Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she's running for governor of Minnesota. Klobuchar announced her candidacy in a video Thursday. Klobuchar promises to take on President Donald Trump's administration and unify Minnesota after a series of challenges. Klobuchar's decision gives Democrats a high-profile candidate as they try to keep the office held by Tim Walz, their 2024 vice presidential nominee. Walz recently dropped out amid criticism over mismanagement of taxpayer funding for child care programs. Klobuchar has been a vocal critic of Trump, especially regarding his Republican administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The Minnesota contest is expected to test Trump's law-and-order approach against Democrats’ criticisms of his administration's tactics.

American speedskater Erin Jackson is the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal in any sport. She wants to make sure she is not the last. Jackson will be at the Milan Cortina Games in February to defend the title she won in the 500 meters at Beijing four years ago. She also will be racing in the 1,000 meters. She has made it a goal to increase the number of minority women in her sport and wants to start a foundation after she retires from competition.

The European Union appears poised to sanction Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. Kaja Kallas said that she expects foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday to agree on adding Iran’s Guard to its terrorist list. She said the move would put the Guard on the same footing as al-Qaida, Hamas and the Islamic State group. Iran had no immediate comment, but it has been criticizing Europe in recent days as it considered the move, which follows the U.S. earlier sanctioning the Guard.

A federal appeals court says the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended legal protections that gave hundreds of thousands of people from Venezuela permission to live and work in the United States. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status for Venezuelans. The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices. An email late Wednesday night to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned.

Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammys nominee pack, but Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and others are vying for their moment in the spotlight. But who will take home trophies on Sunday? Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman and Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. break down the close races for Grammy glory. They predict victories for Lamar, Lady Gaga, Rosé and Bruno Mars. They also expect close genre races across country, Latin and pop. The 68th Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency would have enough money to respond to the massive winter storm still impacting large swaths of the U.S. even if a partial government shutdown begins at midnight Friday. That's what experts and former FEMA officials say, despite Trump administration warnings to the contrary. FEMA would have about $7 billion to $8 billion in its Disaster Relief Fund, even if the money Congress appropriated expires. The agency is supporting state-led responses to a massive winter storm that left many without power. President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for 12 states, unlocking federal support. Experts say the timing of the potential shutdown helps ease concerns over FEMA’s operations.

U.S. life expectancy has hit the highest mark in American history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday reported that life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024. It’s the result of the dissipation of the COVID-19 pandemic — and also waning death rates from all of the nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer and drug overdoses. Preliminary statistics suggest a continued improvement in 2025. Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, given death rates at that time. It's a fundamental measure of a population’s health.

Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection in 2020. But for more than five years, he’s been trying to convince Americans the opposite is true by falsely saying the election was marred by widespread fraud. Now that he’s president again, Trump is pushing the federal government to back up those bogus claims. On Wednesday, the FBI served a search warrant at the election headquarters of Fulton County, Georgia, which includes most of Atlanta, seeking ballots from the 2020 election. It marks an escalation of Trump's obsession with the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and some observers say his administration is using Georgia as a blueprint for challenging results this November.

If there’s been a soundtrack to life in Minneapolis in recent weeks, it’s the shrieking whistles and honking horns of thousands of people following immigration agents across the city. They are the ever-moving shadow of Operation Metro Surge. They are teachers, scientists and stay-at-home parents. They own small businesses and wait tables. And when the White House shifted to a more conciliatory tone after the weekend killing of Alex Pretti, holding talks with local and state that President Donald Trump had long disdained and pushing aside Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol senior official who had become public face of the immigration crackdown, it was quickly clear no one was giving up.

King Charles III is clearly thinking about his legacy. In his new film, “Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision,” Charles delivers a simple message — that humanity needs to restore the balance between man and nature if it is going to solve global warming and many of the other problems facing the world. Helping spread that gospel, he hopes, will be his legacy. “Maybe, by the time I shuffle off this mortal coil, there might be a little more awareness … of the need to bring things back together again,’’ he says.

Videos that emerged Wednesday show Alex Pretti was forcefully taken to the ground by federal immigration agents after kicking out the tail light of their vehicle during a Minneapolis protest 11 days before he was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers. The Jan. 13 scuffle was captured in a pair of videos that emerged Wednesday evening, showing Pretti shouting an expletive at federal immigration agents and struggling with them before he either breaks free or is let go. The new videos have rekindled the national debate about the death of Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. A Minneapolis-based attorney representing Pretti’s parents says the earlier incident in no way justified the officers' use of deadly force more than a week later.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for a deeper relationship with China during what he called “challenging times for the world.” The U.K. leader told China’s leader Xi Jinping that their countries need to work together on global stability, climate change and other issues. He spoke Thursday in Beijing.

President Donald Trump is facing a growing cultural revolt against his immigration crackdown. The backlash has extended beyond the partisans and activists. It's beginning to break out across the business, sports and entertainment worlds as well. Bruce Springsteen released a new song Wednesday that slammed “Trump’s federal thugs.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gone too far. And lifestyle icon Martha Stewart lamented that “we can be attacked and even killed by federal troops.” The growing opposition threatens to undermine Trump's signature domestic priority, the Republican Party’s grip on power and the president’s political strength — in the short term at least.

Republicans are increasingly worried about immigration enforcement becoming a political problem in the upcoming midterm elections. Concerns have grown after two people were killed by federal agents during President Donald Trump's crackdown in Minneapolis. Although few Republicans are willing to publicly break with Trump, criticism is mounting. Congress faces a funding deadline this week, and Democrats are ready to block money for Homeland Security. Some Republicans, like Sen. Thom Tillis, are urging a change in direction. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing criticism, with some calling for her resignation. The situation is escalating as Republicans try to navigate the political fallout.

Paris opened its Spring/Summer 2026 haute couture season with theatrical runway moments and diverse designer visions. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.