US

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — It was a warm summer day but Malorie Thorson was dressed for winter as Gerry Kulzer sculpted a likeness of her head from a large block of butter Thursday in keeping with a 60-year-old tradition on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair. Thorson, a 20-year-old from the town of … Read more

UNITED NATIONS — Syria’s transition remains “on a knife-edge” and violence could resume at any moment in the southern city of Sweida, which saw deadly clashes last month, the top U.N. envoy for Syria warned on Thursday. Geir Pedersen told the U.N. Security Council that while violence in Sweida has largely subsided following a ceasefire, … Read more

LOS ANGELES — Erik Menendez was denied parole by panel of California commissioners Thursday. During his hearing he offered his most detailed account in years of how he was raised and why he made the choices he did — both at the time of his parents’ killing and during his decades in prison. He and … Read more

DENVER — It’s been two years since nearly 200 decaying bodies were discovered throughout a fetid, room temperature building in rural Colorado. On Friday, the man responsible, a funeral home owner, is set to be sentenced in state court for 191 counts of corpse abuse. Jon Hallford and his wife, Carie, ran a morbid racket … Read more

WASHINGTON — The State Department has fired a press officer who was responsible for drafting Trump administration talking points about policy toward Israel and Gaza after complaints from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Officials said Shahed Ghoreishi, a contractor working for the Bureau of Near East Affairs, was terminated over the weekend following two incidents … Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care for children could risk disciplinary action under a proposal set for review by the state medical board on Friday. The proposal would deem any professional who uses hormonal and surgical treatments for minors “as being grossly negligent” and subject to sanctions by the board, according … Read more

ATLANTA — Florida conservative Joe Gruters, a Donald Trump cheerleader dating back to his days as a reality TV star, is the president’s handpicked choice to be the next Republican National Committee chairman. Having no opposition, Gruters’ formal election is scheduled Friday at the Republicans’ summer meeting in Atlanta. For Gruters, the vote will complete … Read more

NEW YORK — Walmart Inc. reported increases in second-quarter profits and sales Thursday as it continues to pull in price-sensitive shoppers for everyday essentials like groceries despite a challenging tariff environment. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company, the nation’s largest retailer, also increased its annual profit and sales outlook. It’s among the first group of major U.S. … Read more

ATLANTA — Lawyers for a Spanish-language journalist who has been held in federal immigration detention since June argue in a court filing that the government is retaliating against him for his news coverage and is holding him in violation of his constitutional rights. Local police in DeKalb County, just outside Atlanta, arrested Mario Guevara while … Read more

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Wyoming man who allegedly hit a wolf with a snowmobile, taped the wounded animal’s mouth shut and showed it off in a rural bar before killing it has been indicted on an animal cruelty charge by a grand jury nearly a year and a half after the incident. Cody Roberts last … Read more