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THE CLOSING BELL: Wall Street slips from its record following the latest weak update on the US economy

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 20:19:52 +0000

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their all-time high following the latest economic report to come in surprisingly weak. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% Friday from its record set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%. Stocks gave up modest gains from the morning after oil prices swung higher. Also raising uncertainty was a report showing shoppers spent less at U.S. retailers last month. Such data could keep interest rates low, which is something Wall Street loves, but it also raises the risk of slowing economic growth when inflation is still high.

The Closing Bell 08/14/2026 | RSS.com

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is edging back from its all-time high Friday following the latest report on the economy to come in surprisingly weak, this time about how much shoppers are spending at retailers. Such data could keep interest rates low, which is something Wall Street loves, but it also raises the risk of a slowing economy when inflation is still high.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from its record set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 45 points, or 0.1%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% lower.

Stocks gave up modest gains from early in the morning after oil prices swung higher. The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose roughly $1.50 and at one point hit $88.80 as uncertainty continues about when the war with Iran will allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again.

Also raising uncertainty was a report showing shoppers spent less at U.S. retailers last month than the month before. That surprised economists, who were forecasting another month of growth.

On the bright side for financial markets, such a pullback in spending could take pressure off inflation. Inflation remains much higher than anyone would like, but reports earlier this week suggested the pace of increases in prices is decelerating.

If inflation keeps trending that way, it could encourage the Federal Reserve to hold off on hikes to interest rates. Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they do so by intentionally slowing the economy and making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money.

The downside of such data, including last week’s surprisingly weak report on the U.S. job market, is that they raise the risk of a slowing economy. The Fed has no good tool to fix both a stagnating economy and high inflation at the same time, which is why what’s called “stagflation” is seen as a worst-case scenario.

Some on Wall Street cautioned against overreacting to the weak data on U.S. retail sales, even if it was broad based. It could simply be a snap back after retail sales in earlier months were boosted by unusual factors such as big tax refunds, the World Cup and even an earlier Prime Day event at Amazon, according to Jennifer Timmerman, senior investment strategy analyst at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

U.S. consumers nevertheless appear to be getting more discouraged about the economy. A preliminary survey by the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among them is weakening by more than economists expected.

The survey said drops occurred across the political spectrum and showed up particularly among older, lower-income and other groups who can be hurt most by inflation.

On Wall Street, Reddit jumped 11.6% after learning its stock will join the S&P 500 index on Tuesday. Many professional investors and funds closely track the index, either mimicking it or at least measuring their performance against it. That can push many to buy a stock automatically when it enters the index.

Applied Materials fell 5.4% even though the company, whose technology helps make semiconductors, reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Gary Dickerson said global hunger for artificial-intelligence technology helped it deliver another record quarter.

But its stock had already more than doubled this year and built expectations very high, which helped pressure the stock on Friday.

AI stocks in general have been swinging sharply on worries that their prices shot too high because of AI euphoria and that their strong growth in revenue may not be sustainable.

In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher and followed the price of oil. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.69% from 4.63% late Thursday.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% after Nigel Farage regained the seat in Parliament he quit a month ago, beating trash-can wearing comic candidate Count Binface in a special election.

South Korea’s Kospi again had one of the world’s sharpest moves and jumped 2.4% for its third straight gain of at least that much. Seoul has been at the center of the world’s swings for AI stocks because its market is dominated by two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Trump asks Supreme Court to let White House ballroom construction continue during appeal

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:13:33 +0000

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court’s order to halt the work.

Trump’s solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the ballroom project.

The divided appeals court panel ruled last week Trump must stop the White House ballroom’s construction because Congress has not approved the project. The panel’s majority said Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall.

The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump’s Republican administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Aug. 21.

“This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.

In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground construction of the planned ballroom. But the judge stressed that the White House was free to proceed with underground work, including the construction of any bunkers, military installations and medical facilities.

The D.C. Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project, siding with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the ballroom.

“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” wrote the majority’s two judges, both appointed by Democratic presidents.

A third judge disagreed, finding that the preservationist group that challenged the project had no legal right to sue.

“The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom,” wrote Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump.

The Trump administration argues that the president, not Congress or the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The current state of the project, essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House, the Justice Department contends.

The administration also says the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal right, or standing, to sue over the ballroom, which is part of Trump’s plans to quickly remake Washington. The solicitor general said the ballroom project “should be a matter for the President and the political process, not construction-by-injunction.”

In response to the petition, the trust accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction work, pointing to the administration’s plans to install 1 million pounds of rebar and pour another 3,000 cubic yards of concrete in the next week alone.

“The Administration’s transparent efforts to evade the rule of law, frustrate judicial review, and limit the availability of meaningful relief in the courts must stop here,” the plaintiffs said in a statement.

During an appeals court hearing in early June, an administration lawyer defended a broad view of presidential control over iconic public facilities. The government could bulldoze the Statue of Liberty and the White House, Justice Department lawyer Yaakov Roth said in response to a hypothetical question, and the descendants of immigrants who came through Ellis Island and the enslaved people who built the White House would not have standing to sue.

The D.C. Circuit panel upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. Leon concluded that a pause wouldn’t jeopardize national security. He also exempted any construction work that is necessary for the safety and security of the White House.

The ballroom has been under construction for 10 months. The administration says the work is roughly 65% finished.

“Given those developments, the injunction promises chaos in service of nothing,” Sauer wrote.

Judge moves Alex Murdaugh retrial from small county, but motion to toss out case will wait

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:00:42 +0000

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — The judge in Alex Murdaugh’s murder retrial decided Friday to move the case out of the rural South Carolina county where it consumed life for six weeks in 2023.

But left undecided is a defense request to throw out the whole case because Murdaugh’s lawyers said the chief state investigator lied to the grand jury that indicted their client in 2022 and another main investigator was fired for misconduct after taking a job at a different agency.

Murdaugh’s conviction and life sentence for killing his wife and son were overturned in May by the South Carolina Supreme Court after the justices ruled a court clerk may have influenced the jury.

Murdaugh shows up in coat and tie instead of prison jumpsuit

Murdaugh was in a coat and tie Friday after Judge Debra McCaslin ruled he didn’t have to wear a prison jumpsuit because he was not a security risk even though Murdaugh remains behind bars serving a 40-year federal sentence and a 27-year state sentence after pleading guilty to stealing about $12 million from clients and his family’s law firm.

The judge agreed Friday to move the retrial out of Colleton County, where the killings happened and the first trial brought throngs of media and true crime fans, overwhelming the few restaurants and hotels in the county of 40,000 people.

McCaslin said she had to move the trial because of all the publicity of the first trial, the circumstances of the court clerk tainting the first jury and the Murdaughs’ connections to the surrounding community, where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were chief prosecutors and the family’s law firm dominated for a century.

The location of the retrial hasn’t been decided and Murdaugh’s attorneys called one of their own lawyers to the stand to testify about how Charleston County, where he lived, would be perfect.

The testimony lasted 30 minutes as annoyed prosecutor Creighton Waters asked about how expensive Charleston is and how difficult it is to find parking.

The judge said she wants to take her time and research hotels and courtroom availability for the retrial set to begin on April 5.

Arguments about dismissing the case are not heard

McCaslin didn’t hear arguments Friday about dismissing the case.

The defense has said it will provide more information in writing about why it believes the case should be dismissed because State Law Enforcement Division agent David Owen told a 2023 grand jury that blood was found on a shirt Murdaugh was wearing when a different agent determined no blood had been found.

Murdaugh’s lawyers are also concerned about former agent Ryan Kelly, who testified how investigators thought Murdaugh paid another man to shoot him in the head so his son could collect millions in life insurance money but the shot only grazed him.

After the trial, Kelly took a job with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office but was fired for harassment and improper conduct. More details have not been released.

Murdaugh case continues to fascinate true crime fans

The true crime sensation continues to fascinate. Dozens of reporters, podcasters, bloggers and others were at the Lexington County courtroom to hear the latest in the case that combines money, violence, power and small-town Southern justice. Afterward, fans stopped defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian in the sweltering parking lot for selfies.

“The Murdaugh case is a total freak show,” Harpootlian said in the courtroom, arguing to move the case.

Prosecutors say Murdaugh shot his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, who was 22, because he believed sympathy over their deaths would buy him time to fix his financial crimes. At that point in 2021, he was close to being exposed by both his law firm and the family of a teen who filed a wrongful death suit after Paul crashed a boat while drinking.

A jury convicted Murdaugh of two counts of murder in 2023. While admitting he is a thief, insurance cheat, bad lawyer and longtime opioid addict, he has adamantly denied the killings.

The judge decided other issues Friday, asking the defense to determine whether there is enough of the dwindling DNA material found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails for both prosecutors and the defense to run additional tests.

N.C. Labor Commissioner to welcome Artemis II Astronaut Christina Koch to NCDOL

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:54:35 +0000

RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) — Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and the N.C. Department of Labor will welcome NASA Artemis II astronaut and North Carolina native Christina Koch on Wednesday, August 26, for a special event highlighting the critical role of workplace safety, skilled trades, engineering, and innovation in America’s return to crewed deep-space exploration.

The event, “From North Carolina Workplaces to the Moon: Safety, Skilled Trades, and the Artemis II Workforce,” will bring together students, workforce leaders, and North Carolinians connected to the Artemis II mission to celebrate the people and skills behind one of the nation’s most ambitious achievements.

As a member of the Artemis II crew, Koch made history as part of NASA’s first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years. Her journey from North Carolina to becoming an accomplished NASA astronaut offers an inspiring example of how education, technical expertise, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence can open the door to extraordinary opportunities.

“Christina Koch embodies the determination, innovation, and commitment to excellence that make North Carolina proud,” said North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley in a press release. “We’re honored to welcome her to the Department of Labor as we celebrate the hardworking men and women whose skills, craftsmanship, and dedication to safety make extraordinary achievements possible. Whether building our communities here at home or supporting the next era of space exploration, North Carolina’s workforce continues to lead the way.”

The event will highlight the teamwork and technical expertise required to support America’s return to crewed deep-space exploration, while showcasing the many career pathways that contribute to innovation and economic growth.

From advanced manufacturing and engineering to construction, skilled trades, technology, and other technical fields, the Artemis II mission demonstrates how workers with specialized skills play an essential role in turning ambitious ideas into reality. The event will encourage students to consider the wide range of opportunities available through North Carolina’s skilled workforce programs.

Koch’s visit also underscores the importance of maintaining safe workplaces where workers can develop the skills, experience, and confidence needed to contribute to projects that push the boundaries of what is possible.

Trump says record-setting Navy deployment to support Iran operations ‘not nearly long enough’

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:49:52 +0000

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the toll that the record-setting uninterrupted time at sea is having on American sailors deployed to the Middle East stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln as Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier.

In a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event to highlight falling violent crime rates across the U.S., Trump refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment’s length and even said that the more than 260-day deployment is “not nearly long enough.”

“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment.

The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the carrier, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.”

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment before being elected, took to social media to criticize Trump’s comments, saying on X that “President Trump does not care about our servicemembers or their families.”

Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment.

While hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war. Hegseth said that the U.S. military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports “indefinitely.”

Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and is expected to replace the USS Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.

After reports emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health concerns, the Navy said it has “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” though officials have declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.

A Navy official said that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but that the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care. The official would not say whether it was being considered a suicide attempt.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has also pushed back on reports about poor conditions.

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AP writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

Grand Jury declines to indict former Chapel Hill cop

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:41:44 +0000

By JACK BROOK Associated Press/Report for America

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A former law enforcement officer accused of planning to kill Black people in a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival was quietly released from custody over the summer after a grand jury found there was not enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

A Louisiana grand jury in June declined to indict Christopher Gillum on a state terrorism charge that could have carried up to a 15-year sentence, court records show.

Gillum, who had been held without bond, was released shortly after the grand jury’s decision and is not facing charges in any other jurisdictions, according to his attorney, Dylan Utley. He declined to comment further.

Gillum’s release has not previously been reported.

The 45-year-old ex-police officer, who is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, had been arrested in Florida in April with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a handgun while on his way to Louisiana to commit a mass shooting, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation had involved the FBI and authorities across Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida.

Authorities did not name the event Gillum was allegedly targeting, but his arrest came on the eve of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers annually.

Gillum, who is white, had “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people’ ”, according to authorities. His family had reported him missing in North Carolina and said he had a history of self-harm.

Lester Duhe, a spokesperson for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said in a statement that Gillum’s family had taken him “to a treatment facility out of the state” and that he is not facing additional criminal charges.

Duhe said there were “several jurisdictional issues” that complicated the case after Gillum was extradited to Louisiana following his arrest.

“The threat relayed to a family member actually occurred in North Carolina,” Duhe said. “The defendant never entered the State of Louisiana until after his arrest.”

Gillum had been planning to travel to the Florida Keys “during the same period he would have been suspected to travel to Louisiana,” Duhe added.

Gillum was charged under a Louisiana statute for the crime of “terrorizing,” which requires that “a crime of violence is imminent or in progress or that a circumstance dangerous to human life exists or is about to exist.”

Jonathan Guidry, the foreperson for the grand jury, declined to comment on the decision to not indict Gillum.

Katherine Schweit, a former Chicago prosecutor and FBI executive who ran the agency’s active shooter program, said that thwarted acts of mass violence do not always lead to indictments, but prosecutors often seek an array of criminal charges when possible.

“It’s very difficult to convince a jury, or to convince a grand jury, that something might have happened,” Schweit told The Associated Press.

Law enforcement authorities in North Carolina, where Louisiana court records list Gillum as residing, told the AP that they were not aware he had been released from custody.

“If we’ve got an individual that was accused of such an action, we would want to know if in fact he did return to Alamance County,” said Byron Tucker, a spokesperson for the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

Nazneen Ahmed, a spokesperson for North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, said their office is not involved and that criminal prosecution authority in the state generally belongs to local district attorneys.

The office of the Florida Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment about whether Gillum may face additional criminal charges in its jurisdiction. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana also did not return messages seeking comment.

In a statement, the FBI New Orleans office said the decision whether to charge Gillum rested with prosecutors.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival declined to comment.

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This story was first published on Aug. 12, 2026. It was updated on Aug. 13, 2026, to correct that Nazneen Ahmed, a spokesperson for North Carolina’s attorney general, said their office is not involved in legal proceedings surrounding Christopher Gillum and that criminal prosecution authority in the state generally belongs to local district attorneys, not that there are no plans for the state to pursue charges.

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BEFORE THE BELL: US markets strive for a positive week ahead of retail sales data and signs of cooling inflation

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:36:40 +0000

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writers

U.S. futures are mixed as Wall Street looks to advance for the week ahead of new retail sales data.

The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% higher Friday while Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%. Nasdaq futures rose 0.1%.

The U.S. stock market hit all-time highs Thursday on new data that showed inflation cooled in July, as well as a decline in oil prices.

However, oil is rebounding to end the week after two United Arab Emirates tankers were attacked while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

New numbers for U.S. retail sales arrive Friday before the opening bell after shoppers slowed their spending in June from May. There had been a notable bump in spending in both April and May as Americans dipped into their U.S. tax refunds.

Consumers, while resilient, have become more careful about how they spend money with more of their paychecks going to groceries and gasoline.

The average price of gas rose again overnight to $4.08, according to motor club AAA. That’s 92 cents more per gallon than at this time last year.

Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 24 cents to $87.31 per barrel early Friday. U.S. benchmark crude rose almost 1% to $81.83.

Businesses and households have had difficulty budgeting for gasoline and shipping because energy prices have become extremely volatile as fighting continues in the Middle East. Hopes for a U.S. deal with Iran have faded and the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the global oil supply usually transits each day, remains bottled up.

There was a level of relief after new reports this week showed consumer inflation, as well as rising costs in the pipeline before it reaches consumers, slowed in July.

If inflation appears to be in check, the Federal Reserve could hold off on raising interest rates. Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they do so by intentionally slowing the economy and making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money.

“The disinflation ducks are starting to line up, and with oil also backing off, the market has steadily stripped away the case for another near-term Fed hike,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

In equities trading Friday, Reddit’s stock surged more than 12% before the bell with the social media platform joining the S&P 500 next week. Applied Materials slumped after the second quarter performance of the computer chip equipment maker fell short of investor expectations.

Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.1% to 10,761.60 after Nigel Farage regained the seat in Parliament he quit a month ago, beating trash-can wearing comic candidate Count Binface in a widely mocked special election.

In Germany, the DAX rose 0.7% to 26,476.21, while the CAC 40 in Paris edged less than 0.1% lower to 8,654.97.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.6% to 68,713.80, while the Kospi in South Korea rose 2.4% to 6,977.94.

The U.S. dollar dipped to 159.15 Japanese yen from 159.16 yen. The euro edged down slightly to $1.1555 from $1.1556.

Documents show federal surveillance operation in Minnesota targeted progressive groups, unions

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:33:12 +0000

By TIM SULLIVAN and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents launched a sweeping undercover surveillance operation earlier this year targeting progressive organizations, labor unions and other groups protesting the immigration crackdown then raging through Minneapolis, according to court documents filed Thursday.

The program, dubbed Operation Puppet Master, was aimed at what officials called a network of conspirators helping “violent opportunists and agitators.” The documents were filed in a case involving 15 people charged by federal prosecutors in June with impeding the crackdown, accusing them of conspiring against the federal government through a range of actions, from throwing ice chunks to setting up blockades.

The government documents were released Thursday in connection with a motion from a defense lawyer in the case, Kevin Riach, who requested that officials disclose more material collected during the investigations.

The reality, according to government documents revealed in court motions, was Department of Homeland Security officers infiltrating meetings in churches, schools and parks that were often simply discussions of constitutionally protected protests.

A statement from the department said Homeland Security Investigations doesn’t comment on the existence or status of on-going investigations or investigative methods. The statement referred questions to the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, which didn’t immediately respond to an after-hours email from The Associated Press.

Puppet Master, and a later operation called Project Whipple Shield, were a “broad and irrational investigation” driven by politics and not criminal conduct, Riach said in a motion filed Thursday.

Take, for example, a Jan. 31 meeting in a Minneapolis library, when a Homeland Security report says an undercover officer identified as “UCA 9833” listened as supporters of a progressive climate group, the Sunrise Movement, discussed sit-ins, de-escalation tactics and “having a police liaison and safety marshal present during events.”

“During the Action meeting, it was made clear that the Sunrise Movement organization focused on ‘peaceful’ protests,” the agent reported.

Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings.

A slide created by Homeland Security’s investigative branch titled “The Conspiracy” shows 18 organizations, from a small Minneapolis bicycle repair collective to the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor groups in the U.S.

The government also obtained years of certain financial records for groups ranging from the Sunrise Movement to major unions, including the Service Employees International Union and the Communications Workers of America.

“You are requested not to disclose the existence of this summons for an indefinite period of time,” warned a DHS request to FedWire, a money transfer system operated by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

“It’s very disturbing,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Over time, it could deter people from expressing their beliefs, he said.

Many people don’t want to live in a world where expressing their beliefs gives federal agencies the right to investigate them, he said.

“It’s that fear of that creeping police state,” he said.

Groups that the government investigated were furious at the news.

“Our union has become the latest target of a corrupt administration that weaponizes the legal process against law-abiding Americans exercising our Constitutional rights,” CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said in a statement. “We will not be intimidated, and we will not be silenced.”

The AP News Guild, the union that represents many Associated Press employees, is part of the CWA.

On Thursday, a coalition of Minneapolis-area civil society groups defended the protests and criticized the investigations.

The government is “lashing out desperately in hopes of intimidating people and organizations that have shown the power of communities acting together,” said a statement distributed by Unidos MN, a local human rights group.

DHS deployed about 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for roughly three months starting late last year in what the department called its “ largest immigration enforcement operation ever.” It led to thousands of arrests, angry mass protests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the 15 were part of two groups that he characterized as “antifa,” an umbrella term for a diffuse movement of militant left-wing activists.

Defense attorney Riach said at the time that his client, Isaac Sant, had no affiliation with antifa, which he called “a boogeyman invented by the far-right.”

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Kelleher reported from Honolulu.

Homemade Cookie Butter

Savannah Gunter — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:00:52 +0000

This homemade cookie butter is rich, creamy, and irresistibly smooth, with a warm cinnamon-spice flavor. It has a thick, spreadable texture, making it perfect for toast, dipping fruit, topping pancakes, or eating straight from the spoon.

Ingredients

8 oz Biscoff or speculoos cookies
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
½ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Crush the Cookies

Break the cookies into pieces and place them in a food processor. Pulse until they become very fine crumbs.

2. Make the Butter Mixture

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the milk, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until smooth and the brown sugar has dissolved.

3. Combine the Ingredients

Pour the warm butter mixture into the food processor with the cookie crumbs. Add the vanilla extract and blend for 1–2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.

4. Adjust the Texture

Continue blending until the cookie butter becomes completely smooth and creamy. If it is too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

5. Cool the Cookie Butter

Transfer the cookie butter to a clean jar or container. Let it cool at room temperature before covering and refrigerating.

6. Serve

Spread the cookie butter on toast, pancakes, waffles, or biscuits, or use it as a dip for fruit. For the best spreadable texture, let refrigerated cookie butter sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Tomb raiding trio stole from cemeteries in at least 9 states, Florida authorities say

Bruce Ferrell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:54:04 +0000

ORLANDO (AP) — Authorities are searching for a trio of modern tomb raiders that they say has stolen family heirlooms and other valuables from cemeteries in at least nine states.

The suspects — a mother and daughter, and the daughter’s boyfriend — “went on a tour of the eastern half of the United States,” breaking into niches and mausoleums, said Corporal Cole Brazee of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

Officers have arrest warrants out for Porsche Bancroft, 32, her boyfriend, Drake Lee Milam, 33, and her mother, Angela Garrett, 52. All three are from Indianapolis, Brazee said in a video shared to social media. The warrants would have the suspects extradited back to Florida to face charges there.

Detectives are investigating 20 cases in Florida and believe there could be many more, according to the sheriff’s office. Brazee alleged the suspects have also hit cemeteries in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina and New York.

“There could be a significant amount of individuals that have been victimized that just don’t know it yet,” he said. “If you haven’t visited your loved one in a while and you know they’re in a niche, make sure that your property is still there.”

The Central Florida Crimeline is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.