US & World News

Kremlin official says Russian police and National Guard to stay in Ukraine’s Donbas even after peace

A senior Kremlin official says Russian police and the National Guard will remain in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas even if a peace settlement ends the war. This stance is likely to be rejected by Kyiv. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said in comments published in a Russian business daily on Friday that Moscow will agree to a ceasefire only after Ukrainian forces withdraw. Ukrainian forces say meanwhile that they have recaptured several settlements near Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Russian officials haven’t commented on the claims which couldn’t be independently verified.

Conservationists connect with chimps in a Ugandan rainforest as they seek a sense of communion

Onesmas Ainebyona tracks chimpanzees in a Ugandan rainforest. He has built trust with a chimp leader named Jean. It took Ainebyona four years to connect with Jean. The chimp now feels comfortable around humans. Wildlife authorities call this process “habituation” which helps chimps like Jean live longer. Ainebyona and others follow chimps daily even in rain to ensure their safety. Kibale National Park is known for its high concentration of apes. The park attracts tourists who can see habituated chimps. This conservation effort not only protects chimps but also boosts tourism revenue that supports the park’s thriving ecosystem.

Converts are finding Eastern Orthodoxy online. The church wants to help them commune face-to-face

Eastern Orthodoxy in the U.S. is experiencing a surge in converts, partly due to online content. The Very Rev. Andreas Blom encourages new members to engage in-person once they join Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Colorado Springs. Some Orthodox content creators, like Jonathan Pageau, emphasize the importance of in-person community even as they take advantage of digital tools. There has been a focus on recent male converts who find Orthodoxy through content online about masculinity. While the internet has expanded Orthodoxy’s reach, church leaders are addressing challenges like extremism and the need for experienced spiritual guidance.

Shoppers say ’tis the season for inflation, an AP-NORC poll finds

A new AP-NORC poll finds this holiday season isn’t quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares of them are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump. The vast majority of U.S. adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts. Roughly half of Americans say it’s harder than usual to afford the things they want to give as holiday gifts. It’s a sobering assessment for the Republican president, who returned to the White House in large part by promising to lower prices.

Photos show Ennio Morricone’s opera ‘Partenope’ as it premieres in Naples

NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Composer Ennio Morricone earned an Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2007, but his only opera gathered dust for decades. On Friday night, Naples’ Teatro San Carlo will stage “Partenope,” inspired by the mythical siren who drowned herself after failing to enchant Ulysses, three decades after its composition. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo…

Ford turns to stepped-up tech and cooperation with police to thwart F-150 pickup thieves

Ford Motor Co. has stepped up technology in its popular F-150 pickup to combat ever-evolving techniques car thieves have at their disposal. It is the latest cat-and-mouse move that the automaker hopes will help customers avoid the costly and frustrating process that occurs when vehicles are swiped. It includes a feature that won’t allow the pickups to start even if key fobs are present. Owners can use Ford’s “Start Inhibit” to disable their F-150’s engine from a smartphone. The pickup was in the top 10 of most stolen models over the first half of 2025. Ford Secure General Manager Christian Moran says there are a lot of F-150s on the road, and thieves like pickups.

Thailand’s Parliament is dissolved for new elections early next year

Thailand is preparing for new elections early next year after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the House of Representatives. Anutin’s move received endorsement from King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Thursday, and the dissolution became effective with its publication on Friday in the Royal Gazette. Elections must be held within 45 to 60 days. Anutin will now lead a caretaker government with limited powers. His decision comes amid political tension and ongoing armed conflict with Cambodia over border disputes. Anutin’s move follows a promise to dissolve Parliament by January and organize a referendum on drafting a new constitution in an unusual deal that had the opposition People’s Party back his September bid to become prime minister.

Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year. Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end to a monthslong…

MyPillow founder and Trump supporter Mike Lindell says he’s running for Minnesota governor in 2026

Mike Lindell SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) — Mike Lindell, the fervent supporter of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers as the “MyPillow Guy,” officially entered the race for Minnesota governor Thursday in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. “I’ll leave no town unturned in Minnesota,” Lindell told The Associated Press in an interview ahead…

Judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be immediately released from immigration detention

FILE – Kilmar Abrego Garcia joins supporters in a protest rally outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File) GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge in Maryland ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed from immigration detention on Thursday while his legal challenge against his deportation moves forward. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled…

Trump says the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid mounting tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. It’s the Trump administration’s latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. The U.S. has conducted a series of deadly military…

FIFA gives President Donald Trump a peace prize in a departure from its traditional focus on sport

President Donald Trump is presented with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was awarded the new FIFA peace prize on Friday at the 2026 World Cup draw — giving the…

Doctor who sold ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry gets 2 1/2 years in prison

FILE – Dr. Salvador Plasencia leaves federal court on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, after pleading guilty to giving ketamine to Matthew Perry, leading up to the actor’s 2023 overdose death. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the “Friends” star’s overdose death was…

Pentagon watchdog finds Hegseth’s use of Signal posed risk to US personnel, AP sources say

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Quantico, Va. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants…

Trump administration says it will withhold SNAP from Democrat-led states if they don’t provide data

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration said Tuesday that it will move to withhold SNAP food aid from recipients in most Democratic-controlled states starting next week unless they provide information about those receiving the assistance. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that the action is in the works because those states are refusing to provide…

Former Honduras President Hernández freed after Trump pardon

FILE – Honduras’ President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday Nov. 1, 2021. Andy Buchanan/Pool via AP, File) TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in helping drug traffickers move hundreds of tons of cocaine…

Suspect in shooting of National Guard members now facing a first-degree murder charge

Washington, D.C. Shooting Scene November 26, 2026 WASHINGTON (AP) — The charges against the man who authorities say shot two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in critical condition…

US retailers are about to see if Black Friday benefits from a holiday halo effect

The shirt of a woman who has matching shirts with 4 other friends and all shop together on Black Friday as shoppers browse through Kohl’s department store for Black Friday looking for deals, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Megan Varner) NEW YORK (AP) — Black Friday no longer tempts people to leave Thanksgiving tables for midnight mall runs, but…

Trump says one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by Afghan national has died

This combo from photos provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, show National Guard members, from left, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP)WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the…

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off in Manhattan

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (credit: CNN) NEW YORK (AP) — The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off Thursday in New York City, with new balloons depicting Buzz Lightyear and Pac-Man set to take to the skies and floats featuring Labubu and Lego gracing the streets. The parade started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and will end at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store…

Shooting suspect worked with CIA and the US government in Afghanistan before coming to US, CIA Director Ratcliffe says

Washington, D.C. Shooting Scene November 26, 2026 WASHINGTON (AP) — An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence at a time when the presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint. FBI…

Two National Guard soldiers who were shot near White House are in critical condition, DC mayor and FBI director say

UPDATE: Two National Guard soldiers who were shot near White House are in critical condition, DC mayor and FBI director say. The West Virginia governor initially said the troops had died, but later walked back the statement to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the attack…

New prosecutor won’t pursue charges against Trump and others in Georgia election interference case

ATLANTA (AP) — The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court filing Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further. Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani…

Pentagon says it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy ‘illegal orders’

FILE – Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., speaks during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Defense secretary, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, file) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says it is investigating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military law…

Sen. Klobuchar joins Ukrainian delegation in meeting with the Pope

  VATICAN CITY. — Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar joined a delegation from Ukraine to meet with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. Senator Klobuchar was invited by the delegation to help advocate for the return of the kidnapped Ukrainian children by Russia. Ukrainian officials said they have confirmed 19,546 cases to date of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of children…

Investigators say UPS plane that crashed in Kentucky, killing 14, had cracks in engine mount

  A fireball erupts near airport property after reports of a plane crash at Louisville International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. Federal investigators released dramatic photos Thursday of an engine flying off a doomed UPS cargo plane that crashed two weeks ago, killing 14 people in Kentucky, and said there was evidence of cracks in the left…

Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns

A license plate reader stands along the side of a road, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Stockdale, Texas. (AP Photo/David Goldman) The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious, The Associated Press has found. The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped,…

House votes overwhelmingly to force release of Epstein files, sending bill to Senate

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill Tuesday to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a…

Cloudflare outage disrupts ChatGPT, X, other internet services

FILE – Lava lamps are seen through a lobby window at the headquarters of Cloudflare in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) Internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare says it is deploying a fix for an issue that caused global outages for ChatGPT, social media platform X, transit infrastructure and other prominent internet services. Cloudflare said on its…

US Mint in Philadelphia to press final penny as the 1-cent coin gets canceled

2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Penny PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia is set to strike its last circulating penny on Wednesday as the president has canceled the 1-cent coin. President Donald Trump has ordered its demise as costs climb to nearly 4 cents per penny and the 1-cent valuation becomes somewhat obsolete. The U.S. Mint has been making pennies in Philadelphia, the nation’s…

Epstein emails released by Democrats say Trump ‘knew about the girls’ and spent time with a victim

WASHINGTON (AP) — Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a 2011 email that Donald Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a victim of sex trafficking and said in a separate message years later that Trump “knew about the girls,” according to communications released Wednesday. The emails made public by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee add to the questions about Trump’s friendship with…

Speaker Johnson says House will return to Washington for voting on shutdown deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that House lawmakers should start returning to Washington “right now” after a small group of Senate Democrats broke a 40-day stalemate late Sunday evening and voted with Republicans to move forward with legislation that would end the government shutdown. It is unclear when the Senate will hold final votes on the legislation….

Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide

FILE – The Supreme Court in Washington, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The justices, without comment, turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples…

Trump administration seeks to halt SNAP food aid payments after a court order

BOSTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration asked a federal appeals court Friday to block a judge’s order that it distribute November’s full monthly SNAP benefits amid a U.S. government shutdown, even as at least some states said they were moving quickly to get the money to people. U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. had given Trump’s administration until Friday to…

Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge

FILE – Posters of a person throwing a sandwich are pictured along H Street, Aug. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault on Thursday in the latest…

Nancy Pelosi won’t seek reelection, ending her storied career in the US House

FILE – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., arrives to speak about the House coronavirus bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, March, 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied career as not only the first woman in the speaker’s office but arguably the most…

FAA reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 ‘high-volume’ markets during government shutdown

  Travellers line up for security screening at Orlando International Airport Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown. The reduction stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide….

What we know about the Northern Minnesota immigration raids

Two people detained at El Charro Mexican Bar and Grill in Hibbing, Minnesota (10/29/2025) DULUTH, Min.- There were at least three likely immigration-related actions around Northern Minnesota on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Here is what we know about them at this point. El Charro Mexican Bar and Grill, 2520 E Beltline, Hibbing: A FOX21 photographer happened to be getting lunch…

Israel’s military says ceasefire is back on as death toll from overnight strikes in Gaza reaches 104

Palestinians injured in an Israeli army strike are brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)   DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory that killed 104 people, including…

What to know as federal food help and preschool aid will run dry Saturday if shutdown persists

A new lawsuit by Democratic state officials on Tuesday seeks to uncork emergency money to help tens of millions of Americans keep buying food for their families after federal SNAP funding is expected to run dry Saturday due to the U.S. government shutdown. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries. A halt…

White House East Wing demolished as Trump moves forward with ballroom construction, AP photos show

  Work continues on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) WASHINGTON (AP) — The entire White House East Wing has been demolished as President Donald Trump moves forward with a ballroom construction, Associated Press photos on Thursday showed….

USDA is reopening some 2,100 offices to help farmers access $3B in aid despite the ongoing shutdown

The Agriculture Department will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country Thursday despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs. The USDA said each Farm Service Agency office will have two workers who will be paid even though the government remains shutdown. These offices help farmers apply for farm…

Amazon cloud computing outage disrupts Snapchat, Ring and many other online services

LONDON (AP) — A problem at Amazon’s cloud computing service disrupted internet use around the world early Monday, taking down dozens of online services, including social media site Snapchat, the Roblox and Fortnite video games and chat app Signal. About three hours after the outage began, Amazon Web Services said it was starting to recover from the problem. AWS provides behind-the-scenes…

Supreme Court will consider whether people who regularly smoke pot can legally own guns

  FILE – The Supreme Court in Washington, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said on Monday that it will consider whether people who regularly smoke marijuana can legally own guns, the latest firearm case to come before the court since its 2022 decision expanding gun rights. President Donald Trump’s administration asked the justices to revive…

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, has died. He was 51. The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died Tuesday after a long bout with cancer, his family said in a statement. It called him “a shining star of…

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize

  FILE – Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds up tally sheets during a protest against the reelection of President Nicolás Maduro one month after the disputed presidential vote which she says the opposition won by a landslide, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) OSLO, Norway (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the…

Israel and Hamas will exchange hostages and prisoners after agreeing to a pause in the war in Gaza

Palestinians celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in…

Authorities charge man with sparking deadly January wildfire that leveled LA neighborhoods

FILE – An aerial view shows the devastation left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file) LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 29-year-old man charged with sparking the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history likely used a lighter to start a fire on New Year’s Day that…

Government funding vote fails again in Senate as hopes fade for quick end to shutdown

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown faded Friday as Democrats refused to budge in a Senate vote and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government. On the third day of the shutdown, a Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government failed…

Trump declares drug cartels operating in Caribbean unlawful combatants

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels operating in the Caribbean are unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in a “non-international armed conflict,” according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday. A U.S. official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly said the Congress…