In North Dakota news: a major damages lawsuit hits Greenpeace amid pipeline battles; also debates on land and disaster aid ripple through the state. ND bio: a Midwestern oil-and-farming hub, home to diverse Indigenous history and rising political clout.
A severe storm has caused extensive damage across parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, with tornadoes ripping through communities. No fatalities have been reported, but homes, schools, and infrastructure have sustained significant damage. Emergency services are responding, and surveys are underway to assess the full extent of the destruction. The storm is ongoing, and further severe weather is expected.
Temperatures are rising across multiple regions, driven by ongoing climate patterns. Spain, Brazil, and North America are experiencing above-average heat, with forecasts indicating these trends will continue. A potential super-strength El Niño is contributing to global warming, impacting weather patterns worldwide. This story is current as of Mon, 20 Apr 2026.
The USPS is moving to allow concealable firearms to be mailed domestically under safeguards similar to rifles and shotguns. Democratic attorneys general in about two dozen states are opposing the plan, arguing it undermines state gun laws and enables access for people not legally permitted to possess firearms.
Graham Platner has won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Maine despite weeks of damaging reporting about sexually explicit messages, a chest tattoo linked to Nazi imagery and accounts from former partners describing volatile behavior. Platner has held to the campaign, high-profile Democrats have continued to back him, and he will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.
Multiple recent reports have revealed unsafe conditions across U.S. immigration detention sites and a rising death rate since January 2025. Federal watchdog and medical examiner findings have shown missing evidence, inadequate medical care, suicides and a homicide ruling after a Haitian asylum seeker died days after release. Protests and hunger strikes are escalating at privately run centres.
The articles show lawmakers in several states advancing or debating mid‑decade redistricting, with Georgia planning a special session to redraw voting maps for 2028 and New York eyeing constitutional changes; the move is part of a broader partisan effort affecting House seats and local districts, amid ongoing legal and political friction.
Universities are racing to add AI majors and minors, with 74 AI majors and 89 minors now offered in American campuses and more programs planned this year. The rush reflects the technology’s influence on the economy, but details vary by school. Demand and career outcomes remain uncertain as programs accelerate.
A B-52 Stratofortress has crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on Monday at about 11:20 a.m. local time. The aircraft burst into flames on impact; military officials have said the crash was not survivable and eight people on board have died. The jet was on a routine test flight supporting a radar modernisation programme; an investigation has opened and could take months.
Beekeepers are rescuing tens of thousands of honeybees after a truck carrying 50,000 pounds of hives overturned near Mauriceville, Texas. Officials have closed roads and warn residents to stay indoors as crews relocate hives and assess losses; no serious injuries have been reported.