LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan House voted Wednesday in favor of proposals to condemn socialism and to require an American flag be displayed in a prominent location in each classroom across the state.

The Republican-controlled House supported the measures, 41 days before the Nov. 3 midterm election. Polling has found that Michigan voters see ...Read more

MIAMI — As Haiti struggles to absorb returning U.S. deportees even as it battles relentless armed gangs, surging kidnappings and deepening hunger, a Haitian American advocacy group wants to know why its government is paying a longtime Trump political operative and his Fort Lauderdale-based lobbying firm as much as $780,000 to represent it in ...Read more

CHICAGO — An unknown man walked into the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 4, 1982.

He wore a Seiko watch, a leather belt and a bolo tie made of turquoise and silver. He carried a wallet but no identification. An envelope filled with 19 $100 bills sat inside his shirt pocket. His hair was dyed and he had a deep tan, not ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senate negotiators expressed optimism over negotiations on legislation to overhaul the federal environmental permitting system, even as text remains elusive in what could be the final week in session before the midterm elections.

This was expected to be a make-or-break week for a bill to streamline the process for greenlighting ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A federal judge appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s argument that the president had valid national security grounds for banning three news outlets from the White House, but didn’t immediately rule on whether to reinstate their access.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, at a hearing Wednesday in Washington, ...Read more

A whistleblower lawsuit accuses Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration of bypassing procurement requirements meant to safeguard the use of taxpayer dollars, including during renovations to the governor’s mansion, and firing a staffer who raised concerns.

The administration waived competitive bid requirements after purchases were ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senators of both parties expressed alarm Wednesday about the use of artificial intelligence-powered surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers.

The bipartisan concerns were aired at a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s panel on Crime and Counterterrorism, though Garrett Langley, the CEO of Flock ...Read more

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the U.S. and China have agreed to extend their trade truce by two months, as President Xi Jinping landed in America for his first state visit in eleven years.

Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, a celebrated soprano, touched down at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington shortly before 6 p.m. local time ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming that Mayor Kaohly Her sexually harassed and battered him, and that the city retaliated against him when he reported it and initiated an investigation.

Several allegations in the lawsuit, which names Her and the city as defendants, had been made public during the...Read more

Tropical Storm Nolo formed early Wednesday afternoon in the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii, and is expected to quickly strengthen as it approaches the state over the coming days. It is expected to bring feet of rain, flooding and strong winds to the Big Island.

In the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. Pacific update, Nolo had maximum winds of...Read more

NEW YORK — Three men were seen early Wednesday emerging from a Park Avenue manhole near the Upper East Side hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be staying during the United Nations General Assembly, police said.

Surveillance video captured the black-clad trio exiting the manhole at Park Avenue and East 61st Street ...Read more

BOSTON — The judge in the Lindsay Clancy triple murder case is indefinitely impounding more jury information.

Judge William Sullivan issued orders Tuesday extending impoundment orders for the jury confidential questionnaires and the jury pool list.

Last week, Sullivan indefinitely impounded the list of 12 deliberating jurors and six ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The pilot of a military training jet was rescued by the U.S. Navy on Tuesday evening after the aircraft plunged into the Pacific Ocean about six miles northwest of Morro Bay.

“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! I have lost thrust in my engine,” the pilot of the single-seat Mk.58 Hawker Hunter fighter jet communicated to an air traffic ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — A dead man whose identity long remained a mystery in Boise might be responsible for the infamous Chicago Tylenol killings — widely considered one of the greatest unsolved cases in U.S. history.

One of Boise’s most mysterious cold cases surrounded an unidentified man who died by suicide after taking a fatal dose of cyanide ...Read more

U.S. diesel futures slumped as speculation swirled that the White House is considering an export ban, with key refinery infrastructure around the globe still offline.

President Donald Trump joined a chorus of Republican lawmakers this week calling for a ban on American exports of the workhorse fuel, essential to everything from transport to ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — A major swell from Hurricane Polo might combine with large high tides in northern San Diego County on Monday and Tuesday, causing flooding in an area that has already suffered severe beach erosion, according to the National Weather Service.

The hurricane, one of the largest ever recorded in the eastern Pacific, also might push ...Read more

DETROIT — A new report commissioned by the Great Lakes Water Authority says that Michigan needs to invest as much as $85 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 20 years and calls on the state to create a funding strategy for those investments.

It's unclear how much of that total comes from the service area of the Great ...Read more

CHICAGO — A third person has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly pushing a 29-year-old man to his death off a Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train earlier this month, police said.

Christian McBounds, 18, was arrested Monday in Morgan Park and is charged in the death of Kyle Bickham on Sept. 7, according to Chicago police. ...Read more