National News

By  LINDSAY WHITEHURST and BILL BARROW WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues for medical research, a major shift in federal drug policy that inches closer to what…

By  ALI SWENSON, MATTHEW PERRONE and DEVI SHASTRI WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions on transgender Americans. The sweeping proposals —…

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Former race driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people who died in a plane crash Thursday in North Carolina, state police said. The business jet erupted into a large fire when…

By  MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione’s pretrial hearing wrapped up Thursday with a judge saying he plans to rule in May on what evidence prosecutors will be able to use in his New York trial for the killing of…

By  PAUL WISEMAN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation slowed unexpectedly last month according to data that was delayed, and likely distorted, by the government shutdown. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its consumer price index rose 2.7% in November from a year…

By  JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech Wednesday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops…

By  WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. Discovery is recommending its shareholders reject an unsolicited buyout offer from Paramount Skydance in favor of a rival bid from Netflix it said will better serve their interests and the entertainment company’s audiences. The Warner board…

By  SUSAN HAIGH The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it intends to open its “last-mile” delivery network, the most expensive part of the shipping process, to large and small shippers, expanding beyond current arrangements with giants such as Amazon and UPS.…

By  STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — More drops for AI stocks dragged the U.S. market lower Wednesday, and Wall Street sank to its fourth straight loss. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% for its worst day in nearly a month, though it’s…

By  JOSH FUNK The Senate moved quickly Wednesday afternoon to close a loophole that could allow military aircraft to fly without broadcasting their locations just like an Army helicopter was doing last January before it collided with an airliner over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.…

By  MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER NEW YORK (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal judge on Wednesday to set aside her sex trafficking conviction and free her from a 20-year prison sentence, saying “substantial new…

By  MICHELLE L. PRICE DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday paid his respects to two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter who were killed in an attack in the Syrian desert, joining their…

By  KIM CHANDLER MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Former University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron announced Wednesday that he is ending his campaign for lieutenant governor of Alabama to pursue a sports-related opportunity. McCarron did not disclose the details of the new position but…

By  ANDREW DALTON and CHRISTOPHER WEBER LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner made his first court appearance Wednesday in Los Angeles on two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents. The 32-year-old did not enter a plea as he appeared from…

By  KIMBERLEE KRUESI and LEAH WILLINGHAM PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — With the search for the Brown University shooter in its fifth day Wednesday, authorities were asking the public to review any security or phone footage from the week before the attack in the hopes it…

By  JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump intends to preview his agenda for next year and beyond in a live speech from the White House on Wednesday night. His remarks are coming at a crucial time as he tries to rebuild…

By  STAN CHOE NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market drifted through a mixed day of trading Tuesday after reports on the economy did little to clear uncertainty about where interest rates may be heading. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% and remains a bit…

By  JACK DURA Automakers Hyundai and Kia must offer free repairs to millions of models under a settlement announced Tuesday by Minnesota’s attorney general, who led an effort by dozens of states that argued the vehicles weren’t equipped with proper anti-theft…

By  KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a GOP health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums millions of Americans will soon endure as pandemic-era tax credits for people who buy insurance…

By  MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — A judge said Tuesday he’s optimistic that a pretrial hearing will end this week in Luigi Mangione’s New York murder case in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. “Hopefully we wind up on Thursday,”…

By  ANDREW DALTON and CHRISTOPHER WEBER LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles prosecutors said Tuesday that Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, which stunned their communities in Hollywood and Democratic politics, where both…

By  REBECCA SANTANA WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Tuesday it was expanding travel restrictions to an additional 20 countries and the Palestinian Authority, doubling the number of nations affected by sweeping limits announced earlier this year on who can travel and…