National News

WASHINGTON -- A woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a long-ago sexual assault wants the FBI to get involved -- but the request is not so simple. Only the White House can order the FBI to look into the claim as part of Kavanaugh's background investigation, since Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor from California, is not accusing Kavanaugh of a federal crime...

Twice in less than a year, the federal government has lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children after placing them in the homes of sponsors across the country, federal officials have acknowledged. The Health and Human Services Department recently told Senate staffers case managers could not find 1,488 children after they made follow-up calls to check on their safety from April through June. ...

NEW BERN, N.C. -- Eager to show heart in a moment of crisis, President Donald Trump handed out hot dogs, hugs and comforting words in the Carolinas on Wednesday as he surveyed the wreckage left by Hurricane Florence. With residents still recovering from torrential rains, Trump sought to strike a balance between comforter and cheerleader, mindful he has been criticized in the past for not showing sufficient empathy in the face of tragedy...

WASHINGTON -- A better-than-expected outcome of the summit between the two Koreas immediately kick-started stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, boosting President Donald Trump's high-stakes push to get the North to give up its nuclear weapons by the end of his first term in office...

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Exhaustion and frustration are building in the Carolinas as thousands of people wait to go home days after Hurricane Florence unleashed epic floods blamed for at least 37 deaths, including those of two women who drowned when a sheriff's van taking them to a mental health facility was swept off a road...

WASHINGTON -- Robert Mueller has been busy. In just the last two weeks, the special counsel has secured the cooperation of President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, dispensed with the case of the campaign aide who triggered the Russia probe and signaled he's squeezed all the information he needs out of former national security adviser Michael Flynn...

CHICAGO -- A doctor testifying in the trial of a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the death of Laquan McDonald said Wednesday it's impossible to determine the exact order of the wounds the black teenager suffered from 16 shots fired...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday bluntly questioned the allegation Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a fellow high school student over 30 years ago, and Republicans warned the accuser the window was closing to tell her story before a confirmation vote...

SPANGLE, Wash. -- In the aptly named Harvester Restaurant, wheat farmer Roy Dube makes clear he's no fan of President Donald Trump's trade policy. "We get him elected into office and he pulls us out of trade agreements," Dube said last week as local farmers gathered to hear Democratic House candidate Lisa Brown...

BEIJING -- China's No. 2 leader appealed Wednesday for support for free trade and promised to improve conditions for foreign companies following tit-for-tat U.S. and Chinese tariff hikes in a battle over Beijing's technology policy. Premier Li Keqiang's comments add to Beijing's effort to portray itself as a defender of global trade in the face of complaints by Washington and other trading partners that China violates its market-opening commitments...

Today is Thursday, Sept. 20, the 263rd day of 2018. There are 102 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 20, 1962, James Meredith, a black student, was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Democratic Gov. Ross R. Barnett. (Meredith was later admitted.)...

BEIJING -- The U.S.-China trade war escalated further Tuesday, with China announcing retaliatory tax increases on $60 billion worth of U.S. imports, including coffee, honey and industrial chemicals. The increases are in response to the U.S. announcing it will impose tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese-made goods starting next week. The tariffs will start at 10 percent, then rise to 25 percent Jan. 1...

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Hundreds of people waited in long lines for water and other essentials Tuesday in Wilmington, still mostly cut off by high water days after Hurricane Florence unleashed epic floods, and North Carolina's governor pleaded with more than 10,000 evacuees around the state not to return home yet...

WASHINGTON -- Trading accusations, Democratic and Republican senators quarreled Tuesday over who will testify at what promises to be a dramatic and emotional hearing Monday with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who says he sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. But doubts were raised whether she would appear...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is flexing his executive power to declassify secret documents in the Russia investigation, an extraordinary move he says will ensure "really bad things" at the FBI are exposed. But the decision, made against the backdrop of Trump's spiraling outrage at the special counsel's Russia investigation, may expose sensitive sources and methods and brush up against privacy law protections, experts say...

NEW ORLEANS -- McDonald's workers staged protests in several cities Tuesday in what organizers billed as the first multistate strike seeking to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. In Chicago, one of the targeted cities, several dozen protesters rallied in front of McDonald's headquarters while a plane flew overhead with a banner reading, "McDonald's: Stop Sexual Harassment." In New Orleans, current and former employees chanted, "Hey, McDonald's, you can't hide -- we can see your nasty side.". ...

The Coca-Cola Company said Monday it is "closely watching" the expanding use of a cannabis element in drinks, another sign cannabis and cannabis-infused products are getting more acceptance in mainstream culture and a harder look from long-established pillars of American business...

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday dismissed recent news reports tensions between him and President Donald Trump point to his exit soon. Asked by a reporter whether such reports should be taken seriously, he replied, "No. I wouldn't take it seriously at all. It's like most of those kind of things in this town" that he said are fanned by baseless rumor...

HOUSTON -- The arrest of a Border Patrol supervisor on allegations he killed four women calls new attention to the agency's problems keeping rogue officers off its force as it faces intense pressure to hire thousands more agents. Juan David Ortiz, who worked in the agency's Laredo sector, is accused of targeting women believed to be prostitutes in what prosecutors say is the work of a serial killer...

MOSCOW -- A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syria forces responding to an Israeli airstrike, killing all 15 people aboard, in what President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday was "a chain of tragic accidental circumstances." The downing of the Il-20 highlighted the dangers posed by the conflicting interests of various powers in the crowded skies over Syria and threatened the close security ties between Russia and Israel...

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 19, the 262nd day of 2018. There are 103 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 19, 1881, the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield, died 21/2 months after being shot by Charles Guiteau; Chester Alan Arthur became president...

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Throwing a lifeline to a city surrounded by floodwaters, emergency crews delivered food and water to Wilmington on Monday as rescuers picked up more people stranded by Hurricane Florence and the storm's remnants took aim at the densely populated Northeast...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Monday declassified a trove of documents related to the early days of the FBI's Russia investigation, including a portion of a secret surveillance warrant application and former FBI director James Comey's text messages...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans abruptly laid plans Monday for a Senate committee hearing at which Brett Kavanaugh and the woman alleging he sexually assaulted her decades ago will testify publicly, as GOP leaders grudgingly opted for a dramatic showdown they hoped would prevent the accusation from sinking his Supreme Court nomination...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. will slash the number of refugees it will accept for a second straight year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, insisting amid criticism from human rights groups the country is still committed to providing sanctuary to people fleeing the world's danger zones...

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of foster children may be getting powerful psychiatric drugs prescribed to them without basic safeguards, said a federal watchdog agency, pointing to a failure to care for youngsters whose lives have already been disrupted. A report released Monday by the Health and Human Services inspector general's office found about 1 in 3 foster children from a sample of states were prescribed psychiatric drugs without treatment plans or follow-up, standard steps in sound medical care.. ...

WASHINGTON -- Creating a Space Force as a separate military service, as proposed by President Donald Trump, would cost an estimated $12.9 billion in its first five years, according to a detailed Air Force plan for how to go about it. This is the first publicly available cost estimate. When the White House announced plans to establish a Space Force in August, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan declined to give a figure but said it would be in "the billions."...

LAREDO, Texas -- A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor charged in the killings of four women knew the victims and targeted them for their vulnerability, authorities said Monday, as some feared more deaths at the hands of the agent remained undiscovered. Though investigators didn't detail Juan David Ortiz's history with the women, who were believed to have been sex workers, they said he knew them before killing them and leaving their bodies by rural Texas roadsides during a 10-day string of violence...

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday he will push for "irreversible, permanent peace," and for better dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, during "heart-to-heart" talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week. His chief of staff, however, played down the chance Moon's summit with Kim will produce major progress in nuclear diplomacy...

MOSCOW -- The leaders of Russia and Turkey agreed Monday to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib region, the last major stronghold of anti-government rebels where fears had been running high of a devastating offensive by government forces...

ITOGON, Philippines -- Dozens of people believed buried in a landslide unleashed by Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines probably did not survive, a mayor said Monday, although rescuers kept digging through mud and debris covering a chapel where they had taken shelter...

BEIJING -- One of China's most prominent figures in global finance said Beijing should press Washington to end their tariff battle by clamping down on exports of goods needed by American companies, according to news reports Monday. The comments by Lou Jiwei, a former finance minister and chairman of China's sovereign wealth fund, follow reports regulators are squeezing American companies by slowing down customs approvals and stepping up environmental and other inspections...

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, Md. — A driving lesson went off the deep end in Maryland when authorities say the car jumped a curb, crashed through a fence and landed in a swimming pool. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer told The Washington Post the driver and passenger were uninjured Saturday, albeit soaking wet. ...

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 18, the 261st day of 2018. There are 104 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 18, 1975, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by the FBI in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army...

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Catastrophic flooding from Florence spread across the Carolinas on Sunday, with roads to Wilmington cut off by the epic deluge and muddy river water swamping entire neighborhoods miles inland. "The risk to life is rising with the angry waters," Gov. Roy Cooper declared as the storm's death toll climbed to 17...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was thrust into turmoil Sunday after the woman accusing him of high school-era sexual misconduct told her story publicly for the first time. Democrats immediately called for a delay in a key committee vote set for later this week and a Republican on the closely divided panel said he's "not comfortable" voting on the nomination without first hearing from the accuser...

HONG KONG -- Typhoon Mangkhut barreled into southern China after lashing the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that caused landslides feared to have buried dozens. More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated in southern China's Guangdong province by Sunday evening to flee the typhoon, state media said...

HOUSTON -- A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor was jailed Sunday on $2.5 million bond in Texas, accused of killing at least four women and injuring a fifth who managed to escape. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was in custody in Laredo on four counts of murder along with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint, Webb County Jail records showed...

PITTSBURGH — Robbing a Store 101: Take the money and run — but not before checking your getaway car’s gas tank. Authorities said a man’s bid to rob a Pittsburgh pharmacy was foiled because his car had no gas. ...

Today is Monday, Sept. 17, the 260th day of 2018. There are 105 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was completed and signed by a majority of delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia...

Today is Sunday, Sept. 16, the 259th day of 2018. There are 106 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On Sept. 16, 1987, two dozen countries signed the Montreal Protocol, a treaty designed to save the Earth's ozone layer by calling on nations to reduce emissions of harmful chemicals by the year 2000...

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Blowing ashore with howling 90 mph winds, Florence splintered buildings, trapped hundreds of people and swamped entire communities along the Carolina coast Friday in what could be just the opening act in a watery, two-part, slow-motion disaster. At least four people were killed...

As Hurricane Florence spins inland, environmental regulators are monitoring more than three dozen toxic waste sites in the storm's path, as well as scores of low-lying water- and sewage-treatment plants at risk of flooding. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified 41 Superfund sites in threatened parts of the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland and Georgia, including polluted industrial sites, chemical plants, coastal shipyards and military bases...

WASHINGTON -- Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate with the special counsel's Russia investigation as he pleaded guilty to federal charges and avoided a second trial, potentially exposing him to even greater punishment...

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Investigators worked Friday to pinpoint the cause of a series of fiery natural gas explosions killing a teen driver in his car just hours after he got his license, injuring at least 25 others and leaving dozens of homes in smoldering ruins...

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Friday denied an allegation of sexual misconduct from when he was in high school, seeking to defuse a potential threat to his confirmation as a handful of key senators remained silent on whether they would vote for him...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Ramona Gonzalez did not drown when Hurricane Maria drenched Puerto Rico. She did not die in the tempest or from destruction wrought by the storm's 154 mph winds. Instead, this disabled, 59-year-old woman died a month later, from sepsis -- caused, says her family, by an untreated bedsore...

Today is Saturday, Sept. 15, the 258th day of 2018. There are 107 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 15, 1972, a federal grand jury in Washington indicted seven men in connection with the Watergate break-in. On this date: In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution...

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- A series of gas explosions one official described as "Armageddon" left at least 10 people injured and ignited fires in at least 39 homes in three communities north of Boston on Thursday, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate as crews scrambled to fight the flames and turn off gas and electric lines to prevent further damage...

A group of scientists unveiled the first results Thursday of an ambitious effort to map the genes of tens of thousands of animal species, a project they said could help save animals from extinction down the line. The scientists are working with the Genome 10,000 consortium on the Vertebrate Genomes Project, which is seeking to map the genomes of all 66,000 species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and fish on Earth. ...