Politics

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., descends an stairwell after a vote at the Capitol, Friday, March 20, 2026...

Congress looks for Trump’s exit plan as the Iran war drags on

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump took the United States to war without a vote of support from Congress, but lawmakers are increasingly questioning when, how and at what cost the war with Iran will come to an end. Three weeks into the conflict, the toll is becoming apparent. At least 13 U.S. military personnel […]
5 months ago
FILE - Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., listens during a Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs about Bela...

Tom Kean Jr.’s political roots date to 1776. Is that enough to protect the Republican’s House seat?

LEBANON, N.J. (AP) — Tom Kean Jr.’s political pedigree dates to 1776, when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader after the United States declared independence. His great grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father was a governor. But the family lineage may not be enough to protect […]
5 months ago
FILE - Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, listens at the Ca...

Big money flows into state attorney general races as legal battles shape American politics

With control of Congress on the ballot in November, state attorney general races can get lost in the shuffle. But just outside the election spotlight, there are partisan groups, corporate interests and advocacy networks revving up campaigns for offices that are playing a growing role in American politics. The group of Republican organizations dedicated to […]
5 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office of the ...

Surprise, embarrassment, unease in Japan after Trump uses Pearl Harbor to defend Iran war

TOKYO (AP) — Senior U.S. and Japanese officials tend to shy away from anything but very careful public comments about Japan’s 1941 sneak attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor. So there was embarrassment, confusion and unease on Saturday in Japan after President Donald Trump casually used the World War II attack to justify his […]
5 months ago
FILE - An aerial view of Rebola Neighborhood, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Jan. 30, 2015. (AP Phot...

Secretive deal leaves deportees from the US stuck in Equatorial Guinea with ‘no more hope’

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When a U.S. immigration judge told a 28-year old refugee from East Africa that he was free to leave detention in California after 13 months, he was overjoyed. Though an asylum request was denied, the judge ruled he could not be deported home because it would put him in danger. “He […]
5 months ago
Iranians follow a truck carrying the coffins of Iran's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib and, acc...

Trump hints at wind-down of war as US sends more troops and Iran threatens tourism sites

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Middle East even as the United States is sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the region. Trump’s post Friday on social media followed an Iranian threat to attack recreational […]
5 months ago

The Latest: Israel says attacks on Iran to ramp up as Trump mulls ‘winding down’ military operations

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said attacks against Iran will “increase significantly” in the coming week. Katz spoke Saturday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Mideast even as the United States announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region and Iran threatened […]
5 months ago
FILE This is the Voice of America building in Washington D.C., on May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Pu...

Judge orders Voice of America be put back together again. What are the chances that will happen?

NEW YORK (AP) — In a strongly worded decision this week, a federal judge ordered that the Voice of America — its mission to provide news for countries around the world largely shut down for the past year by the Trump administration — come roaring back to life. Whether or not that actually happens is […]
5 months ago

A US strike on a suspected drug boat off Costa Rica leaves 2 dead, 1 critically hurt

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — A U.S. strike on a boat suspected of transporting illegal drugs along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast left at least two people dead and one seriously injured, Costa Rican authorities said Friday. The attack on the alleged drug boat was reported by the U.S. Southern Command on its X account. […]
5 months ago

Chicago Transit Authority lawsuit targets federal construction funding halted last fall

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Transit Authority on Friday filed a federal lawsuit seeking restoration of $2 billion in commuter rail expansion funding that President Donald Trump’s administration stopped last fall. The action, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, contends the administration acted arbitrarily in halting transit construction money for the city in […]
5 months ago

A Georgia appeals court rules Fulton County can reject GOP election board picks

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia appeals court ruled on Friday that the state’s largest county doesn’t have to appoint two Republican nominees to the county election board, a decision that could tamp down GOP challenges to how elections are administered in predominantly Democratic areas. The state Court of Appeals found that while elected leaders of […]
5 months ago
A person holds a sign opposing the new U.S. House districts passed by the Missouri General Assembly...

Missouri judge strikes ballot summary for Trump-backed congressional redistricting plan

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo, (AP) — If Missouri voters get to decide whether to adopt new U.S. House districts backed by President Donald Trump, the ballot proposal presented to them won’t say a word about gerrymandering. A state judge on Friday ordered a new, toned-down description of the redistricting plan after Missouri’s Republican secretary of state […]
5 months ago
Air travelers endure long lines and two-hour wait times at the TSA security check point at Terminal...

Bill to fund Homeland Security fails again as concern grows about airport lines

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed to advance Friday in the Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some of the country’s biggest airports. Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the funding measure toward final passage. Senate Democratic leader Chuck […]
5 months ago
President Donald Trump walks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio before departing on Marine One fro...

US to set up 12 regional disaster response hubs as it consolidates emergency humanitarian aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is setting up 12 regional hubs to coordinate disaster and emergency humanitarian responses under the auspices of a new bureau that will oversee some of the functions that had been handled by the now-dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development. The new Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response will be […]
5 months ago
Planes are parked at Dubai International Airport as smoke rises in the background after a drone str...

As the US shifts missiles towards Iran, officials raise concerns of gaps in European air defenses

LONDON (AP) — A sizeable number of U.S. Patriot air defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington diverts resources toward its war on Iran, leaving concerning gaps in Europe’s air defenses against Russia, U.S. defense officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss […]
5 months ago

Ex-pro wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr. acquitted in Mississippi welfare scandal

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former professional wrestler accused of misspending millions of welfare dollars in part of Mississippi’s largest public corruption scandal was found not guilty by a jury on Friday. Ted “Teddy” DiBiase Jr. was facing 13 charges related to conspiracy, wire fraud, theft and money laundering. A federal indictment accuses DiBiase of […]
5 months ago
FILE - The Quakertown Police Department is seen, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Quakertown, Pa. (PJ Sch...

One teen protester detained over scuffle with Pennsylvania police chief enters probation program

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The first of five high school protesters detained for days in Pennsylvania after a scuffle with an older man who turned out to be the local police chief entered a probationary program designed to spare him a criminal record. Three other Quakertown teens delayed their juvenile court hearings in suburban Bucks County […]
5 months ago
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro speaks after voting during legislative elections in Bogota, Colo...

US prosecutors probe whether Colombian President Petro had ties to drug traffickers, sources tell AP

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Colombian President Gustavo Petro for alleged ties to drug traffickers, according to two people familiar with the matter. The people weren’t authorized to discuss the ongoing inquiry and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Prosecutors in Brooklyn and Manhattan in recent […]
5 months ago
FILE - Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during the State of the State, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Atlanta. (...

Georgia suspends fuel tax, but other states may not follow

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia on Friday become the first state in the U.S. to suspend fuel taxes after the war in the Middle East sent pump prices soaring. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a 60-day suspension of the state’s 33-cents-per-gallon tax on gas and 37-cents-per-gallon tax on diesel. Motorists are likely to start […]
5 months ago
President Donald Trump listens as Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a dinner in t...

Trump administration sues Harvard, saying it violated civil rights law and seeking to recover funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, saying its leadership failed to address antisemitism on campus, creating grounds for the government to freeze existing grants and seek repayment for grants already paid. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, is another missive in a protracted battle between […]
5 months ago
California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party Sta...

Does California’s race for governor finally have a leader? Swalwell sees attacks from left and right

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There is finally a breakaway leader in California’s crowded race for governor, at least by one measure: Eric Swalwell is just about everyone’s favorite target. In a wide-open contest ahead of a June primary, a burst of negative publicity aimed at the Democratic U.S. House member suggests that Swalwell’s leading rivals […]
5 months ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentag...

Pete Hegseth’s Christian rhetoric draws renewed scrutiny after the US goes to war with Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Since becoming defense secretary, Pete Hegseth has found no shortage of ways to bring his strand of conservative evangelicalism into the Pentagon. He hosts monthly Christian worship services for employees. His department’s promotional videos have displayed Bible verses alongside military footage. In speeches and interviews, he often argues the U.S. was founded […]
5 months ago
FILE - Election workers Heidi McGettigan, left, Margaret Wohlford, center, and David Jensen, unload...

Many states count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. Those grace periods could go away

There will be just one Election Day for this fall’s midterm elections — Nov. 3. But voters in 14 states who cast their votes by mail will be given a grace period ranging from a day later to several weeks in which their ballots can be received and counted. Whether that extra time should be […]
5 months ago
FILE - In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, S...

A look at who holds the reins of power in Iran since the country’s top leaders were killed

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — One after another, Israel has taken out Iran’s top leaders. First it was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the opening shots of the war. Now Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council who was considered one of the most powerful figures in the country, has also […]
5 months ago