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Tenacious AP reporting bypasses official stonewalling to expose a failing system for incarcerated youth

To investigate Florida’s online school for incarcerated youth, education reporter Bianca Vázquez Toness faced official stonewalling, with no access to detention centers or public records. Communications with students were monitored, making interviews nearly impossible. To overcome these hurdles, Vázquez Toness developed sources with families, obtained detainees’ letters to lawmakers and patiently waited for a key […]

AUG. 22, 2025

Courageous reporting and deep source work exposed the crisis of child recruitment in Colombia

To shine a light on the recruitment of children by armed groups in Colombia, reporter Steven Grattan and photographer Nadege Mazars traveled to the dangerous Cauca region, facing immense logistical challenges and physical risk. Gaining the trust of justifiably fearful sources was paramount to their success. Leveraging her years of experience in the area, Mazars […]

AUG. 22, 2025

A project celebrating 100 years and a Top 25 blog spark huge audience engagement

To launch its college football coverage with deeper reader engagement, a multi-department AP team centered its strategy on the wildly popular Top 25 poll and the 100th anniversary of the AP All-America team. Instead of standard coverage, the team undertook a massive archival data project, digging through a century of scarce records. They successfully compiled […]

AUG. 22, 2025

Hundreds of historic tall ships sail into Amsterdam for a maritime festival

Crowds packed vantage points along a major canal and took to the water themselves Wednesday to watch a flotilla of hundreds of historic ships sail into Amsterdam at the start of a five-day festival celebrating the Dutch capital’s maritime history. Ships from all over the world, many with their masts and rigging decorated with flags, sailed from […]

AUG. 21, 2025

Missouri State and Delaware are making a historic, risky leap to FBS amid college sports upheaval

The paint is finally dry on Plaster Stadium. The new turf has been laid, with its maroon end zones, the Missouri State logo across midfield and “C-USA” emblazoned at the 25-yard lines. All the technological upgrades are completed, ready for the Bears to play their home opener against SMU in less than a month. These […]

AUG. 21, 2025

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, aka Sincaraz, rule men’s tennis as the 2025 US Open arrives

OK, sure, maybe it wouldn’t be rational to say there’s no point in actually holding the full U.S. Open and instead just fast-forwarding to the inevitable matchup for the men’s championship between Jannik Sinner — assuming he’s healthy — and Carlos Alcaraz on Sept. 7. Seems reasonable, though. “We know,” Novak Djokovic acknowledged, “they’re the dominant force right now.” When singles action […]

AUG. 21, 2025

Women are flocking to DC for a historic pro baseball tryout. Here are some players to know

Hundreds of women will flock to Washington on Friday to take their first swings at turning pro baseball dreams into reality. Some at the historic tryout will be seasoned veterans and trailblazers in the women’s game. Plenty others are beginners chasing a shot at the pros. They’ll meet on the same field in a camp […]

AUG. 21, 2025

At the US Open, tennis stars shine under dark sky-friendly outdoor lights

When the court lights flicker on at the U.S. Open, tennis stars shine under illumination designed to cut light pollution. The wedge-shaped lamps around the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows direct light onto the players without spewing it into the surrounding skies. The stadium complex is the only professional sports venue certified by a group […]

AUG. 21, 2025

Can empathy lead to sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can

Empathy is usually regarded as a virtue, a key to human decency and kindness. And yet, with increasing momentum, voices on the Christian right are preaching that it has become a vice. For them, empathy is a cudgel for the left: It can manipulate caring people into accepting all manner of sins according to a […]

AUG. 21, 2025

Gymnast who sparked FBI sex abuse inquiry into coach tells AP she’s proud to come forward

 Recalling the damage her now-arrested coach inflicted on her and many of her gymnast friends, Finley Weldon said she feels a sense of pride. Free from the grip that Sean Gardner had during her years of training at an Iowa academy known for producing Olympians, Weldon told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that she is […]

AUG. 21, 2025

A Ukrainian startup develops long-range drones and missiles to take the battle to Russia

When a Ukrainian-made drone attacked an ammunition depot in Russia last September, it showcased Kyiv’s determination to strike deep behind enemy lines and the prowess of its defense industry. The moment was especially gratifying for the woman in charge of manufacturing the drones that flew more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to carry out this mission. For […]

AUG. 21, 2025

Week in Pictures

AUG. 21, 2025