May 26, 2026 4:49 am
Schools across the U.S. are starting to rethink the abundance of digital devices in classrooms. After pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets and learning apps, a growing number of schools say it is time to scale back. The Los Angeles public school system announced it will stop giving its youngest students devices, as part of a sweeping new screen policy in the nation’s second-largest school district. Concerned parents are driving the reforms. As one mother says: Her daughter came home from school “with a screen addiction in her backpack.”
May 26, 2026 5:03 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of bad faith as negotiations press on toward a possible deal to end the war. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic began restoring internet access after a monthslong national shutdown. The U.S. military characterized Monday’s strikes in southern Iran as defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and minelaying boats. American military officials said the U.S. acted with restraint in light of the weekslong ceasefire. On Tuesday, Iran’s foreign ministry called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for all consequences, without elaborating.
May 26, 2026 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence declined slightly this month as gas prices stayed high and inflation remained elevated, a sharp contrast to soaring stock prices that have neared record levels. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index on Tuesday slipped 0.7 points to 93.1 in May, the first decline after three months of gains. Americans have soured on President Trump’s economic policies, polls show, potentially creating problems for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Gas prices have soared to a nationwide average of $4.49 a gallon from $2.98 just before the war began at the end of February, and have been at or above $4.50 a gallon for nearly all of May.
May 26, 2026 5:04 am
PLANO, Texas (AP) — Texans are choosing a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. The election brings to a close a bitter and expensive primary. President Donald Trump endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton last week over three-term Sen. John Cornyn. It’s the president’s latest effort to rid the GOP of leaders he views as less devoted to him. Cornyn is backed by Senate GOP leaders. The four-term incumbent and allies have spent roughly $90 million in advertising since last year. Most of it attacked Paxton. Cornyn risks becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek the party’s nod and lose. The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Democrat James Talarico in November.
May 25, 2026 5:00 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has launched a close-range ballistic missile and other weapons toward the sea. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that Tuesday’s launches prompted it to bolster a surveillance posture. It was North Korea’s first weapons launch event since April 19. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals since nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to return to talks with Kim. But Pyongyang has so far ignored the overtures and urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.
May 25, 2026 4:07 am
CAIRO (AP) — Regional officials say the United States is close to a deal with Iran to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said negotiations are proceeding constructively but he advised not rushing into a deal. The regional officials say the agreement would see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The strait’s reopening would happen in parallel with the U.S. lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. That would begin to ease the global energy crisis. The deal would also end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, though Israel remains concerned about Hezbollah’s threat.
May 25, 2026 4:11 am
NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India highlights efforts to stabilize relations between Washington and New Delhi. The two countries aim to strengthen strategic and economic ties despite recent trade tensions. Rubio met Sunday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss trade, energy, defense and maritime security. Rubio has expressed optimism about a broader trade deal. His four-day trip also includes talks with officials from the Quad alliance that includes India, Australia and Japan. The visit underscores India’s role as a key partner in countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
May 25, 2026 4:09 am
Authorities are trying to tamp down the risk of a possible explosion or leak of a damaged chemical tank at a facility in Southern California. A crack found in the tank over the weekend could lower the risk of an explosion and does not appear to be leaking. An evacuation order remained in effect for some 50,000 residents of Garden Grove and surrounding communities with no timeline for their return. No injuries have been reported. Firefighters hope to cool off the chemical inside the tank to prevent an explosion or leak. Experts say a leak would be far better than an explosion. A state senator says the tank’s interior temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.
May 25, 2026 4:13 am
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, has begun. More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the country. The faithful have been pouring into the country for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related regional tensions and uncertainty. Typically on the first day, which fell on Monday this year, many pilgrims in Mecca converge on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert. Ahead of that, pilgrims have been circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in sweltering temperatures.
May 25, 2026 3:51 am
West Penn Power is addressing power outages in two areas of Washington County. According to West Penn Power’s website, early Monday morning there were more than 1800 customers without power in the Smith Township/Burgettstown area. As of noon Monday, approximately 150 customers remain without power. It should be restored by 1:30 pm. In Peters Township, 245 customers were without power in the Venetia area. At noon on Monday, just shy of 100 customers remained without power. Power is expected to be restored there around 3:00 pm Monday.
