July 19, 2026 5:16 am
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. gas prices have jumped to an average of $4 a gallon again as the U.S. and Iran launch more attacks. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4. The average price a year ago was $3.14 a gallon. The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now. Prices vary between states due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates. People around the world are also dealing with high gas prices as a result of the war.
July 20, 2026 6:20 pm
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham announces she’s running for a full term in her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat. She shared her decision with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity in an interview set to air later Monday. Darline Graham was sworn in last week to fulfill the remaining months of her brother’s term, which ends in January. President Donald Trump has endorsed her candidacy. The special Republican primary is scheduled for Aug. 11, with a filing period opening Tuesday. Several other candidates, including Rep. Russell Fry, are also entering the race. Darline Graham says she’s prepared for the challenge and feels at peace with her decision.
July 20, 2026 6:23 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI says a former U.S. Army soldier started a fire and fired a pellet gun outside a New York building housing an immigration court and other government offices. Officials say suspect Andrew Arrabaca was taken into custody Monday and has been interviewed. No charges have been announced yet against Arrabaca, and it was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Arrabaca had a sign affixed to a cart with him that read “ICE off our streets.” The building has become a focal point for demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Three people sustained minor injuries.
July 20, 2026 5:20 am
Defaults on student loans have surged across the United States, reaching record levels as borrowers struggle to keep up with payments. The numbers have spiked since payments started coming due again following a lengthy pause intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, around 9.5 million people — 1 in 5 federal student loan borrowers — are in default, meaning they are more than nine months behind on their payments. While credit scores can suffer when borrowers are just a few months behind, entering default brings the possibility of more serious consequences, including garnished wages or Social Security payments. For now, the Trump administration has held off on such involuntary collections.
July 20, 2026 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of a multistate outbreak despite inaccurate test results reported over the weekend. Food and Drug Administration officials on Monday briefed reporters on how the government erroneously reported a direct link between a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms and the parasite that causes severe diarrhea. Officials said the false positive result came from a rapid, molecular test used to screen incoming lettuce from Mexico at the border. While the FDA reported the link Saturday, officials said a subsequent quality check found the result was a false positive.
July 19, 2026 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have welcomed their fourth child. Their son Alec Neel Vance is the first child born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years. The Vances announced the birth Sunday on social media. Alec joins older siblings Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. The Republican vice president’s growing family is in keeping with his passionate advocacy for Americans to have more children. The vice president, who’s 41, has been accompanied on overseas trips by Usha Vance, 40, and their children, with the kids often pajama-clad as they board Air Force Two for the overnight flights.
July 19, 2026 1:49 am
Weather did not cooperate but a few Washington County citizens gathered on Main Street in front of the Washington County Courthouse to hold a ‘Good Trouble Lives On’ rally. The rally was hosted by the Washington-Greene Central Labor Council. The rally commemorated the memory of Congressman John Lewis and his fight to protect voting rights. Several people offered their reasons for battling the rain. Don Herschell says he has worries about the direction the country is heading. Audrey Holsclaw understands John Lewis’ rally cry and was there to cause her version of Good Trouble. Donna Patrina, chairperson of the Washington Greene Central Labor Council says her group is rallying against the SAVE Act and its restrictions on people’s right to vote. Finally, Byron Timmins Vice Chairman of the Washington County Democratic Committee says that bottom line, voting is most important thing you can do as a citizen, when you vote you make your opinion heard, so get out and vote. Congressman John Lewis was arrested more than 40 times while fighting to dismantle segregation and secure voting rights. ‘Good trouble’ was Lewis’ rallying cry used to urge people to peacefully challenge injustice and stand up for their rights.
July 19, 2026 5:59 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military says it has carried out new airstrikes against Iran to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard for an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members, left one more missing and four requiring hospitalization. U.S. Central Command said Sunday’s strikes were designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to restrict the traffic of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway accounted for roughly 20% of global oil supplies before the war. The new strikes came after the U.S. military announced the troop deaths following a drone and missile attack on a base in Jordan on Friday.
July 19, 2026 6:01 am
Russian officials report that Ukrainian drone attacks overnight and later on Saturday have killed nine people and wounded more than 80 others. Kyiv’s forces continue targeting energy infrastructure and military sites in Russia to undermine Moscow’s war efforts. Two warehouses of Russia’s major online retailer, Wildberries, were hit in the Tambov region and near Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed strikes on logistical facilities that he said supplied components for drone production. An oil facility was also targeted. A drone attack on the Belgorod region later on Saturday killed one and injured one more. Russia’s Defense Ministry claims to have intercepted 379 drones overnight.
July 19, 2026 6:04 am
Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the multistate cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the U.S. The California-based company said products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. U.S. health officials earlier this week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states.
