Politics

FILE - An advertising sign for building land stands in front of a new home construction site in Nor...

Fed rate hike will likely push borrowing costs on credit cards, mortgages — but benefit savers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve just raised the cost of money — bad news for borrowers, good news for savers. The Fed increased its benchmark interest rate Wednesday by a quarter-point, the first rate hike since the summer of 2023. The hike will likely make it even costlier to borrow for homes, autos and […]
18 days ago

Jimmy Lai’s son pleads in Washington for his father’s release ahead of Xi’s US visit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of imprisoned former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai appealed for his father’s release at a congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday, one week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the U.S. Sebastien Lai urged his father’s release on humanitarian grounds at a hearing of the Congressional-Executive […]
18 days ago
Lakiya Malone, center, charged with fraud involving federal homelessness aid programs, is arrested ...

Federal prosecutors charge 3 in alleged $12M homelessness aid fraud in Southern California

Three people were charged by federal authorities in Los Angeles on Wednesday with stealing $12 million in federal and state homelessness aid dollars to buy real estate, go on luxury trips and buy vintage vehicles. This is the second such arrest of people on federal fraud charges in Southern California this week, as President Donald […]
18 days ago
FILE - A child holds hands with workers at an emergency shelter for migrant children, July 2, 2021,...

AP exclusive: Change in human trafficking reporting alarms advocates for migrant children

The Trump administration has ordered caregivers for migrant children to stop reporting human trafficking concerns directly to the office created to help victims, a change that critics say could make some vulnerable minors easier to deport. The directive, in a Sept. 10 memo reviewed by The Associated Press, could mean that some victims would be […]
18 days ago
FILE - Sunny, President Barack Obama's newest dog takes a walk at the White House, Sept. 9, 2013, i...

The Obamas’ family dog Sunny dies, the former president says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obamas’ pet dog Sunny has died, former President Barack Obama said Wednesday. Sunny, a 13-year-old Portuguese water dog the Obamas got in 2013 while living in the White House, died Tuesday. “We got Sunny at the start of our second term in the White House, and all of us – including […]
18 days ago
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, attend a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anni...

The Latest: House votes for a third time to end the Iran war as conflict drags on

For a third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval. The roll call was similar to earlier efforts this summer. None of the resolutions have made it to the president’s desk, […]
18 days ago
In this photo, released by Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarusian President Alexander Lu...

Belarus frees 25 prisoners in exchange for the US lifting some sanctions, envoy says

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The U.S. special envoy for Belarus said Wednesday that the country’s authorities have agreed to release 25 prisoners as part of a deal that includes the lifting of U.S. sanctions against some Belarusian companies. John Coale, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, made the statement a day after meeting Belarus’ […]
18 days ago

Dr. Nicole Saphier, Trump’s 3rd surgeon general pick, faces Senate questions over her vaccine stance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s third surgeon general nominee, was grilled at her confirmation hearing Wednesday about her stance on childhood vaccines, voicing support for immunization as she seeks to serve in an administration that has moved to make sweeping changes to vaccine guidance. Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News […]
18 days ago
FILE - Women pray at a memorial outside Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-f...

Charlie Kirk’s family says security failures by Utah officials led to his assassination

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Charlie Kirk’s family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative activist’s assassination at a state university, in a wrongful death notice announced Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit. Attorneys for the family said Kirk’s death resulted from a string of “reckless decisions” by officials at Utah Valley University […]
18 days ago
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio depart the international airport Er...

Trump administration hits South Africa with new sanctions over alleged discrimination against whites

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The Trump administration has announced that it will impose travel bans on officials it claims are responsible for discrimination against whites and other minority groups in South Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday he would revoke U.S. visas or reject visa applications from foreign nationals found […]
18 days ago
FILE - Cars drive past data centers, July 16, 2023, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)Cr...

Americans are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of AI, new poll finds

On the way home from a recent trip, Eriech Tapia drove past a sea of dark industrial buildings lining an already jam-packed northern Virginia road: data centers. “It was interesting to see how many were going up,” said Tapia, a 30-year-old Republican from Arlington, Virginia, who works in higher education advocacy and policy. He said […]
18 days ago
Michael Whatley, North Carolina senatorial candidate, greets delegates as he takes the stage at the...

Trump to campaign in North Carolina rally with his handpicked Senate nominee Michael Whatley

President Donald Trump will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to campaign with Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley as the former national party chairman tries to shore up his campaign against Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper. The trip marks Trump’s first campaign rally since his unusual midterm convention in Dallas. The president, despite voter frustrations […]
18 days ago
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh attends an observance ceremony on the 25th anniversary o...

Warsh likely to side with financial markets over Trump as Fed rate hike expected

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barely four months into the job, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is stuck between two strong and opposing forces: Financial markets that anticipate the central bank will raise interest rates, and President Donald Trump, who wants the Fed to cut them or leave them unchanged. Economists expect that on Wednesday, Warsh and […]
18 days ago

House votes for a third time to end the Iran war as conflict drags on

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval. The roll call late Tuesday, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans […]
18 days ago
Cassandra Sotos, co-owner and CEO of AmpRx, poses for a portrait at the company's warehouse Saturda...

US-Canada trade war further taxes small businesses as costs rise during the Iran war

NEW YORK (AP) — A trade war between the United States and Canada is making it more difficult and expensive for small businesses in the economically entwined countries to operate, according to business owners caught in the crossfire. Canada imposed reciprocal tariffs on about $20 billion (CA$27.6 billion) worth of U.S. goods last week after […]
18 days ago
FILE - Leon Black, a billionaire who was close with Jeffrey Epstein, arrives for a closed-door inte...

House panel recommends contempt charge for billionaire Leon Black in Epstein probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to recommend that billionaire Leon Black be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena for testimony in the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Republicans and Democrats joined unanimously in the bipartisan vote after Black refused to appear this month for a sworn […]
19 days ago
FILE - Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner joins immigrant rights supporters as they demon...

Judge refers Philadelphia district attorney to federal prosecutors for investigation

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday for investigation into whether he broke the law while overseeing a post-conviction case. U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond disqualified Krasner and Assistant DA Matthew Stiegler from participating in the case involving Dennis Johnson, who […]
19 days ago
Palestinians carry the body of Ahmad Al-Batsh, a Qassam Brigades commander in Jabaliya, the militar...

Trump administration approves sending powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is planning to deliver powerful 2,000-pound bombs to Israel as part of an upcoming arms deal, weapons that prompted such concerns about the possibility of mass casualties in Gaza that the Biden administration paused their delivery two years ago. The $2.8 billion package includes 40,000 of the bombs, made […]
19 days ago
FILE -In this Aug. 9, 1974, file photo, President Richard Nixon waves goodbye from the steps of his...

Photographer Chick Harrity, who documented history for AP from Vietnam to the White House, has died.

NEW YORK (AP) — Photographer Chick Harrity, who documented the Vietnam War and eight sitting U.S. presidents for The Associated Press and U.S. News and World Report, has died. He was 87. Harrity took one of the best-known photographs of the Vietnam War, of a baby girl lying in a box alongside her brother in […]
19 days ago
FILE - Voters cast their ballots during the primary election in Windsor, Conn., Aug. 11, 2026. (AP ...

Federal charges announced in Texas are part of broader Trump focus on noncitizen voting

Seven people in Texas who are not U.S. citizens have been charged with illegally voting in federal elections or falsely claiming citizenship, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced Tuesday as part of a broader Trump administration focus on noncitizen voting. District Attorney Ryan Raybould said investigators determined the alleged conduct was […]
19 days ago
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in...

College sports bill clears first major hurdle in the Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to broadly regulate college sports has cleared a first major hurdle in the Senate as high-profile supporters, including prominent coaches and the NCAA, mount an all-out push for the legislation ahead of the midterm elections. The Senate voted 74-24 Tuesday to begin consideration of the bill, a significant step forward. The […]
19 days ago

Trump’s push to restrict mail ballots has failed. Other efforts to reshape the midterms are ongoing

NEW YORK (AP) — The Supreme Court this week closed the chapter on one of President Donald Trump’s boldest efforts to reshape November’s elections — a plan that would have demanded a dramatic overhaul of the nation’s mail voting processes on what most election officials agreed was an impossibly short timeline. But the case was […]
19 days ago
The 16th Street Baptist Church is seen Sept. 9, 2026, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)Cr...

16th Street Baptist Church marks bombing anniversary with a new visitor center

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Sixty-three years ago, dynamite planted by Ku Klux Klan members exploded through the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four girls as they prepared for Sunday services. Hundreds of people filled the church on Tuesday on the 63rd anniversary of the bombing. The church marked the anniversary with the […]
19 days ago
FILE - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press ...

Americans value press freedom, but new surveys show support for restrictions in certain cases

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans value press freedom — with some exceptions. About three-quarters of U.S. adults said press freedom is “extremely” or “very” important to society’s well-being, according to a newly released government restrictions on reporting in specific circumstances, such as protecting national security or preventing inaccurate information. At the same time, many Americans […]
19 days ago