10 mins read

Republicans dump cash into red states as they try to hold the line against Democrats in the midterms

WASHINGTON | Republicans are growing increasingly grim about their chances in November, with aligned groups pumping money into reliably GOP states and candidates scrambling to distance themselves from unpopular White House policies. From Texas to Ohio and Alaska to Iowa, campaigns are grappling with a fed-up electorate that is sour on the president and angry […]

8 mins read

How Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ became the longest-running No. 1 hit of all time

NEW YORK | Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” a simmering, midtempo, country-and-then-some heartbreak song released last October, is indisputably 2026’s biggest hit. “Choosin’ Texas” is also the longest-running No. 1 hit in the U.S., having spent 23 weeks at the top spot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, it was announced Tuesday. That means the track […]

7 mins read

Senior NATO commander warns Putin is becoming more cavalier and open to risk as Ukraine war drags on

TALLINN, Estonia | Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming “increasingly cavalier, dangerous and risk accepting,” as his war in Ukraine drags on and as he seeks to divide Western allies, NATO’s deputy commander in Europe said Tuesday. Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stringer spoke to The Associated Press at a security conference in Estonia amid […]

8 mins read

Trump says his ballroom will house a drone port. The Secret Service already has one next door

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump’s AI-fueled vision for a drone port he intends to install atop the new White House ballroom includes missile-bearing unmanned aerial vehicles and gun-toting troops, ostensibly to protect the 18-acre complex and the nation’s capital. A few hundred feet away, a drone port, run by the U.S. Secret Service and not […]

5 mins read

China’s Xi kicks off state visit to Washington on Wednesday with a rare planeside welcome from Trump

WASHINGTON | When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, he’s expected to get a rare greeting from President Donald Trump, who will be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. Trump’s decision to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews just […]

3 mins read

Russia pounds Kyiv with drones, killing 2 and wounding 23 hours before Zelenskyy’s UN address

KYIV, Ukraine | Russia hammered Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with drones in daylight attacks on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for meetings with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. Two people were killed and 23 were wounded in Kyiv, and palls of black smoke floated above the city following the latest in what […]

13 mins read

Economic frustration tests Trump’s standing with rural voters, new AP-KFF poll finds

WASHINGTON | About half of rural American voters believe the economy is worse off now than when President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a new survey that points to economic frustration among a key group that has backed him and other Republicans in recent elections. The Associated Press, in partnership with KFF, polled more […]

4 mins read

The Broncos followed a familiar late-game script but questions remain about whether it’s sustainable

ENGLEWOOD | The Denver Broncos heard it all offseason: they’d better not find themselves in close games again this season because their 11-3 record in such contests last year is unsustainable. The thinking went that there will be a regression toward the mean if not a downright flip-flop in the win-loss column. What this notion […]

4 mins read

A simple row cover can save late-summer vegetables as frost threatens

Most of my summer vegetables are winding down now, the cooling temperatures serving as a cue that their mission has been nearly accomplished. But if frost threatens before the last of my tomatoes have turned red, I’ll drape a sheet of sheer fabric over their supporting cages to provide some warmth. The white fabric sheets, […]

3 mins read

Fat Bear Week opens for Alaska’s heavyweight crown. Can Chunk, the 1,200-pound champ, win again?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska | After a summer spent packing away sockeye salmon, Alaska’s heftiest brown bears are ready to throw their weight around. Online voting began Tuesday for Fat Bear Week, the annual contest that pits the rotund residents of Katmai National Park and Preserve against each other for the title of most oversized ursine. Last […]