House passes short-term funding bill to avoid a shutdown before the election

September 2, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection. Lawmakers needed to act before the fiscal year concludes at the end of September to avoid a funding lapse. They were determined not to bump up against that deadline during the campaign season following this past year’s historic shutdowns. The House passed the bill by a vote of 370-48. The Senate has already overwhelmingly approved the measure, so it now moves to President Donald ...

US strikes Iran and Tehran fires back as hostilities flare again

September 2, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday and Tehran fired missiles and drones in response as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. One U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding, killing two people and wounding dozens, local officials said. The U.S. strikes followed others on Sunday that abruptly ended a month without military action and threatened to fully reignite a conflict that has spiked global oil prices and posed political problems for Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections. The ...

Postal Service work to comply with Trump’s executive order is rushed, sloppy, whistleblower contends

September 2, 2026

The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. The effort is ...

As Spain swelters, a centuries-old accessory is having a moment

September 2, 2026

MADRID (AP) — In crowded subway cars and sun-drenched plazas, an old-fashioned accessory in Spain has been everywhere thanks to the blistering summer heat. Small enough to fit into a purse, the traditional Spanish folding hand fan, or abanico, snaps open into a semicircle. With little more than a flick of the wrist, it creates a surprisingly strong breeze. As successive heat waves in Western Europe pushed temperatures this summer to punishing levels, the accessory has become essential, embraced by the young and old from Spain and elsewhere. Women — and a growing number of men — ...

FDR at church, 1934

September 2, 2026

AP Photo President Franklin Roosevelt attends the family church, St. James Episcopal, in Hyde Park, N.Y., Sept. 2, 1934. President Roosevelt kept a close watch on textile strike developments, but there was no outward sign of activity in this direction. At left is the Rev. Frank R. Wilson and ...

Today in History

September 2, 2026

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II. Also on this date: In 1666, the Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, over the ensuing three days. In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established. In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta. In 1935, a Category 5 hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys on Labor Day, claiming more than 400 ...