Politics

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., leaves the chamber, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursd...

Some GOP senators and Trump allies have harsh reviews of his agreement to end Iran war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, including top national security figures, were voicing strong reservations Thursday —- and some outright condemnation — of the Trump administration’s agreement to end the fighting in Iran. The memorandum of understanding signed by President Donald Trump started a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on […]
5 months ago
Construction continues on the new White House ballroom, as seen from the Washington Monument, Wedne...

Democrats say money from Trump’s tax cuts bill is paying for White House ballroom project

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $350 million from President Donald Trump’s “ big, beautiful bill ” has been quietly directed to White House security, an allotment that Democrats warn appears to be helping fund his new ballroom project — despite the president’s insistence that no taxpayer dollars would be used. The apportionment of funds, which […]
5 months ago
A woman places her paper ballot into a machine after voting in a runoff election at C.T. Martin Rec...

Georgia’s QR codes for counting votes likely to remain for midterms as lawmakers delay action

ATLANTA (AP) — A day after postponing plans to redraw Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts, state lawmakers were poised Thursday to delay making any changes to the state’s current vote-counting method. That would mean the system, which relies on a QR code to tally the votes, will remain in place for the November election, an […]
5 months ago
FILE - Tom Kean Jr., GOP candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, arrives at his elec...

NJ Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. sets June 30 return date after monthslong absence

New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who’s been absent from Congress since March with an unspecified medical issue, is set to return on June 30, a political consultant to the congressman said Thursday. Kean, who represents a battleground district in this year’s midterms, has missed more than 100 votes and hasn’t been spotted in […]
5 months ago
Former President Barack Obama, back center, and former first lady Michelle Obama, right, arrive on ...

Photos show opening Day at the Obama Presidential Center

CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Barack Obama marked the opening of his presidential center with a star-studded celebration that brought together former presidents, world leaders, celebrities and athletes. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
5 months ago
D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George waves to the crowd as she celebrates after winning D.C. Ma...

Janeese Lewis George wins the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, DC

WASHINGTON (AP) — Janeese Lewis George, who pledged to aggressively stand up to federal intervention into Washington, D.C.’s affairs, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor, setting up a potential showdown with the Trump administration over its moves to challenge the city’s limited autonomy. In an overwhelmingly Democratic city, Lewis George is likely to take the […]
5 months ago

Arizona prosecutors dismissing fake elector case but vow to seek new indictment

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is dismissing a sprawling criminal case that alleged President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others tried to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in the state. The decision announced Thursday marks the third such fake elector case filed […]
5 months ago
FILE - A person views posted signs on the locations of the now removed explanatory panels that were...

Trump administration can replace Washington slavery exhibit in Philadelphia, appeals court says

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Trump administration can replace a slavery exhibit at George Washington’s home in Philadelphia, a federal appeals court panel said Thursday, striking down a lower court’s injunction that required the National Park Service to reinstall the interpretive panels. The unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of […]
5 months ago
District of Columbia mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie fills out his ranked choice ballot during th...

Washington DC mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie concedes primary to Janeese Lewis George

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington, D.C. mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie on Thursday conceded the Democratic primary race to Janeese Lewis George. Although the official certification of the primary race is continuing, McDuffie said in a statement that “it is clear that the voters have chosen a different path.” The former member of the D.C. council said […]
5 months ago
FILE - A large banner is seen at a campaign event for a proposed "billionaires tax" in Los Angeles ...

California billionaire tax proposal is slated to qualify for the November ballot

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A proposal to temporarily increase taxes on billionaires in California to counter federal cuts to healthcare for low-income people has sufficient public support to qualify for the November ballot, the state’s top elections official said. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, said Wednesday night that petitioners have collected more than […]
5 months ago
FILE - Fans, part of a cooling system, are visible on the roof of a data center April 27, 2026, in ...

Federal regulators back Trump’s plan to speed power to energy-hungry AI data centers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday agreed to let large energy users connect more quickly to the nation’s inefficient and electric transmission system to accommodate surging demand from power-hungry artificial intelligence data centers. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to act in an effort to help the United States […]
5 months ago
FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court is seen, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)...

Supreme Court sides with a Texas man who says it’s not a crime for marijuana users to have guns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sided Thursday with a Texas marijuana user who wants to legally own a gun, the latest in a line of firearm cases from a court that has expanded gun rights. The justices sided with Ali Danial Hemani, who argued that a law barring guns from anyone who uses drugs […]
5 months ago
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he leaves the stage after a media conference at the end of ...

The Latest: US and Iran sign initial deal to end war, ease sanctions and open strait

President Donald Trump has signed an agreement with Iran that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries. The White House had planned a […]
5 months ago
A painting by Navajo artist Kee Yazzie is displayed as part of the "Stars, Stripes and First Americ...

Red, white and blue: A strategy for survival as Native Americans navigate 250 years of history

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Swiftly marching toward westward expansion, the United States in the 1800s brought with it a tidal wave of displacement and cultural suppression for Native Americans. A century of broken treaties already had spawned distrust of the federal government, and widespread forced assimilation was accelerating. With shifting cultural and social circumstances […]
5 months ago
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press statement on arrival for a meeti...

Pentagon chief urges Europe to take the lead as he pushes a ‘NATO 3.0’ reboot

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that America’s allies in Europe must take the lead on the defense of their own continent and help turn NATO into “a read hard-line military alliance.” At a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Hegseth called for a reboot of the 32-nation organization to turn it […]
5 months ago
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., left, Ken Miceli, second from left, Scott Neely and Rep. David Schweikert...

GOP candidates pitch themselves as the person to beat Arizona’s Democratic governor

PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state’s affordability struggles. U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary’s front-runner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, […]
5 months ago
FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jo...

Families of kids with disabilities warn Education Department changes could break a flawed system

For months, and sometimes longer, parents of kids with disabilities say they have waited for the Education Department to make progress on their complaints of bullying or other discrimination. Now that the department is offloading civil rights enforcement and special education, some parents and advocates warn a process that has largely been stalled since President […]
5 months ago
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives to take part in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Su...

Mamdani tests his political clout in New York’s primary as he looks to reshape the Democratic Party

NEW YORK (AP) — Not long ago, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was demonized by leaders of both political parties. Today, just six months after taking office, the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s political strength is surging. Always a darling of the far left, he has earned praise from both President Donald Trump and former Democratic […]
5 months ago
Former President Barack Obama stands on stage with former first lady Michelle Obama at a stakeholde...

Springsteen, Bono and Stevie Wonder will help the Obamas open their presidential museum

Former President Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends in celebrating the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago. The guestlist for Thursday’s dedication ceremony includes Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono, along with former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are […]
5 months ago
Vice President JD Vance speaks in Bethpage, N.Y., Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)C...

Vance, skeptical of foreign wars, becomes the face of Trump’s tentative deal to end war with Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — JD Vance was supposed to be spending the week promoting his new book, the kind of event a potential presidential candidate like the vice president typically uses to speak to a wide audience about his life and values ahead of a campaign. Instead, the rollout of Vance’s second book, “Communion: Finding My […]
5 months ago
Taiwan's top diplomat in Washington, Alexander Yui Tah-ray speaks during an interview, Wednesday, J...

Taiwan needs US weapons for self-defense as threat from China grows, diplomat tells AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan needs to purchase American weapons to ensure its self-defense in the face of a growing threat from Beijing, the island’s top diplomat in the U.S. said, adding that he has seen no change in Washington’s policy toward the self-governing island that China claims as its own. A $14 billion arms sale […]
5 months ago
FILE - Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer's appears at the announcement of his run for the United States Senat...

Jackson Lahmeyer withdraws from Oklahoma GOP House runoff after reports of inappropriate texts

Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma megachurch minister who founded Pastors for Trump, has withdrawn from a runoff for a U.S. House seat from Oklahoma, following reports that he had sent romantic text messages to a woman who is not his wife. A day after advancing to the August runoff, Lahmeyer issued a statement on Wednesday saying […]
5 months ago

US in talks with Jamaica to send third-country migrants as rift widens in Caribbean

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica is in discussions with the United States to accept third-country deportees, a move that would add the island nation to a growing number of Caribbean countries working with the Trump administration on its immigration agenda. Jamaica’s National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang confirmed Tuesday that the country has signed a […]
5 months ago
U.S. President Donald Trumptalkas to the media after disembarking Air Force One at Paris Orly Airpo...

Takeaways from the G7: Trump’s new attitude toward allies buoyed by their praise for Iran deal

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — President Donald Trump is not known to be a fan of international gatherings of world leaders, but he changed his tune at this year’s G7 summit at a French Alpine resort, where he was buoyed by support from his counterparts for his tentative agreement with Iran to end the war. It […]
5 months ago