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AP Afternoon Wire

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Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, lawmakers bring pent-up legislative demands as they return to Washington; African migrants say promises by a United Nations-affiliated organization are not fulfilled; and families accuse Camp Mystic of ignoring risks in a new lawsuit over flood deaths.

UP FIRST

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., makes a statement to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Monday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker Johnson faces an unruly House as lawmakers return for shutdown vote

After refusing to convene the U.S. House during the government shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson is recalling lawmakers back into session — and facing an avalanche of pent-up legislative demands from those who have largely been sidelined from governing. The unfinished business will pose a fresh test to Johnson’s grip on power and put a renewed focus on his leadership. Read more.

TOP STORIES

Thousands of Africans returned home through an EU program. Many say they’ve been abandoned

The European Union has given a U.N.-affiliated body hundreds of millions of dollars to help thousands of African migrants return from failed journeys to Europe and support them back home. But The Associated Press interviewed several of the returnees and saw a WhatsApp group of dozens more who say they've received little or nothing. The International Organization for Migration says it is concerned to hear that people are left waiting but can't speak about individual cases. Read more.

Families accuse Camp Mystic of ignoring risks in Texas lawsuit over flood deaths 

The operators of Camp Mystic in Texas, where 25 girls and two teenage counselors died in catastrophic flooding on July 4, failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached, families of the victims allege in a lawsuit. An attorney for Camp Mystic said in a statement that they empathize with the families, but they disagree with “several accusations and misinformation” in the legal filings. Read more.

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IN OTHER NEWS

The gilded summit cross on the peak of the Zugspitze is flown across the valley by helicopter for restoration on Tuesday. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)

Sticker removal: The gilded cross on Germany’s highest peak has too many stickers. Now it’s being restored

Thousands scammed: China’s ‘cryptoqueen’ jailed in UK over $6.6 billion Bitcoin scam

Marion County Record: Kansas county agrees to pay $3 million over police raid on a small-town newspaper, editor says

Expanded recall: ByHeart recalls all baby formula sold nationwide as infant botulism outbreak grows

Sports betting: What prop bets are, and why sports leagues can’t escape them

Obit: Sally Kirkland, stage and screen star who earned an Oscar nomination in ‘Anna,’ dies at age 84

WATCH: Vintage Tiffany's jewelry sparkles in new 'Frankenstein'

TRENDING

This photo provided by Tiny Health in October 2025 shows the company's swab for their gut health test. (Tiny Health via AP)

Gut microbiome tests are everywhere. Should you get one? 

At-home gut microbiome tests are trending, selling insights to the curious, empowerment to the chronically ill and a claimed path to longevity to the wellness-conscious. Private companies are offering tests, costing $100 to $500 or more, that promise a bacterial inventory of your intestines. But can microbiome tests actually provide actionable health information?