Your afternoon news update

ADVERTISEMENT

View in Browser | APNews

DONATE

View in Browser | APNews

DONATE
 

AP Afternoon Wire

Advancing the Power of Facts

Policy changes, but facts endure. AP delivers accurate, fact-based journalism to keep the world informed in every administration. Support independent reporting today. Donate today.

By Sallee Ann Harrison

April 20, 2026

By Sallee Ann Harrison

April 20, 2026

 
 

Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, a Louisiana community struggles to come to grips with the massacre of eight children; FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for an article that alleged excessive drinking; and weapons-grade chemical carfentanil surges as a dangerous substitute for fentanyl.

 

UP FIRST

A makeshift memorial is growing on the front lawn of a home in Shreveport, La., on Monday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A makeshift memorial is growing on the front lawn of a home in Shreveport, La., on Monday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Louisiana community is struggling after man killed 8 children

A stunned Louisiana community struggled to come to grips Monday with the massacre of eight children carried out by a father who was separating from his wife and used an assault-style weapon despite a 2019 felony firearms conviction. The violence that unfolded early Sunday across two houses in Shreveport, Louisiana, was one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Singer D4vd charged with murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, found decomposed in his car
  • Planned fight between young people escalates to shooting that kills 2 at North Carolina park
 

TOP STORIES

FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for article that alleged excessive drinking

FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic magazine for $250 million on Monday, claiming an article that talked about his alleged excessive drinking was false and a “malicious hit piece.” The Atlantic, in response, said it stood by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the “meritless lawsuit.” Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Supreme Court will hear from religious preschools challenging exclusion from taxpayer-funded program
  • Witnesses subpoenaed to testify before DC grand jury in John Brennan investigation, AP sources say
  • With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington 
  • An Iraqi captain keeps sailing despite the threat of attack amid regional war 

Weapons-grade chemical carfentanil surges as dangerous substitute for fentanyl

Carfentanil, a weapons-grade chemical that authorities say is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, has seen a drastic resurgence across the U.S., killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users. The rise coincides with a recent crackdown by the Chinese government on the sale of precursors used to make fentanyl. Those regulations are likely prompting traffickers in Mexico to use carfentanil to boost the potency of a weakened version of fentanyl, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration intelligence bulletins reviewed by The Associated Press. Read more.   

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Mexico's Sheinbaum demands explanations after US Embassy officials die in Chihuahua
  • What to know about psychedelic retreats, a booming business with few safety guardrails
 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

IN OTHER NEWS

Pope Leo XIV is cheered by faithful during a visit to a nursing home in Saurimo, Angola, on Monday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Leo XIV is cheered by faithful during a visit to a nursing home in Saurimo, Angola, on Monday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The pope’s message: Did Pope Leo find his voice in Africa? Or did the world finally hear him?

Northern Marianas: Search is on for 6 crew from a ship that overturned during a typhoon

Bulgaria election: Tired of political turmoil, Bulgarians give ex-president a convincing mandate for change

Beagle breeding and research facility: Animal welfare protesters converge on Wisconsin governor’s office seeking release of beagles

Most challenged books: Book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs

Working together: Simple ways to make meetings work better for employees on the autism spectrum

WATCH: Marine biologist on Timmy, the humpback whale that’s sick and stranded in the Baltic Sea

 

TRENDING

Mannequins are displayed in a room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during preparations for the Met Gala exhibit

Mannequins are displayed in a room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during preparations for the Met Gala exhibit "Costume Art" on Tuesday. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Most fashion mannequins are about a size 2. The Met Gala exhibit is making room for diverse bodies

The upcoming fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines “the dressed body” in art over the centuries. But “Costume Art” also aims to include bodies that art has traditionally ignored. The museum has created 25 mannequins for display based on “real bodies.” Nine people modeled for the mannequins, including disability activist Sinéad Burke and body-positive lingerie designer Michaela Stark.