Now that July’s sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organization made it official: July 2023 was Earth’s hottest month on record by a wide margin. July’s global average temperature of 16.95 degrees Celsius was a third of a degree Celsius (six tenths of a degree Fahrenheit) higher than the previous record set in 2019. That's according to Tuesday's calculations by Copernicus Climate Change Service, a division of the European Union’s space program. Normally global temperature records are broken by hundredths or a tenth of a degree, so this margin is unusual.

A federal judge recently ordered the release of three of the “Newburgh Four,” who were arrested in 2009 in a fictitious plot to destroy military planes and New York synagogues. But the order resonated with defendants and attorneys in a strikingly similar case from several years earlier that led to the conviction of two men involved with an Albany mosque. Agents in both cases relied on the same Pakistani immigrant as an informant. And in both cases, federal government has been accused of entrapping people with concocted terror plots during a time of heightened fears over terrorism.

A Colombian man once seen as one of the world’s most dangerous drug lords is facing sentencing to at least 20 years in a U.S. prison. Dairo Antonio Úsuga — known as Otoniel — is due to be sentenced Tuesday in a federal court in New York. He pleaded guilty in January to high-level drug trafficking charges. Úsuga headed the Gulf Clan, a cartel and paramilitary group with a blood-drenched grip on much of northern Colombia. Úsuga was Colombia’s most-wanted kingpin before his arrest in 2021. When pleading guilty, he admitted smuggling tons of U.S.-bound cocaine and acknowledged “there was a lot of violence.”

Rapper Tory Lanez is expected to be sentenced for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet three years ago. Lanez's sentencing is likely to come Tuesday afternoon on the second day of a marathon hearing. Several more legal issues are debated by attorneys and decided by a Los Angeles County judge. Megan said in a statement read in court during an all-day session Monday that she has struggled emotionally every day since the shooting. Prosecutors are seeking a 13-years sentence. Defense lawyers are asking that Lanez get probation and an order to treatment for alcohol abuse. Seven witnesses gave statements Monday on Lanez's charitable giving and qualities as a father.

A new study concludes that Antarctica is already being and will continue to be affected by more frequent and severe extreme weather events, a known byproduct of human-caused climate change. Many of those changes are drastic, unprecedented and irreversible. Ice shelves are collapsing, the ocean is heating up, and species important to the region are suffering from habitat changes. Experts call for continued investment to study and protect a region that serves as a damper on some of climate change's worst impacts.

President Joe Biden will use his visit to Arizona to formally announce a national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon. National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi confirmed a day earlier that Biden is visiting the area Tuesday and is expected to announce plans to preserve more than 1,500 square miles just outside Grand Canyon National Park. This would be Biden's fifth monument designation. Representatives of various northern Arizona tribes have been invited to attend the president’s remarks. Tribes and environmentalists have been advocating for increased protections on the land for decades. Mining companies and the areas that would benefit from their business have been vehemently opposed.

Ohio’s voters will decide Tuesday whether to make their state constitution harder to amend, as a highly charged special election that has direct bearing on a November ballot question over abortion rights comes to a close. If Issue 1 passes, the threshold for voters being able to change the state constitution would rise from a simple majority to 60%. That would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the fall proposal to succeed, based on polling figures. Voters in several states, even deeply conservative ones, have affirmed abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, though usually with less than 60% of the vote.

Children in Georgia would need their parents' permission to create social media accounts if some top Republicans in the state get their way next year. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Sen. Jason Anavitarte say the want to pass such a law in 2024. Several states passed similar measures this year, and some members of Congress are also proposing such actions. The move comes after the U.S. surgeon general warned in May that social media hasn’t been proven safe for young people. Anavitarte says he'll also try to strengthen Georgia law against cyberbullying by requiring schools to warn that some kinds could be a crime.

Suga, the K-pop superstar rapper/singer/songwriter, has become the third member of BTS to begin South Korea’s compulsory military service. BTS's label, Big Hit Music, says in a statement that Suga "has initiated the military enlistment process by applying for the termination of his enlistment postponement.” In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required by law to perform 18 to 21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea. In December 2022, BTS’s eldest member, Jin, enlisted at age 30 after revoking his request to delay his conscription. J-Hope followed suit last April.

Donald Trump’s legal team is urging the judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against the former president to reject prosecutors’ proposed protective order concerning evidence in the case, describing it as overly broad. Lawyers for the early 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner said Monday that the judge should impose a more limited protective order that would prevent the defense team from publicly disclosing only materials deemed “sensitive,” such as grand jury witness testimony. The defense filing was in response to a request Friday from special counsel Jack Smith’s team for a protective order restricting the public disclosure of evidence in the case.

A federal judge has tossed out former President Donald Trump’s countersuit against the writer who won a sex abuse lawsuit against him. The judge ruled Monday that Trump can’t claim that E. Jean Carroll defamed him by continuing to say she was not only sexually abused but raped. She won a $5 million judgment against him in May and is pursuing her own defamation suit suit against him. Trump's attorney says he'll appeal the dismissal of his counterclaim. In this spring’s trial, a civil court jury concluded that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 but rejected her claim that he raped her. The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.

An 8-year-old Chicago girl riding a scooter was fatally shot in the head. The Chicago Sun-Times reports witnesses say the gunman was upset over noise. The shooting happened Saturday night in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood. Police were at the suspect’s apartment building Sunday, interviewing people and collecting evidence. A neighbor, Megan Kelley, says the gunman complained about noise before shooting the girl. Police say the gunman was tackled by the girl’s father after the shooting and shot during a struggle. He was taken to a hospital.

William Friedkin, the Oscar winning director of two gripping film classics, “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist,” has died. He was 87. A representative from his office said he died Monday in Los Angeles. Friedkin was in his early 30s when he won the best director Oscar for “The French Connection.” Other film credits included “To Live and Die in L.A.,” “Cruising,” “The Brink’s Job,” “Rules of Engagement,” “The Hunted” and a TV remake of the classic Sidney Lumet movie “12 Angry Men.” Friedkin also directed episodes for such TV shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Rebel Highway” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

Illinois will soon outlaw advertising for firearms that officials determine produce a public safety threat or appeals to children, militants or others who might later use the weapons illegally. The move is part of the state's continued effort to curb mass shootings. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has pledged to sign the plan into law. Gun-rights advocates say it violates not only the constitutionally protected right to own firearms but free speech. Legislation developed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul would make Illinois the eighth state to allow lawsuits against firearms manufacturers or distributors. The plan is part of ongoing efforts by Democratic lawmakers who control the Statehouse to eliminate gun violence.

Shootings and other attacks are increasing at hospitals across the U.S., contributing to health care becoming one of the nation's most violent fields. Numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show American health care workers are now far more likely to suffer nonfatal injuries by violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement. They racked up 73% of all such injuries in 2018, the most recent year for which figures are available. Hospitals have armed security officers with handguns, stun guns or batons. Some states allow hospitals to create their own police forces, including Indiana, Ohio and Georgia.

Democrats in Minnesota and Michigan who won full control of their state government have used their new power to enact sweeping policy changes that have been stalled for years. Michigan and Minnesota Democrats won full control of their state governments last year and have already been able to pass gun safety packages, expanded voting rights, free meals for all students, and increased protections for abortion rights and LGBTQ+ people. The swift legislative action is being viewed as a potential roadmap for other states who may soon gain similar power. Democrats are hoping for similar election gains in 2024 in Pennsylvania, Arizona and New Hampshire.

Rapper Tory Lanez is expected to be sentenced for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her. The 31-year-old Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, could get up to 22 years in prison on Monday after a jury convicted him of three felonies in December. Megan testified during the trial that Lanez fired a handgun at her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in the Hollywood Hills in the summer of 2020. Lanez also faces deportation to his native Canada.

Authorities say multiple passengers died after a charter bus carrying up to 50 people collided with a vehicle on an interstate in Pennsylvania. State police say the crash happened during heavy rain about 11:50 p.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 81 in Dauphin County's Lower Paxton Township, near Harrisburg. The bus flipped on its side. Police said in a statement that “multiple passengers” died. Multiple people also were taken to a hospital with injuries, but police didn’t immediately release further information. The route being taken by the bus and the cause of the crash weren't immediately known.

Trucking company Yellow Corp. has declared bankruptcy after years of financial struggles and growing debt. It marks a significant shift for the U.S. transportation industry and shippers nationwide. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed Sunday arrives just three years after Yellow received $700 million in pandemic-era loans from the federal government. But the company was in financial trouble long before that. Industry analysts have pointed to poor management and strategic decisions dating back decades. Experts say former Yellow customers and shippers will face higher prices as they take their business to competitors, including FedEx or ABF Freight. Yellow historically offered the cheapest price points in the industry.

Remember the first rap song you heard? Some of your favorite rappers and DJs do. While hip-hop celebrates 50 years of life, The Associated Press asked some of the genre’s most popular artists to recall their first rap song experience and how the moment resonated with them. In the first edition, The AP spoke with 12 hip-hop legends — including Queen Latifah, Chuck D and E-40 — who described the era when “Rapper’s Delight” ruled, and whether that song or another early rap track got them hooked. Hip-hop emerged as a musical genre in 1973, but 1979's “Rapper’s Delight” was a major catalyst for introducing rap music to a broader audience.

An Associated Press analysis of campaign finance data shows that supporters and opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment change in Ohio are largely funded by out-of-state donors, despite repeated messaging about the need to get such interests out of Ohio politics. National money, celebrities and influence are fueling much of the last-ditch campaigning and misinformation about the measure, known as Issue 1, on Tuesday’s ballot. It would raise the threshold to pass amendments to the Ohio Constitution from a simple majority to 60%. If voters approve Issue 1, it would make it more difficult for an abortion rights amendment on the November ballot to succeed.

California authorities have captured four suspects in multiple break-ins at homes around South Lake Tahoe: a mama bear and three of her cubs. The Department of Fish and Wildlife says DNA has confirmed the large female black bear and her three little accomplices were responsible for at least 21 instances of property damage since 2022. Officials say the mother bear and her babies were “safely immobilized” on Friday. 64F, who was outfitted with a tracking device earlier this year, is one of three adult bears identified last year as being responsible for 150 incident reports, including property damage, in the lake region straddling Northern California and Nevada.

Two conservative groups are asking a federal court to block the Biden administration’s plan to cancel $39 billion in student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Michigan, the groups argue that the administration overstepped its power when it announced the forgiveness in July. It asks a judge to rule the cancellation illegal. The suit was filed by the New Civil Liberties Alliance on behalf of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Cato Institute. The Education Department called the suit “a desperate attempt from right wing special interests to keep hundreds of thousands of borrowers in debt.”

The U.S. government’s most ambitious plan ever to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles faces skepticism about how realistic it is and whether it goes far enough. The Environmental Protection Agency in April announced new strict emissions limits that it says are vital to slowing climate change. The EPA says the industry could meet the limits if 67% of new-vehicle sales are electric by 2032. The auto industry says that pace is unrealistic. Even if the industry boosts EV sales to EPA recommendations, any reduction in pollution could prove more modest than the agency expects. The Associated Press estimates that nearly 80% of vehicles being driven in the U.S. would still run on gasoline or diesel fuel.

Elon Musk says his potential in-person fight with Mark Zuckerberg would be streamed live on his social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. The two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a “cage match” face-off in late June. Must wrote in a post Sunday that the “Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on X.” He added that “all proceeds will go to charity for veterans.” Zuckerberg is trained in mixed martial arts. Whether or not Musk and Zuckerberg actually make it to the ring in Las Vegas has yet to be seen, especially as Musk often tweets about action prematurely or without following through.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the 37-year-old biotech entrepreneur, is hovering among the top contenders as a Republican presidential candidate while being open about his Hindu faith. He has been drawing attention as he likens Hindu teachings to Judeo-Christian values. Some conservative Christians have opposed him because of his faith. And some Hindu Americans are concerned about his stance against abortion, open borders, affirmative action and LGBTQ rights. But they also acknowledge that he has broken important ground in U.S. politics by running confidently as an Indian American and an observant Hindu.

A record number of cruise passengers are expected this year in Alaska's capital, drawn by wonders such as the long-retreating Mendenhall Glacier. So many people are expected that the city’s immediate concern is how to manage them all. Some residents flee to quieter places during the summer, and a deal between the city and cruise industry will limit how many ships arrive next year. But climate change is melting the Mendenhall Glacier. It is receding so quickly that by 2050, it might no longer be visible from the visitor center it once loomed outside. The city is starting to consider what that might mean for tourism in the future.

Staff at Women’s Health Center of West Virginia know what it’s like to provide controversial health services government officials have sought to restrict. The Charleston clinic was the state’s only abortion provider for years before the state Legislature banned abortion last year. Now it’s trying to open a syringe service program for drug users, which is another contentious health service that has been regulated by Republican lawmakers in the deep red state. The proposal comes as clinics nationwide are pivoting or expanding services post-Roe, often to other hard-to-access care for marginalized communities they say face stigma and barriers similar to abortion patients.

North Dakota's oil industry is turning to Ukrainians to fill jobs amid a workforce shortage. The North Dakota Petroleum Council trade group this spring announced its Bakken Global Recruitment of Oilfield Workers program, led by former Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford. The program's first group of workers arrived in July via the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian program, enabling them to work in the U.S. with sponsorship for two years. Dickinson, one of the communities welcoming the workers, has a deep Ukrainian heritage going back over a century. Some of the workers hope to bring their families over someday while others hope to return to Ukraine.

Residents of the Mississippi county where a rogue group of officers carried out a racist assault say a culture of corruption and violence exists within the sheriff’s office. Six white former law enforcement officers in Rankin County have pleaded guilty to the assault on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. Some of them belonged to a group calling themselves "the Goon Squad.” Court documents unsealed by federal prosecutors suggest only some members participated in the raid. The documents say there are other Rankin County deputies known to federal prosecutors.

In a small South Carolina town, a community is getting ready to show off a little-remembered part of the history of the segregated South. The restoration of the Rosenwald school in St. George is nearly complete. Part of the money to build the school for Black students in 1925 came from Jewish businessman Julius Rosenwald, once president of Sears Roebuck. Rosenwald partnered with Black communities to build 5,000 schools in 15 states across the South that spent little money on African American students during Jim Crow. Only about 500 are standing and roughly half of them have been restored. There also is a movement to create a national park to honor Rosenwald.

Police have arrested a 17-year-old high school student on a hate-motivated murder charge in the fatal stabbing of a professional dancer during an altercation between two groups of friends at a New York City gas station last weekend. Police took the teenager into custody Friday in connection with the killing of the 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley, who was gay. Authorities declined to release the defendant’s name. Sibley was fatally stabbed in the torso on July 29 at a Brooklyn gas station. His death has sparked outrage and prompted tributes from celebrities including Beyoncé and Spike Lee.

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell received a rousing welcome from the party faithful Saturday at a high-profile home-state political gathering amid renewed scrutiny of his health. The 81-year-old lawmaker had frozen up midsentence during a recent Capitol Hill news conference. McConnell opened his breakfast speech before the annual picnic in Mayfield that is the traditional jumping off point for the fall campaign season by saying, “This is my 28th Fancy Farm, and I want to assure you it’s not my last.” It was his only reference to his health. McConnell arrived to a prolonged standing ovation and promoted the candidacy of a protege running for governor this year.

Social media influencer Kai Cenat is facing charges of inciting a riot and promoting an unlawful gathering in New York City, after the online streamer drew thousands of his followers, many of them teenagers, with promises of giving away electronics, including a new PlayStation. The event produced chaos, with dozens of people arrested — some jumping atop vehicles, hurling bottles and throwing punches. Police released Cenat early Saturday after he was issued a desk appearance ticket, which is issued by police to require a suspect to appear in court to answer charges. Police say they arrested 65 people, including 30 juveniles.

A beloved bookstore in Vermont’s small capital city moved across the street to a new spot farther from the Winooski River after an ice jam sent river water into the store in 1992. But the move to higher ground wasn't enough to save it from the latest flooding from torrential rains in July seen by some as the state’s worst natural disaster since a 1927 flood that killed dozens of people and caused widespread destruction. Now the mostly gutted shops and restaurants in downtown Montpelier are considering where and how to rebuild in an era when extreme weather is occurring more often. Vermont’s flooding was just one of several major flood events around the globe this summer that scientists have said are becoming more likely due to climate change.

Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a jackpot winner. The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20. Because no one took the estimated $1.35 billion grand prize, the pot has increased to $1.55 billion for the next drawing Tuesday night. There now have been 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The $1.55 billion jackpot would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payments stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757.2 million. The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1 in 302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball.

State legislatures across the country are rushing to get a handle on fast-evolving artificial intelligence. Many are focusing first on their own state governments before imposing restrictions on the private sector. Legislators are seeking ways to protect constituents from discrimination and other harms while not hindering cutting-edge advancements in medicine, science, business, education and more. Connecticut plans to inventory all of its government systems using AI and regularly check to see if they're discriminatory. Legislatures in Texas, North Dakota, West Virginia and Puerto Rico have created advisory bodies to study and monitor AI systems their agencies are using.

This week's charges against former President Donald Trump for trying to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election have highlighted a new worry about American democracy — increasing calls by Trump and his allies for more control of federal prosecutions. Several legal experts are calling it perhaps the most troubling threat to the country’s democratic institutions should Trump, or another Republican, win the White House next year. Trump and other conservatives have argued that such a takeover is overdue, especially because they see the prosecutions against him as the 2024 presidential campaign is heating up as nakedly political.

The Justice Department has asked a federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Donald Trump in Washington to step in after he released a post online that appeared to promise revenge on anyone who goes after him. Prosecutors asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday to issue a protective order in the case a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and block the peaceful transition of power. They pointed specifically to a post on Trump’s Truth Social platform from earlier Friday in which Trump wrote, in all capital letters, “If you go after me, I’m coming after you.”

Fifty years after the U.S. Endangered Species Act took effect, officials say 99% of the animals and plants it protects have survived. But some scientists and activists fear the act itself is in trouble. More than 1,600 species are listed as endangered or threatened under the law, which prohibits harming them or destroying their habitat. It won easy approval from Congress in 1973 and Republican President Richard Nixon signed it. Since then, opposition has grown from industry and landowner groups who say it hampers economic growth and property rights. Some lawmakers are trying to weaken the law and remove species from the protected list. Supporters are fighting back, saying the law is more important than ever.

Law professor and civil rights scholar Charles J. Ogletree Jr. has died after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's. He was 70. Ogletree had a distinguished career at Harvard Law School. His death Friday was confirmed by the dean of the school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ogletree taught Barack and Michelle Obama there. His list of legal clients over the years ranged from the late rapper Tupac Shakur to Anita Hill when she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. Dean John F. Manning said Friday that Ogletree was a tireless advocate for civil rights, equality, human dignity and social justice.

A crowd of thousands of people who gathered in New York City's Union Square for a popular livestreamer's hyped giveaway got out of hand, leading to injuries and arrests. Aerial TV news footage Friday showed a surging, tightly packed crowd climbing on vehicles, hurling chairs, throwing punches and scaling structures in the park. Shouting teenagers swung objects at car windows and ran through the streets. Traffic was snarled. Police officers could be seen trying to control the gathering with success by about 6 p.m. On his Instagram feed, the streamer Kai Cenat had an image promoting a giveaway at 4 p.m. in the park.

The College Board says schools in Florida should not offer its Advanced Placement course in psychology to students, citing guidance from state officials to exclude content on sexual orientation and gender identity. The call to shelve the course marks the College Board's latest clash with the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed to regulate how schools deal with subjects such as race and gender. Florida’s Department of Education rejected the assertion that it had banned the course. Under an expanded Florida law, lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity are banned in most cases.

A group of parents in Michigan has won a key ruling in a lawsuit involving the state's newborn blood testing program. A federal judge says Michigan must return or destroy leftover blood spots from nine children or get approval from the parents to continue keeping them. The judge says a form given to parents during childbirth doesn't fully explain how the blood spots are used. It doesn't say that Michigan collects money from researchers and that police could be given access to the blood spots. The judge says it violates the U.S. Constitution. The state says it's reviewing the decision.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: Former President Donald Trump does not face the death penalty on any of the federal charges brought in a recent indictment. The “Barbie” movie didn't rake in more money in a single day than Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ever raised, contrary to claims. Photos show that former President Barack Obama has long used golfer's tape on his hands while on the fairway but some are baselessly casting it as suspicious following the death of his personal chef. Federal prosecutors dropped one campaign finance charge against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried but he still faces other charges.

As Donald Trump was being arraigned in Washington on yet another round of criminal charges, his running mate-turned-rival Mike Pence moved to capitalize on the news, unveiling merchandise that quoted from the indictment. “Too Honest” the shirts and hats read — a reference to Trump's response when Pence rebuffed his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Pence’s decision to seize on the words marks a notable change in tone for a usually cautious candidate who has so far struggled to break through in a primary dominated by his former boss. Pence has moved to criticize Trump more aggressively, casting himself as the person who stood up to Trump, averting catastrophe.

Six white former law enforcement officers in Mississippi have pleaded guilty to a racist assault on Michael Corey Jenkins and his friend Eddie Terrell Parker, who are Black. A roughly 90-minute period of terror began late on Jan. 24 after a white neighbor called a Rankin County Deputy and complained two Black men were staying with a white woman. A rogue group of deputies who called themselves “The Goon Squad” burst into the home without a warrant and abused the men before shooting Jenkins. Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division says the trauma of the case “is magnified because the misconduct was fueled by racial bias and hatred.”

Authorities have scheduled a news conference to announce a new development in their investigation of multiple sets of human remains found along the New York coast, some of which have been blamed on the work of a serial killer. Rex Heuermann was arrested last month in the deaths of three women and has been named a prime suspect in the killing of a fourth. The remains of those four women were discovered in 2010 along a coastal parkway near Long Island's Gilgo Beach. Police have continued to investigate the deaths of six other people whose skeletal remains were found along the same stretch of coastline. Among them was a woman whose partial remains were first discovered in 1996. Authorities say Heuermann is not suspected in all the deaths.

The kidnapping of a woman who authorities say escaped her abductor by punching her way out of a cinder block cell in Oregon has focused attention on the area where authorities say she was taken: Aurora Avenue in Seattle, an urban stretch of state highway lined with box stores and budget motels and known for rampant prostitution. The mayor's office says the city is clamping down following recent cases in which women who engaged in prostitution along Aurora had to make harrowing escapes or otherwise be rescued. The police department issued nuisance notices last week to two budget motels on Aurora that police said were hotbeds of prostitution and other crime.

Nine members of Congress are expected to tour the blood-stained and bullet-pocked halls where the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school massacre happened. The six Democrats and three Republicans on Friday are scheduled to visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's old freshman building, the scene of the shooting that killed 17. It has remained locked behind a chain-link fence for use in last year's trial of shooter Nikolas Cruz. After the tour, a shooting reenactment will be staged as part of a lawsuit filed by the victims' families against former Deputy Scot Peterson and the Broward Sheriff's Office. Live bullets will be fired into a safety device and the sounds will be recorded.