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By Sallee Ann Harrison

October 21, 2025

By Sallee Ann Harrison

October 21, 2025

 
 

Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, an AP investigation finds hundreds of anti-science bills hit statehouses this year, a Chicago raid signals a sharp escalation in the White House’s immigration crackdown, and Warner Bros. Discovery confirms it has received buyout interest.

 

Afternoon Wire did not send yesterday due to the Amazon Web Services outage. 

 

UP FIRST

Ashlee and Erik Dahlberg hold a photo of their late son, Liam, in their home in Lowell, Ind., on Aug. 12. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

Ashlee and Erik Dahlberg hold a photo of their late son, Liam, in their home in Lowell, Ind., on Aug. 12. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century 

More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An AP investigation found that the wave of legislation is pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Who benefits from the MAHA anti-science push?
  • How AP tracked and analyzed anti-science legislation in US statehouses
  • What Americans think about rising health care costs, according to a new AP-NORC poll
 

TOP STORIES

In Chicago, an immense show of force signals a sharp escalation in White House immigration crackdown

A raid last month at a Chicago apartment building has signaled a sharp escalation in the White House’s immigration crackdown and ratcheted up tensions in a city already on edge. Dozens of agents stormed the building, with their guns drawn. Authorities said they were targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, but only two of the 37 immigrants arrested were gang members. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Trump-Putin summit planned for Budapest is on hold after Rubio spoke with Lavrov, US official says
  • A timeline of US attacks in the Caribbean and what Congress has had to say
  • Man pardoned after storming Capitol is charged with threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries

Warner Bros. Discovery confirms it has received buyout interest and is considering its options

Just months after announcing plans to split into two companies, Warner Bros. Discovery has signaled that it may be open to a sale of its business. In an announcement Tuesday, the entertainment giant said it had initiated a review of “strategic alternatives” in light of “unsolicited interest” it had received from multiple parties for both the entire company and Warner Bros specifically. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Newspapers closing, news deserts growing for beleaguered news industry 
  • During troubled times in news industry, 168-year-old Atlantic thrives with newspaper-magazine hybrid
 

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IN OTHER NEWS

People walk in the morning near the India Gate monument in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

People walk in the morning near the India Gate monument in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

India: Thick, hazardous smog blankets New Delhi after Diwali fireworks
Citrus and cartels: Lime growers’ leader in Mexico killed after denouncing cartel extortion
Russia-Ukraine war: Photos show Ukrainians dealing with blackouts as Russia strikes energy infrastructure
Doug Martin: Former NFL player died after struggling with officers while being detained, police say
‘Star Wars’: Adam Driver says Disney nixed a Kylo Ren film he pitched with Steven Soderbergh

One Tech Tip: How to prepare for outages that impact our online lives, from banking to chatting apps
WATCH: A man took videos as his home floated away in Alaska’s torrential storms

 

TRENDING

This image provided by NOAA shows a North Atlantic right whale in the waters off New England in May 2024. (NOAA via AP) 

This image provided by NOAA shows a North Atlantic right whale in the waters off New England in May 2024. (NOAA via AP) 

One of the world’s rarest whales that makes the Atlantic its home grows in population

One of the rarest whales on the planet has continued an encouraging trend of population growth in the wake of new efforts to protect the giant animals, according to scientists who study them. The North Atlantic right whale now numbers an estimated 384 animals, up eight whales from the previous year.