National News

(NEW YORK) -- Air quality alerts are in place on Thursday across at least 18 states, from Minnesota to New Hampshire to Virginia, as dangerous smoke continues to waft into the U.S. from Canadian wildfires, including more than 100 blazes burning out of control.Smoke from at least 850 active wildfires in Canada is traveling more than a thousand miles to reach U.S. locations including New York City. At least another nine large fires […]

Police and firefighters work on the site after a helicopter crashed in the Hudson River on April 10, 2025, in Jersey City, New Jersey. All six people on board were killed when a helicopter plunged into the Hudson River off of Lower Manhattan. (Photo by Andres Kudacki/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) -- A bird strike likely caused last year's tourist helicopter crash in New York City's Hudson River that killed all six people […]

(WASHINGTON) -- A new bill in Washington, D.C., would allow foster youth to help define their own families — and it's crafted by the very young people it seeks to serve.Former and current foster youth helped create the Support, Opportunity, Unity and Legal Relationships Act, known as the SOUL Act. It's a Washington, D.C., bill that would allow teens -- ages 16 and up -- to legally enlist multiple guardians, […]

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) -- A teenager has been arrested in the 2025 fatal shooting of three people outside of a DMV in Kentucky. Another shooter remains at large, police said. The unnamed teen, who was 17 years old at the time of the murders, has been charged with three counts of murder complicity, five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and receiving stolen property, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. The teen is […]

A helicopter airlifts two deputies to the hospital after they were shot on July 16, 2026 in Ruskin, Fla. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office) (RUSKIN, Fla.) -- Two deputies were airlifted to a Florida hospital Thursday after they were shot while approaching a suspect who was accused of holding a woman hostage overnight, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Chris Dmuchowski, was shot by a third […]

(NEW YORK) -- At least one person has died as a result of the flash flooding emergency currently ongoing in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed on Thursday.The death was reported overnight between Kerrville and Comfort, Texas, Abbott said. More than 70 people have been rescued so far, he added.Rescue operations are underway for people stranded in homes and potentially larger facilities, with 1,300 emergency personnel responding, according to the governor.Torrential rain […]

People walk by the Comcast building which houses NBC Studios in Manhattan on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) -- A man is in custody after he allegedly snuck into an NBC building at New York City's Rockefeller Center on Thursday morning, authorities said.The suspect said he was looking for "Today" show weather anchor Al Roker, and he allegedly repeatedly uttered a racial slur, […]

A helicopter airlifts two deputies to the hospital after they were shot on July 16, 2026 in Ruskin, Fla. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office) (RUSKIN, Fla.) -- Two deputies were airlifted to a Florida hospital Thursday after they were shot in an incident, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.Police are on the scene of the shooting, which took place on West Shell Point Road in Ruskin, Florida, south of Tampa, […]

(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Minneapolis' air quality ranked the worst in the world among major cities Thursday due to thick smoke from wildfires burning throughout northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada.Much of the city's air quality entered the "hazardous" category Wednesday night and remained there into Thursday. Parts of the city reached an air quality index, or AQI, of 460. A hazardous AQI is categorized as 300 and above. The air quality in Detroit also ranked […]