National News

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump welcomed this year’s Christmas tree to the White House on Monday. The tree, which came from Korson’s Tree Farms in Michigan, was delivered in a green horse-drawn carriage driven by three men wearing top hats. “It’s a beautiful…

By  HALLIE GOLDEN and THOMAS PEIPERT ERIE, Colo. (AP) — “Gus” the turkey has been spending Thanksgiving week much differently than millions of other unlucky gobblers across the U.S. As he trots in a sprawling animal sanctuary on the Colorado plains, he is stopped every…

By  SOPHIE BATES FLOWOOD, Miss. (AP) — They’re both round, orange and probably bad for your health, but which is the better Thanksgiving dessert: pumpkin or sweet potato pie? For most people, the answer likely depends on where they’re from. The two Thanksgiving favorites have…

By  ALEX VEIGA U.S. stocks closed broadly higher Wednesday, extending Wall Street’s recent winning streak to a fourth straight day. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.8%. Solid gains for technology companies…

By  ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and GARY FIELDS WASHINGTON (AP) — Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence. FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington…

By  KATE BRUMBACK ATLANTA (AP) — A judge on Wednesday dismissed the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others after the prosecutor who took over the case said he would not pursue the charges, ending the last effort to punish the president…

By  MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER NEW YORK (AP) — As the Justice Department gets ready to release its files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, a court battle over sealed documents in Maxwell’s criminal case is offering clues about what could…

REEDS SPRING, Mo. (AP) — The first year Shirley Mease cooked up a free Thanksgiving feast in the Reeds Spring High School cafeteria, icy weather kept most people away. But when her family knocked on doors to offer the meals, the gratefulness…

By  CHAN HO-HIM and KEN MORITSUGU HONG KONG (AP) — Police in Hong Kong arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter, several local news media reported, in connection with a blaze that has killed at least 36 people and left another 279 missing…

By  NICOLE WINFIELD VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is embarking on his first foreign trip, a pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon that would be delicate under any circumstances but is even more fraught given Mideast tensions and the media glare that…

By  ALI SWENSON NEW YORK (AP) — Pharmaceutical companies have agreed to slash the Medicare prices for 15 prescription drugs after months of negotiations, reductions that are expected to produce billions in savings for taxpayers and older adults, the Trump administration said. But…

BIG STONE GAP, Va. (AP) — A Virginia high school football coach who disappeared days before his undefeated team’s playoff game is being sought on charges of possessing child sexual abuse material and using a computer to solicit a minor,…

By  MATT OTT WASHINGTON (AP) — With Thanksgiving and the formal launch of the holiday shopping season this week, Americans will again gather for Turkey Day meals before knocking off items on their Christmas gift lists. Most big U.S. retailers are closed on…

By  CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits declined last week in a sign that overall layoffs remain low, even as several high-profile companies have announced job cuts. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits in the week ending…

By  CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales at U.S. retailers and restaurants increased modestly in September as resilient consumers moderated their spending after splurging over the summer. Sales rose 0.2% in September from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, in a report…

By  STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market climbed again Tuesday on hopes for a coming cut to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% after breaking out of a morning lull and is back within 1.8% of its all-time…

By  ALEX VEIGA The Federal Housing Finance Agency is increasing the size of home loans that the government can guarantee against default as it takes into account rising housing prices. Beginning next year, mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will…

By  KATE PAYNE and JEFF MARTIN The death of a Florida teenager on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month has been ruled a homicide, the latest development in a case that has drawn international attention and sparked intense speculation on social media.…

By  JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a social media video urging U.S. troops to defy “illegal orders” say the FBI has contacted them to begin scheduling interviews, signaling a possible inquiry into the matter. It…

By  TODD RICHMOND MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin woman who won release from a mental institution after almost killing her sixth grade classmate in the name of horror villain Slender Man only to flee the state weeks later won’t fight extradition from Illinois. Morgan…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson has been released from a Chicago hospital where he was treated for a rare neurological disorder, his son said Tuesday. The 84-year-old civil rights leader was discharged Monday from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, his son…

By  R.J. RICO Landlords could no longer rely on rent-pricing software to quietly track each other’s moves and push rents higher using confidential data, under a settlement between RealPage Inc. and federal prosecutors to end what critics said was illegal “algorithmic…

By  JONEL ALECCIA Tests of ByHeart infant formula tied to a botulism outbreak that has sickened dozens of babies showed that all of the company’s products may have been contaminated. Laboratory tests of 36 samples of formula from three different lots showed that…