Politics

FILE - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson talks to reporters outside of the Supreme Court,...

Alan Wilson, South Carolina’s four-term Republican attorney general, enters 2026 governor’s race

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Alan Wilson, the four-term Republican attorney general of South Carolina, kicked off his bid for the state’s first open gubernatorial race in 16 years, setting up a 2026 GOP primary contest that’s likely to be a heated competition for President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Wilson held his debut campaign event at Hudson’s […]
1 year ago
FILE - Wrangler Doug Washburn, of Crested Butte, Colo. overlooks aspen trees with their autumn colo...

Trump administration plans to rescind rule blocking logging on national forest lands

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Trump administration plans to rescind a nearly quarter-century-old rule that blocked logging on national forest lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday. The so-called roadless rule adopted in the last days of Bill Clinton’s presidency in 2001 long has chafed Republican lawmakers, especially in the West where national forests […]
1 year ago
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left, ra...

The Republican attempt to discourage Trump lawsuits has hit a big obstacle

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have hit a roadblock in an effort that could deter nonprofits, individuals and other potential litigants from filing lawsuits to block President Donald Trump over his executive actions. As Trump faces lawsuits nationwide, GOP lawmakers had sought to bar federal courts from issuing temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions against the […]
1 year ago
FILE - Arkansas state Rep. Fred Love, D-Little Rock, speaks during a legislative committee meeting ...

Democratic Arkansas state senator announces bid for governor

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas state Sen. Fred Love announced Monday he’s seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders next year. Love, who represents a Little Rock district, said he was running “because I believe Arkansas works best when it works for all of us.” Love has served in the […]
1 year ago
FILE - A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer listens during a briefing, Jan. 27, 2025,...

Supreme Court allows Trump to restart swift deportation of migrants away from their home countries

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to restart swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands on Monday, lifting for now a court order requiring they get a chance to challenge the deportations. The high court’s action came after immigration officials put eight people on a plane to South […]
1 year ago
FILE - Keisha Waites poses for a photo in Atlanta on Oct. 10, 2017. (Branden Camp/Atlanta Journal-C...

Running a low-turnout Georgia runoff election could cost $100 per vote

ATLANTA (AP) — Miller County Election Supervisor Jerry Calhoun says he’s not sure anyone will vote in an upcoming Democratic primary runoff. After all, the southwest Georgia county only recorded one vote in the June 17 Democratic primary for the state Public Service Commission among candidates Keisha Waites, Peter Hubbard and Robert Jones. Two other […]
1 year ago
FILE- Democratic mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, ...

Some candidates focus on blocking Cuomo’s path a day before NYC’s mayoral primary

NEW YORK (AP) — Their chances of becoming the next mayor of New York City may have dimmed. Their mission now? Stopping former Gov. Andrew Cuomo from getting to City Hall. In the final day of campaigning before the city’s Democratic primary, candidates who are seen as long shots to win the nomination were urging […]
1 year ago

Governors of Western states give mixed reactions to proposed federal land sell-off

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Republican-sponsored proposal before Congress to mandate the sale of federal public lands received a mixed reception Monday from the governors of Western states. A budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee would mandate the sale of more than 2 million acres of federal lands to state or other […]
1 year ago

Republican Derek Merrin launches bid for rematch against Rep. Marcy Kaptur

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A potential rematch for one of the nation’s most hotly contested House seats, representing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, could be in the works for 2026. That’s after Republican Derek Merrin, a former four-term Republican state representative, announced Monday that he plans to try again to defeat Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, […]
1 year ago
FILE - The Unit 2 reactor at Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y., is seen, April 26, 2021,...

New York governor seeks to build the state’s first new nuclear power plant in decades

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s governor on Monday proposed the construction of the state’s first new nuclear power plant in decades. Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the state’s power authority to develop an advanced, “zero-emission” facility in upstate New York that she hopes will help create a clean, reliable and affordable electric grid for the […]
1 year ago
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, center, speaks with from left, Malta's Foreign Minister I...

Europe scrambles to revive diplomacy after the US strikes Iran’s nuclear sites

LONDON (AP) — European nations worked Monday to keep diplomatic efforts to curb the Israel-Iran war alive as the two countries traded strikes following the United States’ weekend attack on Iran’s nuclear program. Calls for Tehran to enter talks with Washington appeared to fall on deaf ears as it reached out to ally Russia for […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump arrives with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Def...

Trump wants oil producers to pump more crude amid jitters that Iran may close critical shipping lane

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday called for the U.S. and other oil-producing economies to pump more oil as crude prices remain volatile following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump urged stepped-up production as the White House sharpened its warnings to Iran against closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and […]
1 year ago

The Latest: The White House defends its massive bombing campaign against Iran

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News on Monday morning that Iran was an “imminent threat” and that President Donald Trump is the “first president with the guts to actually do something about it.” She was definitive about the outcome of U.S. strikes, saying they “took away Iran’s ability to create a nuclear […]
1 year ago
FILE - Wind turbines stretch across the horizon at dusk at the Spearville Wind Farm, Sept. 29, 2024...

Support for solar energy and offshore wind falls among Democrats and independents, AP-NORC poll says

Americans’ support for green energy tax credits and renewable energies like wind and solar power has decreased in recent years, according to a new poll, driven by a softening in support from Democrats and independents. The poll from electric vehicles and solar panels has weakened, as well as their enthusiasm for offshore wind farm expansion. […]
1 year ago
Los Angeles County Sheriffs arrest a demonstrator during a protest Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Los ...

What to know about debate over protesters and ICE agents wearing masks amid immigration crackdowns

CHICAGO (AP) — President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for mask-wearing at protests to be banned and for protesters whose faces are covered to be arrested, with the most recent push following demonstrations in Los Angeles over immigration raids. Legal experts told The Associated Press there are a variety of reasons people […]
1 year ago
FILE - Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in down...

How covering your face became a constitutional matter: Mask debate tests free speech rights

CHICAGO (AP) — Many of the protesters who flooded the streets of Los Angeles to oppose President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown wore masks or other face coverings, drawing scorn from him. “MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests,” Trump posted on his social media platform, adding that mask-wearing protesters should be arrested. […]
1 year ago
Syrians gather inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweil'a in the o...

Mideast governments condemn Syria church bombing as death toll jumps to 25

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The death toll from an attack on a church in Syria has gone up to 25, state media said Monday. The attack Sunday on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox church during a Divine Liturgy in Dweil’a near Damascus was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as […]
1 year ago
FILE - Abortion-rights activists holds a signs as they protest outside of the Supreme Court during ...

The number of abortions kept rising in 2024 because of telehealth prescriptions, report finds

The number of abortions in the U.S. rose again in 2024, with women continuing to find ways to get them despite bans and restrictions in many states, according to a report out Monday. The latest report from the WeCount project of the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion access, was released a day before […]
1 year ago
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick shows products containing THC while calling for a ban on the consumables...

Texas governor vetoes bill that would ban all THC products

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill Sunday to ban all THC consumables, allowing the booming market flush with THC-infused vapes, gummies and other products to continue to be sold across the state. Abbott, a Republican, waited until the final moment to veto the bill in what would have been one […]
1 year ago
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Adrian Clouatre holds his 3-month-old daughter Lyn and his nearly two old...

ICE detains Marine Corps veteran’s wife who was still breastfeeding their child

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Marine Corps veteran Adrian Clouatre doesn’t know how to tell his children where their mother went after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained her last month. When his nearly 2-year-old son Noah asks for his mother before bed, Clouatre just tells him, “Mama will be back soon.” When his […]
1 year ago
FILE - A handgun with a silencer and two magazines are shown at a gun range in Atlanta, Jan. 27, 20...

GOP tax bill would ease regulations on gun silencers and some rifles and shotguns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The massive tax and spending cuts package that President Donald Trump wants on his desk by July 4 would loosen regulations on gun silencers and certain types of rifles and shotguns, advancing a longtime priority of the gun industry as Republican leaders in the House and Senate try to win enough votes […]
1 year ago

New York City is using ranked choice voting in its Democratic mayoral primary. Here’s how it works

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is using ranked choice voting in its Democratic mayoral primary election Tuesday, a system that takes some explaining, even for New Yorkers who have used it before. Voters’ understanding of how ranked choice works could play a role in which candidate comes out on top in a race […]
1 year ago
Protester carries an upside down American flag during a protest against U.S. strikes on Iran, Sunda...

Americans react to US strikes on Iran with worry as well as support for Israel

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — One of Layton Tallwhiteman’s earliest memories was watching the news at his uncle’s house in Montana in 2003 and seeing the U.S. bomb Baghdad to launch the war in Iraq. Recollections of that war — waged in part to find weapons of mass destruction that did not exist – flooded back […]
1 year ago

Judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release from jail before trial, but ICE plans to detain him

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge on Sunday ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail while he awaits a federal trial on human smuggling charges, but he is not expected to be allowed to go free. The mistaken deportation of Abrego Garcia, a citizen of El Salvador who was living in Maryland, […]
1 year ago