Politics

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during the Black Caucus meeting as part of th...

Democrats disagree over abolishing or reforming ICE at DNC meeting

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats on Saturday approved dueling messages on whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be abolished or reformed, reflecting sharp opposition to President Donald Trump’s crackdown but revealing disagreement in the party ahead of the midterms. The Democratic National Committee, gathered for a summer meeting, also signed off on a raft […]
2 months ago
FILE - The USS Gerald R. Ford departs from Souda Naval Base near Chania on the island of Crete, Gre...

US pulls last aircraft carrier in Asia as Trump focuses on Iran and the Western Hemisphere

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is stretching the limits of U.S. aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression. The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle […]
2 months ago
Supporters cheer at a Democratic General Election Kickoff Rally at Renaissance High School Friday, ...

Democratic primary turnout has soared in some states. Can it carry over to November?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic voters are showing up for this year’s primaries in numbers not seen in decades, a pattern emerging across several states that has the party optimistic about its prospects in November when control of Congress will be at stake. In Tuesday’s primary, Wisconsin Democrats cast nearly 800,000 ballots, their highest total for […]
2 months ago
FILE - President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Aug. 7, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Ph...

The buck stops somewhere else: A look at Trump’s tendency to avoid blame when things go awry

WASHINGTON (AP) — It is among the most famous phrases in presidential history: “ Donald Trump, it almost never does. Concerns about a weak economy and still-high inflation? His predecessor, Joe Biden, saddled him with that, he says, even though the Democrat has been out of office for 18-plus months and despite Trump once promising […]
2 months ago
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the...

Democrats’ early 2028 primary calendar set to prioritize Black and Latino voters, organized labor

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats’ process for picking a 2028 presidential nominee will likely kick off in states where candidates will need to appeal to key supporters such as Black and Latino voters and union members. It also may require fewer parkas for the winters in Iowa, which is out of the top spot of […]
2 months ago
FILE - The emblem of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is displayed on a podi...

US civil rights agency denies issuing order halting all federal class discrimination complaints

NEW YORK (AP) — A civil rights agency accused of halting a sexual harassment case of behalf female prison guards is now blaming an administrative judge for doing so in error. A labor union and two female prison guards sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces employment anti-discrimination laws, for indefinitely suspending proceedings in […]
2 months ago
FILE - The sun sets over a section of the border wall, June 18, 2025, in Mission, Texas. (AP Photo/...

Judge refuses to block Trump administration from building border wall along tribe’s reservation

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge refused on Friday to block the Trump administration from taking steps to build 62 miles of international border wall along part of a Native American tribe’s reservation without its consent. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., denied the Tohono O’odham Nation’s request for a court-ordered halt to […]
2 months ago
FBI director Kash Patel speaks before President Donald Trump at the David Mack Center for Training ...

Homicides dropped 18.1% in 2025 to the lowest rate since 1956, FBI says

The homicide rate in the United States dropped to the lowest it’s been in 75 years, according to an FBI report on 2025 crime statistics released Friday, which also showed overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year. Experts note that national violent crime rates have been declining since 2022, and pinpointing an exact reason is […]
2 months ago
FILE - A portrait of President Donald Trump is displayed at the Justice Department building in Wash...

Appeals court sides with Trump in fight over subpoena of gender-affirming care provider

President Donald Trump’s goal of ending gender-affirming care is not improper and cannot be the basis for quashing a subpoena issued by the Justice Department against a provider of medical treatment for transgender youth, a divided federal appeals court ruled Friday. The Justice Department announced last year that it had issued more than 20 subpoenas […]
2 months ago
FILE - Rep.-elect Max Miller, R-Ohio, arrives for new member orientation check-in and program regis...

House Democrats PAC adds $6 million to Cleveland spending after Ohio’s Miller opts to stay in race

A super PAC affiliated with U.S. House Democrats plans to increase its campaign advertising reservations in Cleveland, Ohio, by roughly $6 million on Friday, in response to Republican Rep. Max Miller’s decision to proceed with his reelection campaign despite allegations of abuse by his ex-wife Emily Moreno. House Majority PAC’s move is expected to raise […]
2 months ago
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, to the...

With US-Iran talks stalled, diplomatic efforts expand to unlikely European players

WASHINGTON (AP) — Faced with an increasingly bellicose Iran as talks to end the war have stalled, the Trump administration appears to be reaching out to a broader swath of countries that might be able to help pressure Tehran or ease its hardline position where traditional mediators have not succeeded so far. While discussions between […]
2 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, ...

Trump says record-setting Navy deployment to support Iran operations ‘not nearly long enough’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the toll that the record-setting uninterrupted time at sea is having on American sailors deployed to the Middle East stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln as Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier. In a brief exchange with reporters […]
2 months ago

Former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico convicted in federal fraud case

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former high-ranking New Mexico Democratic legislator has been convicted of dozens of federal charges stemming from a yearslong scheme to divert money from public schools to a friend’s company in exchange for kickbacks. Jurors reached the verdict Friday, following a trial that included testimony from Sheryl Williams Stapleton’s former colleagues, […]
2 months ago
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a meeting with members of the Homeless ...

Brazil’s Lula triggers reciprocity process against US tariffs in effort to show strength

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Friday his government has triggered an economic reciprocity law mechanism against U.S.-imposed tariffs, saying the move was intended to show his nation must be respected. In July, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of Brazilian exports, with duties reaching up to […]
2 months ago

Son of former Mexican President López Obrador says US revoked his visa and appeals directly to Trump

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican politician Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said the United States revoked his visa, prompting an appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump and criticism Friday from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who called the decision “essentially political in nature.” López Beltrán announced the visa […]
2 months ago

Massachusetts mayor accused of using a pandemic loan to fund election campaign and pay his taxes

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts mayor was arrested Friday and charged with fraudulently obtaining a pandemic loan and using the money to fund his election campaign as well as pay off high-interest mortgages on several of his properties and personal taxes. Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena was charged Friday with one count of wire fraud and […]
2 months ago

Colombia grapples with rebuilding a shattered nation after a deadly earthquake

CALI, Colombia (AP) — As the search for survivors in the rubble of a devastating earthquake winds down, Colombia faces another challenge: rebuilding a nation shattered by a disaster that killed at least 285 people and affected more than 100,000. Tens of thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed, according to the government. Authorities have […]
2 months ago
A text book, shown Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026 in Washington, to be used by the Pentagon this fall when t...

Schools serving US military families put new emphasis on Western civilization and Christianity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in the schools it operates for military families, part of an effort by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect the education system toward patriotic values and classical learning. The Department of Defense Education Activity operates about […]
2 months ago
Construction continues on the helipad, center, and ballroom, right at White House, Friday, Aug. 7, ...

Trump asks Supreme Court to let White House resume ballroom construction work during appeal

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to resume construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court’s order to halt the work. Trump’s solicitor general on Friday petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge […]
2 months ago
Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo shows photos of his wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a Brazilian nationa...

Wife of US soldier is removed from deportation flight and released from federal immigration custody

A U.S. soldier’s wife who spent more than a month in federal immigration detention said she is back home after officers removed her from a deportation flight to Brazil. Earlier this month, The Associated Press highlighted Maisa Lopes Eliaser as one of dozens of spouses or parents of U.S. troops who had been detained after […]
2 months ago
President Donald Trump attends the Patriot Games at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio, Tuesday, Aug. 11...

Trump set to highlight violent crime reduction during a visit to New York police academy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to highlight his record on crime and safety during a visit to New York on Friday, pivoting to one of his strongest issues as he looks to boost Republicans in battleground races ahead of the November midterms. Trump is visiting the Nassau County Police Academy in suburban Long […]
2 months ago
Zach Lahn, Republican candidate for Iowa governor, speaks to local residents during a meet and gree...

Iowa Republican Zach Lahn confronts curiosity, and concerns, in outsider bid for governor

ARLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Farmer Tim Burrack had concerns about the Republican nominee for Iowa governor — and he wasn’t the only one. The conservative voter from northeast Iowa said he didn’t know Zach Lahn before the political newcomer “came out of nowhere” with a surprise GOP primary win over the candidate endorsed by President […]
2 months ago
A boy rides an e-bike in Santa Monica, Calif., Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Credit:...

Kids keep getting hurt and killed on e-bikes. Should parents be held responsible?

NEW YORK (AP) — As traumatic injuries and deaths surge among children involved in crashes on e-bikes and other electrified vehicles, one California prosecutor is cracking down by pursuing criminal charges against some of the young riders’ parents. It is just one way officials across the country are trying to tackle the growing issue, while […]
2 months ago

Documents show federal surveillance operation in Minnesota targeted progressive groups, unions

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents launched a sweeping undercover surveillance operation earlier this year targeting progressive organizations, labor unions and other groups protesting the immigration crackdown then raging through Minneapolis, according to court documents filed Thursday. The program, dubbed Operation Puppet Master, was aimed at what officials called a network of conspirators helping “violent opportunists […]
2 months ago