News - Friday, June 26, 2026

On July 1, future doctors and other professionals will no longer have access to the federal Graduate PLUS loan program, a popular borrowing vehicle heavily utilized by medical and other professional students.

Current borrowers will see their access to funds curtailed, and likely will see shortfalls in what they can borrow vs. their school-related and living expenses. In response, separate programs launched by a Tennessee lender and physician’s association are aimed at helping ease costs at two different stages of a young doctor’s career.

The elimination of the federal Graduate PLUS loan program for future borrowers, as well as a more costly academic landscape, merge to create a difficult pathway for students pursuing a medical or other healthcare degree. Colleges try to make up the gap where and when they can, but they are there primarily to provide an education, not finance one, says Dr. Jeannette South-Paul, executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College.

Increased reliance on credit-based private markets: Medical students will now be more likely to bridge the remaining annual balance through private student lenders. Unlike federal loans, private lending relies heavily on credit scores and debt-to-income ratios. Many incoming medical students will lack the robust credit history or immediate income to qualify for favorable terms independently, meaning they’ll need a co-signer or take out loans with variable, higher-risk interest rates.

President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) is fundamentally shifting the federal medical school borrowing landscape, eliminating long-standing safety nets for incoming students.

Historically, medical students leveraged the Federal Graduate PLUS Program to borrow up to their school’s full cost of attendance (COA), effectively insulating them from high-risk private markets.

The phone call came from Houston.

The woman on the other end of the line was a widow. She had no children. She was paralyzed and afraid she was about to be forced out of her care facility.

For most people, it would have been an overwhelming conversation. For Misty Bolt, it was another reminder of why she’s spent the last 21 years helping people navigate Medicare.

Judge Thomas Wyatt retires from the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims at the end of this month, after 12 years of distinguished service as a trial judge and decades as an accomplished attorney in Chattanooga.

When I first met Tom 22 years ago, he was in private practice and I was a staff attorney for the Division of Workers’ Compensation (now called the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation). Tom and I were cordial, but I never thought that I’d one day work with him and consider him a close friend.

In our last two installments, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we discussed how that document laid the foundation for the rule of law and the right to trial by jury. In this article – our last before the anniversary – we’ll discuss how the Declaration also laid the foundation for an independent judiciary.

Financial security doesn’t have to come from a big salary, a lucky investment or some dramatic turning point. For most people, wealth is built more simply, through small habits repeated many times over. 

If you’re like many young people, you may feel you don’t have enough money to start investing. The reality is that you’re in a great position to build the small habits that will help you create lasting wealth. Here are five tips to help you get started.

May gave us a market with more room to breathe. More homes came on the market, inventory continued to grow and pending sales showed that buyers were still active.

That combination matters. It means the Chattanooga region continues to grow and change, but at a more measured pace than many people remember from a few years ago.

Hamilton offers free property fraud alerts

Hamilton County property owners can now sign up for a free Property Fraud Alert System through the Hamilton County Register of Deeds Office. 

The service sends instant email notifications whenever a document matching a property owner’s name or address is recorded, helping residents quickly identify and respond to potentially suspicious activity.

A new endowed scholarship at Tennessee Technological University will honor the legacy of late educator, counselor and public servant Charles F. Douglas. The North Chattanooga resident and Tennessee Tech alumnus established the scholarship through a substantial gift before his death earlier this year at age 88, with additional support expected from his estate.

After 25 seasons, 824 victories and a championship-filled career that transformed Chattanooga softball into one of the Southern Conference’s premier programs, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head softball coach Frank Reed has announced his retirement.

Visitors attending events at Finley Stadium now have access to a complimentary shuttle service designed to improve mobility and accessibility across the stadium campus, thanks to support from Tennessee State Rep. Greg Vital and Morning Pointe Senior Living.

Chattanooga Zoo is celebrating the arrival of a new black crested mangabey after Suzy, a 22-year-old female, gave birth to a healthy son on May 20. The zoo is one of only 11 Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facilities in the United States that currently houses the vulnerable primate species.

A federal judge has blocked part of a Trump administration plan that would have limited access to loans for students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, public health and some other fields.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners, one of the groups that sued, described the ruling in a Facebook post Thursday as "an important step for NP students, the future health care workforce and the patients who depend on them."

NASHVILLE (AP) — A judge temporarily ordered the Tennessee Department of Health not to give immigration authorities information about roughly 400 seriously sick and disabled immigrant children who are enrolled in a healthcare assistance program.

The restraining order was issued Wednesday at the request of three Nashville doctors who treat some of those children and who sued after state officials sent letters to providers and immigrant families saying a new law required them to share identifying information for those on the program after the end of June.

NASHVILLE (AP) — For a few years at the turn of this century, Nashville was home to a remarkable carousel.

Described by its artist-creator Red Grooms as a sculpto-pictorama, the "horses" were 36 whimsical figures related to Tennessee. Legendary country musician Chet Atkins rode the neck of a guitar. Davy Crockett wrestled a bear. You could even ride a chigger, a summer mite that latches onto ankles causing an intense itch.

NEW YORK (AP) — David Clayton-Thomas, the lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, whose husky, high-strung tenor on "Spinning Wheel," "And When I Die" and other hits helped make the so-called brass rock band among the most popular acts of the late 1960s, has died at age 84.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come there are signs of tension between the justices.

One highly unusual exchange for the restrained and traditional atmosphere came Thursday, as the members of the nation's highest court took the bench as usual to read a short summary of their decisions. Those rulings included two major immigration wins for President Donald Trump.

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term.

The Trump administration is moving to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ option for youth who contact the 988 crisis intervention hotline, but the group that helped pioneer the idea is being shut out.

The Trevor Project, the leading nonprofit for suicide prevention in LGBTQ+ young people, may not be allowed to offer the service it had helped develop for the 988 Lifeline just a few years ago.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government plans to strengthen laws that ban children younger than 16 from social media platforms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Observers said on Friday the government was responding to evidence that the ban on young children holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube had failed since it came into force on Dec. 10 last year. Australia was the first country in the world to pass legislation keeping youth off social media, but others have since followed.

BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) — Heat. Moisture. National pride.

These were top of mind as Nike designed its uniform kits for this year's World Cup, including for football powerhouses France and Brazil as well as the U.S. and Canada in their role as host nations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for carrying out a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "foolish violation" of the ceasefire agreement with the U.S.

One drone damaged the upper deck of the ship but the ship was able to proceed, Trump said. The U.S. shot down three other drones aimed at the ship, he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billionaire investor Leon Black said Friday that Jeffrey Epstein deceived him during a yearslong relationship in which he paid the disgraced financier $158 million, but insisted he committed no criminal wrongdoing as he appeared before the House Oversight Committee.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 100% tax on imports from any country that imposes a tax on digital services from United States companies.

In a post on social media, Trump took aim at European countries that he said are discussing "imminent" implementation of taxes on American companies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic National Committee is organizing hundreds of community events across the country this weekend in hopes of harnessing the same concerns about affordability that President Donald Trump capitalized on to return to the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives canceled its contract for a surveillance tool that enables warrantless tracking of mobile devices after lawmakers, a prosecutor and a judge raised concerns about the legality of the tool in criminal investigations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon would have been a blip in today's news cycle, and he drew parallels between Nixon and President Donald Trump — arguing that both were targeted by "deep state" forces.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America is celebrating its 250th year. And what better way to mark that anniversary than with an American summer staple — a trip to Washington, D.C.?

But visitors to the nation's capital will find that it is undergoing tremendous change, courtesy of President Donald Trump's takeover makeover.

Major League Baseball proposed limiting most free agent contracts to five years and 15% of a team's salary cap and to eliminate deferred compensation, fleshing out details of a plan likely to spark a confrontation with the players' association.

MLB's plan would eliminate deals such as Juan Soto's $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets. The league said just seven players this year exceed the proposed maximum and 98% of free agent contracts would not have been impacted.

NEW YORK (AP) — Most of the U.S. stock market rose after oil prices eased back to where they were before the war with Iran, but drops for AI stocks kept the market in check.

The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% Friday, even though more stocks rose than fell within the index. The S&P 500 closed out just its second losing week in the last 13, largely because of drops for AI stocks.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas public schools will require students to read Bible stories under a reading list approved by the state's education board Friday, widening conservative efforts to bring more Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.

The push in Texas has been closely followed by education observers, who say the required reading list appears to be the first of its kind in the nation and is departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read.

A new report by a Trump administration commission suggests replacing the idea of separating church and state with the idea of building bridges between them.

The assertion — challenging a longstanding concept in American law — comes amid a raft of recommendations in a draft report of the Religious Liberty Commission, released Friday afternoon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with Israel and Lebanon's ambassadors announced a framework agreement Friday that was described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Chris Johnson, one of nine players in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season who made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years with the Tennessee Titans, revealed in a television interview aired Monday that he has ALS.

Johnson, 40, spent 10 seasons in the league and last played in 2017 for the Arizona Cardinals. He said on ABC's " Good Morning America " that he was diagnosed with the fatal nervous system disease last year.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators signed forward Jack Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million contract on Sunday night, four days after he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche.

The 26-year-old Drury had a career-high 10 goals last season and matched his personal best with 27 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games for the Avalanche.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The time has come for country music superstar Alan Jackson to hang up his signature Stetson hat.

The genre traditionalist from Newnan, Georgia, whose career kicked off in the 1980s and exploded shortly thereafter in the oft-cited '90s country wave with heartfelt songs for the working man who'd rather be drinking, or fishing, or ideally both, has sold over 60 million records across his storied career. And on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, he brought his touring career to an end.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day, a persistent target of President Donald Trump.

The 5-4 decision rejected a Republican-led attack on laws in more than half the states and the District of Columbia that permit mailed ballots to arrive and be counted some number of days after the election, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. The outcome spares officials the headache of changing their ballot rules just a few months before the 2026 midterm congressional elections.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push by President Donald Trump to throw out a jury's finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding President Donald Trump's firings of the heads of independent federal agencies with one important exception: the Federal Reserve.

The justices allowed Fed governor Lisa Cook to stay in her job while she fights the Republican president's effort to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court refused Monday to revive a $300 million defamation lawsuit filed against CNN over its coverage of a prominent attorney's remarks made while defending President Donald Trump during his 2020 impeachment.

The majority declined to take up the case in a brief, unexplained order. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented, calling on the court to reconsider the legal standards for public figures who claim defamation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is wrapping up a term that has focused on President Donald Trump's expansive claims of presidential power.

Trump's efforts to restrict birthright citizenship, fire the heads of most independent agencies at will and remove a sitting Federal Reserve governor are among the remaining eight cases the justices are expected to decide this week, beginning Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a Republican push to enforce strict Arizona voting laws passed in the swing state after the 2020 election.

The high court has allowed some similar rules to take effect temporarily before, including Arizona's proof-of-citizenship requirement for state and local elections and a Virginia purge of voter rolls that the state said was aimed at keeping noncitizens from voting.

NEW YORK (AP) — About 3 million fewer people in the United States had Affordable Care Act health insurance plans in February compared with the same time last year, according to new federal data.

In the report released Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggested the 13% drop in enrollment from 22.1 million people in 2025 to 19.2 million this year could be attributed to a federal crackdown on fraudulent or "phantom" enrollment. But health analysts said it was more likely related to the Jan. 1 expiration of federal subsidies, which caused a surge in plan costs that resulted in many people being unable to pay their premiums.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans have grown less proud of their country's history or the way its democracy works over the past decade, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Americans' pride in the U.S. on several key attributes has dropped since 2017 — including the nation's military and its political influence around the globe — according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. This poll was conducted in April, as the United States and Iran fought over the Strait of Hormuz in a prolonged war that started with the U.S. and Israel launching strikes on Iran.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kara Swisher is everywhere. She's filling in for Joy Behar on ABC's "The View." Appearing alongside Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada 2." Starring in a CNN documentary. Preparing a national tour. And churning out four podcasts most weeks featuring long-form interviews and commentary.

LONDON (AP) — WhatsApp users will soon get the option of going by usernames instead of phone numbers, the company said Monday, announcing plans to address a privacy blind spot.

The app said it has started allowing users to reserve unique usernames, which can be used to contact WhatsApp users when the feature is launched later this year.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix said Monday they will invest a combined 800 trillion won ($518 billion) in building a new computer chipmaking hub in the country's southwest region, capitalizing on surging artificial intelligence -driven demand.

HONG KONG (AP) — In the race between the U.S. and China to develop artificial intelligence, the battle over hardware and computing power is heating up as Chinese companies like Huawei overtake global industry leaders like Nvidia in their home market.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though Iranian officials said no such meeting was scheduled.

The U.S. president has tried to preserve an increasingly fragile interim deal as hostilities have mounted in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, which could cause oil prices to rise and undermine Trump's claims to voters that inflation in America was easing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a social media assist from President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson is looking this week to ease the divisions in his Republican ranks and make progress on key legislative priorities before this fall's elections.

When it comes to birthright citizenship, the Trump administration hasn't been subtle about its views.

The practice, which grants automatic citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil and which is soon to face Supreme Court judgment, is "a disgrace," according to President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pointing to a busy retirement next year. She and the University of California, Berkeley, are partnering to form a new nonpartisan academic institute they say will be dedicated to strengthening democracy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday said the Federal Reserve, unlike any other agency in Washington, has a measure of independence from the presidency and day-to-day politics. But the court didn't define to what extent.

The case is the latest round in an unprecedented fight between the Fed and President Donald Trump. More political interference at the Fed could upend financial markets around the world, which closely follow its interest rate moves.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court held Monday that constitutional privacy protections extend to cellphone location information, ruling in the case of a bank robber whose identity was discovered through a geofence warrant.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the 6-3 court that people don't forfeit expectations of privacy even when they opt into Google's location history.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push by President Donald Trump to throw out a jury's $5 million finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a Republican push to enforce strict Arizona voting laws passed in the swing state after the 2020 election.

The high court has allowed some similar rules to take effect as lawsuits play out, including Arizona's proof-of-citizenship requirement for state and local elections and a Virginia purge of voter rolls that the state said was aimed at keeping noncitizens from voting.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When U.S. health officials meet next month to reconsider a list of controversial peptide drugs, they will hear from a new set of voices: doctors and pharmacists with deep financial ties to the burgeoning industry of unproven chemicals.

NEW YORK (AP) — Communications giant Comcast is planning to split itself into two: one media-centered business that would include brands like NBCUniversal and Sky and a separate company focused on broadband and wireless services.

In a Monday announcement, Comcast said the breakup will put both of these operations in a better position to pursue their own priorities and growth. The move arrives as communications companies continue to wrestle with years of cord-cutting, and shifting habits in how consumers now buy subscriptions for anything from their phone plans to streaming budgets more broadly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a resident who accused police officers of illegally detaining him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader's theme song from "Star Wars" on his cellphone, according to a document released Monday.

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A nun was released from immigration custody after she was arrested walking to Mass in her habit in South Texas.

Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday when she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though one of Iran's top negotiators said no further talks had been scheduled after attacks across the Persian Gulf over the weekend challenged negotiations to end the war.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The flow of ships and oil through the Strait of Hormuz was starting to pick up. Then an Iranian drone hit a cargo ship trying to pass the strait through a route Iran doesn't like. The U.S. responded with strikes of its own on Iranian military facilities, and more fighting erupted.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A conservative law professor known for his expansive views of presidential power and for decades-old memos that justified harsh interrogation techniques after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks says he will be advising a team of prosecutors investigating whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Supreme Court that has expanded gun rights will consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles, often called assault weapons, violate the Second Amendment.

The justices said Tuesday they will take up appeals asking the court to strike down bans on the AR-15 and similar semiautomatic firearms in Connecticut and the Chicago area.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump's executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday erased limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and president, striking down a federal election law that is more than 50 years old.

Prodded by a Republican-led lawsuit that includes Vice President JD Vance, the court's conservative justices were again in the majority of the latest decision that upended congressionally enacted limits on raising and spending money to influence elections. The court's 2010 Citizens United decision opened the door to unlimited independent spending in federal elections.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, in another setback for transgender people.

The court's six-justice conservative majority, which has repeatedly ruled against transgender Americans in the past year, ruled that state bans in Idaho and West Virginia don't violate the Constitution. The court unanimously agreed that barring transgender girls and women also doesn't run afoul of the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was gifted concert tickets in Puerto Rico last year as members of the high court continued to accept paid teaching gigs and receive royalties for books they have written, according to financial disclosure forms released Monday that provide insight into how the justices spend time off the bench.

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats in 25 states and the District of Columbia on Monday sued the Trump administration over its recent guidance on new Medicaid work requirements, arguing the strict rules will prevent eligible Americans from accessing the care they need.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy and several other fields will be eligible to take out higher federal student loan amounts — at least for now — after a federal judge blocked part of a Trump administration rule that held them to lower limits.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for talks with mediators about the implementation of an initial deal to end the war in Iran, an official said.

The visit by Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's special Mideast envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, comes after a weekend of crossfire in the Persian Gulf over efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings stayed at a surprisingly strong 7.6 million in May as the American labor market remains resilient in the face of the economic shock from the Iran war.

Forecasters had expected employers to post just 7 million openings in May.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' attitudes toward the economy improved slightly this month as gas prices declined, but their outlook is still mostly negative by historical standards.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 0.6 point to 91.2 in June, a figure that is still below its year-ago reading of 95.2. Consumer attitudes worsened after the Iran war caused oil and gas prices to spike, accelerating inflation and causing Americans' inflation-adjusted incomes to decline. Before the pandemic, the index regularly topped 120.

HONG KONG (AP) — China's factory activity picked up pace in June, an official survey showed Tuesday, as demand for artificial intelligence hardware made exports robust.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers index, or PMI, expanded to 50.3 from 50 in May, better than economists' expectations, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That's despite worries over China's economy losing steam.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he will nominate Keith Sonderling to be the secretary of labor, elevating him from the agency's acting director two months after Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid abuse-of-power allegations.

Sonderling, a lawyer who has held a variety of acting positions and leadership roles across Trump's government, was previously the deputy labor secretary and a Republican member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. disclosed Tuesday that he was being treated for depression during his unexplained four-month absence from the House, suggesting in a brief floor speech that he remained silent about his condition until now because he is a "private person by nature."

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump has tried many ways to tighten his grip on U.S. elections, from signing executive orders to pushing restrictive legislation in Congress. Monday's Supreme Court ruling siding with states that accept late-arriving mail ballots was the latest example showing the limits of his reach.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Trump administration overhaul to a public service forgiveness program for student loans, ruling in favor of advocates who said the program risked becoming a tool for political retribution.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Supreme Court that has expanded gun rights will consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles, often called assault weapons, violate the Second Amendment.

The justices said Tuesday they will hear appeals challenging bans on the AR-15 and similar semiautomatic firearms in Connecticut and the Chicago area.

DETROIT (AP) — Nature's oven was on high Tuesday for millions of people in the Midwest and Great Lakes states as intense heat and humidity baked the regions with no immediate relief before the misery shifts to the eastern U.S.

The National Weather Service was blunt: Conditions were "dangerous" as the heat index, a combination of air temperature and humidity, exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) in some areas. It warned about a risk for heat-related illnesses, especially among people without air conditioning.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose and trimmed their losses in what had been a rocky June. The S&P 500 gained 0.8% Tuesday, though it still fell to its first losing month following two fabulous ones. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to another record, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%. Stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry were strong following sharp swings earlier in the month on worries they'd grown too expensive. Treasury yields rose in the bond market as oil prices eased. Stock indexes rose in much of Europe and Asia, while the Japanese yen fell near a 40-year low against the U.S. dollar.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — On a cool fall evening after the end of World War II, Las Vegas watched "officialdom and 'cafe society' turn out for the opening of America's first all-you-can-eat buffet," a local paper wrote.

It was a big night in a small town that dreamed of hungry visitors. The glazed ham and prime rib in the El Rancho Vegas were signs that American food was changing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A polarizing Harvard astronomer known for splashy theories about alien visits has been tapped by the White House to lead a team of outside scientists to study the national security risks posed by UFOs.

Avi Loeb, a cosmologist who studied black holes and served as head of Harvard's astronomy department until 2020, was recently appointed to helm a new scientific advisory council tasked with investigating the origins of mysterious orbs and other objects reported by military personnel in recent years. It's part of President Donald Trump's push to declassify more information about the issue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury announced a series of sanctions and a new bank alert targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico's most powerful criminal enterprise.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on two Mexican men and nine companies involved in transportation, financial services and real estate, accused of being tied to a cartel-linked fuel theft ring intended to evade Mexican taxes while generating tens of millions of dollars annually for the cartel.

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. disclosed Tuesday that he was being treated for depression during his unexplained four-month absence from the House, suggesting in a brief floor speech that he remained silent about his condition until now because he is a "private person by nature."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump didn't get what he wanted in some of the biggest Supreme Court cases this year: tariffs, birthright citizenship and the attempted firing of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration looked to the Supreme Court to greenlight its sweeping hard-line immigration agenda and, by and large, it got the backing it was looking for with one key exception — birthright citizenship.

DETROIT (AP) — The Motown Museum in Detroit has been resonating with a different signature sound — the rumble of trucks, the buzz of drills and the pounding of metal — as one of the most significant sites in American musical history undergoes a $75 million donor-driven face-lift ahead of its 2027 grand reopening.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Democratic member of Congress is calling for the federal government to investigate the growing "rent now, pay later" industry, saying Americans may not understand the fees and cost structure of these products as the services become more widely available.

NEW YORK (AP) — Popular and expensive GLP-1 weight loss drugs just got a lot cheaper for many older Americans.

Starting Wednesday, the federal government is offering a selection of the brand name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, disabled people have fought for their rights to go to school and live alongside peers without disabilities — rights that some fear could be losing ground under the Trump administration.

Last month, the Education Department announced it would offload oversight of special education to the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose comments on the limits of disabilities such as autism have drawn sharp rebukes from advocates and lawmakers.

ECONE, Switzerland (AP) — A group of traditionalist Catholics directly defied Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday by consecrating four bishops without his consent, dismissing the resulting excommunications and saying the break with the church was necessary to defend the Catholic faith.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states reached settlement agreements with three major egg producers this week to resolve allegations that the companies illegally colluded for years to raise prices, including when the cost soared to record highs last year.

NEW YORK (AP) — "Artificial," Luca Guadagnino's starry film about Sam Altman and OpenAI, has been acquired by the indie distributor Neon after it was dropped by Amazon MGM Studios.

Neon said Tuesday that it bought the film following a bidding process. Amazon dropped the nearly complete $40 million film, starring Andrew Garfield as Altman, earlier this month, a surprise move that came just months after Amazon announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI.

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that the central bank would remain independent and seek to bring down inflation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Donald Trump has sought.

In remarks at a central bank conference in Sintra, Portugal, Warsh said that if businesses or households thought the Fed would accept inflation above 2%, "I guess they'd be disappointed. We're going to deliver price stability."

TOKYO (AP) — Business sentiment among major Japanese manufacturers has improved for a fifth straight quarter, the Bank of Japan said in its quarterly "tankan" survey released Wednesday.

The survey's so-called diffusion index rose to 22 from 17 in the previous quarter, the BOJ said. The index for large non-manufacturers, such as services, edged up to 37 from the last tankan 's 36.

NEW YORK (AP) — French container shipping company CMA CGM Group said Wednesday it will buy FedEx Supply Chain, the third-party logistics subsidiary of FedEx for $1.4 billion, as it works to expand in the U.S.

CMA CGM Group said the acquisition will triple the size of its own logistics arm, CEVA Logistics and help build its presence as a contract logistics provider in North America.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on artificial intelligence company Anthropic's latest versions of its Claude chatbot, ending a weekslong ban tied to cybersecurity concerns.

Anthropic said Tuesday night that its AI model called Claude Fable 5 is now widely available. It's also restoring access to its most powerful model, Mythos 5, but only to a select group of U.S.-based organizations approved by the federal government.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One — a retrofitted Boeing 747 worth $400 million gifted by Qatar that embeds his personality more deeply into the institution of the American presidency.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year, a federal filing released Tuesday shows, locking in profits while his investors were socked with losses.

Mere startups when he took the oath of office, the new ventures have now eclipsed in revenue much of his vast property portfolio that took him decades to accumulate. Fueling their rise were billionaire investors and Trump's own move to quash a federal crackdown on the industry.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Whither the U.S. House?

As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, the legislative branch has momentarily called it quits.

The House leadership on Tuesday abruptly canceled votes and sent lawmakers home early for the holiday recess, Speaker Mike Johnson 's majority once again ground to a standstill by a Republican revolt over their own party's agenda.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tourists from Chattanooga check into beach resorts in Cancun. Canadian auto parts feed factories in the American Midwest – and vice versa. Happy hour revelers raise glasses of Mexican tequila and mezcal at bars in Seattle.

It adds up. The United States trades $1.9 trillion a year — $5 billion a day — worth of goods and services with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico. They have supplanted China to become America's top two trading partners.

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the stars of the American firmament once advised citizens of all stripes how to express their love of country. Mark Twain's long-ago words capture how Americans are stepping out this week to wish their nation a happy milestone birthday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump's national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations that he says are targeting him for "phantom criminal conduct."

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that the central bank would remain independent and seek to bring down inflation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Donald Trump has sought.

In remarks at a central bank conference in Sintra, Portugal, Warsh said that if businesses or households thought the Fed would accept inflation above 2%, "I guess they'd be disappointed. We're going to deliver price stability."

NEW YORK (AP) — The owner of AOL and other tech businesses hit Wall Street with a $1.7 billion initial public offering Wednesday.

Bending Spoons priced 58 million shares at $29 apiece. The company is getting $1 billion in proceeds, while the rest is going to shareholders. The stock surged 41% shortly after it started trading under the symbol "BSP" on the Nasdaq, giving it a market value of $25.5 billion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tourists from Chattanooga check into beach resorts in Cancun. Canadian auto parts feed factories in the American Midwest – and vice versa. Happy hour revelers raise glasses of Mexican tequila and mezcal at bars in Seattle.