Minnesota officials are rushing to provide information to the Trump administration about child care providers and parents receiving federal funds. This follows allegations of widespread abuse. According to an email sent to recipients, Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth and Families has until January 9 to verify recipients after funds were frozen due to fraud schemes at day care centers. All 50 states must now provide additional verification before receiving more funds. Minnesota Democrats accuse the Trump administration of playing politics and hurting Minnesota families and children as a result.

A federal judge in Kentucky has dismissed Louisville’s proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The agreement, called a consent decree, was meant to trigger police reforms. But the Department of Justice withdrew its support for those proposed reforms in Louisville and Minneapolis in May. The reform plans were brought by the DOJ during the Biden administration and were spurred by the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020. Federal Judge Benjamin Beaton wrote in a ruling this week that Louisville's police reforms should be conducted without federal involvement.

People across the world celebrate the start of 2026, with New York’s iconic Times Square ball descending 18 hours after the South Pacific greeted the new year. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Here’s to a lifetime of pink skies. The irreverent country singer Zach Bryan is married. Bryan confirms the news in an Instagram post shared Thursday. Beneath a photo of him holding his bride, Samantha Leonard, he wrote the caption, “tougher than the rest.” It is a reference to the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name. It is unclear when the couple started dating or got engaged. Rumors of their relationship hit social media in August, when Leonard posted a picture of the pair embracing on a boat on her official Instagram account. Bryan is scheduled to release a new album, “With Heaven On Top,” next Friday.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman will be advising the Miami Dolphins in their search for a new general manager. Aikman, who led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins and is now an ESPN analyst, isn’t expected to remain with the organization beyond their GM search, ESPN reported. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel welcomed the outside help. The Dolphins fired longtime general manager Chris Grier on Oct. 31 after a 2-7 start to the season. Dolphins senior personnel executive Champ Kelly has been Miami’s interim general manager.

Hilary Knight is set to make her fifth Olympic appearance, and this time lead a younger, faster U.S. women’s national team favored to win gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month. The 36-year-old Knight headlines the list as USA Hockey released its 23-player Olympic women’s roster. It’s a group that returns just 11 members from the team that won the silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Games, and features several newcomers, highlighted by defender Laila Edwards. From Cleveland, the 21-year-old Wisconsin senior is set to become the first Black female hockey player to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics.

Dec. 26, 2025 - Jan 1, 2026 This photo gallery, curated by photo editor Leslie Mazoch, highlights some of the most compelling images worldwide published by The Associated Press in the past week. See last week’s top photos of the…

Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row. Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year ago. Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker. For the fourth quarter, sales totaled 418,227, falling short of the 440,000 that analysts polled by FactSet expected. The sales total may likely have been impacted by the expiration of a $7,500 tax credit that was phased out by the Trump administration at the end of September.

Dec. 26 – Jan. 2, 2025 People across Latin America rang in the new year, during a week when Guatemalan migrants were deported back home and scientists in Mexico studied the Popocatepetl volcano. This gallery was curated by photo editor…

The hospital that initially took in the majority of injured victims from a fire at a Swiss bar is no stranger to emergencies: In the heart of the Alps, it is used to treating winter sports enthusiasts who have accidents on the slopes. But the flood of young and severely burned survivors from the blaze that tore through Le Constellation in Crans-Montana during New Year’s Eve revelry was something else. The general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in several dozen injured people said those with severe burns face months of treatment but expressed hope that their youth will speed their recovery. He told The Associated Press that the injured were teenagers and young adults.

Presidents often find solace in golfing, and Joint Base Andrews in Maryland is a favorite spot because it's close to the White House and has built-in security. Known as "the president's course," Andrews has hosted presidents dating back to Gerald Ford. Barack Obama played it more than 100 times. Then there's Donald Trump. He's an avid golfer but doesn't play Andrews, preferring courses his family owns. Now, he's planning a major renovation project for the golf courses at Andrews with legendary champion Jack Nicklaus serving as architect. The White House says the project's cost, and when work will start, hasn't been determined — nor has who will pay for it.

The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather are on display. The visit, which occurred on New Year’s Day on Thursday, adds credence to rampant outside belief that she’s being groomed as her father’s successor. An analyst speculates that she will likely be named a high-level official at the upcoming ruling Workers’ Party congress. Images carried by state media on Friday showed the girl standing in the front row with her parents and deeply bowing at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang.