Politics

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, ...

Free upgrades and pardon requests: What it’s like to share a name with a president

WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s not only one Donald Trump in the United States. Nor is there only one William J. Clinton. Plenty of people share names with famous presidents. Donald Trump, a veteran and resident of Alabama, said because of his name he often is gifted things for free. William J. Clinton, who goes by […]
6 hours ago
FILE - Supporters display MAGA flags near the Mar-a-Lago estate of President-elect Donald Trump, in...

Trump’s influence spreads through state capitols in both substance and symbolism

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new year of lawmaking and politicking is underway in U.S. statehouses. Governors are acting quickly to outline their agendas. And in many cases, the influence of President-elect Donald Trump already is rippling through states in both symbolic and substantive ways. Some state officials are trying to tackle concerns that […]
6 hours ago
Attorney General Merrick Garland reacts during a farewell ceremony at the Department of Justice, Th...

Merrick Garland exits with his record under scrutiny and the Justice Department bracing for upheaval

WASHINGTON (AP) — During hearings on Merrick Garland’s nomination to be President Joe Biden’s attorney general, the longtime federal appeals court judge told senators in 2021 that he hoped to “turn down the volume” on the public discourse about the Justice Department and return to the days when the agency was not the “center of […]
6 hours ago
FILE - People work inside the TikTok Inc. building in Culver City, Calif., on March 11, 2024. (AP P...

The rise – and potential fall – of TikTok in the US

The possibility of the U.S. outlawing TikTok kept influencers and users in anxious limbo during the four-plus years that lawmakers and judges debated the fate of the video-sharing app. Now, the moment its fans dreaded is here, but uncertainty over TikTok’s future lingers. On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law that bans the […]
6 hours ago
This image from video from the Justice Department in the statement of facts supporting an arrest wa...

Judges allow some Capitol riot defendants to return to DC for Trump’s inauguration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol after he lost the 2020 presidential election. Four years later, some of them are allowed to return to the nation’s capital so they can celebrate Trump’s return to the White House. At least 20 defendants charged with or convicted of joining the Jan. […]
6 hours ago
FILE - People giving their first names Erika, left, and Leeann react after an abortion rights amend...

What to know about abortion developments in the states and courts as Trump takes office

An incoming new president and state legislative sessions ramping up are likely to bring more changes to abortion policy across the U.S., which is still settling after the seismic shift in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state bans. State lawmakers across the country have introduced […]
6 hours ago
Cole Archer works on a protest sign during a meeting of NC Forward in High Point, N.C., Tuesday, Ja...

Tens of thousands are expected to converge on Washington for a march days before Trump takes office

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight years since its historic first march, the Women’s March is returning Saturday to the nation’s capital just before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Rebranded and reorganized, the rally has a new name — the People’s March — as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organizing after […]
6 hours ago
Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is...

Trump will arrive in Washington Saturday for inaugural celebrations to mark his return to power

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump will return to Washington Saturday to kick off days of pageantry to herald his second inauguration as president, four years after he departed the city under the shadow of an attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol. The ritualistic changing of power will get underway as Washington’s solemn pomp […]
6 hours ago
In this Jan. 3, 2025 photo, Rogers Lopez, sits with his wife Karina Canizarez, right, and son Jesus...

Resettlement agencies race to help refugees ahead of Trump’s second term

NEW MILFORD, Conn. (AP) — Rogers Lopez knows just how lucky his family is as they settle into their furnished two-bedroom apartment in suburban Connecticut, just before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Lopez, his wife Karina Cañizarez and their 5-year-old son Jesus are refugees from Venezuela and Colombia who were embraced by a team of […]
6 hours ago
A general view shows a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Friday, Jan. 17...

UN announces new plan to counter the surge in antisemitism

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations announced new actions Friday to counter the surge in antisemitism, including encouraging governments to enforce laws against hate crimes and discrimination. The U.N., created in the aftermath of the World War II Holocaust in 6 six million Jews were killed, has worked to counter antisemitism. But the 193-member […]
7 hours ago

Appeals court rules against Obama-era policy to shield immigrants who came to US as young children

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against an Obama-era policy to shield immigrants who came to the country illegally as young children, only three days before Donald Trump takes office with pledges of mass deportations. The unanimous decision by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in […]
9 hours ago
FILE - President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican governors, including Vi...

Louisiana governor to fly MAGA flag for Trump’s inauguration

The “Make America Great Again” flag will fly above the Louisiana governor’s mansion in honor of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry announced Friday. “Today, under President Trump, begins a renaissance in this Nation,” Landry said in a written statement. “One where America and her people will always come first. In Louisiana, we […]
11 hours ago
FILE - Former New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin leaves a hearing in federal court in New ...

Bribery, fraud charges dropped against former New York Lt. Governor

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in New York dropped bribery and fraud charges on Friday against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, citing the death of a cooperating witness against the Democrat who the governor had once chosen to be her second-in-command. Judge J. Paul Oetken signed an order closing the case against […]
12 hours ago

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer; Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Steve Bannon, former strategist for President-elect Donald Trump; Jonathan Dekel-Chen and Gillian Kaye, parents of Israeli American held hostage by Hamas. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Martin Luther […]
12 hours ago
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is applauded as she walks to the podium before giving the State of the ...

Arkansas governor traveling to Switzerland next week for World Economic Forum

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is traveling to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week, where she will be speaking on two panels, her office announced Friday. Sanders’ office said the Republican governor will attend the forum in Davos from Jan. 22-24. She will be speaking on one panel […]
12 hours ago
FILE - California Governor Gavin Newsom, left, surveys damage in Pacific Palisades with CalFire's N...

Battling LA’s wildfires, priorities shift for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s once Trump-focused special session

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s top political adversaries, has shifted his focus in recent days from gearing up for legal battles against the incoming Republican administration to prioritizing the state’s response to destructive wildfires around Los Angeles. It’s a balancing act the Democratic governor has juggled before. […]
12 hours ago
FILE - Cochise County Recorder David Stevens sits for a portrait inside his office in Bisbee, Ariz....

Official in Arizona county where some leaders embraced voting conspiracy theories plans to resign

BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — An election official in a southern Arizona county where some leaders embraced voting conspiracy theories plans to resign at the end of February. Cochise County Record David Stevens’ plans to step down were revealed Friday, 10 days after he was sworn in for a third term in office. A statement released […]
13 hours ago
FILE - New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall following a mee...

New York City mayor meets with Trump

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday went “well,” but declined to immediately talk about what they discussed. The Democratic mayor flew to Florida to see the president-elect. Adams confirmed that the meeting had taken place to a New York Times reporter, who […]
13 hours ago
People take their places as a rehearsal begins on the West Front of U.S. Capitol ahead of President...

Yellen says Treasury will use ‘extraordinary measures’ on Jan. 21 to prevent hitting debt ceiling

WASHINGTON (AP) — In one of her last acts as Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen said her agency will start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, on January 21, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. She sent a letter in late December […]
13 hours ago
Callie Goodwin, of Columbia, S.C., holds a sign in support of TikTok outside the Supreme Court, Fri...

For TikTok users, mourning, frustration and clinging to hope as TikTok ban looms

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is inching closer and closer to a potential TikTok ban — with the nation’s highest court upholding a law that’s set to halt new downloads of the app starting Sunday. But many questions around what exactly this ban will look like, and whether it will actually be enforced, remain. […]
14 hours ago
FILE - Mail-in and absentee ballots are seen at the elections warehouse in Pittsburgh, April 18, 20...

Pennsylvania high court to take up long-running dispute over mail-in ballots’ return envelope dates

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said Friday it will again consider whether voters should have to write the accurate date on return envelopes used to send their completed mail-in ballots to be counted. The requirement in state law has generated more than a half-dozen court cases in the past four years, including […]
14 hours ago
FILE - Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill, May 15, 2024, i...

Commerce Secretary Raimondo offers a parting shot at Trump and advice for Democrats’ future

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo looks at Donald Trump, she says she sees a president-elect who for all of his aggressive talk is afraid to let America compete with the rest of the world, responding instead with tariffs and curtailing immigration. “What Trump is saying is I want to protect you from […]
14 hours ago
FILKE - Then-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao visits emergency responders battling the Keller Fire in Oakla...

Former Oakland mayor, longtime partner indicted in alleged bribery scheme

OAKLAND (AP) — Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her longtime partner and two local businessmen were named in an indictment unsealed Friday alleging the four conspired to funnel city business to companies owned by the men in exchange for money and benefits to Thao and her partner. Thao, Andre Jones and business owners Andy and […]
15 hours ago
Work continues near the presidential reviewing stand on Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House...

Trump’s inauguration will be held inside. What to know if you’re traveling to Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bad weather forecasts mean President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda and people visiting Washington from around the country won’t be able to see it in person. The decision to move Monday’s event indoors marks the first time in 40 years that such a change […]
15 hours ago