Politics

President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, Sept...

Trump says he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he was banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House due to what he called unfavorable coverage, and threatened that more such prohibitions of media outlets could follow. Trump wrote on his social media site that effective immediately, “I am banning” CNN, MSNOW and Politico […]
16 days ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, Sept...

Trump to announce all 50 states joining Medicaid drug pricing model

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to announce Friday that all 50 states will join in on a program set to provide most favored nation pricing to some drugs within the Medicaid program, bringing the net price of selected drugs down to prices paid in certain other countries. The Trump administration claims that […]
16 days ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the P...

The Pentagon is moving forward with mandatory testosterone testing for most male troops

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has rolled out formal guidance for mandatory testosterone testing for male service members 30 and older, a policy that leaves out women for now and faces questions from medical experts about the need and efficacy of such a program. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in July that a new program […]
16 days ago
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker addresses the audience during the America 250 event in Bru...

US envoy to NATO criticizes Czech Republic’s ‘disappointing’ spending on defense

PRAGUE (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to NATO renewed his country’s criticism of the Czech Republic on Friday, saying it had failed to spend enough on defense. “It is disappointing to see that it has not made more progress towards meeting the Hague Defense Commitment,” Matthew Whitaker told a defense conference in Prague. “Unfortunately, the […]
16 days ago
In this photo provided by Scott McWilliams, crews install the first sections of a new border wall i...

Trump administration begins building border wall in Texas’ Big Bend region

COMSTOCK, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration has started building the border wall through a west Texas section of the Big Bend region, marking the first major construction in an area of the U.S.-Mexico border where the administration’s plans have met with heavy opposition. The start of construction marks an important milestone in the administration’s […]
16 days ago
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche listens during a news briefing in the Rose Garden of the White H...

Judge isn’t swayed by government’s claims that plans for an ‘anti-weaponization fund’ are dead

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge who blocked the creation of a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” for compensating President Donald Trump’s political allies wasn’t swayed by a government attorney’s assurances Friday that the administration has abandoned the concept. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia didn’t rule from the bench on the government’s request […]
16 days ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, Sept...

The Latest: Postal chief says work has stopped on system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting

The top official at the U.S. Postal Service has said the agency has stopped work on developing a controversial computer system that was central to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit mail voting after the Supreme Court rejected his executive order this week. Also, a federal judge on Thursday ordered the Kennedy Center to provide […]
16 days ago
President Donald Trump listens as North Carolina Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley s...

Trump pushes his $5,000 ‘dividend’ pledge if GOP wins midterms. Republican candidates, not as much

President Donald Trump came to battleground North Carolina doubling down on a tantalizing and implausible midterm promise. “If we win,” he said, “we’re going to get you $5,000. So that’s it. Very simple.” The Republican candidates who spoke at the rally had nothing to say about it. Their silence reflects a broader pattern. About a […]
16 days ago
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. ...

Attorney General Blanche’s appearances at political events blur Justice Department boundaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Todd Blanche is blurring traditional boundaries between politics and federal law enforcement with recent speeches at political events that mark a sharp departure from norms meant to protect the Justice Department from the appearance of partisan bias. Blanche took the stage this week at an event for a Republican Senate […]
16 days ago
Vice President JD Vance waves as he arrives on Air Force Two, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at Joint Base...

JD Vance returns to Iowa as Senate and governor races heat up

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is headed to Iowa for the second time this year to campaign for Republican majorities in Congress as he lays the groundwork for his own political ambitions. Vance will be the headliner Friday at a midterm rally in Council Bluffs, on the western edge of the once-Republican stronghold […]
16 days ago
A image is seen on a screen as President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Gastonia Municipal A...

Trump refers to Black man from racially offensive 1988 campaign ad while stumping in North Carolina

As President Donald Trump tries to convince voters that Democrats have let crime run amok, he’s digging into the country’s political past to reference one of the most controversial campaign advertisements that relied heavily on racist tropes. During a campaign stop Wednesday in Gastonia, North Carolina, to stump for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, […]
16 days ago
A voter casts a ballot in Henrico County, Va., on the first day of in-person early voting Friday, S...

Early voting begins in US midterm elections that could flip control of Congress

HENRICO, Va. (AP) — In-person voting for this year’s midterm elections began Friday, ushering in the final six weeks for Americans to decide which party they trust to lead Congress through a cost-of-living crisis, a prolonged war in Iran and other pressing issues. Election administrators say they are prepared and confident the vote will be […]
16 days ago
FILE - The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Pho...

Judge strikes down Trump policy that cut millions in teacher-training money

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday struck down a 2025 order from the Trump administration that cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher-training money. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts wrote in her order that the Education Department’s directive violated federal law and was arbitrary and capricious. In February 2025, the […]
16 days ago
FILE - Voters cast their ballots during the primary election in Windsor, Conn., Aug. 11, 2026. (AP ...

Virginia’s attorney general says DHS may have violated state election law after whistleblower report

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s attorney general said Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security may have violated several state laws after a whistleblower accused its employees of misrepresenting themselves on voter lookup tools to hunt for noncitizen voters. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Attorney General Jay Jones demanded that DHS confirm […]
16 days ago
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview with The Associate...

Preparing to leave office, with world beset by problems, UN chief talks of a way forward

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world is deeply divided and the U.N.’s most powerful body is paralyzed when it comes to ending conflicts. But there’s a way forward. So says the United Nations’ top official. On his way out of office at year’s end after nearly a decade, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres — known for […]
16 days ago
Postmaster General David Steiner speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the United...

Postal Service chief says work stopped on computer system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top official at the U.S. Postal Service said Thursday that the agency has stopped work on developing a controversial computer system that was central to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit mail voting after the Supreme Court rejected his executive order this week. “There’s an injunction so we’re not doing anything,” […]
16 days ago
United States Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby addresses the media at NATO headquarters in ...

Senators from both parties voice criticism about Pentagon briefing on US defense strategy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tensions are mounting between the Pentagon and Congress over the flow of information to lawmakers about the U.S. military’s priorities, with both Democrats and Republicans accusing a Defense Department leader of being frustratingly opaque. Some senators from both parties say they were left deeply unsettled Thursday after the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, […]
16 days ago
FILE - A northern spotted owl flies after a mouse jumping off the end of a stick in the Deschutes N...

Trump administration allows inadvertent killing of endangered species

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Inadvertently killing endangered animals while logging a forest or building a dam would no longer be considered illegal under a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act by federal officials, marking a sea change by President Donald Trump’s administration in how the landmark environmental law is enforced. A directive sent to […]
16 days ago
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waves after speaking at the Republican co...

Kennedy tells anti-vaccine activists they have a friend in Trump’s White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave the keynote address Thursday at a conference of an anti-vaccine activist group he once chaired, telling the hundreds in attendance that they had a friend in President Donald Trump’s White House. It was Kennedy’s first time appearing at the Children’s Health Defense […]
16 days ago
FILE - The UN flag flies on a stormy day at the United Nations during the United Nations General As...

Russia and China veto US proposal for UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorized U.N. experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program. The U.N. Security Council sanctions are still in effect, which freeze Iran’s assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize […]
17 days ago
Police officers inspect fragments of a Russian drone after an air attack on a commercial infrastruc...

A sweeping US sanctions bill offers Ukraine new leverage on Russia, but enforcement looms

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has long argued that Russia will only negotiate seriously if the cost of continuing the war becomes too high. For Kyiv, punitive sanctions that impose real economic costs on Moscow are a key part of that strategy. This week’s passage of a long-sought, sweeping package of U.S. sanctions aimed at […]
17 days ago
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands with Costa Rica's Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar Rivera, not s...

US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN high-level meeting even with sides at war

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has approved visas for top Iranian officials, including the president and foreign minister, to attend next week’s U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting in New York even as the two countries are locked in a stalemated war. The State Department said Thursday that it had approved visas for Iran’s “core […]
17 days ago
This photo taken with a smartphone shows Steve Perry, of Kansas City, holding a sign in opposition ...

Appeals court weighs Trump-backed Missouri congressional map despite Supreme Court block

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Thursday was considering an attempt to resurrect new Missouri congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump, even though the U.S. Supreme Court blocked those districts from being used in the November election. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard […]
17 days ago

Former US Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, a ‘workhorse’ who shaped water policy, dies at 84

PHOENIX (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, a longtime Republican lawmaker from Arizona who shaped landmark water policies in the U.S. West and guided the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, has died. He was 84. Kyl died Wednesday night from a neurological disorder, said Gordon James, a communications professional who is longtime […]
17 days ago