Politics

Maverick Republican Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon, who resigned after sexual harassment scandal, dies

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Former Sen. Bob Packwood, a moderate Oregon Republican whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment, has died. He was 93. Packwood’s death on Saturday was announced in an obituary sent to media outlets by his […]
3 months ago
Construction continues on the arena on the South Lawn of the White House for a future UFC mixed mar...

Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis., Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Ph...

Trump dismisses idea that Iran betrays his ‘no new wars’ campaign message

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump is dismissing the idea that launching the war with Iran this year betrayed his refrain of “No new wars” that he made repeatedly as he campaigned again for the White House. Trump, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said he “didn’t guarantee” there […]
3 months ago
FILE - Actor Elliott Gould, left, joins Donald Trump, center, and Marla Maples at courtside during ...

Donald Trump, Knicks fan, heads back to New York to root on his team

NEW YORK (AP) — There was a time when Donald Trump was just another celebrity sitting courtside at New York Knicks games. He was famous, but not yet flanked by Secret Service agents or defined by the politics that have left him deeply unpopular in his hometown. Now, more than a decade after attending his […]
3 months ago
Iowa democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand speaks to media after voting on primary Election D...

Rob Sand to rally in Iowa governor bid with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as Democrats eye a flip

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rob Sand will rally a crowd for the first time as the official Democratic nominee for Iowa governor on Sunday, kicking off a countdown to November with the support of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. The race for governor between Sand and Republican Zach Lahn stands to be one of the […]
3 months ago
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salutes during a ceremony at the US cemetery to commemorate the...

Hegseth invokes immigration and ‘invasion’ in D-Day speech in France

PARIS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a D-Day anniversary speech on Saturday to appear to link immigration by sea to the wartime liberation of Europe, warning that the freedom won by Allied troops could prove temporary if leaders failed to defend it. Hegseth, speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer in […]
3 months ago
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House FIFA World Cup task force, speaks at a news briefing about...

The World Cup poses an unprecedented security challenge at a fraught moment. Is the US ready?

NEW YORK (AP) — The World Cup, a 48-team, 104-match behemoth kicking off next week across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, presents an unprecedented security challenge, with more countries, games and a larger footprint than ever before. It also comes against the backdrop of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, […]
3 months ago
FILE — Former U.S. Rep. Stephen Buyer, left, trails his lawyer as he leaves Manhattan federal cou...

Trump issued pardon to former Republican congressman convicted of insider trading

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana who served nearly two years in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after he left office. Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for trades made while working as a consultant and lobbyist. […]
3 months ago

Air raid sirens in Bahrain as Iranian missiles and drones head for Gulf neighbors

CAIRO (AP) — Bahrain’s government said Saturday that Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones towards it and Kuwait. The foreign ministry said they had been intercepted and called on Iran to immediately cease attacks on its Gulf neighbors. The statement came hours after the U.S. military said it shot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones […]
3 months ago
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks during an election night event Tuesday, Ju...

These candidates for governor worked for Joe Biden. Some don’t really talk about it though

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden is not on the ballot this fall. But at least three prominent members of his administration will be, representing the Democratic Party in a trio of governor’s races that may test the resilience of the Biden brand two years after he left the White House under a cloud of disapproval. […]
3 months ago
From left; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Related Companies CEO Brent Behrman, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Or...

Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Sam Altman are all talking about public ownership in AI

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was perhaps a surprising private overture from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to Sen. Bernie Sanders. The meeting between the two had come just after the Vermont senator announced a plan for the public to take a 50% ownership stake in artificial intelligence companies such as OpenAI, using their stock to create […]
3 months ago

Judge halts Trump administration efforts to impose conditions on SNAP

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday sided with 20 Democratic states and halted an effort by the Trump administration to force states to comply with a range of conditions to get billions of dollars from the federal food aid program. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit challenging […]
3 months ago
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks during an election night event Tuesday, Ju...

Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to general election in race for California governor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrat Xavier Becerra has advanced to the general election for California governor after pitching himself as an experienced choice to lead the nation’s most populous state. Becerra leaned on his more than 35 years in public office — including as state attorney general and U.S. health secretary — to argue that […]
3 months ago
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Sacram...

Matsui advances to November ballot in reelection bid for California House seat

California Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui has advanced to the November ballot after facing a reelection challenge from a younger Democrat. Matsui, 81, has been in Congress since she replaced her late husband, former Rep. Bob Matsui, in the Sacramento-based seat in 2005. She faced a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Mai Vang, a member of […]
3 months ago
FILE - The symbol of the United Nations is displayed outside the Secretariat Building, Feb. 28, 202...

UN food agency says millions are being pushed into hunger by Iran war

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. food agency said millions of people are being pushed into acute hunger by the Iran war, as it warned would happen if the conflict escalated and oil prices remained high. The World Food Program said an analysis in three vulnerable countries found that an additional 2.5 million people in […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump arrives to speak to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Joint Base ...

Trump keeps the door open to a call with Taiwan’s president even though China has warned against it

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday indicated that he may still speak with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te — even after China has publicly urged him not to directly engage with the leader of the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own. Trump first raised the idea last month on […]
3 months ago
Ballots are inspected the day after California's primary election at the LA County Ballot Processin...

US attorney opens investigations into California’s elections, sends prosecutor to LA vote center

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said Friday it had opened “multiple election fraud investigations” related to California’s elections and sent a prosecutor to the county’s vote-counting center. The developments came a day after President Donald Trump made baseless claims of mass fraud in California’s drawn-out vote count from Tuesday’s […]
3 months ago
FBI director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and...

FBI analysts tied to disputed ‘Catholic ideology’ memo told they’re being fired, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Several FBI analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists” were told Friday that they were being fired, according to three people familiar with the matter, the latest wave of terminations under the leadership of Director Kash Patel. Two of the people […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump gestures from the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base And...

Trump calls for military to accelerate use of AI while protecting Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump issued a memo Friday that calls for the U.S. military and national security agencies to accelerate their use of artificial intelligence, while acknowledging the need to protect civil liberties and maintain oversight over autonomous weapon systems. The memo comes at a time of growing anxiety over AI in American […]
3 months ago
FILE - Rows of gravestones stand at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., May 13, 2014...

Defense Department slashes its religious designations list from more than 200 choices to 31

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Defense announced on Friday a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes. The new list of 31 is down from more than 200 previously recognized traditions that troops could choose from. The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans. “This decrease in […]
3 months ago
Workers refill the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after several months of repairs on Friday, June...

Refilling starts for newly painted Reflecting Pool in Washington, in photos

WASHINGTON (AP) — Water has started flowing into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after President Donald Trump’s renovation, which included painting the basin a deep shade he called “American flag blue.” This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
3 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Joint Base Andrews, M...

Can’t afford sky-high tickets to see the Knicks in person? Trump says ‘watch it on television’

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump confirmed he will attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he doesn’t have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who can’t afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump told reporters […]
3 months ago
Construction on the White House Ballroom continues Friday, June 5, 2026, in Washington, as seen fro...

Trump ballroom construction should not be up to courts, government attorney argues in appeals case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers representing the federal government argued Friday that a court could not stop construction of a White House ballroom it was already underway and because of the sensitive security concerns they say the structure is meant to address. Attorney Yaakov Roth, speaking during an exchange with U.S. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Millett, […]
3 months ago
FILE - Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during an event, May 4, 2026, in the East Room at the W...

Energy Department says advanced nuclear reactor first to reach critical milestone

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Energy Department says a small nuclear reactor under development at a national lab has reached a crucial milestone that could allow it to produce electricity within a few years. The microreactor being developed by Antares Nuclear Inc. at the Idaho National Lab reached “criticality” on Thursday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. […]
3 months ago