Politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions watching on television, 100 senators seated silently in the Capitol, one man in the Oval Office with a twitchy Twitter finger. President Donald Trump’s impeachment team will be trying to appeal to multiple audiences when it mounts a defense of the president in his Senate trial. Proceedings in the staid Senate […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is resuming operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq and is working to soon restart training Iraqi forces, U.S. officials said Wednesday, despite deep divisions over the American drone strike that killed an senior Iranian commander in Baghdad and the resulting missile attacks by Iran on Iraqi bases. One […]

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City voters will decide whether to change the city’s form of government to eliminate an elected mayor now that the city admits proponents of the move have enough valid petition signatures to force a special election on the question. Mayor Marty Small said Wednesday the election has been scheduled […]

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — After watching for more than a decade as a once busy Veterans Affairs campus deteriorated into a sprawling ghost town of crumbling brick buildings, leaders of a small Iowa city announced plans Wednesday to finally take control of the property and likely demolish most of the structures. City and county officials […]

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has begun hiring dozens of staff members in Pennsylvania, an aggressive move in a late primary state where his chief competitors for the Democratic Party’s nomination have inroads. The campaign, which announced the hirings Wednesday, has brought on about 35 staffers in Pennsylvania and has a goal […]

The United States and China signed an initial trade pact Wednesday, easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies. A look at highlights of the 86-page deal. U.S. EXPORTS: China agreed to increase purchases of U.S. services and manufactured, energy and farm products by $200 billion this year and next. The arrangement means that China […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate promises to be one of the most heavily scrutinized events in American political history. But the journalists covering the trial are warning that restrictions on media access will cripple their ability to do their job. “The proposed restrictions exceed those put in place during […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic presidential field is united in lambasting President Donald Trump’s handling of America’s military presence in the Middle East, but the candidates are sharply divided on how to do it better. Their solutions range from pulling out to cutting back. Aside from relying more heavily on allies and diplomacy, the Democrats […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras that allow U.S. immigration officials to send asylum seekers to the Central American nations violate the historic role of the U.S. as a humanitarian nation and should be blocked, according to a legal challenge filed Wednesday. The American Civil Liberties Union and other […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two Democratic senators demanded Wednesday that Army officials open an investigation into allegations that commanders of an Illinois-based reserve unit mishandled sexual assault complaints and protocols. Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth sent a letter to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy citing an Associated Press story last week about allegations that […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is changing the system it uses to assess whether an inmate is likely to commit crimes after being released from prison, aiming to ensure the process is fairer and more effective. The impetus for the change is a criminal justice overhaul signed into law in late 2018. The federal […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri in this year’s primary has apologized for incorrectly accusing the incumbent of having a picture of disgraced comedian Bill Cosby under his desk. Maite Salazar, of Kansas City, last week retweeted a post that showed a picture under Cleaver’s desk and […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has subpoenaed Denver law enforcement for information on four foreign nationals wanted for deportation and may consider expanding the unusual practice to other locations if necessary. It’s an escalation of the conflict between federal officials and so-called sanctuary cities. ICE, the Homeland Security agency responsible for arresting […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday falsely proclaimed his trade deal with China to be the world’s largest agreement. The deal is intended to ease some U.S. economic sanctions on China while Beijing would step up purchases of American farm products and other goods. TRUMP: “This is the biggest deal there is anywhere […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday that he won’t release women from confidentiality agreements they’ve signed relating to allegations of a hostile work environment at his company. “We don’t have anything to hide, but we made legal agreements which both sides wanted to keep certain things from coming out,” Bloomberg […]