Appeals court questions shifting reasons for Trump’s EPA killing clean energy contracts

February 25, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday grilled both the Trump administration and the nonprofits picked to run a $20 billion “green bank” program over the termination of their contacts, questioning whether federal officials made up reasons to block the program and whether the nonprofits were demanding access to money that wasn’t technically theirs to control. The judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit are considering the fate of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a congressionally-authorized Biden administration-era program aimed ...

Pentagon-FAA dispute over lasers to thwart cartel drones led to airspace closure, AP sources say

February 12, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, stemmed from the Pentagon’s plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share ...

San Francisco parents scramble as teachers strike leaves 50,000 students out of school

February 12, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Connor Haught has been juggling virtual work meetings and arts and crafts projects for his two daughters as his family tries to navigate a teachers strike in San Francisco with no end date in sight. Haught’s job in the construction industry allows him to work from ...

What to know about the case of a teen found dead on cruise ship

February 12, 2026

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy under investigation in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship was in federal court at the end of last week, but the reasons for his appearance at the South Florida courthouse have been obscured because of his age. Unlike other cases involving adults, there was no explanation for the teen’s appearance in the Miami federal court docket, or whether he has been charged with a crime, since juvenile cases are closed to the public. Juvenile cases aren’t common in federal court and they often are sent to state courts or ...

Iowa, naturalized citizens settle lawsuit over voter eligibility ahead of 2024 election

February 12, 2026

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s top election official and a group of naturalized citizens settled a federal lawsuit Wednesday that will prevent the state from relying exclusively on driver’s license records for citizenship data in the three months before an election. The naturalized U.S. citizens sued Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate in late October 2024, alleging he infringed on their rights to vote when he directed election workers to challenge ballots from about 2,000 registered voters in an attempt to prevent people officials identified as possible noncitizens from ...

Winter drilling program in Alaska petroleum preserve can proceed, judge rules

January 29, 2026

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — ConocoPhillips Alaska can proceed with an oil and gas exploration program in a portion of a vast petroleum reserve in the state after a federal judge refused to block the project, denying a request by opponents who said it was improperly analyzed by the U.S. government ...