National News

By  CHRISTINA LARSON Updated 1:01 PM CDT, October 23, 2025 Scientists have long debated whether dinosaurs were in decline before an asteroid smacked the Earth 66 million years ago, causing mass extinction. New research suggests dinosaur populations were still thriving in North America before…

By  JONATHAN MATTISE and KRISTIN M. HALL McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) — A massive blast at a Tennessee explosives plant that killed 16 people, leveled the building and was felt more than 20 miles away began in an area where workers used kettles to produce a…

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a deadly attack at a Minneapolis Catholic church in August was released from the hospital Thursday and greeted with cheers as the police chief paraded her around town in a stretch…

By  JOSH FUNK The ongoing government shutdown continues to disrupt flights at times and put pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay. Flights were delayed Thursday at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport and Washington’s Reagan National Airport because…

By  FATIMA HUSSEIN WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration’s annual cost-of-living adjustment will go up by 2.8% in 2026, translating to an average increase of more than $56 for retirees every month, agency officials said Friday. The benefits increase for nearly 71…

By  JILL COLVIN and MICHAEL R. BLOOD LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from state Republican parties. The…

By  CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation remained elevated last month as gas prices jumped while the cost of rents and some services cooled, painting a mixed picture of the expenses consumers are facing in a murky economy where growth…

By  WILL WEISSERT Updated 6:55 AM CDT, October 24, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called “egregious behavior” aimed…

By  STAN CHOE Updated 4:06 PM CDT, October 23, 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to the cusp of their records on Thursday, as oil prices jumped after President Donald Trump announced “massive” new sanctions on Russia’s crude industry. The S&P 500…

By  ALEX VEIGA Updated 11:35 AM CDT, October 23, 2025 The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell this week to its lowest level in more than a year, extending a recent trend that’s helped give lagging U.S. home sales a…

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday finalized a plan to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, renewing long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation’s most sensitive…

By  TERRY CHEA and CHRISTOPHER WEBER ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s backing off a planned surge of federal agents into San Francisco after speaking to the mayor, as protesters gathered outside a U.S. Coast Guard base where they were located. Trump…

By  KIM CHANDLER Updated 1:31 PM CDT, October 23, 2025 MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Former University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, who helped lead the team to back-to-back national championships, announced Thursday that he is running for lieutenant governor of Alabama. McCarron…

By  MATT OTT Updated 11:43 AM CDT, October 23, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil prices spiked Thursday after the U.S. announced massive new sanctions on Russia’s oil industry in an attempt to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end Moscow’s brutal…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Associated Press photos on Thursday show the entire White House East Wing has been demolished as President Donald Trump moves forward with a ballroom construction. The two-story structure of drawing rooms and offices, including a walkway to…

By  FATIMA HUSSEIN Updated 4:23 PM CDT, October 22, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — In the midst of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. government’s gross national debt surpassed $38 trillion Wednesday, a record number that highlights the accelerating accumulation of debt…

By  STAN CHOE Updated 4:54 PM CDT, October 22, 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks and the price of gold fell on Wednesday, as momentum on Wall Street reverses. The S&P 500 sank 0.5%, though it’s still within 1% of its…

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is approving $25 million in disaster aid for Alaska after back-to-back storms — including the remnants of a typhoon — ravaged coastal villages, displaced about 2,000 people and led to one…