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Federal agents stand guard, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Federal officers detain a 5-year-old boy who school official says was used as ‘bait’

Hallie Golden, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 10:08 AM CST

A 5-year-old boy arriving home from preschool in Minnesota was taken by federal agents along with his father to a detention facility in Texas, school officials and the family's lawyer said, making him the fourth student from his Minneapolis suburb to be detained by immigration officers in recent weeks.

Federal agents took Liam Conejo Ramos from a running car while it was in the family's driveway on Tuesday afternoon, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said during a news conference Wednesday. The officers then told him to knock on the door to his home to see if other people were inside, “essentially using a 5-year-old as bait," she said.

Stenvik said the family has an active asylum case and has not been ordered to leave the country.

“Why detain a 5-year-old?” she asked. "You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”

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Stock market cuts through to Trump on Greenland in a way allies’ messages failed to resonate

Aamer Madhani, Josh Boak, Ali Swenson And Jonathan J. Cooper, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Stock market cuts through to Trump on Greenland in a way allies’ messages failed to resonate

Aamer Madhani, Josh Boak, Ali Swenson And Jonathan J. Cooper, The Associated Press 6 minute read Yesterday at 7:52 PM CST

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Investors appeared to have gotten through to President Donald Trump about the risk posed by his designs for Greenland with a message he wasn't hearing from European leaders: Threatening allies with tariffs and land seizure isn't exactly the type of policy that generates confidence in the global economy.

Trump on Wednesday backed off his threat to slap punishing tariffs on eight European allies for opposing his insistence on acquiring Greenland from longtime ally Denmark after the plan spooked Wall Street by sparking serious talk within NATO about a fundamental rupture to the transatlantic military alliance that's been a linchpin of post-World War II security.

Markets had seen their biggest losses since October as Trump prepared to travel to Davos, Switzerland, to give a keynote address to leaders and the global elite at the World Economic Forum.

Trump grumbled about what he called a stock market “dip” with some annoyance during the speech, complaining the market gyrations happened despite the U.S. “giving NATO and European nations trillions and trillions of dollars in defense.”

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Yesterday at 7:52 PM CST

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of Global Business Leaders at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of Global Business Leaders at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Georgia Republican Burt Jones uses legislature to attack his opponent over 2020 election

Charlotte Kramon, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Georgia Republican Burt Jones uses legislature to attack his opponent over 2020 election

Charlotte Kramon, The Associated Press 5 minute read 9:31 AM CST

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, is attacking his primary opponent Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the 2020 election again, this time wielding his legislative powers.

In what appears to be an attempt to galvanize his right-wing supporters, Jones, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has demanded that Raffensperger appear at a state Senate Ethics Committee meeting Thursday so Jones and his supporters can grill Raffensperger on what they incorrectly claim were 315,000 wrongly certified Fulton County ballots from 2020.

Adding to the tension, a Republican state senator filed a resolution calling on Raffensperger to comply with a U.S. Department of Justice request for detailed voter data that includes names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Raffensperger has said that would violate state law and infringe on Georgians’ privacy. Georgia is among 23 states the Justice Department has sued to get that information.

Jones’ efforts indicate he hopes spotlighting the 2020 election and directing public ire toward Raffensperger will earn him the nomination, baffling some Republican strategists who say most Georgians have moved on.

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9:31 AM CST

FILE - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger participates in an election forum, Sept. 19, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
FILE - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger participates in an election forum, Sept. 19, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

NYC nurses on strike resume negotiations with hospitals on 11th day

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

NYC nurses on strike resume negotiations with hospitals on 11th day

The Associated Press 2 minute read 10:02 AM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City nurses on strike headed back to the bargaining table Thursday with hospital administrators to try to bring an end to the city’s biggest walkout of its kind in decades.

The New York State Nurses Association said contract negotiations resumed in the morning with officials at the three private hospital systems impacted by the strike: Montefiore, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian.

The union said nurses are committed to bargaining daily to settle the dispute.

Roughly 15,000 nurses walked off the job on Jan. 12, prompting the hospitals to bring on thousands of temporary workers to keep operations running.

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10:02 AM CST

Members of the New York State Nurses Association union picket outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Members of the New York State Nurses Association union picket outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Laila Edwards enjoys homecoming; prepares to make Olympic debut as USA Hockey’s first Black female

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Laila Edwards enjoys homecoming; prepares to make Olympic debut as USA Hockey’s first Black female

John Wawrow, The Associated Press 6 minute read 9:49 AM CST

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) — It was fajita night to celebrate Laila Edwards’ hockey homecoming when an excited shriek pierced the casual gathering in the brightly lit early 20th Century colonial she grew up in on a quiet, tree-lined street.

Four generations of the Edwards family turned to see a dumbstruck Laila and long-time friend and teammate Caroline Harvey huddled over a cell phone, breathlessly giggling, one “Oh, my God” after another.

There, for all the world to see, was a picture Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. had posted on social media of him arriving for an NBA game wearing Edwards' No. 10 U.S. hockey jersey.

“Whoa,” said Edwards, well-versed in the city’s sports history even though she long ago left Cleveland to pursue a career in hockey.

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9:49 AM CST

Laila Edwards, the first Black woman to suit up for Team USA women's Olympic hockey, participates in a practice, in a rink where she played youth hockey in the past, in Strongsville, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Laila Edwards, the first Black woman to suit up for Team USA women's Olympic hockey, participates in a practice, in a rink where she played youth hockey in the past, in Strongsville, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Consumer spending pushes US economy up 4.4% in third quarter, fastest in two years

Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Consumer spending pushes US economy up 4.4% in third quarter, fastest in two years

Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 8:04 AM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Powered by strong consumer spending, the U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in two years from July through September, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade of its first estimate.

America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rose at a 4.4% annual pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, up from 3.8% in the April-June quarter and from the 4.3% growth the department initially estimated. The economy hasn’t grown faster since third-quarter 2023.

Consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of U.S. GDP, grew at a healthy 3.5% pace. Spending on services such as healthcare rose 3.6% versus a 3% uptick on goods spending, including an increase of just 1.6% on so-called durable goods such as cars that are meant to last at least three years. A surge in exports and a drop in imports also contributed to robust third-quarter growth.

Business investment (excluding homebuilding) rose at a 3.2% clip, partly reflecting bets on artificial intelligence.

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Updated: 8:04 AM CST

FILE - A person carries a shopping bag in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - A person carries a shopping bag in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Complete list of 2026 Oscar nominees

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Complete list of 2026 Oscar nominees

The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 10:00 AM CST

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — This year's class of Oscar nominees has been announced. Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” led all films Thursday with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” was second in the tally with 13 nominations.

Here is a full list of nominees for the 98th annual Academy Awards, which will be presented March 15 in Los Angeles:

Best picture

“Bugonia”; “F1”; “Frankenstein”; “Hamnet”; “Marty Supreme”; “One Battle After Another”; “The Secret Agent”; “Sentimental Value”; “Sinners”; “Train Dreams.”

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Updated: 10:00 AM CST

A replica of an Academy Awards statuette is pictured prior to the 98th Oscars nominations announcement on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
A replica of an Academy Awards statuette is pictured prior to the 98th Oscars nominations announcement on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

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Pimicikamak’s $20-M in unpaid Hydro bills pales in comparison to what Hydro owes First Nation, chief says

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias (left) and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) Grand Chief Grand Chief Garrison Settee speak to the media during a tour with politicians and media at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Man., last Wednesday. (John Woods / Free Press files)

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Guinea-Bissau suspends Trump-backed hepatitis B vaccine study for ethical review

Wilson Mcmakin, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Guinea-Bissau suspends Trump-backed hepatitis B vaccine study for ethical review

Wilson Mcmakin, The Associated Press 3 minute read 10:16 AM CST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Guinea-Bissau is suspending a Trump administration-backed hepatitis B vaccine study on newborns in the West African country, pending an ethical review, the health minister said Thursday.

A six-person ethics committee didn't meet to review the study during the initial confirmation process, Health Minister Quinhi Nantot said during a news conference held by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial, with some infants given the hepatitis B vaccine at birth and others not. Children will be tracked for death, illness and long-term developmental outcomes. Some experts have suggested that the research plan is unethical, because it will withhold vaccines that work from newborns at significant risk of infection.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said that he fully supports the ethical review and highlighted the agency’s “excellent relationship” with the U.S. government.

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10:16 AM CST

FILE - This 1981 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows hepatitis B virus particles, indicated in orange. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC via AP, File)
FILE - This 1981 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows hepatitis B virus particles, indicated in orange. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC via AP, File)

Zelenskyy slams European response to Russia’s war as Ukraine is caught in its own ‘Groundhog Day’

Kamila Hrabchuk And Kostya Manenkov, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Zelenskyy slams European response to Russia’s war as Ukraine is caught in its own ‘Groundhog Day’

Kamila Hrabchuk And Kostya Manenkov, The Associated Press 4 minute read 10:31 AM CST

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted his European allies Thursday for what he portrayed as the continent’s slow, fragmented and inadequate response to Russia’s invasion nearly four years ago and its continued international aggression.

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe that he said have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid an ongoing U.S. push for a peace settlement.

“Europe looks lost,” Zelenskyy said in his speech, urging the continent to become a global force. He contrasted Europe’s response with Washington’s bold steps in Venezuela and Iran.

The former comic actor referred to the movie “Groundhog Day,” in which the main character must relive the same day over and over again.

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10:31 AM CST

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a speech at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a speech at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oscar nominations snubs and surprises: Paul Mescal and Ariana Grande among biggest oversights

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Oscar nominations snubs and surprises: Paul Mescal and Ariana Grande among biggest oversights

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 5 minute read 9:37 AM CST

After such a strong year for movies, the brutal limitations of Oscar nominations were bound to have some big omissions. But there were several genuine shockers Thursday morning, including widely expected nominees like Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal missing out on nods in their respective acting categories. In some cases, that meant room for long overdue recognition, as with Delroy Lindo, who earned his first nomination for “Sinners.”

Here are the biggest snubs and surprises:

SNUB: Ariana Grande and “Wicked: For Good”

“Wicked” got a staggering 10 nominations last year, and yet its much darker sequel, “Wicked: For Good,” ended up with zero. That’s possibly because the film wasn’t as well received as the first by critics — but most still thought that Grande would snag another supporting nomination for her effervescent Glinda. It also means that Cynthia Erivo was left out of best actress, though she wasn’t on many prediction lists this time around, and that it was roundly rejected for both crafts and — with two new, original options — song (yet somehow Diane Warren still managed to get through again).

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9:37 AM CST

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Ariana Grande in a scene from "Wicked for Good.." (Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Ariana Grande in a scene from

Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 4 minute read 10:02 AM CST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — As more and more space junk comes crashing down, a new study shows how earthquake monitors can better track incoming objects by tuning into their sonic booms.

Scientists reported Thursday that seismic readings from sonic booms that were generated when a discarded module from a Chinese crew capsule reentered over Southern California in 2024 allowed them to place the object's path nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) farther south than radar had predicted from orbit.

Using this method to track uncontrolled objects plummeting at supersonic speeds, they said, could help recovery teams reach any surviving pieces more quickly — crucial if the debris is dangerous.

“The problem at the moment is we can track stuff very well in space,” said Johns Hopkins University’s Benjamin Fernando, the lead researcher. “But once it gets to the point that it’s actually breaking up in the atmosphere, it becomes very difficult to track.”

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10:02 AM CST

FILE - In this long exposure photo, a string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kan., on May 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)
FILE - In this long exposure photo, a string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kan., on May 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

Colombia imposes tariffs and halts energy sales to Ecuador as trade feud escalates

Astrid Suárez, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Colombia imposes tariffs and halts energy sales to Ecuador as trade feud escalates

Astrid Suárez, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 9:46 AM CST

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia announced Thursday that it will apply a 30% tax on a group of products from Ecuador and will suspend the sale of energy to that country, in response to a matching tariff announced the previous day by the government of Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa.

The escalating trade dispute between the South American neighbors follows a public protest by Noboa regarding a more than $850 million trade deficit with Colombia. Noboa also cited a lack of reciprocity in securing their shared border, which remains a stronghold for criminal organizations and international drug trafficking.

The Colombian government expressed surprise at Ecuador’s unilateral tariffs, noting that bilateral cooperation remains active through established binational mechanisms, including joint military and anti-narcotics operations.

From January to November 2024, Ecuadorian exports to Colombia totaled $760 million against $1.8 billion in imports, according to Ecuador's ministry of production. Building on this trend, the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters reported that the trade deficit with Colombia reached $852 million during the same period in 2025.

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Updated: 9:46 AM CST

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the new military commanders at the Army cadet academy in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Vega)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the new military commanders at the Army cadet academy in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Vega)

Who’s on Trump’s Board of Peace and who said no

Julia Frankel, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Who’s on Trump’s Board of Peace and who said no

Julia Frankel, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 5:32 AM CST

JERUSALEM (AP) — Several countries have said they will join U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, while a few European nations have declined their invitations. Many have not yet responded to Trump's invites.

Chaired by Trump, the board was originally envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. But the Trump administration’s ambitions have since expanded, with Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations and hinting at the board’s future role as conflict mediator.

A White House official has said about 30 countries were expected to join the board, without providing details, while about 50 had been invited.

Here is a list by The Associated Press with countries that say they are joining the board, those that say they are not joining so far and the undecided.

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Updated: 5:32 AM CST

Palestinian women receive donated food at a community kitchen in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian women receive donated food at a community kitchen in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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