Politics

FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott A...

Trump asks the Supreme Court to clear the way for federal downsizing plans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday renewed its request for the Supreme Court to clear the way for plans to downsize the federal workforce, while a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities proceeds. The high court filing came after an appeals court refused to freeze a California-based judge’s order halting the […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump, right, walks toward the Oval Office as he returns to the White House with B...

The Latest: Trump’s tax cuts and tariff hikes spark concerns

President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Republican senators, global investors, voters and even Elon Musk that he won’t bury the federal government in debt with his multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package. The response so far from financial markets has been skeptical. Meanwhile, Trump’s doubling of tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum could hit Americans […]
1 year ago
FILE - State Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, speaks in the Senate Chambers during a special session at ...

John Kennedy, Georgia’s top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor

ATLANTA (AP) — John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia’s state Senate, on Monday joined a growing field of GOP candidates seeking to become the state’s next lieutenant governor in 2026. Kennedy, a Macon lawyer, is banking on the support of Georgia’s business community after helping pass a law this year limiting lawsuits and civil […]
1 year ago
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, speaks to a member of staff during a visit to the BAE ...

Britain is getting a defense boost aimed at sending a message to Moscow, and to Trump

LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom will build new nuclear-powered attack submarines, get its army ready to fight a war in Europe and become “a battle-ready, armor-clad nation,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, part of a boost to military spending designed to send a message to Moscow — and Washington. Starmer said Britain “cannot […]
1 year ago
FILE - A person holds up a sign during a news conference and rally by immigrant justice organizatio...

List of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ removed from US government website

WASHINGTON (AP) — A list of more than 500 “ sanctuary jurisdictions” no longer appears on the Department of Homeland Security’s website after receiving criticism for including localities that have actively supported the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies. The department last week published the list of the jurisdictions. It said each one would receive formal […]
1 year ago
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols speaks to residents of the city's north side on Thursday, May 22, 2025, ...

Tulsa’s new Black mayor proposes $100M trust to ‘repair’ impact of 1921 Race Massacre

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa’s new mayor on Sunday proposed a $100 million private trust as part of a reparations plan to give descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre scholarships and housing help in a city-backed bid to make amends for one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history. The plan by Mayor […]
1 year ago
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C thumb up during a news event...

After talks with Zelenskyy and Macron, US senators warn: Putin ‘is preparing for more war’

PARIS (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is stalling at the peace table while preparing a new military offensive in Ukraine, two senior U.S. senators warned Sunday, arguing that the next two weeks could shape the future of a war that has already smashed cities, displaced millions and redrawn Europe’s security map. Republican Sen. Lindsey […]
1 year ago
FILE - Leonard Leo speaks at the National Lawyers Convention in Washington, Nov. 16, 2017. (AP Phot...

Trump, frustrated with some judges, lashes out at former ally and conservative activist Leonard Leo

NEW YORK (AP) — Conservative legal activist Leonard Leo helped President Donald Trump transform the federal judiciary in his first term. He closely advised Trump on his Supreme Court picks and is widely credited as the architect of the conservative majority responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade. But Trump last week lashed out at Leo, […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney General for t...

Can Trump fix the national debt? Republican senators, many investors and even Elon Musk have doubts

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Republican senators, global investors, voters and even Elon Musk that he won’t bury the federal government in debt with his multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package. The response so far from financial markets has been skeptical as Trump seems unable to trim deficits as promised. “All […]
1 year ago

Poland on a knife’s edge as exit poll shows a near tie in runoff

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Exit polls in Poland’s presidential runoff on Sunday showed the two candidates in a statistical tie with the race still too close to call in the deeply divided nation. The results could set the course for the nation’s political future and its relations with the European Union. A first exit poll […]
1 year ago
FILE - The Kaktovik Lagoon and the Brooks Range mountains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ar...

Trump officials are visiting Alaska to discuss a gas pipeline and oil drilling

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Trump administration is sending three Cabinet members to Alaska this week as it pursues oil drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and reinvigorating a natural gas project that’s languished for years. The visit by Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency […]
1 year ago
FILE - Participants hold a rainbow flag during the Pride Parade in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jun...

Pride Month starts this weekend. Here’s what to expect

Pride Month kicks off with events around the world starting this weekend. It’s an annual series of parades and other gatherings to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights. At its heart, Pride is both a party and a protest. In the U.S. this year, that means speaking out against a slew of policies that impose restrictions […]
1 year ago
The presidential vehicle carrying President Donald Trump leaves Trump National Golf Club in Sterlin...

Trump to withdraw nomination of Musk associate Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, AP source says

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, an associate of Elon Musk, to lead NASA, a person familiar with the decision said Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the administration’s personnel decisions. The White House and […]
1 year ago
A mobile health unit is parked outside of Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday...

Takeaways from AP’s report on how federal public health cuts are affecting communities across the US

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Americans are losing a vast array of people and programs dedicated to keeping them healthy. State and local health departments responsible for invisible but critical work including inspecting restaurants, monitoring wastewater for harmful germs, responding to outbreaks and other tasks to protect both individuals and communities are being hollowed out. The […]
1 year ago
A dentist cleans the teeth of a child in the public health department’s mobile dental clinic visi...

How huge health funding cuts in Washington ‘put lives at risk’ in communities

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Americans are losing a vast array of people and programs dedicated to keeping them healthy. Gone are specialists who were confronting a measles outbreak in Ohio, workers who drove a van to schools in North Carolina to offer vaccinations and a program that provided free tests to sick people in Tennessee. […]
1 year ago
FILE - A uranium ore pile is the first to be mined at the Energy Fuels Inc. uranium Pinyon Plain Mi...

Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the southeastern Utah desert famous for red rock arches and canyon labyrinths, the long-dormant uranium mining industry is looking to revive under President Donald Trump. Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines dot the West’s arid landscapes, hazardous reminders of the promise and peril of nuclear power during the Cold War. […]
1 year ago

Iran has amassed even more near weapons-grade uranium, UN watchdog says

VIENNA (AP) — Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Saturday and called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with the agency’s probe. The report comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have been holding several […]
1 year ago
FILE - Bikers, center, ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle in the annual Pride Parade in San Francisc...

Pride events face budget shortfalls as US corporations pull support ahead of summer festivities

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Many U.S. corporations this year stopped supporting Pride events that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget shortfalls ahead of the summer festivities and raising questions about corporate America’s commitment to the cause. The moves come as President Donald Trump has shown antipathy for trans […]
1 year ago
FILE - In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, April 19, 20...

Trump and Putin hint at US-Russia trade revival, but business environment remains hostile

Hundreds of foreign companies left Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including major U.S. firms like Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks, ExxonMobil and Ford Motor Co. But after more than three years of war, President Donald Trump has held out the prospect of restoring U.S.-Russia trade if there’s ever a peace settlement. And Russian President Vladimir […]
1 year ago
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at the South Carolina Democratic Party's Blue Palmetto Dinner Friday...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s next move: Energizing Democrats in South Carolina and California

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will seek to energize activists at Democratic state conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, as the party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. Walz, a former schoolteacher who went […]
1 year ago
Construction is seen at an Amazon Web Services data center on Aug. 22, 2024, in Boardman, Ore. (AP ...

States are rolling out red carpets for data centers. But some lawmakers are pushing back

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The explosive growth of the data centers needed to power America’s fast-rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing platforms has spurred states to dangle incentives in hopes of landing an economic bonanza, but it’s also eliciting pushback from lawmakers and communities. Activity in state legislatures — and competition for data […]
1 year ago
FILE - People walk between buildings, Dec. 17, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambrid...

Federal officials to vet social media accounts of visa applicants heading to Harvard

Federal officials are set to start reviewing the social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at or visit Harvard University for any signs of antisemitism, marking the latest development in a clash between the Trump administration and the Ivy League school. A cable sent Friday signed by Secretary of State Marco […]
1 year ago
FILE - A person carries a sign in support of the United States Agency for International Development...

Appeals court keeps block on Trump administration’s downsizing of the federal workforce

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An appeals court on Friday refused to freeze a California judge’s order halting the Trump administration from downsizing the federal workforce, which means that DOGE-led cuts remain on pause for now. The Republican administration had sought an emergency stay of an injunction issued by U.S. Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco […]
1 year ago
FILE - In this Sunday, July 10, 2011 file photo, Southern Sudanese wave the national flag in the ca...

Divided UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan as fears of renewed civil war grow

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A divided U.N. Security Council voted Friday to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have led the U.N. to warn that the country could again plunge into civil war. A U.S.-sponsored resolution to extend the embargo and other sanctions was approved by the narrowest margin — […]
1 year ago