Politics

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media...

Through the eyes of Iranian protesters, glimpses of disorder, disarray and death

BEIRUT (AP) — This time felt different. The 25-year-old Iranian fashion designer hoped that mass protests nearly four years ago would improve civil rights in the Islamic Republic. Not much changed, though. Being on those streets, she felt, may have been for nothing. But in early January, she protested again. The sea of people across […]
9 months ago
ADDS REFERENCE TO FACIAL RECOGNITION APP - Federal agents use a facial recognition app on a person ...

Masked agents, face scans and a question: Are you a citizen? Inside Trump’s Minnesota crackdown

Luis Martinez was on his way to work on a frigid Minneapolis morning when federal agents suddenly boxed him in, forcing the SUV he was driving to a dead stop in the middle of the street. Masked agents rapped on the window, demanding Martinez produce his ID. Then one held his cellphone inches from Martinez’s […]
9 months ago
Faron Houle, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, speaks about applying for a tribal ...

Fearing ICE, Native Americans rush to prove their right to belong in the US

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flooded Minneapolis, Shane Mantz dug his Choctaw Nation citizenship card out of a box on his dresser and slid it into his wallet. Some strangers mistake the pest-control company manager for Latino, he said, and he fears getting caught up in ICE raids. Like Mantz, many […]
9 months ago
FILE - Workers carry out maintenance at the Pedro Miguel locks of the Panama Canal during routine u...

Hong Kong company’s concession to operate Panama Canal ports is ruled unconstitutional

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s Supreme Court ruled late Thursday that the concession held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings to operate ports at either end of the Panama Canal was unconstitutional, an outcome that advances a U.S. aim to block any influence by China over the strategic waterway. The court’s ruling […]
9 months ago
FILE - A sign is displayed outside the Internal Revenue Service building May 4, 2021, in Washington...

Trump sues IRS and Treasury for $10B over leaked tax info

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suing the IRS and Treasury Department for $10 billion, as he accuses the federal agencies of a failure to prevent a leak of the president’s tax information to news outlets. The suit, filed in a Florida federal court on Thursday, was also brought by Eric Trump, Donald Trump […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump arrives for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at Th...

Trump says he will announce his Federal Reserve chair nominee on Friday morning

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he plans to announce his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, a long-awaited decision that could set up a showdown on whether the U.S. central bank preserves its independence from the White House and electoral politics. For the past year, the president has aggressively […]
9 months ago
FILE - Signs welcomes voters Nov. 4, 2025, in Del Mar, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)Credit: ...

Immigration raids, election office search stir midterm concerns for Democratic election officials

WASHINGTON (AP) — Aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota, which resulted in the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal agents, and this week’s FBI search of the election office in Georgia’s most populous county have Democratic election officials concerned about what could be in store for this fall’s midterm elections. During an annual gathering […]
9 months ago
Members of the National Palace General Security Unit (USGPN) set up a security perimeter as Transit...

UN criticizes Haiti for lack of progress on a political transition

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council criticized Haitian authorities Thursday for the lack of progress in achieving a political transition and called for urgent security sector reforms to tackle increasing violence by gangs and criminal groups. The council condemned the upsurge in violence in Latin America’s poorest nation in the strongest terms, pointing […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump listens during an event on addiction recovery in the Oval Office of the Whit...

Trump threatens tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, a move that puts pressure on Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that puts pressure on Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that her government had at least temporarily stopped oil shipments to Cuba, […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,...

Trump threatens Canada with 50% tariff on aircraft sold in US, expanding trade war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Canada with a 50% tariff on any aircraft sold in the U.S., the latest salvo in his trade war with America’s northern neighbor as his feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney expands. Trump’s threat posted on social media came after he threatened over the weekend to […]
9 months ago
FILE - Brody Cress, of Hillsdale, Wyo., competes in saddle bronc riding during the 129th anniversar...

As pro rodeo considers moving HQ to Wyoming, conservative lawmakers question incentives

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Rodeo ‘s biggest organizing body, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, has all but decided to move its headquarters from Colorado to Wyoming, the state with a bucking horse logo, the University of Wyoming Cowboys and the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. There’s just one possible hitch: Conservative state lawmakers in Wyoming […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,...

FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made during Trump’s first cabinet meeting of 2026

President Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting of 2026 on Friday, focusing on the economy, housing, energy, health initiatives and drug prices. But while he painted a rosy picture of his administration’s accomplishments, some of his boasts —- and that of other officials —- were off the mark. Here’s a look at the facts. […]
9 months ago

FBI seizure of Georgia ballots reflects pursuit of Trump’s 2020 election grievance

ATLANTA (AP) — In an extraordinary scene this week, FBI agents pulled box trucks up to a warehouse south of Atlanta and drove away with hundreds of boxes containing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Georgia’s most populous county. Fulton County, which votes overwhelmingly Democratic, has been a target of President […]
9 months ago
A federal agent approaches a vehicle on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gra...

Conservative judge in Minnesota tries to keep Trump administration in check during crackdown

A law enforcement agency executing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has been described as a serial violator of court orders in Minnesota. The declaration didn’t come from the Democratic governor or Minneapolis’ Democratic mayor, who have repeatedly traded barbs with President Donald Trump. It was a federal judge with a conservative pedigree who has added […]
9 months ago
FILE - Fence and towers at the Baker Correctional Institution, Sanderson, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 14, ...

Detainees pepper-sprayed on 2 occasions at Florida ‘Deportation Depot’ immigration detention center

MIAMI (AP) — Detainees have been pepper-sprayed on at least two occasions at a Florida immigration detention center dubbed “Deportation Depot” since it opened this past September. The Florida Division of Emergency Management confirmed Thursday that the most recent incident at the former Baker Correctional Institution in northeast Florida occurred on Christmas Eve. “Several detainees […]
9 months ago
Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd testifies during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill,...

Trump’s pick to lead the NSA vows to follow the law if confirmed

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army general tapped to lead the U.S. National Security Agency assured lawmakers Thursday that he will follow the Constitution and the law when it comes to using the NSA’s powerful surveillance tools. Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, if confirmed by the Senate, would also run the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, giving him a […]
9 months ago
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks on stage ...

Mexico’s Sheinbaum reiterates sovereignty in Trump call after Olympic snowboarder detained

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated that operations on Mexican soil are always carried out by Mexican forces, in her latest attempt to assuage concerns of U.S. encroachment on Mexican sovereignty. The comments made at her daily press conference Thursday come after questions surrounding the case of a former Olympic snowboarder accused […]
9 months ago
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to Vernon Electric in Westby, Wis., Thursday, Sept...

Jewelry, art and toy train top list of priciest foreign gifts to Biden and other officials in 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign leaders and governments presented to former President Joe Biden, his wife, U.S. Cabinet members and other senior officials tens of thousands of dollars in gifts in the last year of the Biden administration, including a $19,000 painting, an $11,000 necklace, a $5,000 bracelet and in one case $15,000 in cash, according […]
9 months ago
FILE - San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan speaks in Sacramento Calif., March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedron...

San Jose mayor, a frequent Newsom critic, jumps into the California governor’s race

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Thursday announced he’s joining the crowded race for California governor, casting himself as a moderate Democrat with a track record of tackling some of the state’s most persistent issues including homelessness and crime. Elected to lead Silicon Valley’s largest city in 2022, Mahan said his […]
9 months ago
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., stands during a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapo...

Justice Department charges man who squirted vinegar on Rep. Ilhan Omar

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Justice Department has charged a man who squirted apple cider vinegar on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar at an event in Minneapolis. The man arrested for Tuesday’s attack, Anthony Kazmierczak, faces charge of forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding and intimidating Omar, according to court papers filed in federal court. An affidavit says […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,...

Trump says he’s instructed US officials to reopen Venezuelan airspace for commercial travel

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s instructed U.S. officials to reopen Venezuelan airspace for commercial travel by the end of Thursday.
9 months ago
President Donald Trump holds the charter during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative...

Trump’s wide ambitions for Board of Peace sparks new support for the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to sidestep the United Nations through his new Board of Peace appears to have inadvertently backfired after major world powers rejected U.S. aspirations for it to have a larger international mandate beyond the Gaza ceasefire and recommitted their support for the over 80-year-old global institution. The […]
9 months ago
FILE - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger participates in an election forum, Sept. 19, 2...

Judge rejects Brad Raffensperger’s bid to loosen spending limits in Georgia governor’s race

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge has rejected for now Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ‘s bid to gain more spending power in the state’s governor’s race, upholding campaign finance rules that some Republicans argue give certain candidates an unfair advantage. Raffensperger’s independent political action committee, Safe Affordable Georgia, filed a federal lawsuit in […]
9 months ago
FILE- Voting booths are set up at a polling place in Newtown, Pa, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Ro...

House Republicans propose stricter voting requirements as Trump administration eyes the midterms

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are proposing sweeping changes to the nation’s voting laws, a long-shot priority for President Donald Trump that would impose stricter requirements before Americans vote in the midterm elections in the fall. The package expected to be released Thursday reflects some of the party’s most sought-after election changes, including requirements for […]
9 months ago