AP National News

Associated Press DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The first few runners of an ultramarathon that steps off in desolate Death Valley hit the finish line early Wednesday, a little more than 24 hours after they began this year’s Badwater 135, billed as the world’s toughest foot race. Ninety-seven runners launched the 48-hour race

Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has passed a decree radically loosening the Communist Party-ruled state’s control on how electricity is sold to private companies. This means companies that need a lot of energy can buy clean energy directly from solar or wind farms. It’s an important change for companies like Samsung, Vietnam’s largest

Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of attack lines Wednesday against his likely new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he called his “new victim to defeat” and accused of deceiving the public about President Joe Biden ‘s ability to run for a second term. The rally in Charlotte, North

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is believed to have done a Google search one week before the shooting of “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday, revealing new details about a suspect he said had taken a keen

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Even though President Joe Biden won’t be on the ballot i n November, voters still will be weighing his legacy. As Vice President Kamala Harris moves to take his place as the Democratic standard-bearer, Biden’s accomplishments remain very much at risk should Republican Donald Trump prevail. How Biden’s single term

Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 103-year-old World War II veteran who’s been paying his medical bills out-of-pocket is finally getting his veterans benefits from the U.S. government after 78 years. Louis Gigliotti’s caretaker says the former U.S. Army medical technician has a card from the Veteran Administration but he never realized he could

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden might not often use the word “abortion” when he talks about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but Vice President Kamala Harris sure does. She’s also toured a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic where the procedure is performed and routinely links the fall of Roe to the larger

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of protesters against the war in Gaza converged on Washington on Wednesday to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, chanting “Free, free Palestine” as they marched toward the Capitol before police deployed pepper spray on some in the crowd. Demonstrators calling for an end to the war that

Associated Press CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — As the drummers walk onto the field, the players behind them smack their hickory sticks to the beat. The rhythm envelops the stands and a palpable sense of anticipation flows through the crowd. Indigenous peoples have been playing stickball for hundreds of years, and every summer since 1975, teams

Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Salt Lake City has been formally awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics following a vote by the International Olympic Committee in Paris. The decision gives Utah its second Games after hosting in 2002. Salt Lake City was the lone contender the Olympic committee was considering for 2034. Climate change

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in a scathing speech to Congress on Wednesday to achieve “total victory” against Hamas and denounced American opponents of the war in Gaza as “idiots,” taking a combative stance in a visit the Biden administration has hoped will yield progress in negotiations to end

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Nearly a third of the children and vulnerable adults in state, foster and faith-based care in New Zealand between 1950 and 1999 were physically, sexually, verbally or psychologically harmed. That’s according to a sweeping report from a six-year inquiry into abuse, neglect and exploitation. Many of the 200,000

Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court has ordered the state to initially count signatures that were collected by volunteers in favor of putting an abortion rights measure on the ballot. Justices on Tuesday night issued a one-page order that stopped short of ruling on whether a lawsuit over the proposal

Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A typhoon killed has three people in Taiwan as it approaches the island where air travelers have rushed to board remaining overseas flights. People trapped by the storm’s floodwaters in the Philippines are calling for help in the Southeast Asian nation where at least 13 died. Taiwan’s Central News

Associated Press/Report for America Authorities are investigating the death a Virginia woman who appeared on the MTV reality show “16 and Pregnant.” Police said they responded to a medical emergency shortly after 3:00 p.m. Saturday in Sandston, about 9 miles east of Richmond. Autumn Oxley was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders are warning party members against using overtly racist and sexist attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris, as they and former President Donald Trump’s campaign scramble to adjust to the reality of a new Democratic rival less than four months before Election Day. At a closed-door meeting of House

Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Attorneys for the state say an initiative aimed at repealing Alaska’s ranked choice voting system still has sufficient signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Last week, a state court judge found instances in which the signature-gathering process was not properly carried out and disqualified those booklets. The judge

Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that New Mexico can continue to enforce a new, seven-day waiting period on gun sales while a court challenge backed by the National Rifle Association moves forward. Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday applauded the ruling. Albuquerque-based U.S. District Court

Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Proponents of a nearly $3 billion project to restore part of southeast Louisiana’s rapidly vanishing coastline released a study Tuesday touting the expected economic benefits of the construction, even as the project faces fierce pushback and litigation from local communities who fear their livelihoods will be severely affected. The