AP

By Associated Press NEW YORK — U.S. stocks drifted around their record heights Thursday following the latest signals that the U.S. economy continues to hum. The S&P 500 finished virtually unchanged after flirting with its all-time high for much of the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 161 points, or 0.4%, to its own

By Associated Press Monstrous hurricanes Helene and Milton caused so much complex havoc that damages are still being added up, but government and private experts say they will likely join the infamous ranks of Katrina, Sandy and Harvey as super costly $50-billion-plus killers. Making that even more painful is that most of the damage —

By Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Patrick Mahomes broke through as an NFL star based in part on his ability to launch deep balls and generate explosive plays for the Kansas City Chiefs with his big arm. Brock Purdy’s early success as a pro quarterback came more from getting rid of the ball quickly

By Associated Press ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Turnout for early in-person voting started strong Thursday in the presidential battleground of North Carolina, including in mountainous areas where Hurricane Helene destroyed property and upended lives but apparently did not dampen a fierce desire to participate in elections. More than 400 early voting sites opened as scheduled for

By Associated Press BRUSSELS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his government has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a “world war.” Zelenskyy did not go into

By Associated Press MILWAUKEE — With three weeks left in the presidential campaign, Democrat Kamala Harris is spending most of her days trying to shore up support in the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as she tries to avoid a repeat of Hillary Clinton’s collapse there eight years ago. The vice president

By Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska’s top election official had no authority to strip voting rights from people convicted of a felony, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that could add hundreds of new voters to the rolls and potentially help tip the balance on Nov. 5. The order by Republican

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A campaign to restore abortion access in Missouri so far has raised close to $22 million, finance reports filed Tuesday show. The campaign reported bringing in more than $14 million between July and the end of September alone. Missourians for Constitutional Freedom seeks to undo the state’s near-total

By Associated Press JERUSALEM — Israeli forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel’s most

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — An independent panel investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally says the Secret Service needs fundamental reform” and new leadership, and that “another Butler can and will happen again” without major changes in how candidates are protected. The review faulted the Secret Service for poor

By Associated Press Time capsules are fickle, and the opening of one entombed a century ago inside one of the nation’s preeminent World War I memorials was no exception. The first challenge was just getting to the time capsule, which was entombed in a tower that rises 217 feet into the Kansas City skyline and

By Associated Press Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Missouri counterpart Eli Drinkwitz got to know each other years ago through Gus Malzahn, who served as a mentor of sorts to both of them, and they have only grown closer now that they’re together in the SEC. “We gravitate to one another in our lives, too,

By Metro Creative Travel anywhere in the United States and you’re liable to find some delicious cuisine distinctive to a particular region. In Louisiana, Cajun and Creole cooking dominates many a restaurant’s menu. Jambalaya is one of the more beloved dishes in Louisiana, where locals know there’s a difference between Cajun jambalaya and Creole jambalaya.

By Associated Press HOUSTON | A Texas state board on Wednesday declined to stop what could be the first execution in the U.S. in a case tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, rejecting clemency pleas from a man whose claims of innocence have drawn wide support, including from Republican lawmakers and a detective

By Associated Press WASHINGTON | The federal judge overseeing the election interference case against Donald Trump directed prosecutors Wednesday to search for and provide to the former president’s lawyers any Justice Department information related to a separate investigation into Mike Pence’s handling of classified documents. Trump’s lawyers had argued that that information could be relevant

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Elon Musk, a tech mogul who is the world’s richest person, plunged more than $70 million into helping Donald Trump and other Republicans win in November’s election, making him one of the biggest donors to GOP causes this campaign season, according to campaign finance disclosures released this week. Musk made