Dale Willman

It was the first convention since the assassination of its founder, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Vice President J.D.

Vance spoke at the meeting Sunday afternoon and promised to speed up deportations throughout the country.

The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protections, meanwhile, have awarded five contracts for construction of new smart walls along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Texas Public Radio's Jerry Clayton has more.

says it's pursuing another tanker in the Caribbean.

Officials say the vessel is trying to evade sanctions for transporting Venezuelan oil.

It's part of the Trump administration's ongoing campaign against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

NPR's Kerry Kahn has more on that story.

Shares surged higher across Asia on Monday after a rebound in artificial intelligence-related stocks, including Nvidia, sparked a rally on Wall Street last Friday to finish the week on a high Friday.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained almost 2% in Monday trading.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng, meanwhile, was up 0.1%, while South Korea's Copse climbed 2.1%.

U.S.

futures and oil prices also rose, while the U.S.

dollar remained above 157 Japanese yen.

This is NPR News.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Sunday for the southern part of Shasta County, California.

That order has ended, but evacuations were ordered in some areas as water continues to rise in the Yuba River.

Along Colorado's Front Range, meanwhile, a fire warning is in effect.

Hurricane-force winds and tinder-dry conditions there have increased the threat of wildfires.