National News

By  ALEX VEIGA The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate slipped this week to its lowest level in more than three years, but remains around 6% in the same narrow range it has been in this year. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate…

By  STEVE KARNOWSKI and TIM SULLIVAN MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Trump administration has issued a sweeping new order that could lead to the arrest of tens of thousands of refugees who are lawfully in the United States but do not yet have permanent residency, overturning…

By  MICHAEL CASEY The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday proposed a rule that would limit public housing mostly to citizens, which advocates fear could lead to tens of thousands of people being evicted. The rule, published in…

By  SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s attorney general has reopened an investigation into allegations of illegal activity at Jeffrey Epstein ’s former Zorro Ranch. Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s office made the announcement Thursday, saying the decision was made after…

By  JOEY CAPPELLETTI and OLIVIA DIAZ WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, just months after resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican. The Democratic…

By  JON GAMBRELL Updated 1:02 PM CST, February 19, 2026 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United…

By  KONSTANTIN TOROPIN WASHINGTON (AP) — A red, white and blue color scheme championed by President Donald Trump will become the new look for Air Force One, the U.S. military said Thursday. The Air Force said a “red, white, gold and…

By  DARLENE SUPERVILLE WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once…

By  AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW LEE WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members of the body have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package and that five countries have…

By  DANICA KIRKA LONDON (AP) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince who was stripped of his royal titles because of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. While Andrew has consistently…

By  STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market ticked higher on Wednesday, led by its most influential stock, Nvidia. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and pulled a bit closer to its all-time high set late last month. The Dow Jones…

By  DEE-ANN DURBIN DoorDash said Wednesday its revenue rose 38% in the fourth quarter as it gained new U.S. customers and added new services like restaurant reservations. But investors may be more focused on the cost of new projects, including the development…

By  RODRIQUE NGOWI and PATRICK WHITTLE GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A coalition of authorities is deploying technology to try to locate the wreck of a fishing boat that sank last month off Massachusetts, killing all seven aboard. But winter weather and sea conditions…

By  ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and JAKE OFFENHARTZ NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the city will resume clearing makeshift homeless encampments, promising to take a more humane approach to a practice he previously criticized. Mamdani paused the previous mayor’s policy…

By  KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received about being…

By  CHRISTOPHER WEBER The group of 15 backcountry skiers was on a three-day trek organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides into pristine wilderness near Frog Lake in California’s Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe. The skiers set out on Sunday, carrying their own food and…

By  JOSH FUNK More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employed unqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students and other safety issues, the federal Transportation Department plans…

By  ANDREW DESTIN SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks are going up for sale in accordance with the wishes of late team owner Paul Allen. Allen’s estate announced Wednesday that it has begun the process of selling the team, which is…

By  SOPHIA TAREEN CHICAGO (AP) — From jokes about his well-known stubbornness to tears grieving the loss of a parent, the adult children of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. gave an emotional tribute Wednesday honoring the legacy of the late…

By  BROOKE HESS-HOMEIER, JULIE WATSON and JOHN SEEWER NEVADA CITY, Calif. (AP) — Crews found the bodies of eight backcountry skiers and are searching for one more who is still missing after an avalanche in the mountains near Lake Tahoe, authorities said Wednesday, making it the…

By  KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg will testify in an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta’s platforms deliberately addict and harm children. Meta’s CEO is expected to answer tough questions on Wednesday from attorneys representing a now 20-year-old woman…

By  PETER SMITH This is the week of Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Lent, the most penitential season of the church calendar for Catholics and many other Christians. On Ash Wednesday, many…

By  STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — A quiet finish for the U.S. stock market on Tuesday masked big swings underneath the surface as companies talked about how discouraged their customers are feeling and some tech stocks continued to feel the…