Politics

Passengers wait in a security checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Wednesday, Ma...

Houston airport has become a symbol for the shutdown’s impacts on air travel

HOUSTON (AP) — George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has become the symbol for how the ongoing partial government shutdown has wreaked havoc on the nation’s air travel system. While long security lines have hobbled airports across the U.S., Bush Intercontinental’s problems have been more pronounced. Frustrated travelers at Houston’s largest airport have confronted warnings […]
8 months ago
FILE - A woman walks outside The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts on Feb. 2,...

Democratic lawmaker asks judge to take Trump’s name off Kennedy Center

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker is asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts venue. In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent that the Kennedy Center […]
8 months ago
FILE - A sign with the CDC logo is displayed at the entrance to the agency's headquarters in Atlant...

Seven months later, the government still hasn’t fixed CDC’s shot-up windows

NEW YORK (AP) — The federal government has not yet replaced the bullet-pocked windows that serve as a grim reminder of an attack at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than seven months ago, the agency’s acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. CDC employees asked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about the broken windows during a staff […]
8 months ago

Sherrill signs New Jersey law limiting face coverings for law enforcement, including ICE agents

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Wednesday limiting face coverings worn by law enforcement, including federal ICE agents, making New Jersey the second state this year to enact such a law. Washington state’s Democratic governor, Bob Ferguson, signed a similar law earlier this month while Democratic-led legislatures in other states have […]
8 months ago
FILE - The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters is photographed in Washington, May 5, 2...

FEMA will resume major grant program after yearlong hiatus, following a court order

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday opened applications for a major resilience grant program that the agency canceled last year, less than three weeks after a federal judge ordered FEMA to make the funding available. FEMA will make $1 billion available for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which helps states, local governments, […]
8 months ago
FILE - Former national security adviser Michael Flynn speaks during a "rosary rally" on Aug. 6, 202...

Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million, AP source says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit with Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying about phone conversations with a top Russian diplomat but was later pardoned. Court papers filed Wednesday do not reveal […]
8 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during the swearing in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mull...

Warning signs flash red for Republicans as Iran war drives up gas prices and Florida district flips

WASHINGTON (AP) — Political warning signs that have privately worried some Republicans for months are starting to flash red ahead of November’s midterm elections, as the war in Iran keeps gas prices high, travelers face unprecedented airport security wait times and Americans remain concerned about steep costs of living. The latest sign of trouble came […]
8 months ago
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., hold a news conference...

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez push bill to impose AI data center moratorium

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two high-profile progressive lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment. The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders […]
8 months ago
FILE - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, temporarily allowed out of house arrest for medica...

Brazil’s Bolsonaro to be discharged from hospital to return to house arrest

SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be discharged from hospital on Friday to return home and continue serving his 27-year sentence for a coup attempt, his doctor said. Dr. Brasil Caiado told journalists in the capital Brasilia on Wednesday that Bolsonaro’s health status is stable and he can return to house […]
8 months ago
FILE - The United Nations logo is seen inside the 79th session of the United Nations General Assemb...

UN calls for reparations to remedy the ‘historical wrongs’ of trafficking enslaved Africans

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.” The resolution also urges “the prompt and unhindered restitution” of cultural items — including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents […]
8 months ago
In this screenshot taken from video Florida State Rep.-elect Emily Gregory speaks with the Associat...

Emily Gregory is Donald Trump’s new state representative and a new hope for Democrats in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida Democrats, beaten down by years of Republican domination in what was once the consummate battleground state, claimed new optimism Wednesday after a special election victory in President Donald Trump’s home district. Emily Gregory will represent the district that includes Mar-a-Lago, the president’s resort in Palm Beach, as a state representative. […]
8 months ago
Passengers wait in a security checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Wednesday, M...

Record-high passenger wait times at airports, but no deal yet on the 40th day of the shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Air travelers are experiencing the highest wait times ever under the Transportation Security Administration, the agency’s acting head told Congress on Wednesday, as the latest offer to end a funding impasse and put restraints on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda met fierce resistance. The TSA’s Ha Nguyen McNeill described the mounting […]
8 months ago
Volunteers sort donated supplies for distribution at Haleiwa Distillery following recent flooding, ...

How to help those impacted by the Hawaii floods

As communities across Hawaii dig out from destruction caused by the worst flooding to hit the state in over 20 years, nonprofits, mutual aid networks and foundations are collecting donations to support households, farmers and animals affected across the state. Two Kona low winter storm systems roughly a week apart unleashed deluges over soil too […]
8 months ago

Editorial Roundup: United States

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ March 24 The Washington Post says cutting gas taxes is good politics, but bad policy With the Iran war driving up the average price of gas more than a dollar per gallon, politicians are calling to suspend the gas tax until the crisis ends. […]
8 months ago

Wisconsin man who ordered ballots without consent found guilty of fraud and identity theft

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Jurors in Racine County on Tuesday found Harry Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony […]
8 months ago
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers's patch is displayed at Philadelphia Interna...

The Latest: DHS officials to give update to Congress as travel delays worsen

As travel disruptions deepen and senators race to clinch a proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown, House lawmakers are holding a hearing at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the impacts of the funding lapse. Senators are chasing a deal that would fund much of the department, including Transportation Security Administration workers going without pay, […]
8 months ago
FILE - Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division ...

The NAACP names ex-DOJ civil rights chief Kristen Clarke as its top lawyer

The NAACP, the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S., has hired a former Biden Justice Department official to head its legal advocacy work. Kristen Clarke, who previously led the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, will be the NAACP’s next general counsel, the organization announced on Wednesday. According to an announcement shared first with The Associated […]
8 months ago
Dr. Casey Means takes her seat at the start of a Senate Health, Education Labor and Pension Committ...

Means’ surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance

NEW YORK (AP) — Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for the role. The nomination […]
8 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during the swearing in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mull...

Trump showed off a classified map during a 2022 plane trip, letter from Democratic lawmaker alleges

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump showed off a classified map on a 2022 flight to his New Jersey golf club and held onto a record from his first term that was so sensitive only six people would have had access to it, according to a letter released Wednesday by a top House Democrat. The […]
8 months ago

Iranian military mocks Trump’s claim of US-Iran negotiations

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian military spokesperson mocked U.S. attempts at a ceasefire deal Wednesday, insisting that the Americans were only negotiating with themselves. Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the statement in a prerecorded video aired on state television. “The strategic power […]
8 months ago

TSA officers describe tears, tough choices and dwindling savings from working without pay

A woman in Indiana who put off dental surgery because she doesn’t know if she can afford the copay. A Florida couple with young children who are depleting their savings. A grandmother in Idaho who plans to sell her car to pay the rent. They are among the tens of thousands Transportation Security Administration officers […]
8 months ago
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, ...

Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over the Iran war

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran. While Trump maintains broad support among conservatives, the war in Iran is more than a wrinkle for activists drawn […]
8 months ago
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloo...

Jewish communities boost security and continue observances amid rise in hateful incidents

Law enforcement officials on Tuesday said they are taking steps to monitor and counter threats to Jewish and Muslim communities nationwide since the onset of war in the Middle East, multiple hate crimes and an attempted terror attack prompted increased security measures at places of worship and investigations into extremist activity. As the FBI conducts […]
8 months ago
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in W...

Prosecutor conceded lack of criminal evidence in Federal Reserve investigation, transcript shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department’s investigation of a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Federal Reserve didn’t find any evidence of a crime, a federal prosecutor privately conceded under questioning by a skeptical judge earlier this month, according to a transcript of the sealed hearing. That admission by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Massucco came […]
8 months ago