A corner of Arkansas best known as home to Walmart headquarters has emerged as a little-known hot spot in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. That's according to an Associated Press review of arrest data, jail records, police reports and interviews with residents, immigration lawyers and watchdogs. Benton County offers a window into what the future may hold in places where local and state authorities cooperate broadly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Records show the partnership has caught some violent criminals but also repeatedly turned misdemeanor arrests into the first steps toward deportations. The arrests have split apart families and spread fear through the immigrant community.

Cold, wintry weather brings risk for pets as well as people. Experts say pet owners need to prepare. Sweaters, coats and booties can be helpful accessories to reduce the risks of frostbite and hypothermia. Depending on the breed, size and age of the pet, veterinarians recommend limiting time outdoors and being safe around open flames. Avoid encounters with de-icing salts and antifreeze, which can be toxic when ingested in even the smallest amounts. Experts also suggest stocking up on essentials like extra food and medication in case of power outages, road closures or blizzards.

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in more than three years last week, potentially complicating the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits for the week ending Nov. 29 fell to 191,000 from the previous week’s 218,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the lowest level since September 24, 2022, when claims came in at 189,000. Analysts surveyed by the data provider FactSet had forecast initial claims of 221,000. Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

For many, 2025 felt like a blur and that was true in the world of entertainment, which saw happy reunions, somber farewells and introductions to fresh voices and faces. Associated Press photographers were there to capture it all, from Tom…

Talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives. These palms were introduced by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx in the 1960s. The rare event has been widely reported and has sparked curiosity among visitors to Flamengo Park. The palms, native to southern India and Sri Lanka, can reach up to 30 meters and produce millions of flowers. Biologist Aline Saavedra notes that the interest in this phenomenon could inspire environmental preservation.

The mood is grim as hundreds of diplomats, lawyers and activists gather in The Hague for the annual meeting of the International Criminal Court. The gathering this week will include discussion of unprecedented challenges from U.S. sanctions, Russian arrest warrants and worries over the court’s future. The court’s oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, is holding its 24th annual weeklong meeting this week. Delegates will approve the court’s yearly budget and debate proposals related to the institution’s functions but regular business has been overshadowed by U.S. sanctions and a sexual misconduct investigation.

A new survey of Affordable Care Act health insurance enrollees finds that many are already struggling with the high cost of health care. Most of the more than 1,300 enrollees surveyed say they anticipate that their health costs will be impacted next year if Congress doesn't extend COVID-era tax credits that will otherwise expire at the end of the year. Thursday's poll from the health care research nonprofit KFF finds that marketplace enrollees overwhelmingly support an extension of the subsidies. The survey found this group is more likely to blame President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress than Democrats if the tax credits are left to expire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his five-hour talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war in Ukraine were “necessary” and “useful,” but also “difficult work,” with some of the proposals unacceptable to the Kremlin. Putin spoke to the India Today TV channel ahead of his visit to New Delhi on Thursday, and while the full interview is yet to be broadcast, Russian state news agencies quoted some of Putin's remarks. The Russian leader’s comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to meet with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, on Thursday in Miami for further talks, according to a senior Trump administration official. The high-stakes talks are part of Trump’s renewed push to end the nearly four-year war.

Israeli and Thai officials say remains that militants in Gaza handed to Israel were those of a Thai agricultural worker killed during the attack that started the war two years ago. The return of Sudthisak Rinthalak's remains leaves just one last hostage, Israeli Ran Gvili, to be returned in the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Both Hamas and Israel have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire agreement, and questions linger over the upcoming phases of the plan.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday there have been no talks between team officials and Giannis Antetokounmpo regarding the two-time MVP’s potential exit from Milwaukee. Rivers made the comments after ESPN reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, had started speaking with the Bucks about the superstar’s future and whether he’s best suited to stay in Milwaukee or play elsewhere. Rivers said “there’s been no conversations” in that regard. Rivers added that "Giannis has never asked to be traded – ever. I can’t make that more clear.”

Two recent killings — one of an outspoken representative of the lime growers, the other a popular mayor standing up to the cartels — in Mexico's western Michoacan state have sent a clear message that organized crime is in charge, something residents have known for years. Now under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has shown his willingness to launch military attacks against the cartels in the Caribbean and has offered to send the U.S. military to Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum faces increasing pressure to solve a puzzle no other leader has been able to. Years of failed tactics have left residents skeptical that the government will offer a solution.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Milwaukee Bucks’ game with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night after straining his right calf in the first quarter. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said after the Bucks’ 113-109 victory that Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI. Rivers added that he believed the Bucks had ruled out the possibility that Antetokounmpo had injured his Achilles tendon on the play. The two-time MVP had just assisted on AJ Green’ layup less than three minutes into the game when he headed back up the court and slipped in the painted area.

The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat is set to brief Congress. Lawmakers overseeing national security are expected to receive a classified briefing Thursday from Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley about the boat strike. It's a potentially crucial moment in the unfolding investigation into how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth handled the military operation in international waters near Venezuela. Lawmakers are seeking a full accounting after The Washington Post reported that Bradley on Sept. 2 had ordered an attack on two survivors to comply with Hegseth’s directive to “kill everybody.”

The Dallas Cowboys' 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day was the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history. CBS reports the game averaged 57.23 million viewers. The early game between Green Bay and Detroit also drew big numbers, averaging 47.7 million viewers. This makes it the second-most watched regular-season game since Fox began carrying the NFL in 1994.

A raccoon broke into a closed Virginia liquor store and drank alcohol from the bottom shelves over the weekend. An animal control officer says the raccoon was found Saturday passed out next to the store's toilet. The officers says the raccoon then sobered up after a few hours. Officials say they released him back into the wild. Officials say the raccoon had zero signs of injury after the break-in.