Crawford Pond is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Union, Maine. Police are investigating the murder of a woman last seen paddleboarding on the pond. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

17-year-old charged with murder in paddleboarder’s killing at a pond in rural Maine

Authorities in Maine have charged a 17-year-old with murder in the death of a paddleboarder on a rural pond. Sunshine Stewart was found dead this month on Crawford Pond in Union, a popular summer spot. A medical examiner determined the 48-year-old died from strangulation and blunt force trauma. Police arrested the teen on Wednesday in Union. The state attorney general’s office announced the charge on Friday. Court documents identify the teen as Deven Young of Frankfort, Maine. The investigation remains active, with police seeking witnesses who saw Stewart paddleboarding on July 2. Friends remember Stewart as independent and adventurous.

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FILE - Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird speaks at a press conference, May 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

Iowa attorney general to end lawsuit against a sheriff over his immigration post

Iowa’s attorney general says she will drop her lawsuit accusing Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx of discouraging cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Marx had stated in a February social media post that his department wouldn’t always detain individuals at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a court order, citing constitutional concerns. Bird filed suit despite an investigation showing Marx had complied with each of the nearly two dozen requests he had received from ICE to hold someone suspected of immigration violations. Marx also deleted the Facebook post. On Friday, the attorney general said the county is now fully compliant with state law.

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FILE - A voter fills out a ballot at the MetraPark events center, June 4, 2024, in Billings, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, FIle)

Judge limits a small part of a court order blocking Trump’s election overhaul as lawsuits continue

A federal judge has modified part of a previous ruling that blocked much of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order seeking to overhaul elections in the U.S. The minor change affects just one aspect of a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper granted on June 13 in a case filed by Democratic state attorneys general. The judge said Friday that the part of Trump’s executive order directing certain federal agencies to assess people’s U.S. citizenship when they ask for voter registration forms will now only be blocked in the 19 states that filed the lawsuit.

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon, Friday, July 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Hegseth tells lawmakers about plan to detain immigrants at bases in Indiana and New Jersey

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says military bases in Indiana and New Jersey could house detained immigrants without affecting their military operations. The determination could be a step toward housing large numbers of immigrant detainees at the bases. Hegseth wrote to members of Congress this week informing them of his decision. The two bases are Atterbury, Indiana, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. Democratic lawmakers from the states condemned the plan, questioning whether it would drain military resources and criticizing the Trump administration’s detention of U.S. citizens and immigrants with no criminal records.

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FILE - Debris lays in front of Impact Plastics Inc. in Erwin, Tenn., Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

The owner of the Tennessee factory where workers drowned after Hurricane Helene won’t face charges

The owner of a factory where six workers died last year in flooding from Hurricane Helene won’t face charges after a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found no criminal wrongdoing. First Judicial District Attorney General Steven Finney announced the decision to close the case on Friday. Finney says the investigation found no evidence that Impact Plastics employees were told they would be fired if they left the factory. It also found employees had time to evacuate the industrial park in Erwin, Tennessee. The conclusion mirrors that of a similar investigation by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It found that even though the exit road was submerged, workers could have evacuated by makeshift routes.

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FILE - Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell listens during a Senate Committee on Banking hearing, June 25, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Trump’s attacks on Powell threaten the Fed’s independence. Here’s why it matters

President Donald Trump has opened up a new front in his attack on the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell: He says the alledged mismanagement of a building renovation project could be grounds for firing Powell. Such an unprecedented step could send the financial markets into a tailspin and over time push up interest rates and weaken the U.S. economy. If investors start to worry the Fed is no longer independent, fewer may buy U.S. bonds, which would push up the interest rate on those bonds and lift borrowing costs more broadly.

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FILE - Mairelise Robinson, a U.S. citizen who is 6 months pregnant, attends a protest in support of birthright citizenship, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Trump’s birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling

A federal judge’s order blocking former President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship has taken effect. U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante in New Hampshire issued the ruling last week, and with no appeal filed, it is now enforceable nationwide. The order protects children of undocumented immigrants from losing citizenship. Meanwhile, a Boston judge heard arguments from states opposing Trump’s policy, calling it unconstitutional. The judge has not ruled yet but appears likely to side with the states. The issue could return to the Supreme Court, which has not ruled on the policy’s constitutionality. The Justice Department has not commented.

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FILE - This image provided by U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia shows a stockpile of homemade explosives Federal agents seized when they arrested Brad Spafford, a Virginia man on a firearms charge in Dec. 2024. (U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia via AP)

Man accused of stockpiling bombs, using Biden photo for target practice, pleads guilty

A Virginia man has pleaded guilty in a federal case that accused him of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history. He was also accused of using then-President Joe Biden’s photo for target practice. Brad Spafford pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk to possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Federal authorities said they seized about 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices at Spafford’s home in Isle of Wight County. His sentencing is scheduled for December. He remains in jail.

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FILE - A general view of the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark on Monday, June 16, 2025, in New Jersey. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

Last of 4 detainees recaptured after escape from New Jersey immigration detention center

The final detainee who escaped in June from a New Jersey federal immigration detention center has been found in California. The FBI’s Los Angeles division said on social media Thursday that Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon was arrested following a traffic stop in Silver Lake. Authorities say the 25-year-old is originally from Colombia. He and three other men had escaped from the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. Federal officials say all four were in the country illegally and had been charged by local police in New Jersey and New York City. The escape happened during reports of disorder at Delaney Hall.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at the Nashville International Airport, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

After years of tough rules on liquids and footwear, US air travel may be on the cusp of a new era

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has hinted at possible changes to TSA’s liquid restrictions. That could mean parting from the current 3-1-1 rule, which has limited liquids in carry-on bags — but details haven’t been confirmed yet. Still, her comments signal that potentially larger shift in airport security measures, which were adopted after Sept. 11, is on the way — and follow the TSA’s recent change to let travelers keep their shoes on at checkpoints. Relaxing liquid limits could simplify the process, but questions remain about what happens next. Experts say that newer scanners are better at detecting explosive liquids.

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Stan Lane, portraying Judge John T. Raulston in the play "Destiny in Dayton" acts during a rehearsal, July 8, 2025, in Dayton, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Tired of put-downs, Tennessee town corrects the record with play about the Scopes trial it hosted

A small town in Tennessee courted national publicity a century ago when it recruited a local teacher to challenge a state law banning the teaching of evolution. What they got after the Scopes trial in July 1925 was much more than they bargained for. For decades, Dayton, Tennessee, has attempted to correct the persistent misconceptions and stereotypes about it and its residents with a reenactment of the trial, put on by locals and descendants. The play performed every summer draws directly from the trial’s transcript to remind visitors that the truth about the debate over evolution is more nuanced than most people remember.

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File - Chevron logos are displayed at a gas station in Columbus, Miss., Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Chevron gets go ahead for $53B Hess deal, and access to one of the biggest oil finds this decade

Chevron has scored a critical ruling in Paris that has given it the go-ahead for a $53 billion acquisition of Hess and access to one of the biggest oil finds of the decade. Chevron said Friday that it completed its acquisition of Hess shortly after the ruling from the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Exxon had challenged Chevron’s bid for Hess, one of three companies with access to the massive Stabroek Block oil field off the coast of Guyana. Guyana is a country of 791,000 people that is poised to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer, placing it ahead of Qatar, the United States, Mexico and Norway. It has become a major producer in recent years.

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FILE - Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the second half of Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoff series April 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Ex-Raptors exec Masai Ujiri remains focused on humanitarian work as Giants of Africa Festival nears

Masai Ujiri is staying focused on his upcoming Giants of Africa Festival even as the longtime NBA executive navigates his recent departure from the Toronto Raptors. Ujiri says “the focus will always be” Giants of Africa, the foundation he started in 2003 to host youth basketball clinics, teach life skills and build basketball courts across the continent. Its second ever festival returns to Kigali, Rwanda on July 26 with appearances from Nigerian pop singer Ayra Starr, WNBA great Candace Parker and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. In a Q&A with The Associated Press, Ujiri says “I owe it to the youth of the continent.”

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President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to sign the "Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act," in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Takeaways from the AP’s reporting on Trump’s business deals

From crypto coins to bibles, overseas development deals to an upcoming line of cellphones, President Donald Trump’s family businesses have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars since his election. That flood of money — from billionaires, foreign governments and cryptocurrency tycoons, often with interests before the federal government — has permitted the president to leverage the power of his office for personal gain unlike any of his predecessors. The sums collected are far greater than those made by the family during Trump’s first term, when patronage of his hotels and other properties was de rigueur to curry favor with the famously transactional commander-in-chief.

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Adrienne Hazel, left, poses for a photo with her son Ricky on Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Southfield, Mich. (AP Photo/Sylvia Jarrus)

Civil rights work is slowing as Trump dismantles the Education Department, agency data shows

Data from the Education Department shows the pace at which it resolves civil rights complaints has slowed as the Trump administration dismantles the agency. The administration insists it hasn’t wavered in its duty to protect students’ rights. But a public database of the office’s resolution agreements — cases in which schools voluntarily agreed to address civil rights concerns — shows they are on track to fall far below previous years’ totals. The department’s civil rights branch lost nearly half its staff amid layoffs in March, raising questions about its ability to address complaints from students alleging discrimination based on disability, sex or race.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters as President Donald Trump listens, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump mired in Epstein controversy as Wall Street Journal reports on 2003 letter

The controversy over President Donald Trump’s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president. Trump threatened a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter. Trump in recent days has berated supporters vying for more records from the Epstein probe, after years of courting political support from those who have stoked claims of a coverup in the case.

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President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to sign the "Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act," in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump offers regulatory relief for coal, iron ore and chemical industries

President Donald Trump is granting two years of regulatory relief to coal-fired power plants, chemical manufacturers and other industries as he seeks to reverse Biden-era regulations he considers overly burdensome. Trump issued a series of proclamations late Thursday exempting a range of polluting industries that he calls vital to national security. The proclamations cover coal-fired power plants, taconite iron ore processing facilities used to make steel, and chemical manufacturers that help produce semiconductors and medical device sterilizers. The proclamations allow the facilities to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards that were in place before rules imposed in recent years by the Biden administration, the White House says.

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Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers poses on the orange carpet for WNBA All Star basketball events, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

WNBA All-Stars dazzle fans with stunning fashion on the Orange Carpet

WNBA All-Stars kicked off their weekend with a fashion showcase on Thursday night in Indianapolis. Players turned the orange carpet into a runway, delighting fans with bold outfits and stylish looks. Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum and Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston both enjoyed the event, highlighting its fun and fan-focused vibe. Fashion has become a growing trend in the league, with players gaining attention for their pregame “Tunnel Fits.” Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, and Natasha Cloud all made memorable appearances. The event added excitement to the All-Star festivities, blending sports and style seamlessly.

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FILE - A Union Pacific train travels through Union, Neb., July 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern discuss merger to create transcontinental railroad, AP source says

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are in merger talks to create the largest railroad in North America that would connect the East and West Coasts. A person familiar with the talks who isn’t authorized to discuss them publicly said the merger discussions began during the first quarter of this year. Both railroads declined to comment. Within the industry there is widespread debate over whether such a merger would be approved by the Surface Transportation Board even though those regulators approved the deal that created CPKC railroad two years ago. The bar for major railroad mergers in the U.S. was raised substantially after several disastrous deals in the 1990s that snarled traffic.

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Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell listens during a hearing of the House Committee on Financial Services on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Federal Reserve’s Waller says central bank should cut rates at next meeting

A top Federal Reserve official said late Thursday that the central bank should cut its key interest rate later this month, carving out a different view than that of Chair Jerome Powell, who has been harshly criticized by the White House for delaying rate cuts. Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed’s governing board, said in a speech in New York City that the economy is showing signs of weakening, with consumer spending slowing and job gains cooling.

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President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen during a meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump administration tells embassies to rein in criticism of foreign elections

The State Department is pulling back from commenting on or criticizing elections overseas unless there’s a clear and compelling U.S. foreign policy interest in doing so. In new guidance issued Thursday, the department said that U.S. embassies and consulates abroad should refrain from issuing statements that invoke any particular ideology. The cable, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press, said “messages should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process.” The department has for decades issued statements highly critical of or questioning the legitimacy of certain elections, notably in authoritarian countries. That’s changing under the Trump administration.

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Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

An Idaho judge has lifted a sweeping gag order in Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple murder case

An Idaho judge has lifted a sweeping gag order in Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple murder case. Kohberger avoided a potential death sentence by pleading guilty earlier this month to the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students at a rental home near campus in 2022. Kohberger admitted to breaking into the rental home through a sliding door and killing the four friends, who had no connection with him. A judge in Moscow, Idaho issued a sweeping gag order early in the case, barring prosecutors, defense attorneys and other officials involved in the investigation from talking to reporters or others about anything not already included in public court documents. The gag order was lifted Thursday.

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Jane’s Addiction bandmates sue each other over onstage fight that ended tour

The members of alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction have filed dueling lawsuits after an onstage scuffle last year prompted the cancellation of the band’s tour. Guitarist Dave Navarro and two other members sued singer Perry Farrell in Los Angeles Superior Court. They say Farrell’s behavior on tour was unacceptable and that he punched Navarro both on stage and backstage at a Boston concert in September. Farrell sued in the same court Wednesday, alleging a “yearslong bullying campaign” against him by the other band members. The singer says he was blindsided by the other members’ decision to cancel the remaining 15 shows of the tour and break up.

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FILE - Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell listens during a Senate Committee on Banking hearing, June 25, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Federal Reserve says building renovation complies with law, defends costs

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday said the agency’s renovation of its office complex in Washington complies with plans approved by a local commission, disputing a White House suggestion that they had violated the law by deviating from those plans. The letter is the latest salvo in an escalating battle between the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve, an independent agency charged with fighting inflation and seeking maximum employment. President Donald Trump has for months attacked Powell and the Fed for not lowering its key interest rate, which the president says would boost borrowing and accelerate the economy.

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FILE - Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones speaks at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

A Georgia Republican governor candidate questions legality of rival’s $10M campaign loan

A Republican candidate for Georgia governor accuses his rival of illegally lending $10 million to a campaign committee. Attorney General Chris Carr’s campaign lawyer said in a Thursday letter to state ethics officials that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones violated state law by giving the money to his so-called leadership committee. That committee can raise unlimited funds. Carr is asking the state Ethics Commission to agree with his position that Georgia law only allows such loans to candidate committees, which have limits on contributions. Jones made the loans in July to boost his campaign. A spokesperson for Jones calls Carr’s claims “a weak attempt to get attention.”

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The U.S. Capitol is reflected in a puddle outside of the Rayburn House Office Building, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

House sends bill regulating stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency, to Trump

The House has passed two bills intended to boost the legitimacy of the cryptocurrency industry with new regulations as President Donald Trump has pushed to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.” One of the bills would regulate a type of cryptocurrency called stablecoins. It has already passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support and will now head to Trump’s desk. The other bill is broader legislation to create a new market structure for cryptocurrency through the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It now moves to the Senate.

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Refugees carry food at a distribution center run by the World Food Programme (WFP) at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana, Kenya Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

US says it destroyed 500 metric tons of expired food aid but it won’t affect future distribution

The State Department says its destruction of 500 metric tons of emergency food aid that was stored in a warehouse in the Middle East was required because it had expired. Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday that the high energy biscuits could no longer be safely sent to potential recipients. They’re used primarily to provide immediate nutritional needs for children in crisis situations. Democratic lawmakers have accused the Trump administration of creating a crisis and ignoring urgent humanitarian needs by suspending most foreign assistance. Bruce says the amount destroyed was less than 1% of the total food assistance that the U.S. supplies annually and wouldn’t affect the distribution of similar assistance moving forward.

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A strong earthquake Wednesday off the Alaska coast triggered a tsunami warning. (AP Graphic)

Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state. Here is why Wednesday’s earthquake was notable

Wednesday’s magnitude 7.3 earthquake off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain struck in a region that has experienced a handful of powerful quakes within the last five years. Officials say they have received no reports of injuries or major damage from the earthquake, which triggered a tsunami warning and prompted communities along a 700-mile stretch of Alaska’s southern coast to urge people to higher ground. Officials say the area is prone to earthquakes, but the activity in recent years has caught scientists’ attention. Experts say residents should continue to heed tsunami warnings in response to future quakes.

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FILE - Pumpjacks operate in the foreground while a wind turbines at the Buckeye Wind Energy wind farm rise in the distance Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Interior Secretary Burgum must personally approve all wind and solar projects, a new order says

All solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters must be personally approved by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. That’s according to a new order that authorizes Burgum to conduct “elevated review” of activities ranging from leases to rights of way, construction and operational plans, grants and biological opinions. The Interior Department says the enhanced oversight is aimed at “ending preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy.” Clean-energy advocates say the action could hamstring projects that need to be underway quickly to qualify for federal tax credits that are set to expire under the tax-cut and spending bill that the president signed July 4.

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Netflix delivers another strong performance in second quarter while following a familiar script

Netflix on Thursday announced another quarter of steady growth built upon its video streaming service’s more than 300 million subscribers. It’s a familiar script that Netflix has followed for the past three years to widen its lead in video streaming while delivering strong financial results. While Netflix’s earnings once again easily eclipsed Wall Street’s expectations during the April-June period, its revenue came in right around the bar set by analysts. Investors evidently were hoping for a more robust performance as Netflix’s high-flying stock dipped in extended trading.

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Crawford Pond is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Union, Maine. Police are investigating the murder of a woman last seen paddleboarding on the pond. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Police arrest teen in connection with a paddleboarder’s killing in a pond in rural Maine

Police in Maine say they have arrested a 17-year-old state resident in connection with the killing of a paddleboarder who went missing on a rural pond. The body of 48-year-old Sunshine Stewart, of Tenants Harbor, was found earlier this month on Crawford Pond in Union, about 80 miles north of Portland. Maine State Police say a teenager was taken into custody without incident in Union on Wednesday night. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in August determined Stewart’s cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

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President Donald Trump is greeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., as he arrives at "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Emails show DeSantis administration blindsided county officials with plans for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration left many local officials in the dark about the immigration detention center that rose from an isolated airstrip in the Everglades. That’s according to emails obtained by The Associated Press. DeSantis relied on an executive order to seize the land, hire contractors and bypass laws and regulations. The emails show that local officials in southwest Florida were still trying to chase down a rumor about the sprawling “Alligator Alcatraz” facility planned for their county while state officials were already on the ground and sending vendors through the gates to coordinate construction. The detention center was designed to house thousands of migrants and went up in a matter of days.

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FILE - Former Louisville Police officer Brett Hankison examines a document as he answers questions from the prosecution, March 2, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, Pool, File)

US Justice Department wants no prison time for ex-officer convicted in Breonna Taylor raid

The U.S. Justice Department is recommending an ex-Kentucky police officer convicted of using excessive force during the deadly Breonna Taylor raid should serve no prison time. Brett Hankison is the only officer who fired his weapon the night of the March 2020 botched drug raid who has faced criminal charges. His shots didn’t hit or injure anyone. Taylor was shot to death by two other officers. A federal judge will decide Hankison’s sentence on Monday at a hearing. Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to time served, which amounts to one day, and three years of supervised probation.

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FILE - Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., presides over a House Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

Maryland man charged with threatening Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her family

A Maryland man has been arrested on charges that he made threatening calls to the Georgia offices of Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. An indictment unsealed Thursday says 64-year-old Seth Jason repeatedly threatened to assault and kill Greene and her family during several calls to her district offices in between October 2023 and January 2025. Police say Jason worked for Voice of America and made threatening calls using phone lines connected to studios and control rooms at the news agency’s headquarters in Washington. Jason is expected to make his initial court appearance later Thursday.

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FILE - Arizona Democratic party supporters walk to the exit after attending a watch party on election night Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Arizona Democrats oust embattled chair amid party turmoil

Arizona Democrats have removed their chair just six months into a tumultuous tenure. Two-thirds of the state Democratic committee voted Wednesday to oust Robert Branscomb following public disputes with top Democratic leaders and concerns about fundraising. Branscomb was elected in January after a party shakeup. He faced criticism for firing senior staff and clashing with elected officials including Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. Last month, the party’s treasurer warned the party was on track to run out of money by the end of the year. This turmoil threatens Democratic efforts in key 2024 races. First Vice Chair Kim Khoury will temporarily lead the party until a new chair is chosen.

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Former Meta board member and former White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients, left, exits the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center after testifying in a shareholders' lawsuit against current and former Meta leaders on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)

Settlement reached in investors’ lawsuit against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company leaders

A settlement has been reached in a class action investors’ lawsuit against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and company leaders over claims stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. The suit sought billions of dollars in reimbursement for fines and legal costs. The settlement was announced in Delaware’s Court of Chancery at the start of the second day of trial. No details about the deal were shared publicly in the courtroom, and nothing related to the settlement had been filed with the court. The attorneys involved left court without commenting. A Meta representative said it had no comment.

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Ari Aster made a movie about polarized America. ‘Eddington’ has been polarizing

Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” appropriately enough, has been divisive. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Aster’s film has one of the most polarizing releases of the year. “Eddington” releases in theaters Friday and may be the most prominent American movie yet to explicitly wrestle with social and political division in the U.S. In a showdown between Joaquin Phoenix’s bumbling right-wing sheriff and Pedro Pascal’s elitist liberal mayor, arguments over mask mandates, Black Lives Matter protests and elections spiral into a demented fever dream. In an interview, Aster says it’s essential for filmmakers to try to capture the current American moment.

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Tomatoes are displayed as customers shop at a grocery store in Glenview, Ill., Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

US retail sales bounce around in a whipsaw trade environment

After an earlier pullback, consumers picked up their spending in June showing resilience despite anxiety high over tariffs and the U.S. economy. Retail sales rose 0.6% in June after declining a 0.9% in May, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Sales in April were down 0.1%, pulled down by a steep drop in auto sales, after Americans ramped up their car-buying in March to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s 25% duty on imported cars and car parts.Excluding autos andautomotive parts, sales rose 0.5%.

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Havalah Hopkins, a single mother who lives in government-subsidized housing with her teenage son, talks with her son as she blows up balloon displays for his birthday, Thursday, July 10, 2025, at their apartment in Woodinville, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Families, kids most at risk of losing HUD housing with Trump’s proposed time limits

A Trump administration proposal could put more than a million low-income households at risk of losing their government-subsidized housing. That’s according to new research from New York University, obtained by The Associated Press. The study suggests a proposed two-year time limit on federal housing subsidies could affect as many as 1.4 million households in public housing and Section 8 programs. White House officials argue that the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s rental assistance programs are broken and wasteful, because federal subsidies were never meant to be permanent. Researchers say limiting the time people get help would disproportionally impact working families with children, which could affect more than 1 million kids.

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Dogs are seen at Animal Care and Control on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The shelter is educating the public on how to protect animals from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)

Keeping animals of all sizes, from cats to horses, cool during record heat

With record temperatures hitting the U.S., pet owners have to protect their four-legged family members from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. But keeping an animal the size of a small car cool isn’t as easy as bringing it inside to the air conditioning. That’s why Alicia Grace, owner of Pink Flamingo Stables, has to take extra steps to keep her horses safe and healthy in South Florida’s hot and humid climate. And while house pets are easier to keep cool, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control spokeswoman Arielle Weinberger says pet owners still have to remain vigilant during the summer.

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FILE - Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey is outside court during the Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Justice Department fires Maurene Comey, prosecutor on Epstein case and daughter of ex-FBI director

The Justice Department has fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and a prosecutor in the federal cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. There was no specific reason given for her firing from the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, according to one of the people. They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Comey’s termination comes shortly after she prosecuted Combs, who was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The rapper was convicted of lesser prostitution-related offenses.

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Havalah Hopkins, a single mother who lives in government-subsidized housing with her teenage son, poses for a portrait outside her apartment Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Woodinville, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

1.4M of the nation’s poorest renters risk losing their homes with Trump’s proposed HUD time limit

A Trump administration proposal could put more than a million low-income households at risk of losing their government-subsidized housing. That’s according to new research from New York University, obtained by The Associated Press. The study suggests a proposed two-year time limit on federal housing subsidies could affect as many as 1.4 million households in public housing and Section 8 programs. White House officials argue that the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s rental assistance programs are broken and wasteful, because federal subsidies were never meant to be permanent. Researchers say limiting the time people get help would disproportionally impact working families with children, which could affect more than 1 million kids.

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In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center right, pose for a photo with other officials during the meeting on the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in Tianjin, China. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

Daunted by geopolitics and trade war, US companies in China report record-low new investment plans

American companies in China are reporting record-low investment plans and declining confidence in profits this year. A survey by the U.S.-China Business Council released Wednesday highlights concerns over U.S.-China relations, tariffs, and export controls. Conducted between March and May, it shows over half of surveyed companies have no new investment plans in China. Many cite challenges like weak demand, overcapacity, and U.S. export restrictions on high-tech products. While 82% reported profits in their China operations in 2024, fewer than half feel optimistic about the future. A record number of businesses are considering relocating operations outside China due to ongoing uncertainties.

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FILE - Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell listens during a Senate Committee on Banking hearing, June 25, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Republican senators caution Trump against firing Fed chair Jerome Powell

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is gaining some key backing on Capitol Hill from Republican senators. They fear the repercussions if President Donald Trump follows through with threats to try and remove the politically independent central banker. As Trump seemingly waffled back and forth between moving to dismiss the Fed chair this week, some Republicans in Congress began to speak up to warn that such a move would be a mistake. Still, plenty of other Republicans think that dismissing Powell is a fine idea.

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FILE - This July 25, 2013, file image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP, File)

In their own words: Trump, Patel, Bongino and Bondi on the Epstein scandal

When Jeffrey Epstein died in prison, then-President Donald Trump speculated that authorities might be wrong in ruling it a suicide. Many of his allies in the pro-Trump media went further, casting Epstein’s death as a murder meant to continue a decades-long coverup of pedophilia by elites. Now back in the White House, Trump has elevated prominent proponents of Epstein conspiracies to senior law enforcement roles, and they’re struggling to contain a fire that they spent years stoking. Much of Trump’s base is choosing to believe the president’s earlier claims about Epstein over his latest contention that there’s nothing of substance in government files.

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State Department employees applaud as their colleagues walk outside of the State Department headquarters in the Harry S Truman Building, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

State Department layoffs affect key Trump priorities like intelligence, energy and China

The roles of some of the State Department employees fired last week overlap with priorities that President Donald Trump has laid out. That includes those focused on intelligence activities, U.S. energy interests abroad, strategic competition with China and visa fraud. After more than 1,300 State Department employees were fired, America’s diplomatic workforce wonder who — if anyone — will fill in on what they describe as critical work keeping the U.S. safe and competitive on the world stage. Some cuts could have wide impact on everyday life, including processing Americans’ passport applications. Trump administration officials have defended the mass dismissals, saying they are overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient.

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FILE - Marc Morial, center, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League, talks with reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, July 8, 2021, following a meeting with President Joe Biden and leadership of top civil rights organizations. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Urban League declares a ‘state of emergency’ for civil rights in the US in response to Trump

The National Urban League has declared a “state of emergency” over civil rights policies in response to the Trump administration. In its annual State of Black America report that’s being released Thursday the group accuses the administration of undermining decades of progress in civil rights. The report highlights efforts to weaken federal agencies, reverse diversity policies, and promote a hard-right agenda. Urban League President Marc Morial warns of white nationalist politics becoming mainstream. The report calls for a “new resistance” to counter these changes, urging civil rights advocates to rally and protect multiracial democracy. The Trump administration argues that policies that seek to address disparities between different demographics are themselves discriminatory.

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A Richardson's ground squirrel pokes up from its burrow on Monday, July 14, 2025, in a vacant lot in Minot, N.D. (AP Photo/Jack Dura)

Ground squirrels are taking over a North Dakota city and officials are not amused

Ground squirrels have proliferated in Minot, North Dakota’s fourth-largest city. They’ve burrowed everywhere from vacant lots to school grounds, residential areas and the downtown area. They’re particularly plentiful on an Air Force base north of the city. A pest control operator who is leading the fight against them likens it to one man taking on a massive storm. He traps thousands of the rodents per year. A combination of the area’s plains habitat and few predators in town make Minot a nice home for the tunneling rodents, which can harbor disease from fleas and create hazards with their holes.

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President Donald Trump and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa speak in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump hosts Persian Gulf leaders at White House as new violence raises questions about peace efforts

President Donald Trump has hosted Bahrain’s crown prince and Qatar’s prime minister at the White House. The meetings focused on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with the Persian Gulf region. Bahrain highlighted $17 billion in U.S. investments, including deals in aviation and technology. Meanwhile, violence between Israel and Syria escalated on Wednesday, with Israeli strikes in Damascus following clashes in southern Syria. A ceasefire was announced but remains uncertain. Despite ongoing conflicts, Trump emphasized the economic potential of Gulf partnerships over resolving regional tensions.

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FILE - Members of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors listen to members of the public during a meeting May 8, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Federal utility backs off Tennessee gas plant site after John Rich says he enlisted Trump’s help

The nation’s largest public utility says it is looking at other sites for a new natural gas power plant after its preferred location in Tennessee drew heavy public scrutiny, including from country musician John Rich. The Tennessee Valley Authority announced Tuesday that it no longer prefers the Cheatham County site it had been pursuing for the 900-megawatt plant. Rich is a conservative supporter of President Donald Trump who has Cheatham County roots. He has been a key opponent of TVA’s proposed gas plant site. Rich said he enlisted Trump to team up on the issue. A TVA spokesperson declined to comment about Rich’s comments. A White House spokesperson also declined to comment.

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Trump says Coca-Cola will use real sugar in its US flagship drink. The company isn’t confirming that

President Donald Trump says that Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in its flagship soft drink in the U.S. at his suggestion. The switch from high-fructose corn syrup in Coke sold in the United States would put Coca-Cola in line with its practice in other countries, including Mexico. It wouldn’t affect Trump’s drink of choice, Diet Coke, which uses aspartame as a calorie-free beverage. Trump called the change a “very good move.” But the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. didn’t confirm the move, saying only that it appreciated Trump’s enthusiasm while promising that more details on new offerings within its products would be shared soon.

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FILE - Demonstrators holds up a banner during a citizenship rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Federal judge says she would block Trump’s birthright citizenship order nationwide

A federal judge in Maryland may soon become the second to block President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship from taking effect nationwide. The judge said she would certify a class including all children affected by the order and grant a preliminary injunction blocking it. But she did not immediately rule, noting a previous decision of hers to block the order was on appeal.  A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a ruling last week prohibiting Trump’s executive order from taking effect nationwide.

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Disney sues Hong Kong company it says is selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry

The Walt Disney Co. is suing a Hong Kong jewelry company it accuses of selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry. The international entertainment conglomerate filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Red Earth Group, which sells jewelry online under the name Satéur. Disney says the marketing and branding of the rings, necklaces and earrings in Satéur’s “Mickey 1928 Collection” violate its trademark rights. The lawsuit alleges the Hong Kong company is trying to fool customers into thinking the pieces are official merchandise. A message seeking comment from the Red Earth Group wasn’t immediately answered. Although the earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year, the company still holds trademarks to the character.

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One of sexual assault survivor Kate-Lynn (first name only), wipes his face after talking to media during a news conference in Chicago, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Survivors’ lawyers say Illinois has one of nation’s worst records on sex abuse in juvenile detention

Illinois has one of the nation’s worst problems with child sex abuse at juvenile detention centers. That’s according to attorneys representing more than 900 survivors who have filed lawsuits against the state. Dozens of complaints allege decades of systemic abuse by the employees at state and county-run facilities. Similar lawsuits have popped up in states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, but Illinois stands out for the volume of cases that began piling up only last year and the lackluster response from state leaders, according to attorneys. The latest Illinois complaints were filed Tuesday and represent 107 people at 10 centers statewide.

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Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, greet patrons during a surprise stop at the Majestic Lunch diner in Pittston, Pa., Wednesday. July 16, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

Vance touts tax breaks in Pennsylvania as he makes White House’s first big pitch on Trump’s new law

Vice President JD Vance made the Trump administration’s first big pitch to sell the public on President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package in the swing political turf of northeastern Pennsylvania. The vice president, whose tiebreaking vote got the bill through the Senate, touted the legislation’s tax breaks and cast Democrats as opponents of the cutting taxes because of their unanimous opposition to the legislation. Democrats who’ve decried the law’s cuts to Medicaid and food stamps are expected to try to use it against Republicans in closely contested congressional campaigns next year, including one expected to play out in the working class-area where Vance promoted the legislation.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrives for a news conference where she announced that most airline passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at Reagan National Airport in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

First the shoes went back on. Now, at US airport security, more liquid in carry-ons may be at hand

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggests changes to the amount of liquids travelers can carry on planes may be coming. She’s speaking of possible changes to the current 3.4-ounce liquid limit for carry-ons. This follows her recent announcement allowing travelers to keep their shoes on during airport screenings, ending a policy in place since 2006. The liquid limits were introduced after a 2006 plot involving liquid explosives was foiled. Noem envisions a streamlined airport experience where passengers quickly pass through security with minimal hassle. She says a multilayered screening process is enabling changes in screening and security that still maintain safety standards.

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FILE - Texas lawmakers meet with Robert Roberson at a prison in Livingston, Texas, Sept. 27, 2024. (Criminal Justice Reform Caucus via AP, File)

New execution date set for Texas man Robert Roberson in shaken baby syndrome case

A judge has set a new execution date for a Texas man who had been set last year to become the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. During a court hearing Wednesday in Palestine, Texas, state District Judge Austin Reeve Jackson set an Oct. 16 execution date for Robert Roberson. The new date had been requested by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Roberson’s lawyers objected, arguing Roberson still has an appeal pending before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Roberson had faced execution last October but got a stay after a flurry of last-ditch legal challenges.

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FILE - Brian Littrell, of the Backstreet Boys, attends a meeting with fans for the presentation of the album 'In A World Like This' at 40 Cafe in Madrid, Spain, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin, file)

Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell sues Florida sheriff’s office over beach trespassers

Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell says a local Florida sheriff’s office isn’t doing enough to protect his multimillion dollar beachfront property from trespassers and is asking a judge for an order commanding deputies to do so. The petition filed last month by Littrell’s company in a Florida Panhandle county touches on a perennial tug-of-war between usually-wealthy oceanfront property owners and beach-loving members of the public, especially in Florida, which has 825 miles of sandy beaches. A spokeswoman for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the office doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

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Fans say new romance bookstores and online groups are giving the genre some overdue respect

Romance novels aren’t just guilty pleasures anymore. Fans are connecting through social media, book clubs and at a growing number of romance-only bookstores. Stores like Lovestruck Books in Cambridge and The Ripped Bodice in LA and Brooklyn host events where readers mingle, share recommendations and celebrate the genre together. Romance has long been a popular genre for publishing. But fans say it’s only now getting some overdue respect. They say they’re often drawn to the genre’s hopeful, feel-good storylines. The American Booksellers Association says there are nearly 160 romance-dedicated bookstores in the U.S. and more than half opened within the last two years.

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