Politics

FILE - Stephanie Stoll starts a pump as part of an experiment studying the removal of PFAS from wat...

Trump administration stalled a survey of PFAS in wastewater, former EPA officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has stalled a study that would help regulators understand which industries dump harmful forever chemicals with their wastewater, according to two former agency officials who were involved in its development. A public notice shows the first of its kind survey of wastewater treatment plants was submitted to the White […]
1 month ago
A member of the U.S. Secret Service stands before President Donald Trump arrives to board his limou...

Report finds holes and delays in how Secret Service updates its protection policy

The U.S. Secret Service dealt with several drone-related incidents without adjusting its protection policies or documenting why it didn’t, according to a government report released Thursday. That information may have helped illustrate the emerging threat of civilian drone use before one was used in the 2024 assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. […]
1 month ago
FILE - The Missouri Capitol is seen Feb. 9, 2026, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, F...

Missouri candidate charged with trying to plant cocaine on his political rival

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A candidate for the Missouri House made an initial court appearance Thursday on a federal drug charge accusing him of trying to plant cocaine and Adderall on his Republican primary opponent. Thomas Ross, 37, is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He’s accused of asking a campaign manager […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump attends an event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the White H...

Trump turns to a dual economic and military approach in latest attempt to squeeze Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronted by an intransigent Iranian government that has refused to back down in the face of a massive military campaign, President Donald Trump appears to have settled on a dual-prong approach that combines economic pressure with the potential of a devastating escalation in force. Having launched “Operation Economic Outcast” just last week […]
1 month ago

AP Source: ICE officer charged with lying to investigators in the shooting of Venezuelan man

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with lying to investigators about the events leading up to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown earlier this year, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to publicly […]
1 month ago
FILE - People take photos near a John Harvard statue, left, on the Harvard University campus, Jan. ...

Trump administration pushes to remove tax exemption for private colleges with DEI policies

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would strip private schools and colleges of their tax-exempt status if they provide targeted help to students based on their race, a significant escalation in the White House’s campaign to eradicate diversity programs directed at Black, Hispanic and other minority students. The Treasury […]
1 month ago
The newsroom of the Associated Press headquarters at 50 Rockefeller Plaza, 1939. (AP Photo/Corporat...

Across US history, the AP has watched, chronicled and helped people understand a complex world

NEW YORK (AP) — Precisely 180 years ago, a handful of New York news executives looking to save money on coverage had an idea. Today, it is called The Associated Press. Five newspaper publishers in New York City agreed in 1846 to pool resources in order to speed the delivery of news about the U.S. […]
1 month ago
FILE - Feminist Gloria Steinem appears in New York on Feb. 17, 1970. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano, Fi...

Gloria Steinem, a potent voice of US feminism and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, dies at 92

NEW YORK (AP) — Gloria Steinem, the celebrated author and activist who was one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the U.S. women’s movement for over six decades, has died. She was 92. With her trademark streaked hair and large aviator glasses, Steinem, a co-founder of Ms. Magazine, was a hugely recognizable […]
1 month ago
FILE - An offshore drilling platform operated by Sable Offshore Corp. is seen from Refugio State Be...

Trump administration ratchets up its fight to get more oil flowing from California

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration is ratcheting up its fight to get more crude flowing through California and reverse the state’s efforts to move away from fossil fuels. Its latest salvo is a federal review of California’s coastal management program, which is run largely by a state commission that has had a […]
1 month ago
FILE - Leon Black, a billionaire who was close with Jeffrey Epstein, arrives for a closed-door inte...

Billionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House committee over subpoenas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billionaire investor Leon Black refused to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress on Thursday and instead sued the House Oversight Committee, asking a federal court to block subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a closed-door […]
1 month ago
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., discusses the war with Iran and the cost of living a...

Democrats are promising a big agenda. Their unity is already being tested

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beginning on Day One, House Democrats plan to “hold the crooks accountable.” That’s the promise House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has made, previewing an ambitious agenda with oversight of President Donald Trump’s administration and legislation to address the high costs of living, if Democrats seize majority control from Republicans in the midterm […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the W...

The Latest: Trump promises to campaign for Republicans despite sagging popularity

President Donald Trump urged Republican lawmakers facing tough reelection campaigns to run on his record in the White House despite his sagging popularity, and he pledged to campaign in all of the roughly three dozen contests that are likely to determine control of Congress. Also, a federal judge in Boston will hear arguments Thursday on […]
1 month ago
Crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln talk to a souvenir vendor in Pattaya, Thailand, Thursday, S...

USS Lincoln crew hits the streets of Thai beach city after lengthy Middle East deployment

PATTAYA, Thailand (AP) — Buses carrying crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier streamed into Thailand’s seaside resort city Pattaya on Thursday, as part of a port call after a lengthy deployment to the Middle East. The Lincoln was supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and its deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time […]
1 month ago
Protest ribbons are tied to a fence at Lafayette Park, near the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026...

Trump’s plan for a fence at Lafayette Park near White House gets review by federal panel

The latest pieces of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging Washington makeover are set for an airing Thursday in front of a federal panel that already has blessed other big-ticket plans from the designer-in-chief. The National Capital Planning Commission, which this spring approved Trump’s White House ballroom proposal after he razed the Executive Mansion’s East Wing without […]
1 month ago
Democratic congressional candidate Chris Backemeyer poses in front of a campaign banner after an ev...

Here’s a look at ‘reach’ election races where Democrats hope to pull off House upsets

MURDOCK, Neb. (AP) — They aren’t toss-up races. Not even close. But Democrats are dreaming of pulling off upsets in what might be called “reach” House districts, where Republicans usually win and likely will again — but where races could tighten if a rare political wave gains strength in November. The party in power traditionally […]
1 month ago
Meygan Maloney poses for a portrait with her son Callum Wilson, 3, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at their ...

AP Exclusive: Hundreds of thousands of eligible kids are waiting for childcare assistance

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There’s the mother of two who needs a full-time job to keep up with the bills, but can’t afford full-time childcare. There’s the medical technician who stopped buying groceries and turned to food banks so she could pay for her infant’s care. There’s the baby who remained in foster care, even after […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the W...

Trump promises to campaign for Republicans and says they have a winning midterm message

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Republican lawmakers facing tough reelection campaigns to run on his record in the White House despite his sagging popularity, and he pledged to campaign in all of the roughly three dozen contests that are likely to determine control of Congress. Voters’ dim views of the economy […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump listens before signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White Hous...

A judge blocks Trump’s new bid to curb birthright citizenship, citing Supreme Court precedent

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to limit birthright citizenship, granting a preliminary injunction against an executive order that the administration said would target “birth tourism.” U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman in Maryland on Wednesday issued the injunction until a class-action lawsuit brought by immigrant families and advocacy groups is […]
1 month ago

A US journalist sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for acting as an illegal agent for China

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American journalist has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said. Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, pleaded guilty earlier this year and is not planning to appeal, according to his defense lawyer, Charles […]
1 month ago
FILE - Voters cast their ballots at a voting center on the UCLA campus, June 2, 2026, in Los Angele...

Immigrant rights group seeks to block use of federal databases it says could purge legal voters

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An immigrant rights group sued the Trump administration Wednesday to block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from using federal databases that it alleged are being used to target naturalized citizens who are eligible to vote. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of the Coalition for […]
1 month ago
FILE - Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at a campaign event in Bar Harb...

Graham Platner no longer scheduled to speak at Labor Day rally

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is no longer set to speak at a Labor Day rally when he makes his first major public appearance since ending his campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Platner, who won the nomination in June but dropped out in July after Politico reported […]
1 month ago
FILE - A sign for The New York Times hangs above the entrance to its building in New York, May 6, 2...

Trump administration backs OpenAI in New York Times’ copyright case over training of chatbots

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is wading into a legal fight between OpenAI and the New York Times, backing the ChatGPT-maker’s argument in a closely watched case over how it builds its AI technology by ingesting and processing millions of news articles. In court papers filed Tuesday, the Justice Department supported OpenAI’s argument that […]
1 month ago
FILE - A primary voter wears a sticker after casting a ballot at a voting center in Dallas, Tuesday...

FACT FOCUS: Texans listed as ‘suspense voters’ can still cast a ballot if they confirm their address

Social media users are raising alarms over the inclusion of 1.2 million voters on Texas’ “suspense list,” claiming it shows efforts to tamper with the November midterms. But despite its name, voters’ registrations are not canceled if they are added to the list. They are still able to vote. Here’s a closer look at the […]
1 month ago
Workers remove the sculpture "Blue" by artist Joel Shapiro on the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Ce...

Kennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture from its grounds

The Kennedy Center took down a sculpture known as “Blue” Wednesday, the latest change to the cultural and performing arts center that stirred some pushback in President Donald Trump’s second term. The sculpture, a tall, blue stick figure poised in action — as if to kick a ball or, from a different angle, having just […]
1 month ago