Politics

FILE - Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco arrives at the Supreme Court of California for a hearin...

California Supreme Court orders Riverside County sheriff to return 650,000 seized ballots

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Southern California sheriff who seized more than half a million ballots must return them to county election officials, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in February seized approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting. The measure passed in the […]
1 month ago

Homeland Security defends officers in immigrant’s fatal car crash in Michigan

Federal immigration officers were a half-mile away when a man who was illegally in the U.S. crashed a car at high speed and died in Michigan last weekend, authorities said Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security appeared to try to counter any claim that officers were aggressively pursuing the vehicle when the crash happened Sunday […]
1 month ago
FILE - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens during a news conference with President D...

An isolated Netanyahu takes UN stage as he seeks reelection at home

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the year declaring that he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with U.S. President Donald Trump as the two countries launched a war against Iran. But this week, as world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, there are no plans for the two […]
1 month ago
First lady of China Peng Liyuan, left, and first lady Melania Trump arrive to a visit at the Smiths...

Melania Trump hosts China’s first lady for an outing that is watched for diplomacy and style

WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan on Thursday toured one of the largest Asian art museums in the United States, celebrating cultural ties between the U.S. and China during a high-profile diplomatic visit to Washington. Leaving their husbands behind at the White House, the first ladies visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian […]
1 month ago
FILE - Kratom capsules are seen on Sept. 27, 2017, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Esch, File)Credit...

Deaths of students at the University of Mississippi cast spotlight on kratom

A drug task force in Mississippi is urging people to avoid kratom after authorities found packages of the substance while investigating the deaths of two University of Mississippi students. The warning Tuesday came despite no “confirmed information” that kratom contributed to either death, Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said in a news release. The students were […]
1 month ago
A voter casts a ballot on the first day of early voting in Minnesota at the Elections & Voter Servi...

US cybersecurity agency releases election infrastructure plan 40 days before midterms

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s cybersecurity agency on Thursday released an election infrastructure security plan 40 days before November’s midterms, laying out potential threats to election systems and listing services it would offer to election officials to protect the vote. The plan, which Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had originally promised to release by […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump listens as China's President Xi Jinping speaks during an arrival ceremony in...

Xi says 2 giant pandas from China will arrive in the coming days at Atlanta’s zoo

ATLANTA (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that two giant pandas from China will arrive at Zoo Atlanta in the coming days, bolstering a loan program that at one time had lapsed as part of tensions between Beijing and Washington. China and the zoo had said in April that Ping Ping, a male, […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (A...

US government foots bill for television advertisement featuring Trump’s midterm messaging

At first glance, it looks like a typical Republican campaign advertisement. As images of President Donald Trump flash across the screen, the 30-second spot says “America will never be a communist country” and boasts about the “largest tax cuts in history.” But there’s something different near the end — a bit of text at the […]
1 month ago
The U.S. Capitol is seen Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)Credit: AP ...

Senate to vote on resolution to halt the Iran war as gas prices upend midterms

WASHINGTON (AP) — Increasingly anxious about the Iran war, senators are set to vote Thursday on a war powers resolution seeking to halt President Donald Trump ‘s military action, which has been largely blamed for the spike in fuel prices and become a flashpoint in the midterm election. The Senate vote, days after Trump’s bombastic […]
1 month ago
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrives at the port in Laem Chabang, Chonburi, T...

8 sailors in USS Lincoln group attempted suicide on extended deployment, Navy leader says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight sailors attempted suicide while deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war, the Navy’s top civilian leader said this week. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao provided the information to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a letter dated Tuesday […]
1 month ago
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks via pre-recorded video during the 81st session of the Un...

Palestinian president, again denied a visa to speak at UN, addresses leaders on prerecorded video

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, delivering prerecorded remarks from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row. “The Palestinian people face one of the most dangerous times in its history,” […]
1 month ago
President of Kenya William Samoei Ruto, addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General As...

A (permanent) seat at the table of power: African leaders press UN for Security Council reform

They want to help make the decisions — not just watch them unfold. As in years past, African leaders attending the U.N. General Assembly this year are demanding a reform of the powerful Security Council that would include permanent seats for countries from the continent in the global body’s highest decision-making structure. Many African heads […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint...

The Latest: Trump and Xi Jinping will hold talks in Washington on trade, AI and more

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have no shortage of difficult issues to cover when they sit down for talks Thursday at the White House. The leaders are tackling issues like trade irritants, artificial intelligence safeguards and the war in Iran. Trump wants China to use its influence with Iran, while Xi seeks a halt […]
1 month ago
United States Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, talks to the media during a press conference on the...

Energy Department will spend $2 billion to squeeze more electricity from aging power grid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Energy Department is set to announce it will spend almost $2 billion to try to squeeze more electricity out of the nation’s aging and stressed power grid, as President Donald Trump’s administration steps up efforts to avoid blackouts amid skyrocketing energy demand spurred by artificial intelligence. The money will go toward […]
1 month ago
Michael Serpa, senior scientist at the Scottsdale Water Campus, works on water testing, Wednesday, ...

Scottsdale’s water recycling program hits election-year backlash

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A Phoenix suburb ditched a plan to send recycled water from toilets and other sources directly to residents’ taps, after political candidates made unproven claims that the water is contaminated “poop water.” The affluent city of Scottsdale mainly uses purified water from the city’s liquid waste to recharge aquifers that can […]
1 month ago

Judge orders White House to restore access to news outlets Trump banned

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge early Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s move to ban three news outlets from the White House grounds and said CNN, MS NOW and Politico must have their access restored. It’s the latest development in an escalating showdown between President Donald Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes. […]
1 month ago
People visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Wednesday, ...

At 10 years old, Smithsonian’s Black museum is undaunted amid pressure from Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deeply impactful exhibits, ticketed galas and educational events are expected ways to celebrate a world-class museum. But at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which marks the 10-year anniversary of its opening on Thursday, the singing of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” will give the event the flavor of a […]
1 month ago
FILE - Dr. Heidi Overton, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks about ...

Senators to question FDA nominee about her views on abortion pill and vaccines

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over the Food and Drug Administration is set to answer questions Thursday, with Senate lawmakers likely to focus on her plans for vaccines, the abortion pill and other products that have come under new scrutiny at the regulatory agency. Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician and top […]
1 month ago
President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint...

Trump and Xi Jinping head into Washington summit with both leaders thinking time is on their side

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have no shortage of difficult issues to cover when they sit down for talks on Thursday at the White House. China has resisted the Trump administration’s urgings — and economic threats — to use its considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to U.S. terms to […]
1 month ago
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani addresses the 81st session of the...

They said it: Leaders at the UN, in their own words

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That’s what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year. And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts from leaders who might have […]
1 month ago
FILE - U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 performs aerobatic maneuvers on the second day of the A...

Pentagon investigates after China obtains parts from F-35 stealth fighter jet

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is investigating how parts of the nation’s most advanced fighter jet ended up in Hong Kong, with a news outlet reporting Wednesday that China has obtained the F-35 equipment. The F-35 Joint Program Office said in a statement that it and the Defense Department are aware of “a shipment issue” […]
1 month ago
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and members of his staff leave the South Texas ICE Processing Center where he ...

Congressman says Venezuelan man shot by ICE then taken into custody told he needs surgery

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Democratic congressman said Wednesday that a Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration officer in Texas and then taken to a detention center has been told by a specialist he needs surgery to remove the bullet still lodged near his spine. U.S. Rep. Greg Casar visited a federal detention center […]
1 month ago
Delcy Rodríguez, acting president of Venezuela, addresses the 81st session of the United Nations G...

Venezuela’s acting leader, at UN for first address, praises Trump for ‘readiness’ to resume ties

Addressing the U.N. General Assembly for the first time since coming to power, Venezuela’s acting president said her country is coming back strong after “setbacks” suffered this year and thanked President Donald Trump for being willing to resume relations after the U.S. military spirited her predecessor out of the country. “Today, Venezuela is being reborn,” […]
1 month ago
This photo taken with a smartphone and provided by Ryan Garton shows a federal officer speaking to ...

U.S. citizen injured in Illinois after ICE agents mistook him for fugitive, tried to arrest him

CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. citizen was left bloodied and injured on the side of the road in a Chicago suburb after a confrontation with immigration enforcement agents who mistook him for a fugitive, according to local police and a resident who tried to help the man. The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was […]
1 month ago