HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says damage to critical infrastructure is hampering efforts to help residents hit by massive flooding. Beshear said Sunday that dozens of bridges were destroyed in last week's floods. That makes it difficult to assist many areas, including those whose water systems were damaged. The governor says communications issues also exist.

YREKA, Calif. (AP) — Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for more fire growth as they sought to protect remote communities. The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with thunderstorms a major concern on Sunday.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana state senators narrowly passed a near-total abortion ban Saturday during a rare weekend session, sending the bill to the House after a contentious week of arguments over whether to allow exceptions for rape and incest.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Saturday, slightly more than three days after he was cleared to exit coronavirus isolation, the White House said. White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor said Biden “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well.” O'Connor said “there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time.”

PRESTONBURG, Ky. (AP) — Some residents of Appalachia returned to flood-ravaged homes and communities on Saturday to shovel mud and debris and to salvage what they could. Meanwhile, Kentucky's governor said search and rescue operations were ongoing in the region swamped by torrential rains days earlier that led to flash flooding that killed at least 25 people, including four children.

The U.S. Navy is working to develop drone ships as it faces a growing threat from China. The Navy envisions robotic vessels keeping an electronic eye on enemy forces across the vast Pacific Ocean, extending the reach of firepower and keeping sailors out of harm’s way.

JACKSON, Ky. (AP) — Search and rescue teams backed by the National Guard searched Friday for people missing in record floods that wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America. Kentucky’s governor said 15 people have died, a toll he expected to grow as the rain keeps falling.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal officials announced plans Thursday to spend $401 million in grants and loans to expand the reach and improve the speed of internet for rural residents, tribes and businesses in 11 West and Central U.S. states. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters that farmers, store owners, schoolchildren and people seeking telehealth medical checkups will benefit from the ReConnect and Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee programs.

JACKSON, Ky. (AP) — Heavy rains have caused flash flooding and mudslides as storms pound parts of central Appalachia. Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday at least eight people have died from flooding in Kentucky. He says property damage has been massive, with hundreds losing their homes.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Heatwave duration records could be broken in the Pacific Northwest this week and authorities are expanding capacity at some cooling centers as temperatures near triple digits are forecast to extend into the weekend. The National Weather Service has extended the excessive heat warning for Portland, Oregon, from Thursday through Saturday evening.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace. The decline in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of the economy — followed a 1.6% annual drop from January through March.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a bill that's designed to encourage more semiconductor companies to build chip plants in the United States. The $280 billion measure, which awaits a House vote, includes federal grants and tax breaks for companies that construct their chip facilities in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — A bidder has paid nearly $2.8 million at auction for a jacket worn by astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the historic first mission to the moon's surface in 1969. Sotheby's says the amount paid for the Apollo 11 Inflight Coverall Jacket is the highest for any American space-flown artifact sold at auction.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is caught in an awkward, painful place. A confusing one, too. Growth appears to be sputtering, home sales are tumbling and economists warn of a potential recession ahead. But consumers keep spending, businesses keep posting profits and the economy keeps adding hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. In the midst of it all, prices have accelerated to four-decade highs, and the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to douse the inflationary flames with higher interest rates.

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Record rainfall has caused widespread flash flooding across the St. Louis area, closing multiple roadways and prompting rescues from vehicles and homes. There were no immediate reports Tuesday of injuries to people, but several puppies drowned when water got into a building at a stray dog rescue operation in St. Peters.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The trial for a commercial truck driver charged with causing the deaths in 2019 of seven members of a Marine motorcycle club is starting Tuesday. Jurors on Monday traced Volodymyr Zhukovskyy’s route from a New Hampshire auto dealership to the crash site about 10 miles away.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The temperatures in Portland, Oregon, could top 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday amid the hottest stretch of a week-long heat wave in the Pacific Northwest region that rarely experiences such scorching weather. Forecasters have issued an excessive heat warning for parts of Oregon and Washington. Highs in Seattle could hit the 90s and temperatures in eastern Oregon and Washington could close in on 110 F.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is conducting a review of four dams on a Maine river that could result in a lifeline for the last wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. The last of the wild salmon live in a group of rivers in Maine and have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 2000.

JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters significantly slowed the spread of a smoky wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park. Thousands of residents of remote mountain communities are still under evacuation orders Monday. Crews “made good headway” against the Oak Fire, according to a Sunday night incident report. More than 2,500 firefighters are battling the blaze, contending with steep terrain and hot weather.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are searching for people involved in a weekend shooting at a park in which two people were killed and five wounded. The LA Police Department says the shooting occurred Sunday afternoon at Peck Park in the city's San Pedro neighborhood.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen. So far this year more than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut and the typically worst of the fire season lays ahead. Among the wildfires already this year was the largest ever in a typically largely fireproof southwest region of the state.

COVID-19 infections are again on the rise and filling families with dread as a new school year approaches. They fear the return of the pandemic scourge of outbreaks that sideline large numbers of teachers, close school buildings, and force students back into remote learning.

It turns out millennials haven't strayed very far from the areas where they grew up. A study released Monday by Harvard University and U.S. Census Bureau researchers found that by age 26 more than two-thirds of millennials lived in the same area where they grew up, 80% had moved less than 100 miles away and 90% resided less than 500 miles away.

SAN PEDRO, Calif. (AP) — At least seven people have been injured after gunfire erupted at a Los Angeles park. The LA Police Department said the shooting occurred around 3:50 p.m. Sunday at Peck Park in LA's San Pedro neighborhood. The LAPD said it wasn't an active shooter situation but provided no more information.

JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP) — A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park is burning out of control and has grown into one of California’s biggest blazes of the year. Thousands of residents were ordered to flee remote mountain communities. Some 2,000 firefighters are battling the Oak Fire, contending with steep terrain and hot weather.