Politics

US opens massive $796M consulate in Irbil to strengthen Kurdish ties

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The United States inaugurated a massive new consulate compound Wednesday in Irbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region. The move highlighted Washington’s diplomatic and strategic engagement in the Kurdish region, particularly as the U.S. moves troops that had been stationed elsewhere in Iraq as part of a mission against […]
9 months ago

Arkansas attorney general says pardoned nursing home operator should serve state sentence

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ attorney general is seeking to have a former nursing home operator who was pardoned by President Donald Trump serve time in state prison for Medicaid fraud and tax evasion. Tim Griffin asked a Pulaski County judge in a court motion Tuesday to order Joseph Schwartz to report to prison […]
9 months ago
This image released by the Mayoral Photography Office shows New York Mayor Eric Adams, second left,...

As NYC prepares for Mamdani, departing Mayor Eric Adams wanders the globe

NEW YORK (AP) — For Eric Adams, one unwritten perk of being mayor of New York City has been the chance to live out his boyhood “dream of traveling the globe.” He would hold onto that wanderlust through his federal indictment — focused, in part, on allegations that he accepted improper travel benefits from foreign […]
9 months ago
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as President Donald Trump talks after meeting with New Yor...

US adds more penalties to those linked to Tren de Aragua gang

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions Wednesday on alleged affiliates of the Tren de Aragua gang and increased the reward to as much as $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of one of the leaders of the criminal group that the Trump administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. […]
9 months ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2,...

Pentagon watchdog finds Hegseth’s use of Signal posed risk to US personnel, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify […]
9 months ago
FILE - Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to the media about an indictment of former President Donal...

House Republicans subpoena Jack Smith for closed-door interview about his prosecutions of Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith for a closed-door interview later this month even though he had earlier volunteered to appear for an open hearing about his prosecutions of President Donald Trump. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the committee’s Republican chairman, directed Smith in […]
9 months ago
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during an event on "Trump Accounts" for kids in the Rooseve...

Bessent says White House may ‘veto’ Federal Reserve presidents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday he would push a new requirement that the Federal Reserve’s regional bank presidents live in their districts for at least three years before taking office, a move that could give the White House more power over the independent agency. In comments at the New York Times’ […]
9 months ago
FILE - Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing of the Homeland Security Subcommittee o...

Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a bribery and conspiracy case brought by federal prosecutors.
9 months ago
FILE - Commander Jared Isaacman speaks at a news conference after arriving at the Kennedy Space Cen...

Billionaire spacewalker is back before the Senate seeking NASA’s top job

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Billionaire spacewalker Jared Isaacman urged senators on Wednesday to take swift action on his bid to lead NASA, after being yanked and then renominated by President Donald Trump. Isaacman appeared before the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in Washington eight months after his first nomination hearing. The tech entrepreneur who’s […]
9 months ago
Republican candidate Matt Van Epps speaks at a watch party to declare victory in a special election...

Republican victory in Tennessee special election fails to dispel 2026 midterm concerns

Republicans held onto a reliably conservative U.S. House district in Tennessee’s special election, but only after a late burst of national spending and high-profile campaigning helped them secure a margin less than half of last year’s race. Even with that victory, the outcome contributed to a gloomy outlook for the party going into the 2026 […]
9 months ago
A protestor waves a flag in a pouring rain during a demonstration against an impending Customs and ...

Federal border agents launch immigration crackdown in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal immigration crackdown began Wednesday in New Orleans under an operation that a Homeland Security official said would target violent criminals, expanding the Trump administration’s sweeps that have unfolded in other U.S. cities. The aim of the operation is to capture immigrants who were released after their arrests for crimes […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during an event on "Trump Accounts" for kids in the Roosevelt Room of...

The Latest: Trump administration halts immigration applications from 19 countries

The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops. The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted Tuesday on the website […]
9 months ago
Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Lo...

A year in immigration: The top 2025 immigration photos by AP’s photojournalists

Dozens of migrants sat on long benches on a U.S. military plane as it waited to leave the West Texas airport. They were shackled and handcuffed yet dressed casually, mostly in jeans and sweatshirts. All wore light blue surgical masks. One man, an eyebrow raised, looked straight at Associated Press photographer Christian Chavez as the […]
9 months ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2,...

Pete Hegseth faces deepening scrutiny from Congress over boat strikes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth barely squeaked through a grueling Senate confirmation process to become secretary of defense earlier this year, facing lawmakers wary of the Fox News Channel host and skeptical of his capacity, temperament and fitness for the job. Just three months later, he quickly became pending military strikes in Yemen. And now, […]
9 months ago
Injuries from a fall are seen on the face of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., second from left, as he wa...

Progressive group targets Senate Democrats for backing Trump’s judicial nominees

A progressive group is targeting two Senate Democrats and an independent senator who voted to confirm some of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, promising to spend more than $1 million in hopes of pushing congressional Democrats to take a stronger stand against the Republican president. In a weeklong advertising campaign that began on Wednesday, Demand […]
9 months ago
President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, ...

Trump targets Minnesota’s Somali community with harsh words and policies

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Recent statements by President Donald Trump and top administration officials disparaging Minnesota’s large Somali community have focused renewed attention on the immigrants from the war-torn east African country and their descendants. Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somalis in the U.S. because “they contribute nothing.” The president spoke soon after […]
10 months ago
FILE - Police officers block a street as demonstrators march at a protest opposing "Operation Midwa...

Trump administration halts immigration applications for migrants from 19 travel-ban nations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops. The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted Tuesday […]
10 months ago
FILE - The Department of Homeland Security logo is seen during a news conference in Washington, Feb...

Judge issues injunction restricting immigration arrests in nation’s capital

A federal judge late Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from making widespread immigration arrests in the nation’s capital without warrants or probable cause that the person is an imminent flight risk. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington granted a preliminary injunction sought by civil liberties and immigrants rights groups in a lawsuit against the […]
10 months ago

Nevada governor signs sweeping crime bill as state looks to boost tourism

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed his sweeping crime package into law over the weekend that will help revive a unique court program that barred offenders of some crimes from the Las Vegas Strip and will stiffen penalties for smash-and-grab robberies, DUIs, and assault and battery against hospitality workers. Known as the […]
10 months ago
Voters sign-in at a polling site, in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)Credit...

Justice Department expands legal action against states that have refused its demands for voter data

BOSTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Tuesday sued six more states in its ongoing campaign to obtain detailed voter data and other election information. The department announced it was suing Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington over their “failure” to produce statewide voter registration lists. It has portrayed the litigation as […]
10 months ago
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center, is joined by from left: Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.,...

Chances dwindling for renewal of health care subsidies, risking premium spikes for millions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hopes for an extension of health care subsidies were diminishing in Congress this week as Republicans and Democrats largely abandoned the idea of bipartisan talks on the issue, increasing the odds that millions of Americans could see sharp premium spikes starting Jan. 1. Democrats who agreed earlier this month to reopen the […]
10 months ago
Michael Dell, left, his wife Susan and President Donald Trump listen during an event on "Trump Acco...

With ‘Trump Accounts,’ your baby could qualify for $1,000. Here’s what to know

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the children of wealthy households leave the nest, they often benefit from their parents’ largesse in the form of a trust fund. Less affluent peers may receive nothing at all — or even be expected to support their families when they become adults. But what if all children, regardless of their […]
10 months ago
FILE - This combo shows Jeffrey Epstein, left, and U.S. economist Larry Summers. (New York State Se...

Academic society bans Larry Summers for life over his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein

BOSTON (AP) — Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers was banned for life Tuesday from an academic society in the latest fallout over recently released emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after the disgraced financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The American Economic Association, a nonprofit scholarly association […]
10 months ago
FILE - Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R- Fla. speaks at AmericaFest, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/...

Some friendly, some on-the-news questions at first briefing for new Pentagon press corps

The new journalism guard is officially in at the Pentagon. And the questions being asked of those running the world’s most powerful military range from softballs to pointed queries to performances. On Tuesday, Defense Department press secretary friendly media representatives willing to accept new rules imposed by department chief Pete Hegseth. Even before the new […]
10 months ago