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A historic heat wave that turned the Southwest into a blast furnace throughout July is beginning to abate with late arriving monsoon rains PHOENIX -- A historic heat wave that turned the U.S. Southwest into a blast furnace throughout July is beginning to abate with the late arrival of monsoon rains . Forecasters expect that by Monday at the latest, people in metro Phoenix will begin seeing high temperatures under 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) for the first time in a month. As of Friday, the high temperature in the desert city had been at or above that mark for 29 consecutive days. Already this week, the overnight low at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport fell under 90 (32.2 C) for the first time in 16 days, finally allowing people some respite from the stifling heat once the sun goes down. Temperatures are also expected to ease in Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Death Valley, California. The downward trend started Wednesday night, when Phoenix saw its first major mon...

As Democratic presidential primary candidate Robert F Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic because of his strident opposition to vaccines. Yet, he insists he’s not anti-vaccine. He has associated with influential people on the far right – including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn – to raise his profile. Yet, he portrays himself as a true Democrat inheriting the mantle of the Kennedy family. As he challenges President Joe Biden, the stories he tells on the campaign trail about himself, his life’s work and what he stands for are often the opposite of what his record actually shows. Though Kennedy’s primary challenge to a sitting president is widely considered a longshot, he’s been sucking up media attention due to his famous name and the possibility that his run could weaken Biden ahead of what is expected to be a close general election in 2024. He’s drawn praise from Republican presidential candidates like...

The Oklahoma House has voted to override Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto of a bill to extend existing agreements with Native American tribes on the sale of tobacco for another year OKLAHOMA CITY -- Native American tribes in Oklahoma will get to keep their existing agreements on how they share money from tobacco sales with the state. The Oklahoma House voted on Monday to override Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto of a bill that extends agreements on selling tobacco for another year. In a bipartisan vote during a special session, the Republican-controlled House met the two-thirds vote needed to override. The Senate overrode the governor's veto last week. As a result, any tribe with an existing agreement on tobacco sales can opt to extend the terms of that agreement until Dec. 31, 2024. Leaders from several of the state’s most powerful tribes were in the gallery for Monday’s vote. The override is the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the Republican governor and several Oklaho...

A group of parents, faith leaders and a nonprofit public education group are suing to stop Oklahoma from funding what would be the nation's first religious public charter school OKLAHOMA CITY -- A group of parents, faith leaders and a public education nonprofit sued Monday to stop Oklahoma from establishing and funding what would be the nation’s first religious public charter school. The lawsuit filed in Oklahoma County District Court seeks to stop taxpayer funds from going to the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 last month to approve the application by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City to establish the school, and the board and its members are among those listed as defendants. The vote came despite a warning from Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general that such a school would violate both state law and the Oklahoma Constitution. The Rev. Lori Walke, senior minister at Mayflower Congregational Church in Okl...

The federal judge assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump stands out as one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol WASHINGTON -- The federal judge assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump has stood out as one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack fueled by Trump's baseless claims of a stolen election. She has also ruled against him before. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, will oversee the case accusing Trump of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the two months leading up to the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. Chutkan has often has handed down prison sentences in Jan. 6, 2021, riot cases that are harsher than Justice Department prosecutors recommended. Chutkan has also ruled against Trump before in a separate Jan. 6 case....

Around 55 million Americans are under heat alerts as the heat index hits triple digits across the South. Around 55 million Americans are under heat alerts as the heat index hits triple digits across the South. Record highs were broken across major cities in Texas and Louisiana on Monday, with more high temperatures impacting those areas on Tuesday. The heat index -- or "feels like" temperature -- in Shreveport, Louisiana, reached 111 degrees Tuesday, while New Orleans was at 109 degrees. MORE: No known link between Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann, Atlantic City slayings: Prosecutor In Texas, Dallas and Austin reached a heat index of 108 and 106 degrees , respectively, on Tuesday, while Corpus Christi had a scorching 112-degree heat index . The heat index in Oklahoma City was 106 degrees, while Joplin, Missouri, was at 110. The relentless and oppressive heat will be the main story through the week for places like Austin, Dallas, New Orleans, Shreveport, Jackson...

Former President Trump has been indicted on charges related to special counsel Jack Smith's probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Former President Donald Trump, bent on staying in power, undertook a "criminal scheme" to overturn the results of the 2020 election, including repeatedly pushing lies about the results despite knowing his claims were false, and doubling down on those falsehoods as the Jan. 6 riot raged, a sweeping federal indictment alleges. This is the third indictment faced by the former president, who -- as the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race -- continues to insist that the vote was rigged. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme, which they say involved six unnamed co-conspirators, included enlisting a slate of so-called "fake electors" targeting several states; using the Justice Department to conduct "sham election crime investigations"; enlisting the vice president to "alter the election results";...

The law would also force stores to issue a recall on past books sold to schools that fall under a "sexually explicit" rating. Booksellers in Texas say they're preparing for an unprecedented workload under a new law that requires these vendors to analyze and rate books that they consider to be "sexually explicit" in their judgment. The law would force stores to issue a recall on past books sold to schools that have newly been rated as "sexually explicit" and refuse to sell these books to schools moving forward. Several booksellers and publishers in the state claim the law is anti-business and have filed suit against Martha Wong of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Keven Ellis of the Texas Board of Education and Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. MORE: Library chief breaks down challenge to Arkansas obscenity law allowing prosecution of librarians The plaintiffs argue that the book restrictions violate the First and 14th Amendments to ...

A man has been arrested for first-degree murder after human remains belonging to his wife were found in three suitcases in Florida last month, court records show. A man has been arrested for first-degree murder after remains belonging to his wife were found in three suitcases in Florida last month, court records show. The three suitcases were uncovered in the Intracoastal Waterway after someone called 911 to report something strange in the waterway on July 21, the Delray Beach Police Department said. The remains were believed to be that of "a white or Hispanic middle-aged woman with brown hair and approximately 5'4" tall," police said amid their investigation following the gruesome discovery. One of the suitcases had a sticker with the name, "Latam, MIA, Barbosa," on it, according to the probable cause affidavit. The Delray Beach Police Department released an image of one of the suitcases recovered in the investigation. Delray Beach Police Department MORE: ...