Politics

Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin speaks at a Lancaster County Democratic Party eve...

Pennsylvania could keep its Democratic high court majority or get partisan deadlock on the bench

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday will decide whether to keep a Democratic majority on the state’s highest court — the center of pivotal fights over voting rights, redistricting and elections — or potentially plunge the court into a partisan deadlock in a premier presidential battleground. The outcome will affect how the state […]
11 months ago

Trump’s strength, Democrats’ message and the shutdown effect. What to watch on Election Day 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tuesday marks the nation’s first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, and his leadership and policies dominated the debate in almost every race — even though the Republican was absent from the campaign trail. The biggest contests are in Virginia and New Jersey, the only states […]
11 months ago
A demonstrator holds a sign reading "STOP BEATING PEOPLE" near a line of law enforcement as protest...

Judge to hear arguments as advocates sue feds over conditions at Chicago-area ICE facility

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge is expected to hear arguments Tuesday after Illinois groups sued federal authorities last week for what they described as “inhumane” conditions at a Chicago-area immigration facility. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman called for a Tuesday morning hearing, acknowledging that the timeline was “rushed.” But at a Friday emergency hearing, […]
11 months ago
President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shake hands after their U.S....

G2 or not G2: Trump’s new favorite term for US-China relations carries a lot of history’s baggage

WASHINGTON (AP) — In diplomacy, even short words matter. And with a brief Truth Social post, President Donald Trump may have revealed his approach to the U.S.-China relationship — to the delight of reputation-conscious Beijing but to the worries of U.S. allies concerned with China’s ascending global power. “The G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!” Trump […]
11 months ago
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at the Islamic Cultural Center of ...

New York’s Jewish community divided, anxious as city faces potential first Muslim mayor

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s Jewish community — the largest in the United States — abounds with anxiety and friction a day ahead of an election that could give the city its first Muslim mayor. That candidate, Zohran Mamdani, has won over many progressive Jewish voters with vows to make the city more […]
11 months ago
FILE - Former FBI director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Cap...

Justice Department defends Trump’s post as it urges judge to reject Comey’s effort to dismiss case

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department urged a federal judge Monday to reject James Comey’s claim that his prosecution amounts to political retribution, arguing the former FBI director has failed to show that he’s being targeted as punishment for his criticism of the Republican president. Prosecutors defended President Donald Trump’s September social media post demanding […]
11 months ago
New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday, Nov...

Republicans seek to tap into Trump energy on eve of Election Day in New Jersey, Virginia

TOTOWA, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Republicans are trying to ride the coattails of Donald Trump’s 2024 electoral momentum, with gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli courting voters in a key — and traditionally Democratic — stronghold that contributed to the president’s gains in the state. Ciattarelli and Virginia candidate Winsome Earle-Sears are crisscrossing their respective states, […]
11 months ago

Trump administration considers revoking ban on oil and gas development near Chaco historical park

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Trump administration says it will be initiating formal meetings with Native American tribes in the southwestern U.S. as it considers revoking a 20-year ban on oil and gas development across of hundreds of square miles of federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The Bureau of Land Management made […]
11 months ago
FILE - Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, receives a hug from ...

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings enters Florida governor’s race

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Democratic Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has filed papers to run for Florida governor, joining a crowded field of contenders from both sides of the aisle hoping to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Demings, who leads the county that is home to Orlando and its multiple theme park resorts, filed […]
11 months ago
FILE - Posters of a person throwing a sandwich are pictured along H Street, Aug. 17, 2025, in Washi...

Trial starts for assault case against DC man who tossed sandwich at federal agent on viral video

WASHINGTON (AP) — Throwing a sandwich at a federal agent turned Sean Charles Dunn into a symbol of resistance against President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital. This week, federal prosecutors are trying to persuade a jury of fellow Washington, D.C., residents that Dunn simply broke the law. That could be a tough […]
11 months ago

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth seeks Trump’s endorsement in bid to unseat Gov. Tim Walz

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The top Republican in Minnesota state government, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, said Monday she hopes to win President Donald Trump’s endorsement in her bid to deny a third term to Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate. Demuth kicked off her campaign at the state Capitol, where she […]
11 months ago
FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is photographed in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP P...

States and cities challenge Trump policy overhauling public service loan forgiveness

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 20 Democrat-led states are challenging a new Trump administration policy designed to block nonprofit and government workers from a student loan cancellation program if federal officials determine their employer has a “substantial illegal purpose.” The policy is aimed primarily at organizations that work with immigrants and transgender youth. In the […]
11 months ago

Microsoft to ship 60,000 Nvidia AI chips to UAE under US-approved deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Microsoft said Monday it will be shipping Nvidia’s most advanced artificial intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates as part of a deal approved by the U.S. Commerce Department. The Redmond, Washington software giant said licenses approved in September under “stringent” safeguards enable it to ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, including […]
11 months ago
President Donald Trump is illuminated by a camera flash as he gestures while walking across the Sou...

The Latest: Trump administration must tell judges whether it will feed the poor

President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders to resume funding benefits through SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown, which is now in its 34th day. Trump, meanwhile, says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by Democrats, […]
11 months ago
FILE - Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends a protest rally at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement fiel...

After mistaken deportation, Abrego Garcia fights smuggling charges. Here’s what to know

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation helped galvanize opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, has hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday in the human smuggling case against him in Tennessee. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw will hear evidence on motions from the defense asking him to dismiss the charges and throw […]
11 months ago
FILE - The Supreme Court in Washington, Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)Credit: A...

A major question for the Supreme Court: Will it treat Trump as it did Biden?

WASHINGTON (AP) — A major question hangs over the Supreme Court’s closely watched case on President Donald Trump’s far-reaching tariffs: Will the conservative majority hold the Republican president to the same exacting standards it used to limit his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden? Key legal principles at the heart of conservative challenges to major initiatives in […]
11 months ago
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, center, speaks during a mayoral debate with independent candidat...

NYC mayoral candidates make final push ahead of Election Day

New York City’s mayoral candidates are making a final push Monday to get voters to the polls, as the race to lead America’s biggest city nears its finale. Ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa have all spent the race’s final stretch campaigning at […]
11 months ago
In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right,...

Hegseth visits inter-Korean border ahead of security talks with South Korean officials

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on Monday as he began a two-day visit to ally South Korea for security talks. Hegseth and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back received a briefing from military officials at Observation Post Ouellette, a site near the […]
11 months ago
President Donald Trump is illuminated by a camera flash as he walks across the South Lawn of the Wh...

Government shutdown could become longest ever as Trump says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people could lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire and there are few real talks between the parties over how to […]
11 months ago
Dairy products, which are covered by the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is ...

Trump administration faces a deadline to tell judges whether it will use contingency funds for SNAP

President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders that it continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting […]
11 months ago
FILE - Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, left, shake hands with Democratic candidate for gover...

What’s on the ballot in the first general election since Donald Trump became president

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after Donald Trump retook the White House and set into motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections being held Tuesday. The results of those contests — the first general election of Trump’s second term — will be heralded by the […]
11 months ago

Some Head Start preschools shutter as government shutdown continues

The government shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation’s neediest children out of preschool. Dozens of centers are missing out on federal grant payments that were due to arrive Nov. 1. Some say they’ll close indefinitely, while others […]
11 months ago
Plaintiffs Memphis City Council member JB Smiley, left, Rep. Gabby Salinas D-Memphis, center, and R...

Hearings focus on National Guard deployments in the nation’s capital and Memphis, Tennessee

Courts in Tennessee and West Virginia heard arguments Monday challenging the deployment of their states’ National Guard troops to patrol the streets of Memphis and Washington, D.C., respectively, as part of President Donald Trump’s push to send the military into Democratic-run cities. Judges in West Virginia and Tennessee did not immediately issue decisions. Trump’s enforcement […]
11 months ago
People protest outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portla...

Judge again bars Trump administration from deploying troops to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon on Sunday barred President Donald Trump’s administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon until at least Friday, saying she “found no credible evidence” that protests in the city grew out of control before the president federalized the troops earlier this fall. The city and […]
11 months ago