Politics

Buddy Anthony surveys the remnants of his home on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Tylertown, Miss. (AP ...

Judge rules feds can’t require states to cooperate on immigration to get disaster money

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled on Wednesday that it’s unconstitutional to require states to cooperate on immigration enforcement actions to get funding for disasters, which is overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general in May filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the […]
1 year ago
A sign reading "The Presidential Walk of Fame" and pieces of brown paper are taped along the wall o...

Trump snubs Biden with autopen photo on new Presidential Walk of Fame

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has added a Presidential Walk of Fame to the exterior of the White House, featuring portraits of each of the previous commanders-in-chief — except for one. Instead of a headshot of Joe Biden, the Republican incumbent instead hung a photo of an autopen signing the Democrat’s name — a […]
1 year ago
FILE - U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. speaks at a news conference, May 13, 2025, in Washington....

US Justice Department official ordered to drop inquiry into Sandy Hook lawsuit against Alex Jones

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has ordered a senior U.S. Justice Department official to drop an inquiry into a retired FBI agent’s involvement in a defamation lawsuit involving Alex Jones’ conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, according to a person familiar with the matter. Ed Martin Jr., who leads the Justice Department’s […]
1 year ago
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assemb...

Some leaders at UN condemn ‘sick expression of joy,’ ‘macabre response’ to Charlie Kirk’s killing

The reaction over Charlie Kirk’s assassination touched yet another constituency this week: the collection of world leaders gathered at the United Nations. Two weeks after Kirk was shot and killed in Utah, several of the world leaders gathered at for the U.N. General Assembly this week referenced the conservative activist’s slaying — and some of […]
1 year ago
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting at the U...

Hot talk: As deadline and higher temperatures loom, stronger warming-fighting plans urged at UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — As Earth keeps heating up and its weather gets more extreme, more than 100 world leaders lined up Wednesday to talk of increased urgency and the need for stronger efforts to curb the spewing of heat-trapping gases. But few large concrete national plans — especially from major polluters China, Europe and […]
1 year ago
FILE - Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., protests against DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, as...

Trump’s workforce purge batters DC’s job market and leads to rise in homes for sale, report finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress, according to a report released Wednesday. The number of homes for sale in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia region, also known as the […]
1 year ago
Syria President Ahmad Al-Sharaa speaks during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assemb...

For the first time in nearly 60 years, a Syrian president addresses UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Turning the page on decades of distance, Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa addressed the U.N. General Assembly, marking the first time any Syrian president has done so in almost 60 years. “Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” he told the assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders. […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, ...

FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claim at UN that he has ended 7 wars

In his speech before the U.N. General Assembly, President Donald Trump promoted a second-term talking point about his efforts to settle multiple conflicts around the world. “In a period of just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars. They said they were unendable.” he said Tuesday, repeating a claim he frequently makes. Trump has […]
1 year ago
FILE - The South Dakota State Penitentiary sits north of downtown Sioux Falls, S.D., May 23, 2025. ...

South Dakota to replace one of the country’s oldest prisons

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota lawmakers have agreed to replace one of the nation’s oldest prisons, a lockup that predates the state itself. Legislators narrowly passed a bill Tuesday night in a special session to spend $650 million to build a 1,500-bed men’s prison and close a penitentiary built 140 years ago when […]
1 year ago
FILE - A YouTube sign is shown near the company's headquarters in San Bruno, Calif., Wednesday, Mar...

YouTube to start bringing back creators banned for COVID-19 and election misinformation

NEW YORK (AP) — YouTube will offer creators a way to rejoin the streaming platform if they were banned for violating COVID-19 and election misinformation policies that are no longer in effect, its parent company Alphabet said Tuesday. In a letter submitted in response to subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee, attorneys for Alphabet said […]
1 year ago

Lawmakers and activists call for action after AP reveals US tech role in China’s surveillance state

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers and activists across the political spectrum called on American tech firms to stop selling surveillance equipment to Chinese police and for Congress to examine the issue after The Associated Press reported that U.S. technology had played a far greater role than previously known in enabling human rights abuses by Beijing. Republican […]
1 year ago
This image released by Disney shows Jimmy Kimmel hosting his late night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" i...

Kimmel returns to late night with an emotional monologue but no apologies following suspension

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel offered no apologies in his return to late-night television and, in an emotional monologue where he appeared close to tears, said he was not trying to joke about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He also paid tribute to Kirk’s widow. Nearly 8 million people had watched Kimmel’s […]
1 year ago
Members of Congress listen as President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner in the Rose Garden of the W...

Trump’s Rose Garden Club: A lavish new hangout for political allies and business elites

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington’s hottest new club has everything — Cabinet secretaries, a new stone patio, food from the White House kitchen and even a playlist curated by President Donald Trump. But good luck getting a spot on the guest list. So far, only some of the president’s political allies, business executives and administration officials […]
1 year ago
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Asse...

Ukraine’s president says the world is in `the most destructive arms race in history’

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders Wednesday that the world is in “the most destructive arms race in history” and called on the international community to act against Russia now, asserting that Vladimir Putin wants to expand his war in Europe. “We are now living through the most destructive arms […]
1 year ago

Iran’s rial currency hits all-time low of 1,074,000 to the US dollar before president’s UN speech

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s rial currency fell to a new all-time low on Wednesday, reaching 1,074,000 to the U.S. dollar just before Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was due to address the United Nations. The currency’s fall follows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejecting direct talks with the United States over its […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, ...

The Latest: Hundreds of federal employees laid off by DOGE are rehired

Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work. The General Services Administration has given the employees — who managed government workspaces — until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. […]
1 year ago
FILE - President Donald Trump holds charts as he speaks about the economy in the Oval Office of the...

The economy was a strength for Trump in his first term. Not anymore, according to recent polling

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s second-term strengths look different from his first, according to new polling. Once strengthened by economic issues, Trump’s approval is now relatively low on the economy — and he’s leaning on his stronger issues of crime, border security and immigration. Concerns about the economy and immigration helped propel him to […]
1 year ago
FILE - Ibrahim Almadi holds a photo of his father Saad Almadi graduating from college in 1984, in W...

Ruling bans Florida retiree from leaving Saudi Arabia until 2026 over critical social media posts

MIAMI (AP) — A Florida retiree has been convicted of cyber crimes and blocked from leaving Saudi Arabia until next year over social media posts critical of the kingdom’s crown prince, according to the man’s son. Saad Almadi, 75, was found guilty of distributing online content that undermines public order, according to a Sept. 14 […]
1 year ago
U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, candidate for Senate in 2026, speaks in Columbus, Ohio, Monday, Sept....

He planned to run for Ohio governor. Now Jon Husted could be in the US Senate’s toughest 2026 race

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sen. Jon Husted looks on as Vivek Ramaswamy fires up a standing-room-only crowd in Ohio, making the case for why he should be their next governor. It’s a speech Husted, just months ago, had expected to give himself. But Husted’s political path took an abrupt turn in January, when Gov. Mike […]
1 year ago
Julio Torres poses for a photo by a cross in an open field, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Terrell, Tex...

Veterans who lack citizenship fear being swept up in Trump’s deportations

WASHINGTON (AP) — After serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq, Julio Torres has the American flag and Marine Corps insignia tattooed on his arms to show his pride in serving a country he calls home. And after struggling with post-traumatic stress syndrome, drug addiction and a related criminal charge following his deployment, the […]
1 year ago
FILE - The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior pastor at Middle Collegiate Church, speaks during an interfait...

Black pastors say Charlie Kirk is not a martyr, while decrying racism and political violence

How Charlie Kirk is being memorialized — with many conservatives and white Christians, particularly evangelicals, emphasizing his faith and labeling him a martyr — has sparked debate among Black clergy, who are trying to square a heroic view of the 31-year-old with insulting statements about people of color that were key to his political activism. […]
1 year ago

After mechanical challenges, UN says Trump’s team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump broke from his prepared remarks at the United Nations on Tuesday to bemoan an inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter, using the incidents to portray the global body as dysfunctional. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in […]
1 year ago
President of Colombia Gustavo Petro Urrego addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General...

Colombia’s president calls for criminal investigation against Trump over Caribbean strikes

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday called for a criminal investigation against U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials involved in this month’s deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the White House has said were transporting drugs. Petro repudiated the three attacks in his speech at the annual meeting […]
1 year ago
FILE - FBI agent William Aldenberg tries to compose himself while testifying during the first day o...

US Justice Department official questions retired FBI agent’s role in $1.4B Sandy Hook lawsuit

A senior U.S. Justice Department official sent a letter to a lawyer for relatives of victims killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, asking pointed questions about a retired FBI agent’s involvement in a defamation lawsuit that led to a $1.4 billion judgment against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Ed Martin Jr., who leads the […]
1 year ago