Politics

FILE - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a news conference at Palm Beach State ...

Florida’s attorney general launches criminal probe into ChatGPT over FSU shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s attorney general on Tuesday opened an investigation into OpenAI’s ChatGPT over whether there was criminal behavior involving interactions between the artificial intelligence app and a gunman who killed two people and wounded six others last year at Florida State University. Attorney General James Uthmeier said that prosecutors had done an […]
7 months ago

Editorial Roundup: United States

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ April 18 The Washington Post says corporate welfare for hospitals is raising health care costs Hospitals are not as unpopular as other health care sectors, such as drug manufacturers and insurance companies. But like other businesses, they are prone to rent-seeking and fiercely defensive […]
7 months ago
FILE - Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks during a...

Dr. Oz announces a 50-state audit of Medicaid program oversight

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states, Dr. Mehmet Oz said Tuesday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator said during a Politico […]
7 months ago
The Capitol is framed amid blooming cherry trees in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/J...

Republicans are launching a new effort to fund the Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are moving this week to try and reopen the Department of Homeland Security and end the longest partial government shutdown in history. The first votes could come as soon as Tuesday as GOP leaders attempt a new workaround to unlock the funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. […]
7 months ago
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily morning press conference at the ...

2 CIA officers killed in Mexico vehicle crash after counterdrug operation, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Americans killed in a vehicle crash as they returned from destroying a clandestine drug lab in a rugged region of Mexico over the weekend were working for the CIA, according to a U.S. official and two other people familiar with matter. Two Mexican investigators also were killed in the crash, which […]
7 months ago
FILE - Tourists walk past a banner with President Donald Trump hanging on the Department of Justice...

Southern Poverty Law Center says it faces a criminal investigation by the Justice Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Southern Poverty Law Center says it’s the subject of a criminal investigation by the Justice Department and faces possible charges over its past use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups. The civil rights group made the announcement on Tuesday, saying President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be preparing legal action […]
7 months ago
The Pentagon is seen from an airplane, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demar...

US forces board a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon says

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces have boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia, the Department of Defense said Tuesday. In a social media post, the Pentagon said U.S. forces “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction” and boarded the M/T Tifani “without incident.” It’s the latest move in the U.S. war […]
7 months ago
FILE - Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., listens during a rally on Jan. 28, 2026, in support...

Lawmakers weigh sanctions for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida is facing a critical moment in her political career Tuesday as members of the House Ethics Committee weigh what punishment to recommend after they found she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including breaking campaign finance laws. Republicans are already calling for the […]
7 months ago
FILE - An LGBTQ+ rights supporter holds a flag in the hallway outside an Iowa House Judiciary subco...

Human Rights Campaign targets battleground districts during broader reckoning over LGBTQ+ rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, is vaulting into the midterms with a $15 million investment targeting Republicans in battleground districts after a series of setbacks in recent years. “I think that this is the election that’s going to be the sea change, not only for […]
7 months ago
FILE - Olly Robbins walks on Whitehall in Westminster, London, Jan. 17, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA ...

Fired former UK official says he felt political pressure to approve Mandelson as US ambassador

LONDON (AP) — The ex-civil servant behind the decision to approve Peter Mandelson’s appointment as British ambassador to Washington says he felt political pressure to rush through the appointment despite security concerns. Olly Robbins, former head of the Foreign Office, said those concerns did not relate to Mandelson’s relationship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. […]
7 months ago
A man mourns over the coffin of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in the war between Hezbollah and...

The Latest: Doubt surrounds Iran-US talks as ceasefire is set to expire

The prospect of a second round of talks was uncertain Tuesday after Iran’s chief negotiator said Iran would not negotiate in the face of threats while U.S. President Donald Trump offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict. Mohammed […]
7 months ago
A person votes in the Virginia redistricting referendum at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, Tuesda...

Virginia voters deciding on redistricting plan that could boost Democrats’ seats in Congress

Virginia voters on Tuesday are deciding whether to ratify an unusual mid-decade redrawing of U.S. House districts that could boost Democrats’ chances of flipping control of the closely divided chamber, as the state becomes the latest front in a national redistricting battle. A proposed constitutional amendment backed by Democratic officials would bypass the state’s bipartisan […]
7 months ago
FILE - Kevin Warsh speaks to the media about his report on transparency at the Bank of England, in ...

Trump’s Federal Reserve nominee to face tough hearing before Senate panel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kevin Warsh is taking another step toward his decade-long goal of winning the top job at the Federal Reserve by appearing at a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. But the role that he may eventually assume could turn out vastly different than what he expected. Inflation is worsening as […]
7 months ago
A banner of President Donald Trump hangs outside the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday, March ...

US Justice Department demands 2024 Detroit-area ballots in latest move for local election records

The U.S. Department of Justice has demanded that Michigan’s Wayne County turn over all its ballots from the 2024 election just weeks after it made similar requests in Georgia and Arizona. The earlier requests were for ballots and other records from 2020, the presidential election President Donald Trump lost, while the fresh request is for […]
7 months ago
The White House is seen, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)C...

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving Trump’s Cabinet after abuse of power allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the administration announced Monday, after a series of alleged abuses of her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job. Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired […]
7 months ago
Betty Yee speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 14, 2...

Another Democrat exits crowded campaign for California governor

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another Democrat is exiting the crowded contest for California governor. Betty Yee — a former state controller— announced Monday she was suspending her campaign, just over a week after fellow Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell left the race following sexual assault allegations that he denies. Yee was vying to […]
7 months ago
FILE - Former Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi, left, and and Princess Abigail Kawananakoa, center, arri...

Former Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi, the 1st US governor of Asian American descent, dies at 100

HONOLULU (AP) — Former Hawaii Gov. George R. Ariyoshi — the nation’s first Asian American governor — has died at age 100. Ariyoshi, a Democrat who led the state from 1973 to 1986, died peacefully while surrounded by family on Sunday night, according to a statement Monday from current Gov. Josh Green. “Governor Ariyoshi devoted […]
7 months ago
FILE - The Pennsylvania Judicial Center, home to the Commonwealth Court, is seen Feb. 21, 2023, in ...

Pennsylvania court overturns limits on Medicaid coverage for abortions

A Pennsylvania court on Monday said that the state’s constitution guarantees a right to abortion while striking down a decades-long law banning the use of state Medicaid funds to cover abortion costs. The ruling by a divided seven-judge panel of the appellate-level Commonwealth Court is a major victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinic operators […]
7 months ago
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, center, attends a celebration marking the 65th anniversary of th...

Cuba confirms meeting with US officials on island, wants energy blockade lifted

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government on Monday confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country. Senior U.S. State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said on Friday that American diplomats flew earlier […]
7 months ago

Animal welfare protesters converge on Wisconsin governor’s office seeking release of beagles

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Animal welfare activists converged outside of Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ Capitol office on Monday, chanting “Free the dogs!” and demanding that the governor and attorney general do what they can to shut down a beagle breeding and research facility where many of the protesters clashed with police two days earlier. An […]
7 months ago
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses the media at the Meeting in Defence of Democracy summ...

Mexico’s Sheinbaum demands explanations after US Embassy officials die in Chihuahua

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she would demand explanations after four U.S. Embassy and Mexican officials died in an accident over the weekend, adding she had been unaware of collaboration between the U.S. and the local government in northern Chihuahua. Sheinbaum said she wanted to ensure no laws were broken […]
7 months ago
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks at the Rx and Illicit drug Summit, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Nash...

FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for article that alleged excessive drinking

FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic magazine for $250 million on Monday, claiming an article that talked about his alleged excessive drinking was false and a “malicious hit piece.” The Atlantic, in response, said it stood by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the “meritless lawsuit.” In the article, posted on the magazine’s […]
7 months ago
Members of the Florida National Guard pass by tourists on a sidewalk Friday April 17, 2026, in Wash...

With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — The cherry blossoms draw more than a million visitors to Washington’s Tidal Basin annually. This year was no different, except some strolling the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial were dressed in camouflage — and armed. Eight months after President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in the […]
7 months ago
Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev casts his vote at a polling station in Sofia, Bulgaria, Sund...

Tired of political turmoil, Bulgarians give ex-president a convincing mandate for change

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — The center-left coalition of ex-president Rumen Radev has emerged as the clear winner of Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, the country’s central electoral commission said Monday, ending half a decade of political fragmentation. With 96% of the ballots counted by early Monday, results showed the Progressive Bulgaria coalition receiving 44.7% of the vote, […]
7 months ago