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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Roommate charged with two counts of murder in death, disappearance of two USF students
SUMMARY: Authorities have filed murder charges against the roommate of a Bangladeshi doctoral student who disappeared with his girlfriend from the University of South Florida. Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy. Limon’s remains were found Friday, but Bristy is still missing. Abugharbieh was initially taken into custody on preliminary charges, including unlawfully moving a dead body. He barricaded himself at his family’s home before surrendering. Limon and Bristy were considering marriage before they disappeared on April 16. The search for Bristy continues. Abugharbieh made an initial appearance Saturday in a Tampa courtroom, where he was ordered held without bond.
WORDS: 610 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 12:28 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSMissingGradStudentsFloridardLdWritethru/983f85642596c8ef9db9bfd76dd79669/text___
A sudden shift: ICE arrests drop nearly 12% after Minneapolis killings and immigration shake-up
SUMMARY: At the peak of the crackdown, carloads of masked immigration officers were a common sight in the streets of Minneapolis, while thousands of people were being arrested every week in Texas, Florida and California. In December alone, arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents peaked at nearly 40,000 nationwide, according to data provided to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press. Arrests were nearly as high the next month. But the killings by federal agents of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and the subsequent shake-up of top immigration officials were quickly followed by a nearly 12% drop in arrests since early February.
WORDS: 810 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 12:35 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSImmigrationEnforcementArrests/ade19b1a0698f7aabfd95f89c584c971/text___
Violent tornado tears through Oklahoma town, damaging 40 homes but sparing lives
SUMMARY: Officials say a powerful storm churned up multiple tornadoes that barreled through Oklahoma, damaging at least 40 homes and sending emergency crews door-to-door in a hard hit neighborhood. The most extensive damage was in the rural town of Enid in Garfield County on Thursday night, where some homes were reduced to rubble. Video shows a rapidly moving column of air touching down along with totaled homes. The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said there were no immediate reports of fatalities and only minor injuries hours after the tornado passed through. The mayor of Enid says some people were trapped in their homes and had to be rescued.
WORDS: 935 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 4:29 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSSevereWeatherthLdWritethru/eb6d1d20f03e8577ea46cf8489ca4c8e/text___
Growing wildfires blamed for death of Florida firefighter and destruction of 120 Georgia homes
SUMMARY: Officials say a volunteer firefighter has died battling a wildfire in Florida, while two large fires in Georgia have destroyed more than 120 homes. The sheriff's office in Nassau County, Florida, said Friday that volunteer firefighter James “Kevin” Crews died Thursday after suffering an unspecified medical emergency while suppressing a brush fire. Meanwhile, crews are battling two large fires in southeast Georgia that Gov. Brian Kemp says have destroyed 120 homes. Fire officials say thousands more remain threatened. Kemp said no other wildfire in Georgia's history have burned so many homes. He said investigators believe the fire in rural Brantley County was sparked by an aluminum party balloon touching power lines.
WORDS: 865 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 4:01 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSWildfiresthLdWritethru/54ae4a4b099c1c11b3d76800275055e1/text___
US soldier charged with using classified intel to win $400K on Maduro raid is granted bond
SUMMARY: A U.S. soldier involved with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been granted bond, a day after being charged with using classified information about the operation to win more than $400,000 in an online prediction market. Federal prosecutors say Gannon Ken Van Dyke used his access to classified information about the January raid to win money on Polymarket. Van Dyke is a special operations soldier who is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He’s now facing several federal charges and the possibility of years in prison. He said little during Friday's hearing and was assigned a federal public defender, who declined to comment.
WORDS: 768 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 1:53 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSPredictionMarketsMadurothLdWritethru/3924aed69e6d6efdda7127cf82364990/text___
Police identify the body of 1 missing USF student, second still missing as roommate is charged
SUMMARY: Law enforcement authorities in Florida say the body of a Bangladeshi doctoral student who went missing with his girlfriend from the University of South Florida has been found on a bridge over Tampa Bay, and his roommate has been taken into custody. Zamil Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland bridge Friday morning, but Nahida Bristy is still missing. Hillsborough County police says Limon’s roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, faces preliminary charges including unlawfully moving a body. The couple from Bangladesh disappeared from campus on April 16.
WORDS: 637 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 5:29 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSMissingGradStudentsFloridathLdWritethru/43a85acb9d9e1ef964470bbba7cd0724/text___
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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US military strike on alleged drug boat kills 2 in eastern Pacific
SUMMARY: The U.S. military says it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people Friday. The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 183 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs. U.S. Southern Command posted a video on X Friday night showing a boat floating in the water before a explosion left it in flames.
WORDS: 221 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 2:36 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpCartelsstLdWritethru/42e0097eea2b04bbec4f84afed237d71/text___
A bank robber's cellphone gave him away. Now the Supreme Court is hearing his case
SUMMARY: Okello Chatrie’s cellphone gave him away. Chatrie made off with $195,000 from the bank he robbed in suburban Richmond, Virginia, and he eluded the police. But then they turned to a powerful technological tool that erected a virtual fence and allowed them collect the location history of cellphone users near the crime scene. A type of warrant served by police on Google found that Chatrie’s cellphone was among a handful of devices in the vicinity of the bank around the time it was robbed. Now the Supreme Court will decide whether those geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment's ban on unreasonable searches.
WORDS: 809 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 1:57 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSSupremeCourtLocationTrackingWarrants/a61c200a806cba89ded43685279eccae/text___
US says it's hunting for explosive mines in latest push to open the Strait of Hormuz
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump says the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. The vital sea route for Persian Gulf oil is closed to most ships, and that's a strain on the global economy. Experts say sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the United States and Iran in the war. Any future claims that the U.S. cleared the waterway where 20% of the world’s oil typically passes might fail to convince commercial freighters and their insurers that it's finally safe.
WORDS: 1226 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 12:13 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSIranUSMinesHormuz/edef3201f6e227c4b5e5edf1a28f6f77/text___
Close watch on how Trump and journalists will get along at White House correspondents' dinner
SUMMARY: Donald Trump is expected to make his first appearance as president at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington. The annual event is designed to celebrate press freedoms. But Saturday night's version could be awkward, given the Trump administration's often contentious relationship with the news media. Outsiders will be watching to see what Trump will say and how many officials from his administration will be on hand. Nearly 500 retired journalists have signed a petition urging reporters at the event to “forcefully demonstrate opposition” to anti-press efforts. The correspondents' association says the dinner “reinforces the importance of the First Amendment in our democracy.”
WORDS: 657 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 1:11 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpCorrespondents/a0a2446832e8596e66c6fccb8426c8aa/text___
Trump's disdain for wind projects creates a political storm for Republicans in coastal Virginia
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump's attempts to cancel offshore wind projects have drawn opposition not only from environmentalists but also from Republicans. One of them is Jen Kiggans, a congresswoman who represents a coastal district in Virginia where an $11.5 billion wind farm is expected to create 1,000 jobs. Her support for a project targeted by Trump shows the scrambled politics of clean energy in an election year where Republicans are at risk of losing the House. Kiggans could be even more at risk after Virginia voters approved on Tuesday a new congressional map that makes her competitive district more Democratic than before.
WORDS: 1009 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 11:51 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSElectionGreenEnergy/2ea1ca1df84435ddddef9320bbe6084d/text___
Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions in move to ramp up capital punishment
SUMMARY: The Justice Department will adopt firing squad as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases. The Justice Department is also reauthorizing the use of single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital that were used to carry out 13 executions during the first Trump administration — more than under any president in modern history. The Biden administration had removed pentobarbital from the federal protocol over concerns about the potential for unnecessary pain and suffering.
WORDS: 501 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 6:12 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSJusticeDepartmentDeathPenalty/9e81687b80402e1e19d57bbc55772470/text___
US imposes sanctions on a China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iranian oil
SUMMARY: The Trump administration is sanctioning a major China-based oil refinery and about 40 shipping companies. The move announced Friday is part of a campaign to cut off Iran’s oil exports, a key revenue source. The U.S. has also imposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for energy exports. Hengli Petrochemical’s facility in Dalian is included in the sanctions. Since 2023, it has received Iranian crude oil shipments. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the agency will continue to restrict Iran’s oil network. The sanctions come amid turmoil in the global energy trade. China has said the use of sanctions “undermines international trade order and rules."
WORDS: 605 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 6:12 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSChinaSanctionsthLdWritethru/12a02b5ba394cbcab355d645bfe9cdf7/text___
Justice Department drops criminal probe of Fed chair Powell, likely clearing the way for Warsh
SUMMARY: The Justice Department has ended its investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, clearing a major roadblock to the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as his successor. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on X Friday her office was ending its probe into the Fed’s extensive building renovations because the Fed’s inspector general would scrutinize them instead. The move could lead to a swift confirmation vote by the Senate for Warsh, a former Fed official President Donald Trump nominated in January to replace Powell. The investigation was among several undertaken by the Justice Department into the Republican president's perceived adversaries. Powell says the investigation was intended to intimidate the Fed.
WORDS: 1123 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 2:28 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSFederalReserveInvestigationthLdWritethru/28d04cc0d99cda25cea69931f65e25d3/text___
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INTERNATIONAL
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Despite Iran tensions, King Charles III will follow his mother's lead in celebrating US-UK bonds
SUMMARY: King Charles III embarks on a state visit to the U.S. on Monday, aiming to strengthen ties between the two nations. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, set a high bar with her 1991 speech to Congress, highlighting shared democratic values. Charles is likely to echo these themes as he celebrates America's 250th birthday. The visit includes a commemoration of the Sept. 11 attacks and a tribute to fallen service members. Despite political tensions, Charles will seek to emphasize the enduring friendship between the U.S. and the U.K. His speech to Congress will likely aim to unite lawmakers across party lines, focusing on long-term bonds over short-term disputes.
WORDS: 1141 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 4:01 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSBritainRoyalVisitthLdWritethru/14e9bb0bd9b4ddfef85af836f68ae401/text___
Trump tells Fox News he's no longer sending Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan for Iran talks
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump says he told top U.S. envoys not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, shortly after Iran’s top diplomat left Islamabad. Trump told Fox News on Saturday that ″they can call us anytime they want.” In a brief phone interview, Trump said he told U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “you’re not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.” Trump also said of the U.S. side “we have all the cards.” His comments came after the White House said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would be heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran.
WORDS: 736 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 4:13 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APMLIranUSthLdWritethru/7e52d208e7b517c615fc178280ca57d0/text___
Gunfire and blasts across Mali as simultaneous attacks target capital and other cities
SUMMARY: Gunmen have attacked multiple locations in Mali's capital and other cities, according to residents and the army. The military said unidentified armed groups targeted sites and barracks in the capital, while fighting is ongoing in several cities. Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard near Modibo Keïta International Airport, in Bamako, with helicopters patrolling overhead. Similar incidents occurred in Kati, near the capital, and in the northern cities of Kidal and Gao. Mali has long faced insurgencies from al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.
WORDS: 704 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 8:51 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APAFMaliAttacksthLdWritethru/96f93a72f4766d538e0c98d9e6afa912/text___
Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks, killing and wounding dozens, as Zelenskyy calls for more talks
SUMMARY: Russian drone and missile strikes have killed at least five people and wounded 46 in Dnipro and other areas of Ukraine. Authorities say the overnight attacks caused fires and partially destroyed several buildings. Another person was killed in a separate attack on Saturday afternoon. In Russian-held Luhansk, the Moscow-installed governor said three people were killed by a Ukrainian attack, while in Russia itself, a Ukrainian drone strike killed a woman and seriously wounded a man in Belgorod. Romania’s Defense Ministry reported finding drone fragments in Galati. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine is open to continuing peace talks with Russia in Azerbaijan.
WORDS: 478 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 8:26 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURussiaUkraineWarthLdWritethru/c8358dcd62b30de60708dc080c8ae562/text___
Trump claims progress in Mideast wars, but grievances could reignite them
SUMMARY: The post-Oct. 7 order in the Middle East is barely pieced together by conditional ceasefires and mutual threats. Israel has inflicted heavy blows on Iran and its allies Hezbollah and Hamas, but it has yet to vanquish them and is still regularly striking in Lebanon and Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure to deliver a clear victory ahead of elections later this year. U.S. President Donald Trump still appears to be seeking a nuclear deal with Iran and wider peace in the Middle East. But ceasefire talks have so far produced little and the two countries are locked in an escalating standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
WORDS: 1051 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 8:04 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APMLMideastThreeCeasefiresstLdWritethru/9cad20d6a7c17855cc40c9e7d934fdcb/text___
Ukrainians thought they had reduced the risks at Chernobyl. Then Russia invaded
SUMMARY: The two explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant came decades apart. The first, on April 26, 1986, spread a cloud of deadly radiation that raised fears across Europe and some say hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ukrainian officials say the second, on Feb. 14, 2025, was caused by a Russian drone. While not as catastrophic, it sparked new anxieties about Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor, striking the site that symbolized so much suffering for Ukraine. The drone hit what is known as the New Safe Confinement structure, the $2.1 billion archlike shell completed in 2019 to enclose the hastily built concrete “sarcophagus” to keep what was left of the damaged reactor from leaking radiation.
WORDS: 1289 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 1:03 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUChernobylAnniversary/dbd19c1f8d63b72483829e3b487dfee2/text___
EU considers helping with Mideast energy infrastructure to bypass conflict zones
SUMMARY: Top European Union officials say the bloc is looking into funding alternative energy infrastructure in the Middle East that would circumvent conflict hot spots like the Strait of Hormuz. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is ready to work with Persian Gulf countries for new projects conveying energy to the continent that wouldn’t be held hostage to war or geopolitical strife. European Council President Antonio Costa said the EU is prepared to help restore “the Gulf energy infrastructure in order to stabilize the global energy markets.”
WORDS: 755 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 4:03 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUEuropeMideastEnergy/95425c82bcd5287f372ad6bb0ee69f5f/text___
Businesses dole out up to $4 million to cross Panama Canal during Strait of Hormuz chokehold
SUMMARY: Businesses have doled out up to $4 million to send ships through the Panama Canal while trying to avoid the Iran war's risks and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Passage through the canal usually comes at a flat rate via reservations. But companies without bookings can pay more to cross through an auction that awards slots to the highest bidder. The average price to cross the canal ranges between $300,000 and $400,000 depending on the vessel. Businesses that wanted earlier crossings previously paid an additional $250,000 to $300,000. In a number of cases recently, companies have paid big money to jump the line. The canal’s administrator says one paid an extra $4 million.
WORDS: 764 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 5:05 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APLTPanamaCanalIranrdLdWritethru/d6a2aa2a21f29bfdf313182e753e1c41/text___
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BUSINESS
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Don't count on rate cuts just yet: Warsh as Fed chair may not lead to big policy changes
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has made it clear he expects his choice for Federal Reserve chair to quickly cut interest rates once he takes office. Yet Americans shouldn’t pencil in lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, or business loans just yet. Kevin Warsh is the likely successor to current Fed chair Jerome Powell when his term ends May 15. But Warsh will still face several hurdles to reducing rates even if he gets confirmed, including rising gas prices that are pushing up inflation, questions about his political independence, and 11 other Fed policymakers who have a vote on the decision, with most of them not ready to cut. Trump, meanwhile, has kept up the pressure.
WORDS: 1178 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 9:48 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSFederalReserveWarshRateCuts/bcaac06bfee8bb92a900366b2d03ce01/text___
Intel’s best day since 1987 leads the US stock market to more records
SUMMARY: A surge for Intel following a blowout profit report led the U.S. stock market to more records, while oil prices kept yo-yoing in the wait for what’s next with the Iran war. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% Friday and topped its prior all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.6% to its own record. Intel led the way and roared to its best day since 1987 after joining the parade of companies reporting stronger quarterly results than analysts expected. Oil prices swung up and down through the day.
WORDS: 764 - MOVED: 04/24/2026 4:29 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFinancialMarketsthLdWritethru/75bd462d6795062bed788709d647dc68/text___
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, and some experts worry about future illnesses
SUMMARY: Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, with an unusually high number of bites already reported across the country. Some U.S. doctors are worried about the potential for a bad year for tick-borne diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an early advisory to the public this week to guard against ticks.
WORDS: 749 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 12:38 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSMEDTickSeasonstLdWritethru/ff8499dbf23d9c61c0d5c07b259987d1/text___
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ENTERTAINMENT
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Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension
SUMMARY: The Philadelphia Museum of Art is embracing a statue it once kept at arm’s length. A new exhibition, “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” brings the bronze figure of Rocky Balboa inside for the first time, reframing it as both pop culture icon and part of a 2,000-year tradition of boxing imagery. The show explores how the fictional fighter became a global symbol of struggle and resilience. For decades, the museum sought to remove the statue. It is now a pilgrimage site that draws millions each year. After the exhibit closes, the statue will move to a permanent spot atop the museum’s steps.
WORDS: 715 - MOVED: 04/25/2026 4:05 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSPARockyStatueExhibitionstLdWritethru/9ad13e5c91f7421cc7ec9c016070d212/text___
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