Nation

'I'm all for masks,' Trump says in interview

By Aamer Madhani, Darlene Superville, Associated Press

Trump's comments came a day after Republican lawmakers suggested that the president should wear a mask in public to set a good example for Americans.

Background checks, a metric for gun sales, hits an all-time high

By Lisa Marie Pane, Associated Press

Historic numbers of background checks to purchase or possess a firearm have been conducted in June. It's just the latest month with record-breaking numbers since the system was created in 1998.

Trump supports new round of direct coronavirus payments

By Darlene Superville, Associated Press

Trump also said he wants payments larger than the $1,200 the government sent to most individuals earlier this year. He did not say how big he'd like the payments to be.

Businesses struggle to adjust to quickly changing reopening plans

By Amna Nawaz

The U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic has shifted to the South and West, where cases have ballooned to record highs. At least 14 states are now pausing their reopening plans or moving back toward lockdown, and the national death…

Continue watching

U.S. House approves $1.5 trillion plan to fix crumbling infrastructure

By Matthew Daly, Associated Press

The bill also authorizes more than $100 billion to expand internet access for rural and low-income communities and $25 billion to modernize the U.S. Postal Service.

Trump, top officials defend response to Russia bounty threat

By Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Lee, James Laporta, Associated Press

President Donald Trump and his top national security officials are stepping up their defense of his response to intelligence assessments that suggested Russia had offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

AP-NORC poll shows significant shift in how white Democrats view police brutality

By Kat Stafford, Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press

A majority of white Democrats say police officers are more likely to use deadly force against a Black person than against a white person.

Masks will be optional when Trump speaks at Mt. Rushmore for Independence Day weekend

By Stephen Groves

When President Donald Trump speaks at Mt. Rushmore before the first fireworks show there in years, he'll stand before a crowd of thousands who won't be required to socially distance or wear masks.

Richmond mayor orders removal of Confederate statues on city land

By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press

Work crews began removing a statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson early Wednesday afternoon. Flatbed trucks and other equipment were also spotted at several other Confederate monuments along Richmond's famed Monument Avenue.

Mississippi retires former state flag to museum

By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press

Mississippi officials are having a ceremony to relegate the former state flag to history. The gathering Wednesday comes a day after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a new law removing official status from the last state banner in the U.S.