Here are the AP's top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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Here are the AP's top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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NATIONAL
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What to know about Alex Jones' Texas court win and more than $1 billion in damages he still faces
SUMMARY: Alex Jones won a Texas court ruling that reduced one of the defamation lawsuit judgments against him for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre a hoax by more than $40 million. For the bombastic conspiracy theorist, it was a rare legal victory amid multiple punishing financial verdicts that forced him to file for bankruptcy. Sandy Hook families have yet to collect a dime from Jones while he still broadcasts. But Jones still faces a defamation judgment of $1.25 billion in a Connecticut lawsuit and nearly $6 million that remains in the Texas case.
WORDS: 787 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 4:02 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSNewtownShootingInfowarsWhattoKnow/60cd9f13513d338839a28af7f80eecc7/text___
What to know about the first week of a trial in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur
SUMMARY: The trial of the man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder has begun. Jurors heard this week about the night the rap giant was shot in Las Vegas after a brawl involving Duane “Keffe D” Davis's nephew. Davis allegedly procured the gun used in the shooting. His lawyers dispute this, claiming his past statements were exaggerated. Witnesses, including police and former gang members, have provided testimony, though some were uncooperative. Davis admitted to his involvement in past interviews that were played in court. He claims his family's safety is at risk because of the prosecution. The trial is expected to last about a month.
WORDS: 1097 - MOVED: 08/15/2026 1:21 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTupacTrialWhatToKnowstLdWritethru/4f0260f89d0b55647844d30559c309d3/text___
Court cuts $50M judgment against Alex Jones over falsely labeling Sandy Hook killings a hoax
SUMMARY: A Texas court has slashed a $50 million judgment against Infowars founder Alex Jones to about $6 million over falsely calling the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings a hoax. The ruling does not affect a $1.25 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, but is a significant legal victory for him after being found liable for damages for claiming the mass shooting didn’t happen. Despite the multiple financial judgments against him in Connecticut and Texas, Jones has yet to make any payments to victims' families. He is fighting the judgments through lengthy appeals in both states.
WORDS: 953 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 3:03 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSNewtownShootingsInfowarsthLdWritethru/b7866ab5ef652bbc7307ae55b09937ce/text___
Plane crashed on second attempt to land in heavy fog in Alaska, killing all 8 aboard, officials say
SUMMARY: Authorities say a plane that crashed at a remote military site in Alaska, killing all eight people on board, was making its second runway approach in heavy fog when it lost contact. The National Transportation Safety Board says the Cessna’s two pilots could not see the gravel airstrip and were flying solely by instruments when the plane crashed Thursday. The plane crashed on its second attempt to land at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site in western Alaska. The radar site was built in the 1950s as part of a network designed to provide early warning of a missile attack by the Soviet Union.
WORDS: 652 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 1:42 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSAlaskaPlaneCrashthLdWritethru/cd21190cad6b7246d903677685f1e928/text___
Lindsay Clancy’s defense rests at trial over whether postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her kids
SUMMARY: The defense has rested its case in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial after eliciting more testimony about her mental state before she strangled her three young children in 2023. Prosecutors are calling rebuttal witnesses before attorneys make their closing arguments in the trial. Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, does not dispute that she killed the children. But he says the jury should not hold her criminally responsible because she had a rare mental illness called postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors argue that Clancy planned the killings and contrived to get her husband out of the house.
WORDS: 811 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 4:01 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSLindsayClancyTrialthLdWritethru/93d6b815b81a2e89920307d88dd66973/text___
Trump announces plan to lower beef prices, but ranchers and some Republicans are already balking
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has announced his administration will temporarily allow more beef imports into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs. He said Friday the imported beef will be sold at 25% below current market rates to help American consumers. However, conservative rural-state Republicans are already criticizing the plan, fearing it will harm American ranchers. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Trump ally, warns it could make it harder for ranchers to rebuild herds. The plan allows up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to enter the U.S. over the next 90 days.
WORDS: 793 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 4:20 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpBeefthLdWritethru/e0e3dd60ae754d647527c7734a091edf/text___
Cleanup underway after tornadoes touch down in Delaware and New York's Long Island
SUMMARY: Cleanup efforts and damage assessment are underway in Delaware's capital and on Long Island, New York, after tornadoes touched down. Storms battered the Northeast on Thursday with strong winds and heavy rains. Dozens of people were stranded in their cars during flash flooding in New York and New Jersey. Officials report no serious injuries. The National Weather Service said a trained spotter reported a tornado in Dover, Delaware, where several buildings were damaged. On Long Island, the weather service says it confirmed a tornado hit Atlantic Beach, where a beach club was heavily damaged.
WORDS: 341 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 2:33 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSNortheastStormsrdLdWritethru/f7d2bad0e650a2345d1b3b8b228f9af0/text___
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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US and Canada fall deeper into a trade war with new tariffs as talks collapse and blame is spread
SUMMARY: The United States and Canada have fallen deeper into a trade war. New tariffs are expected to raise prices for products in both countries. Each side is blaming the other for the collapse of negotiations in Washington late Friday. That's led the U.S. to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods and Canada setting Sept. 8 as the start of its retaliatory penalties. President Donald Trump’s import taxes will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. Prime Minister Carney said Ottawa would respond with targeted tariff protection for industries exposed to the new U.S. duties. No new talks are planned.
WORDS: 1325 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 3:40 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSCanadaTariffsthLdWritethru/857ef76b20a766e370d70176135b678e/text___
Trump urges South Carolinians to make Sen. Darline Graham the GOP nominee for US Senate
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump says the first step toward keeping Darline Graham as a U.S. senator from South Carolina involves helping her win a Republican runoff next week. The Republican president also begged supporters to pretend he's on the ballot Tuesday. Trump was nodding to the reality that Republican base voters lose interest in elections when he isn't on the ballot. Trump went to Myrtle Beach on Friday to support Sen. Darline Graham, his chosen candidate to succeed her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. She is serving out the remainder of her brother's term. She faces Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's runoff.
WORDS: 1142 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 4:02 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSElectionSouthCarolinaTrumpthLdWritethru/96df66a656438fb97daf9d9a551ebda5/text___
Supreme Court's chief justice allows work on Trump’s $400M White House ballroom to continue for now
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court for allowing the White House to continue construction for now on his $400 million White House ballroom project. Chief Justice John Roberts signed a temporary order Friday letting work continue as the court considers an emergency appeal from Trump’s Republican administration. Speaking later Friday in South Carolina, Trump thanked the court and Roberts and called the court's action a “good thing.” The temporary order came hours before lower-court rulings would have forced a halt to aboveground construction of the project because Trump didn’t get congressional approval.
WORDS: 674 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 6:10 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpWhiteHouseBallroomthLdWritethru/b3eaee672028e584d0c520180c663e2c/text___
Vance campaigns at the Ohio steel plant where his grandfather worked
SUMMARY: Vice President JD Vance has returned to his hometown to campaign for Republican candidates at a steel plant where his grandfather worked. Vance spoke Friday at the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works facility, highlighting his Rust Belt roots. Vance says it's “an amazing thing” his Papaw was a welder at the plant for 40 years and now he visits it as vice president of the United States. Vance aims to boost GOP candidates ahead of the November midterm elections and promote the Trump administration’s economic policies. The vice president was joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The event comes as Vance plans to ramp up his travel schedule with more public events and fundraisers.
WORDS: 989 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 4:01 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSVancethLdWritethru/cda60aa61e9f3842df543f04e21a60c0/text___
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INTERNATIONAL
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Former Hong Kong vigil organizer strives to mark Tiananmen crackdown despite convictions
SUMMARY: Years after Hong Kong’s annual vigil for the Tiananmen Square crackdown ended, former organizer Tang Ngok-kwan still discreetly visits former memorial sites in the city. Overt public commemorations have become risky under a crackdown that started following the imposition of a national security law in 2020. Two of Tang’s former colleagues were convicted Friday of inciting subversion under the law and face up to 10 years in prison. Observers say their convictions reflect the decline in the city’s freedoms. Tang says he wasn't convinced by the verdict and continues to remember the crackdown in his own quiet ways.
WORDS: 975 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 1:34 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APASHongKongTiananmenActivistrdLdWritethru/77f3e945ca5fc094db888bc2cdf20db4/text___
Russian and Ukrainian attacks kill 10 people, a day after deadly shopping mall drone strike
SUMMARY: Authorities say that Russian and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have killed at least 10 people. Ukrainian officials said that one person died on Saturday in a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that the strike hit a locomotive depot. Ukrainian authorities said that four other people were killed in the Zaporizhzhia region and two in the Kyiv region. Russian authorities said that a Ukrainian drone strike killed three people, including two children, in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. The attacks came a day after a Russian drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih killed 16 people and wounded 130 others, with four still missing.
WORDS: 655 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 7:20 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURussiaUkraineWarthLdWritethru/5e6f60963f2662907441e95c635470c4/text___
Egypt speaks with Iran after Tehran claims victory, and other Middle East developments
SUMMARY: Egypt has spoken with Iran in efforts to revive Tehran's negotiations with the United States. Iran's president has claimed the world accepts that Tehran won the war since it controls the Strait of Hormuz and hasn't given in to U.S. demands. Meanwhile, the U.S. special envoy for Syria made remarks that appear to contradict Washington's official position on the Golan Heights. Other developments include an expected meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on plans to bypass the strait. And Israel has struck a vehicle in Syria and a yard in Gaza.
WORDS: 891 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 9:23 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APMLMideastthLdWritethru/467d9b2970e0b9855ac9a68ef90c8e75/text___
Congo receives more than 16,000 doses of Ebola vaccine as it grapples with unprecedented outbreak
SUMMARY: Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as the country grapples with the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, the country’s health minister said. The 16,250 doses arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday night, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners. The Ervebo vaccine has been used in the past to treat other Ebola viruses. WHO said it may provide some protection against the rare Bundibugyo virus.
WORDS: 264 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 7:56 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APAFCongoEbolaVaccinestLdWritethru/1ce25c0697bfae7656eae3e5fe6aa6ae/text___
Somali pirates hijack oil tanker off Yemen in latest attack
SUMMARY: Somali pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off Yemen, marking a resurgence in piracy. A Somali maritime security official says six armed pirates seized the Eritrean-flagged M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday. The tanker, managed by a UAE-based company, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury last year. It had 20 crew members aboard. This incident follows the hijacking of the Lutuf, a Cameroon-flagged vessel, three days earlier. The Sibu 1 is the sixth commercial vessel hijacked by Somali pirates since April. Puntland’s Security Ministry says forces beyond its control are behind the renewed piracy.
WORDS: 451 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 8:18 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APAFSomaliYemenPiracy/5095054a9227548818dfc819d226dc76/text___
Wildfires expose — and detonate — buried bombs and mines from WWI and WWII
SUMMARY: The wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed a potentially deadly threat lurking beneath the blackened landscape: rusty bombs and mines from World War I and II. The explosives now threaten crews fighting the fires. Some of the weapons have exploded in the intense heat. Blasts have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Fires can ignite old munitions but can also burn away the scrub and brush that hides them. This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January, which spurred vegetation growth that became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
WORDS: 935 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 6:09 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUWildfireOrdnancendLdWritethru/5390dcf3c92c41ec44c2b0a4d9d80157/text___
An 18-year-old with a sword attacks a school in Sweden, leaving 1 dead and 2 injured
SUMMARY: An 18-year-old with a sword attacked a school Friday in central Sweden, killing one person and seriously injuring two others. Police Chief Tommy Alriksson said the attacker at the school in Fagersta was arrested. Shots were fired during the arrest. The attack took place at the Brinell School, northwest of Stockholm. Two teenagers were seriously injured, and one other person was taken to the hospital. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called it a “serious incident” right after the summer break. Several nearby schools were locked down, and roadblocks were set up.
WORDS: 388 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 1:51 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUSwedenSwordAttackthLdWritethru/d07f2b075d2c20837a9d3d767a57246b/text___
Russian drones kill 15 people at a shopping mall in a central Ukrainian city, officials say
SUMMARY: Ukrainian officials say Russian drones have hit a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih, killing at least 15 people and wounding scores more. The city in central Ukraine is the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Regional military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha said 23 children were among the 130 injured in the Friday afternoon strike. Zelenskyy said it was a double-tap attack, with an initial wave of drones hitting the area followed by a second wave as rescue workers arrived. He said such attacks are “nothing less than terrorist acts.” Authorities say the shopping mall strikes, plus two other separate Russian attacks in the Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions, killed a total of 21 people across Ukraine on Friday.
WORDS: 701 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 4:20 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURussiaUkraineWarthLdWritethru/5f0948b0163062d84d7a68fbfc3c1469/text___
Israel will investigate Hind Rajab's killing. Her mother wants more
SUMMARY: The mother of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed after Israeli forces fired on her family’s car wants an independent inquiry into her death. Wesam Hamada told The Associated Press in an interview on Friday that the Israeli military investigation announced this week into the killing of her daughter Hind Rajab was insufficient and wouldn't deliver justice for her family. The circumstances of Rajab's death made her one of the Israel-Hamas war’s most prominent casualties. Israel’s military this week admitted to firing at the family’s car as it fled an Israeli invasion and firing toward an ambulance dispatched to help them. All six people in the car and two paramedics were killed.
WORDS: 860 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 3:02 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APMLMideastWarsHindRajabndLdWritethru/edc2d9b929db8cf972d41c35ffea9a56/text___
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BUSINESS
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Why the bond market is flexing its muscles, and why everyone needs to care
SUMMARY: The bond market is one of the few forces in the world strong enough to get politicians to snap to attention. It also helps dictate how much ordinary people have to pay on their mortgages and car loans, as well as how much they earn from their savings accounts and 401(k) plans. This week rising bond yields forced the U.S. Treasury Department into an unusual intervention and raised the specter of higher borrowing costs putting the brakes on consumer spending, the lifeblood of the economy. It also sparked concerns that investors might finally be thinking twice about financing a seemingly endless flow of government borrowing.
WORDS: 1198 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 8:59 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSBondMarketWhyItMatters/b62bedeb7a8b7d5479e25a560b52176c/text___
TikTok reaches $400 million settlement with US Justice Department over children's privacy
SUMMARY: TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws. The DOJ said Friday that TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and another $100 million after an order vacates an earlier consent decree against its predecessor company, Musical.ly. Since the DOJ’s lawsuit in 2024, TikTok has undergone major changes, most notably in the ownership structure of its U.S. arm. In January, the social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture.
WORDS: 327 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 12:08 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTikTokSettlement/7d92b65fa23968b8ce13ea3b5c52e7a4/text___
US stocks rise, even as the bond market applies more pressure
SUMMARY: U.S. stocks rose and trimmed their losses from a shaky week. That's even though the bond market, which has been the center of Wall Street’s action, remained jumpy and added more pressure Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% for just its second gain in the six days since setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.4%. Ross Stores rallied after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, and a report suggesting strong growth in U.S. business activity raised hopes for corporate profits broadly. Oil prices climbed.
WORDS: 733 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 4:46 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFinancialMarketsthLdWritethru/96ef9586e1288e50843b4d2b1ccebc32/text___
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RELIGION
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Pope Leo calls for dialogue over conflict, says young Catholics are a sign of hope
SUMMARY: Pope Leo XIV has used a visit to San Marino and a major Catholic gathering in the nearby Italian city of Rimini to urge Catholics to reject division, conflict and social polarization, calling instead for dialogue, mercy and friendship across political and cultural differences. He spoke on Saturday at the annual Rimini Meeting, warning against a culture that “rearms minds, words and nations.” Leo said Christians should work to overcome poverty, inequality and war. He also delivered a strong message to young Catholics, describing them as “a sign that the future is promising, and not a threat,” and encouraging them to engage with society and help build a “civilization of love.”
WORDS: 801 - MOVED: 08/22/2026 9:34 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURELPopeSanMarinostLdWritethru/8edd2e7e78fa2f11ff0d3be418e1fb30/text___
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SPORTS
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NCAA gets win in court on 5-year eligibility rule, but this is hardly the end of the lawsuits
SUMMARY: A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a court order that would have granted thousands of athletes an extra year of eligibility. This decision comes just eight days before the college football season begins. The lawsuit was filed by players who graduated high school in 2022 and were not included in the NCAA’s new rule granting most players five years of eligibility. The ruling puts a hold on the situation until the appeal can be fully heard. The NCAA argues that fairness is subjective, as current athletes and schools have already built their rosters based on existing rules.
WORDS: 849 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 3:20 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFBCNCAAEligibilitythLdWritethru/a0ba388e1f7a2cbd3bad9d6b1e0dc3cc/text___
T-wolves, Lynx co-owner Lore agrees to sell his controlling stake at a $4.5B value, AP source says
SUMMARY: Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx co-owner Marc Lore has agreed to sell his controlling stake in the franchises to limited partner Marc Stad at a $4.5 billion value barely a year after his purchase was finalized, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the agreement were not being publicized. Lore is a New York e-commerce entrepreneur. His partner and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez bought the NBA and WNBA clubs from Minnesota businessman Glen Taylor. That $1.5 billion sale got league approval in June 2025.
WORDS: 588 - MOVED: 08/21/2026 5:04 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APBKNTimberwolvesSalestLdWritethru/c863ab59d573fd6476cf75834bfb8f50/text___
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