A former top official in Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ administration is running to succeed the two-term Democrat. Joel Brennan launched his campaign Thursday, joining a crowded primary field for the 2026 election. Brennan told The Associated Press that he would be a governor who both fights President Donald Trump’s “chaos and dysfunction” and works across the aisle with Republicans in the state. He said he wants to build relationships with both Democrats and Republicans to “roll up our sleeves and work together.” Wisconsin is a politically divided state that went for Trump in 2016 and 2024 and President Joe Biden in 2020.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to hold urgent talks with leaders from about 30 countries. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, aims to support Kyiv's efforts to secure fair terms in a peace agreement ending the war with Russia. Leaders from Germany, Britain, and France are expected to participate via video link. Zelenskyy indicated the talks were hastily arranged amid U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a swift settlement. Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a significant drone attack overnight, affecting flights in Moscow and other Russian cities. Peace talks are at a critical moment, according to European leaders.

Denmark is planning to follow Australia in introducing stricter restrictions for younger teens to access social media. The Danish government announced last month that it had secured an agreement by three governing coalition and two opposition parties in parliament to ban access to social media for anyone younger than 15. The proposed law could take effect by mid-2026. It's not yet clear how the restrictions would be enforced. Many social media platforms already ban children younger than 13 from signing up, but officials say these restrictions don’t always work. Danish authorities report 98% of children younger than 13 have profiles on at least one platform.

The joy of being there, of prayer and play, a dance in a bomb shelter, a kiss in a flood and a hug in the mud, kids rolling tires and scooting among the ruins of Gaza are among the defining…

The Senate is set to question military leaders over President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to American cities. The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing Thursday on Trump's extraordinary move, which in some places was done over the opposition of governors and mayors. The deployments have prompted legal challenges as well as questions about states' rights and the use of the military on U.S. soil. The hearing will bring the highest level of scrutiny to Trump’s use of the National Guard outside of a courtroom since the deployments began and comes a day after the president faced another legal setback.

The Senate is poised to reject legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for millions of Americans. Thursday's planned vote is a potentially unceremonious end to a monthslong Democratic effort to prevent the COVID-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1. Despite a bipartisan desire to continue the credits, Republicans and Democrats have never engaged in meaningful or high-level negotiations on a solution. Instead, the Senate is expected to vote on two partisan bills and defeat them both — essentially guaranteeing that many who buy their health insurance on the ACA marketplaces could see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors are set to choose the jurors who will decide whether a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant dodge federal officers broke the law. Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan in April with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest. She could face up to six years in prison if convicted on both counts. Jury selection for her trial is set to begin Thursday. Opening statements are set for Monday. Dugan has maintained she was acting within her authority when she led the man out of her courtroom through a private doorway when she learned agents were in the courthouse looking to arrest him.

A new wave of immigration enforcement is dividing families inside the U.S. Federal officials and their local law enforcement partners are detaining tens of thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants. And Trump’s top border team plans to keep ‘full speed ahead.’ Detainees are repeatedly moved, then deported. Or they are held in poor conditions for weeks or months before asking to go home. The federal government was holding an average of more than 66,000 people during the first half of November, the highest on record. Three families separated by migration enforcement in recent months told The Associated Press that their existence is anguished without knowing if they will see their loved ones again.

Writer Sophie Kinsella, known for her rom-com "Confessions of a Shopaholic," has died at 55. She had brain cancer and her family announced her death Wednesday. Kinsella, whose real name was Madeleine Wickham, revealed her diagnosis in 2024. She published 10 "Shopaholic" novels starting in 2000, selling over 45 million copies. Her work was often labeled "chick lit," a term she embraced. Kinsella's books were adapted into films and translated into multiple languages. Her family described her final days as filled with love, music, and joy.

As President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package this week to help U.S. farmers hurt by tariffs, he placed responsibility for the U.S. agricultural trade deficit on former President Joe Biden. It is true that there was an agricultural trade surplus when Trump entered the White House in 2017 that has since become a significant deficit. However, according to experts, it is a massive oversimplification to blame any one administration or policy.

Colorado selected right-hander RJ Petit from Detroit with the first of 13 picks in the Rule 5 draft of unprotected players left off 40-man major league rosters. Now 26, Petit was taken by the Tigers in the 14th round of the 2021 amateur draft and was 10-2 with a 2.44 ERA in two starts and 45 relief appearances this year for Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo. He struck out 79 and walked 22 in 66 1/3 innings. Petit is 21-15 with a 3.40 ERA and 14 saves in five starts and 182 relief appearances over five minor league seasons.

The House votes to pass a sweeping defense policy bill that authorizes $900 billion in military programs. The bill includes a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons. It comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and how President Donald Trump’s administration has handled the military. The White House has signaled “strong support” for the must-pass legislation and says it is in line with Trump’s national security agenda. Yet tucked into the over-3,000-page bill are several measures that push back on the Department of Defense.

Michigan has fired football coach Sherrone Moore. The university announced on Wednesday that an investigation found evidence of an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” Officials stated that Moore’s alleged conduct was a “clear violation of university policy.”

President Donald Trump says the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Using U.S. forces to seize an oil tanker is incredibly unusual and marks the Trump administration’s latest push to increase pressure on Maduro. Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that “other things are happening,” but he didn't offer additional details. The seizure was led by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported by the Navy. That's according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Federal health officials have expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to ByHeart baby formula to include any illnesses reported since the company began production in 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that at least 51 babies in 19 states have been sickened since 2023. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said new cases include any infants with botulism who consumed ByHeart formula since the product's release. The outbreak was announced on Nov. 8. ByHeart recalled all of its products sold in the U.S. and around the world on Nov. 11.