Politics

Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, and FBI Director Kash Patel speak during a news conference at th...

Trump has long warned of a government ‘deep state.’ Now in power, he’s under pressure to expose it

NEW YORK (AP) — As he crisscrossed the country in 2024, Donald Trump pledged to supporters that voting him back into the presidency would be “our final battle.” “With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state,” he said repeatedly on the campaign trail. “We will liberate our country from these tyrants and […]
1 year ago
In this photo provided by the Detroit Opera, in Anthony Davis's "The Central Park Five," from left,...

Performers and opera lovers see ‘The Central Park Five’ as a show of resistance against Trump

DETROIT (AP) — As Detroit Opera officials made plans last fall to bring a production based on the Central Park Five to their 2025 lineup, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump loomed large and just off stage. The opera puts to music the story of five Black and Latino teens imprisoned for the 1989 rape and beating […]
1 year ago
Ralph Rodriguez poses for a portrait at his pawn and gun shop in Fayetteville, N.C., Friday, May 9,...

What’s in a name? A small fortune for businesses around Fort Bragg

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — When it came to a picking a name for his business, Ralph Rodriguez rolled the dice. He went with Fort Liberty Pawn & Gun. It’s going to cost him about $30,000. “That’s signage, uniforms, stationery, business cards, advertising, and state licensing changes and federal changes,” he said. When he was filing […]
1 year ago
AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley smiles while completing in the girls long jump during the CIF Souther...

California track-and-field final enters spotlight for rule change after trans athlete’s success

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s high school track-and-field state championships kicked off Friday to a relatively quiet atmosphere despite controversy leading up to the meet over the participation of a transgender athlete. The meet is the testing ground for a new participation and medaling policy for competitions that include transgender athletes. The California Interscholastic Federation […]
1 year ago
FILE - Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks during a taping of "Fox News Sunday" at Fox News headquarters...

Maryland’s Wes Moore says he’s not running for president but high-profile stops keep chatter alive

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, often mentioned among Democrats as a potential presidential candidate, has been saying for months that he isn’t running for the White House in 2028. That hasn’t stopped persistent talk about his future political plans, especially when he continues to make appearances outside Maryland that raise his national […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Allegheny County Airport, Friday, May 30, 2025, ...

Trump holding Pennsylvania rally to promote deal for Japan-based Nippon to ‘partner’ with US Steel

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday to celebrate a details-to-come deal for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel, which he says will keep the iconic American steelmaker under U.S.-control. Employees, Trump supporters, local officials and others streamed into one of the massive warehouses […]
1 year ago

Former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, who pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud, has died

NEW YORK (AP) — Bernie Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed his death on Thursday on social media, saying it came “after a private battle with illness.” Former New York […]
1 year ago
Krome Detention Center officers man an entrance gate as people hold a vigil outside to recognize th...

Leadership shakeups at agency tasked with carrying out Trump’s mass deportations agenda

WASHINGTON (AP) — The agency tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign is undergoing a major staff reorganization. In a news release Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced leadership changes at the department tasked with finding, arresting and removing immigrants who no longer have the right to be in the country as […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the Whi...

AP PHOTOS: Elon Musk leaves the White House after a turbulent effort to slash the government

The nation’s capital had never seen anyone like Elon Musk, who announced this week that he’s stepping back from his role as Donald Trump’s most unorthodox adviser. Musk, the world’s richest person in the world, had an outsized role leading the Department of Government Efficiency as it canceled contracts and slashed the federal workforce. Musk […]
1 year ago

Disqualified Georgia utility candidate Daniel Blackman appeals and will remain on the ballot for now

ATLANTA (AP) — A day after Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disqualified Democrat Daniel Blackman from running for the Georgia Public Service Commission, the candidate appealed Thursday and will remain on the ballot for now, his lawyer said. An administrative law judge recommended earlier this week Raffensperger disqualify Blackman, a former U.S. Environmental […]
1 year ago
FILE - A miner gathers his thought before taking part in a rescue mission, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, i...

Trump administration reverses planned closures of 3 dozen US mine safety offices

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to terminate leases for 34 offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws, the Department of Labor said Thursday. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency, created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, […]
1 year ago
FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event, April 9, 2025, in Washingt...

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says willingness to take a ‘few punches’ makes an effective leader

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Gretchen Whitmer touted her accomplishments as Michigan’s governor in a speech Thursday as she passes the midpoint of her second term and is continuously floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Whitmer, who has been criticized by some Democrats for taking a friendlier tone with President Donald Trump than […]
1 year ago
FILE - Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he received from Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, as...

Elon Musk came to Washington wielding a chain saw. He leaves behind upheaval and unmet expectations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk arrived in the nation’s capital with the chain saw-wielding swagger of a tech titan who had never met a problem he couldn’t solve with lots of money, long hours or a well-calibrated algorithm. President Donald Trump was delighted to have the world’s richest person — and a top campaign donor […]
1 year ago
FILE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detain a person, left, Monday, Jan. 27, 20...

Trump administration increases pressure on ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ with public listing

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security is putting more than 500 “sanctuary jurisdictions” across the country on notice that the Trump administration views them as obstructing immigration enforcement as it attempts to increase pressure on communities it believes are standing in the way of the president’s mass deportations agenda. The department on Thursday […]
1 year ago
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, ...

Google, Justice Department face off in climactic showdown in search monopoly case

Google will return to federal court Friday to fend off the U.S. Justice Department’s attempt to topple its internet empire at the same time it’s navigating a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence that could undercut its power. The legal and technological threats facing Google are among the key issues that will be dissected during the […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump waves as he departs the White House, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Washington. (A...

Trump’s big plans on trade and more run up against laws of political gravity, separation of powers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Once again, President Donald Trump’s biggest policy plans were stopped in their tracks. On Wednesday, an obscure but powerful court in New York rejected the legal foundation of Trump’s most sweeping tariffs, finding that Trump could not use a 1977 law to declare a national emergency on trade imbalances and fentanyl smuggling […]
1 year ago
FILE - The CBS Broadcast Center is 0n 57th Street in New York City on April 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted...

Trump suffered ‘mental anguish’ from disputed CBS News interview with Harris, lawyer says

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump suffered “mental anguish” from CBS News’ editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris last fall, his lawyers are arguing in court papers. Trump’s status as a “content creator” was also damaged by attention given to the interview, lawyers said. It was part of their […]
1 year ago
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as Education Secretary Linda McMah...

White House acknowledges problems in RFK Jr.’s MAHA report

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which decried America’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. Kennedy’s wide-ranging “Make America Healthy Again” report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but a closer look by […]
1 year ago
FILE - Sen. John Cavanaugh covers his face during a debate on May 16, 2023, at State Capitol in Lin...

Nebraska Republicans sought to weaken voter-backed paid sick leave. A Democrat helped them do it.

Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature managed to pass a bill that significantly weakens a voter-backed measure requiring employers to offer paid sick leave. And they did it with the help of a Democrat. Backers of the bill overcame a filibuster on Wednesday with the exact number of votes needed — 33 — thanks to the […]
1 year ago
FILE - Shoppers walks past a Calvin Klein store at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., April 14, 2...

Court’s tariffs ruling offers US businesses a reprieve but they aren’t ready to celebrate

NEW YORK (AP) — Businesses that have been unsettled by President Donald Trump’s on again, off again tariffs grappled Thursday with how much faith to put in the latest reprieve, which came from a federal court that halted most of the taxes on foreign imports. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade […]
1 year ago

What is the Court of International Trade? And why can it strike down Trump’s tariffs?

WASHINGTON (AP) — A little-known federal court threw a giant monkey wrench into a foundational part of President Donald Trump’s economic agenda by striking down most of the sweeping tariffs he has imposed since taking office. The Court of International Trade, based in New York, on late Wednesday said that Trump had overstepped his authority […]
1 year ago
In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Masoud Pezeshkian, left, speaks ...

Iran says a US nuclear deal isn’t imminent and that its enrichment program must continue

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Senior Iranian officials on Thursday dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country’s nuclear program to continue. “Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides. But getting […]
1 year ago
Graduates applaud during commencement ceremonies at Harvard University, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in ...

AP PHOTOS: Harvard students celebrate graduating amid a legal battle with the White House

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — America’s oldest and wealthiest school, Harvard University, held its commencement Thursday. The ceremony, attended by thousands of people, came as the university takes the lead on defying the White House in federal court to defend higher education. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
1 year ago
This undated photo provided by Annique Dunning, executive director of Sherwood Forest Plantation, s...

Harrison Ruffin Tyler, preserver of Virginia history and grandson of 10th US president, dies at 96

CHARLES CITY, Va. (AP) — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of U.S. President John Tyler born 83 years after his grandfather left the White House in 1845, died. He was 96. The cause of Tyler’s death on Sunday was not immediately released. John Tyler was 63 years old when Harrison Tyler’s father, Lyon […]
1 year ago