Rain soaks Rose Parade in California and snow squalls hit Midwest and Northeast on first day of 2026
Rained poured down on the iconic Rose Parade on Thursday for the first time in 20 years, as flood warnings and evacuation orders in Southern California joined snow squalls and frigid temperatures in the country’s midsection to mark the first day of 2026. Marching bands, floats and throngs of spectators...
About 40 people dead and 115 injured in fire at Swiss Alpine bar during New Year’s celebration
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar’s New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said. Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the...
Trump delays increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks. Trump’s order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for another year...
Zohran Mamdani promises to govern ‘expansively and audaciously’ in inaugural speech as NYC mayor
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City on Thursday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics with a promise to transform government on behalf of the city’s striving, struggling working class. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station...
New Year’s Day: What’s open? Retailers. What’s closed? Government and banks.
While schools, government and banks are closed on New Year’s Day, most major retailers across the U.S. will be open, with many offering discounts on older inventory to clear the way for newer products. But before you run out the door on New Year’s Day to peruse deals, it’s wise...
Farmers can now learn how much aid they will get from the Trump administration
OMAHA, Neb. — Farmers are now learning how much aid they can expect to receive from a $12 billion package that President Donald Trump announced earlier this month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the figures Wednesday for how much aid per acre farmers can plan on for each row...
Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and disclosed that he had a CT scan, not an MRI scan, during an October examination about which he and the White House delayed offering details. Trump, in the interview, said he...
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
NEW YORK — Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year. Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue....
Drummers pound in the new year as others mark 2026 with defiance or hope
MELBOURNE, Australia — From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds began ringing in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or drumming, while others took a more subdued approach. A countdown to midnight was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Russians celebrated in snowy...
What to know about Trump administration freezing federal child care funds
The Trump administration has said it is freezing child care funds to all states until they provide more verification about the programs in a move fueled by a series of fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali residents. All 50 states will be impacted by the review,...
U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8 and possibly leaving survivors
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred. Previous attacks...
Capitol riot ‘does not happen’ without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
WASHINGTON — The Jan. 6. riot at the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without Donald Trump, former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers earlier this month in characterizing the Republican president as the “most culpable and most responsible person” in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020...
Department of Justice reviewing more than 5.2 million documents related to Jeffrey Epstein
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has expanded its review of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to 5.2 million as it also increases the number of attorneys trying to comply with a law mandating release of the files, according to a person briefed on a letter...
Kennedy Center renaming divides musicians leaving and staying
Grammy-nominated trumpeter Wayne Tucker is the latest artist to cancel his performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, following the board’s decision to add President Donald Trump’s name to the nation’s premier cultural center. “We have already been in touch with the Kennedy Center about cancellation,” the musician said in...
Amid conflicting vaccine recommendations, Americans are less likely to trust Trump’s CDC, a Penn study finds
After a year of major shifts in the federal government’s policy toward vaccines, Americans are now more likely to trust the American Medical Association than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the two conflict on vaccine guidance, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by the University of...
Trump says he’s dropping push for National Guard in Chicago, LA and Portland, Oregon, for now
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort. Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that he’s removing the Guard...
What to know about the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 as the search resumes
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — More than a decade ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished without a trace, sparking one of aviation’s most baffling mysteries. Despite years of multinational searches, investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane or its 239 passengers and crew. On Wednesday, the Malaysian...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate falls to lowest level of the year at 6.15%
WASHINGTON — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell to its lowest level of 2025 this week, an encouraging sign for prospective home buyers. The average long-term mortgage rate dipped to 6.15% from 6.18% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. That’s the lowest average long-term rate...
Gallery: Photos of New Year’s celebrations across the globe
People across the world celebrate the start of 2026, with New York’s iconic Times Square ball descending 18 hours after the South Pacific greeted the new year....
Trump isn’t the 1st president to want more room to entertain, longtime White House usher says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is not the first president to want more room at the White House for entertaining, says the longest-serving top aide in the executive residence, offering some backup for the reason Trump has cited for his ballroom construction project. Gary Walters spent more than two decades...
A rough year for journalists in 2025, with a little hope for things to turn around
NEW YORK — By nearly any measure, 2025 has been a rough year for anyone concerned about freedom of the press. It’s likely to be the deadliest year on record for journalists and media workers. The number of assaults on reporters in the U.S. nearly equals the last three years...
U.S. applications for jobless benefits fell below 200,000 last week with layoffs historically low
WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week with layoffs remaining low despite a weakening labor market. U.S. applications for jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 27 fell by 16,000 to 199,000 from the previous week’s 215,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Analysts surveyed by the data...
Russian drones blast Ukraine’s Odesa and injure 6, including children
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday. Four apartment buildings were damaged in the bombardment, according to regional military administration...
National Guard arrives in New Orleans for 1st New Year’s since Bourbon Street attack
NEW ORLEANS — National Guard members arrived in New Orleans Tuesday to help with safety measures ahead of New Year’s celebrations as city officials are still seeking permanent security solutions nearly a year after a truck attack on Bourbon Street left 14 dead. The rampage, in which a man drove...
Pacifist Japan has slowly transformed from exclusively self-defense to a military buildup
TOKYO — Japan is barreling forward with efforts to significantly boost its military capabilities to stand up to China’s growing threats by doubling annual arms spending. The goal comes as Tokyo’s main ally, the United States, pushes for more military assistance in Asia and a military hawk and ultra-conservative takes...
