WASHINGTON — Doug Mastriano, the far-right Pennsylvania lawmaker who President Donald Trump nominated to become the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, refused to tell senators during his confirmation hearing on Thursday whether he believes all American political leaders should be Christian.

A key Trump ally during the president’s attempt to ...Read more

A bombshell new report reveals that Secret Service agents assigned to JD Vance and his family have become increasingly frustrated about the vice president and his office pressing them for “royal treatment,” asking for taxpayer-funded government resources for trips, assignments and other “perks” that they consider “inappropriate” and ...Read more

A longtime teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump has been accused of making more than $100,000 by using prediction markets to make winning bets on the content of his speeches, federal officials said Thursday.

Gabriel Perez, a White House tech assistant who has been running Trump’s teleprompter since his first term, has been ...Read more

Sen. Thom Tillis on Thursday set a new condition for his vote to confirm Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to attorney general: He wants Blanche to meet with Epstein victims first.

During the second day of hearings for Blanche’s nomination as attorney general, Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who will retire at the end of this term, ...Read more

URBANA, Ill. — Six-term Democratic state Rep. Carol Ammons and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, each pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges handed up earlier this month by a grand jury.

Rep. Ammons is accused of wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice, while her husband is also charged with conspiracy to ...Read more

As thick smoke blanketed Metro Detroit on Thursday from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota, health officials are urging residents to take precautions.

Dr. Avani Sheth, chief medical health officer for Wayne County Health, Human and Veterans Services, on Thursday said the best way for residents to protect themselves is to stay indoors in air ...Read more

NEW YORK — The New York City Council on Thursday approved a bill to send $10,000 in checks to low-paid teacher aides, despite questions about the legality of pay bumps outside of collective bargaining.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said pay should be negotiated at the bargaining table, not through Council legislation. The bill passed the Council ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday he will opt out of the city’s matching funds program — which would have imposed limits on how big his war chest can get — in his run for a second term.

The program, which matches campaign donations from city residents 8-to-1 with taxpayer funds, helped boost Mamdani to victory last year.

...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a prominent figure in national Democratic politics, said in an interview Thursday that the wildfire smoke blanketing Michigan and other places in the United States was a "manifestation" of climate change, which he labeled a crisis.

Sanders, an independent and self-described democratic socialist from ...Read more

The U.S. launched fresh strikes against Iran on Thursday, the fifth straight day of attacks as shipping traffic slumped in the critical Strait of Hormuz.

The attacks began at 2 p.m. ET, according to U.S. Central Command, with U.S. forces aiming to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities.”

Iran responded to earlier strikes by firing...Read more

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Thursday said he won’t vote in favor of Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general unless the nominee meets with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring.

The Republican lawmaker, who is retiring and is considered a crucial swing vote on Blanche’s bid, said he wants to see a meeting before any ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as dangerous levels of wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, and it might get worse tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Concentrations of the pollutant PM2.5 in the Chicago area by midafternoon had reached an index of 400 on a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — With three helicopters making water drops overnight, firefighters made good progress on a fire that began Wednesday near Boulevard, California, forcing evacuations and charring about 1,200 acres of brush.

By Thursday morning, forward progress of the Thorn fire was halted and crews reported having 10% containment on the blaze, ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Even as cost of living concerns rise, and addressing affordability becomes the primary talking point for politicians of both parties, California voters continue to place a high value on environmental issues as they weigh who to vote for in November’s elections, a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as dangerous levels of wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, and it might get worse tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Particulate matter levels in the Chicago area had reached an index of 355 on a scale of 500, which is ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX is set for the 13th suborbital test flight of its Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Texas on Thursday as it drives toward its goal of beginning operational missions from Florida.

The massive rocket looks to launch during a 90-minute window that opens at 6:45 p.m. from the company’s Starbase site on the southeast ...Read more

DETROIT — The number of cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan continues to grow, with state officials reporting 550 more cases Thursday morning, bringing the total since June 22 to 4,312, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The latest total represents a roughly 65% increase from the more than 2,600 cases reported on ...Read more

CHICAGO — Thick haze settled over northern Illinois on Thursday morning as wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota rolled into the area, according to the National Weather Service.

Particulate matter levels in the Chicago area had reached an index of 267 on a scale of 500, which is considered unhealthy for the general public.

Also in this ...Read more

The U.S. intensified strikes against Iran overnight, hitting an oil tanker near the country’s main export terminal as shipping traffic slumped through the critical Strait of Hormuz.

The target, deep within the Persian Gulf, suggests Washington is widening the scope of the naval operation in parallel with continued attacks on Iranian military...Read more