By SEUNG MIN KIM and STEPHEN GROVES WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers in the ongoing government shutdown. Russ Vought, the director…
By TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press An explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant has left 19 people missing and feared dead, authorities say. The blast occurred Friday at Accurate Energetic Systems, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville. The cause of…
By SOPHIA TAREEN and HALLIE GOLDEN CHICAGO (AP) — An Indiana man convicted in the 2001 rape and murder of a teenage girl was executed by injection early Friday in the state’s third execution since resuming capital punishment last year. Roy Lee Ward, 53, was put to…
By ANDREW SELIGMAN and TIM REYNOLDS CHICAGO (AP) — Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the chaplain for the men’s basketball team at Loyola Chicago who became a beloved international celebrity during the school’s fairy-tale run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in…
By GARY FIELDS WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half the states contributing National Guard troops to President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement initiative in Washington have set target dates for their withdrawal later this fall, state officials told The Associated Press. The dates, in late…
By STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street took a pause on Thursday as U.S. stocks and even the price of gold pulled back from record highs following torrid runs. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% from its latest all-time high for just its second…
By ALEX VEIGA The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged lower this week, returning to its lowest level in about a year. The average long-term mortgage rate slipped to 6.3% from 6.34% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said…
By LARRY NEUMEISTER and ANDREW DALTON NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge tossed out a defamation lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group on Thursday, ruling that lyrics branding the superstar as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar’s dis track “Not Like…
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A ship parade streamed up and down the Delaware River beside Philadelphia on Thursday to kick off a celebration of the 250th birthdays of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Among the ships that took part were the USS…
By NICOLE WINFIELD ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV urged labor union leaders from Chicago on Thursday to advocate for immigrants and welcome minorities into their ranks, weighing in as the Trump administration crackdown on immigrants intensifies in the pontiff’s hometown. “While recognizing…
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, MICHAEL R. SISAK and ERIC TUCKER WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James was charged Thursday as part of a mortgage fraud investigation aggressively pushed by the Trump administration, becoming the latest foe of the president to be…
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Kiss rock star Gene Simmons is recovering after he fainted while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed his SUV into a parked car, authorities said. Simmons, a co-founder and bassist for the legendary band, was…
By MIKE SCHNEIDER ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida ordered the man charged in California’s deadly Palisades Fire to remain jailed Thursday after a prosecutor said he had traits of an arsonist and his family had worried about his declining…
By BEN FINLEY WASHINGTON (AP) — Heather Campbell lost her job working for a food bank over the summer because of federal funding cuts. Her husband serves as an officer in the Air Force, but now he’s facing the prospect of missing…
By JACK BROOK NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans jail escapee Derrick Groves, who spent nearly five months on the run before being recaptured in Georgia, agreed to be returned to Louisiana in a Thursday court appearance. “I want to return where I’m…
By JUAN A. LOZANO HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ top criminal court on Thursday again paused the execution of Robert Roberson, just days before he was set to become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied…
By SUDHIN THANAWALA President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Illinois faces legal scrutiny Thursday at a pivotal court hearing, a day after a small number of troops began protecting federal property in the Chicago area. U.S. District Judge April Perry will hear arguments…
By SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN and WAAFA SHURAFA CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners — a breakthrough greeted with joy and relief Thursday but…
By STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street got back to rising on Wednesday, while the price of gold pushed further past $4,000 per ounce. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% a day after snapping a seven-day winning streak and set its latest all-time high.…
By FATIMA HUSSEIN WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce on Wednesday as part of the ongoing government shutdown, according to an updated contingency plan posted to its website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said…
By ASSOCIATED PRESS NORTHPORT, N.Y. (AP) — More than 200 animals were found at the home of a wildlife rehabilitator in New York where authorities also discovered a 95-year-old woman who they say was essentially trapped in her room due to…
By MARIA SHERMAN Updated 3:13 PM CDT, October 8, 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — Dolly Parton “ain’t dead yet,” the country superstar said on social media Wednesday following public speculation about her health. “There are just a lot of rumors flying around. But…
By KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — The first week is the easy one. The pressure to resolve the federal shutdown will gradually build as the shutdown enters its second week — and as government workers miss paychecks and important programs run out of…
By SAMY MAGDY CAIRO (AP) — The United States’ top Middle East adviser, the prime minister of Qatar and other senior officials joined the third day of peace talks between Israel and Hamas in an Egyptian resort on Wednesday, a sign that negotiators…