Politics

Iran hits Kuwaiti oil refinery and explosions boom over Tehran from Israeli attack

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Kuwaiti oil refinery came under attack early Friday from Iranian drones and sirens sounded in Israel warning of incoming fire, while explosions boomed over Tehran as Israel hit Iran as the country marked the Persian New Year. As the war that has rocked the global economy neared the […]
5 months ago
FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at ...

Democrats aim to turn Trump’s tariffs against GOP in campaigns for governor

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than a week after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul listened as one of the plaintiffs in the case recounted the financial toll of the levies on his wine importing business. “This is a heavy tax and you have to pay it […]
5 months ago
FILE - Nicholas Haysom, United Nations envoy in Afghanistan, speaks during a press conference in Ka...

Anti-apartheid activist, human rights campaigner and UN diplomat Nicholas Haysom dies at age 73

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nicholas Haysom, a white South African anti-apartheid activist who was tapped by prisoner-turned-president Nelson Mandela to help draft the country’s new constitution that enshrined equal rights for Black people, minorities and white people, has died at 73. Haysom went on from high-level positions promoting human rights in his home country to […]
6 months ago
Democratic candidate for Congress, Kat Abughazaleh, holds a "Thank you for voting" sticker after vo...

Democrats say they don’t oppose voter ID, but argue that GOP voting bill is too strict

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans who are pushing a strict proof-of-citizenship legislation have tried to frame the debate in simple terms — if you have to show your photo identification to get on a plane or check out a book at the library, shouldn’t you have to show one to vote? As Republicans hold the Senate […]
6 months ago
FILE - President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a...

Trump and Netanyahu split on gas field attack, raise questions about whether they’re in sync on war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s diverging language on Israel’s decision to attack a critical Iranian gas field marks the most notable difference of opinion between the two leaders since the start of the 20-day war against Iran. The attack by Israel on the South Pars gas field […]
6 months ago
FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 202...

A teen Mexican migrant dies in a Florida jail holding ICE detainees

MIAMI (AP) — A 19-year-old Mexican migrant died at a county jail in Florida that has been housing immigrant detainees, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to ICE, Royer Perez-Jimenez “died of presumed suicide,” although his official cause of death remains under investigation. The death of Perez-Jimenez on Monday is the 46th reported […]
6 months ago
White House border czar Tom Homan exits a closed-door meeting with members of the U.S. Senate on Ca...

White House officials and senators meet on DHS shutdown, a small sign of progress

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators met behind closed doors Thursday with White House border czar Tom Homan, a small sign of progress as lawmakers look to end a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that began more than a month ago. Funding for the department lapsed on Feb. 14 as Democrats […]
6 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Ov...

US Mint can begin producing Trump commemorative gold coin after arts commission approves design

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal arts commission on Thursday approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing President Donald Trump’s image to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4. The vote by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members are supporters of the Republican president and were appointed by him […]
6 months ago
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to city workers during a Ramadan iftar meal at the Museum...

NYC Mayor Mamdani launches community safety office, inching forward a campaign promise

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday unveiled a new office dedicated to community safety, a tentative first step toward fulfilling a key campaign pledge to reduce the role of police in responding to mental health emergencies. Mamdani initially envisioned a $1 billion-per-year agency that would dispatch civilian workers, instead […]
6 months ago
Darren K. Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer, arrives for his deposition before the House Over...

Epstein’s former attorney tells House panel he didn’t know about the abuse

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal attorney testified to a House committee Thursday that he was unaware of the late financier’s sexual abuse of underage girls at the time it was happening, becoming the latest person connected to Epstein to take that stance. Darren Indyke, who worked as Epstein’s attorney for roughly two decades, […]
6 months ago
FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Jos...

Treasury Department taking over some student loans as the Education Department gets dismantled

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Education Department is handing off a portion of its student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department, a first step toward shedding management of all student loans as Trump administration officials dismantle the federal education agency. Under an agreement announced Thursday, the Treasury Department will take over management of student loans […]
6 months ago
FBI Director Kash Patel, listens during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing ...

2 ex-FBI agents say in a lawsuit they were fired for their roles in Trump election investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two agents fired from the FBI last year said in a overturn the results of the 2020 election. The two agents, identified as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 in the lawsuit, are part of a broader group of employees fired over the past year for their role in the election […]
6 months ago
FILE - Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu speaks during an interview with the Associat...

Second top Republican retires in battleground Wisconsin, fueling Democratic hopes

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A second Republican leader in the Wisconsin Legislature announced on Thursday he will not seek reelection this fall, another sign of the seismic shift in politics in the key battleground state as Democratic get increasingly optimistic about gaining a majority. The two highest-ranking Republicans in the Legislature are retiring, along with […]
6 months ago
Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 202...

Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. A rule finalized by the EPA […]
6 months ago

Federal judges read death threats and defend judiciary amid rising attacks

Federal judges read profane death threats and praised U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ comments condemning personal criticism of judges during an unusual forum on Thursday to highlight rising attacks on the judiciary. None of the four judges singled out President Donald Trump or members of his administration, who have railed against judges that […]
6 months ago
Passengers are directed through a security checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport ...

Where will TSA lines be the longest tomorrow? During the shutdown, nobody knows.

The wait times at airport security checkpoints have become a guessing game during the shutdown of a single U.S. government department, with the daily attendance of Transportation Security Administration officers determining whether lines move quickly or stretch far outside terminals. Travelers at Houston’s largest airport endured hourslong waits Thursday morning due to staffing issues, causing […]
6 months ago
A student looks toward a plywood box covering a statue of César Chavez at California State Univers...

Chavez name, once an honor, now carries a stain that officials want to scrub

Within hours of explosive sexual abuse allegations against the revered labor leader César Chavez, officials at a California university took swift action: First, a black cloth over a campus statue of Chavez, later followed by a plywood box hiding it from public view. Soon, officials said, it will be taken down. The statue at California […]
6 months ago
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in W...

DOJ investigation into Powell could backfire on Trump and keep Fed chair in office

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has for months wanted to remove Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve. But instead, an investigation by one of his own officials could end up extending Powell’s time at the top of the central bank even after his term formally ends May 15. Trump has nominated former […]
6 months ago

Trump administration launches investigation of states that mandate health insurance covers abortion

The Trump administration said Thursday that it has launched investigations into 13 states that require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion. The probes are the latest in a long-running dispute between the political parties on how to interpret a provision, known as the Weldon Amendment, that’s included in federal spending laws each year. It […]
6 months ago
FILE - A lectern awaits the arrival of House Democrats to speak on the health care funding fight on...

What ACA enrollees are cutting back on to afford health care, according to a new poll

NEW YORK (AP) — Lately, Priscilla Brown has had to choose between properly managing her Type 2 diabetes and affording other necessities, like gas in her car. Some days, she takes half or a third of her prescribed insulin dose — just to stretch it out longer. “Sometimes I don’t even take my medicine,” said […]
6 months ago
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., the White House pick for homeland security secretary, testifies dur...

Mullin’s DHS nomination advances to full Senate despite opposition from Republican Rand Paul

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Markwayne Mullin moved a step closer to becoming President Donald Trump’s next homeland security secretary after a Senate committee Thursday narrowly advanced his nomination. The 8-7 vote came after a contentious hearing Wednesday and sent the Cabinet nomination to the full Senate, which could act to confirm the Oklahoma Republican next […]
6 months ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentag...

Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official says. The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information. It’s an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of […]
6 months ago
President Donald Trump greets Col. Matha "Jeannie" Sasnett, commander of Air Force Mortuary Affairs...

Iran war underscores risks of Trump’s relentless focus on oil

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump returned to office last year, he launched a crusade to shift the country away from renewable energy, drastically undoing the climate-friendly policies of his Democratic predecessor to focus instead on oil and other fossil fuels as the answer to his goal of American energy dominance. But the war […]
6 months ago
Police vehicles sit outside the Temple Israel synagogue Friday, March 13, 2026, in West Bloomfield ...

US Jews grapple with a surge in attacks and bitter rifts over Israeli policies

For many U.S. Jews, following current events these days can be emotionally tumultuous. Simultaneously, there is widely shared anger at the upsurge of attacks targeting their communities, and deep divisions within those communities over whether to support or oppose various policies and actions by Israel in the conflict-wracked Middle East. Just last week, there was […]
6 months ago