Politics

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks before President Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore Nation...

Judge blocks South Dakota abortion advertising ban against nonprofit

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota cannot enforce its abortion advertising ban against a reproductive health nonprofit, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler issued a preliminary injunction blocking South Dakota from enforcing the recently adopted state law against New York-based Mayday Health and plaintiff Nancy Turbak Berry. The judge […]
3 months ago
Russell Vought, acting director, Office of Management and Budget, testifies before the House Financ...

Federal judge bars Trump administration from using obscure clause to make huge funding cuts

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Boston on Friday ruled the Trump administration can’t use an obscure clause relating to agency priorities to make billions of dollars in funding cuts. Twenty-three states had a filed a lawsuit last year accusing the administration of using the clause to make cuts to everything from crime prevention […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Wash...

Trump says these documents prove his false claims of election fraud. Here’s what they really say

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump released a trove of documents during a primetime address to the nation that allies had hyped as a smoking gun that would prove his long-debunked allegations of mass voter fraud. Speaking from the White House on Thursday night, he described shocking revelations, like Chinese meddling to undermine his failed […]
3 months ago
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Acting Attorney General...

Senator says key piece of college sports legislation ‘probably’ has 60 votes to clear upper chamber

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A lawmaker sponsoring a key piece of federal college sports legislation said he believes the bill likely has the support it needs to make it through the upper chamber. “We probably have 60 votes,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said Friday at the Associated Press Sports Editors meeting. Schmitt called the next […]
3 months ago
FILE - An AR-15 style rifle is fired at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (A...

Federal appeals court rules that New Jersey’s assault weapons ban is unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that New Jersey’s bans on assault firearms and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds are unconstitutional. This is the first time a federal appeals court has struck down a state ban on such weapons, and it comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider whether […]
3 months ago
FILE - The Matsapha Correctional Complex in Matsapha, near Mbabane, Eswatini, July 17, 2025. (AP Ph...

Jamaica says 2 citizens deported by US to Eswatini rejected repatriation offers

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica’s government said two of its three citizens recently deported by the United States to the African kingdom of Eswatini have formally declined offers to be repatriated to the Caribbean nation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Thursday that Jamaican officials were still attempting to contact the third citizen. “During […]
3 months ago
FILE - This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows polymetallic nodules in a sample fro...

The US plans to auction off sections of water around American Samoa in a push for deep-sea mining

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government plans to auction off massive sections of water surrounding American Samoa for potential deep-sea mining in an unprecedented move that is expected to draw criticism from many countries. The area of the water surface planned to be auctioned off covers a total of 33 million acres […]
3 months ago
FILE - Containers pile up at Kwai Chung Container terminal in Hong Kong, Apr. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ch...

China signals US could restore preferential trade privileges for Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) — China signaled on Friday that the United States could restore Hong Kong ‘s preferential privileges, saying Washington confirmed it will not renew an executive order that revoked the city’s special trading status. The Commerce Ministry said that the U.S. made commitments on Hong Kong issues and other matters during the U.S.-China […]
3 months ago
Newly-sworn Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., sister of Lindsey Graham, walks past cameras as she leaves...

Darline Graham weighs running for full Senate term as funeral scheduled for Lindsey Graham

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham has privately expressed interest in running for a full Senate term after getting appointed as a temporary replacement for her late brother, Lindsey Graham, according to three people familiar with the deliberations. The people, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said she has started having conversations about […]
3 months ago
U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta's superyacht 'Boardwall' is docked as part of "Freedom 250 Coastal ...

Trump’s envoy greeted by protests in Venice on latest stop of super yacht diplomacy tour

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The billionaire U.S. ambassador to Italy was met by protests when he arrived in Venice on Friday aboard his luxury yacht as part of a coastal diplomacy tour marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta’s arrival represents an unwelcome display of American wealth and influence for many […]
3 months ago
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, talks with French President Emmanuel Macron as they arrive ...

Germany and France initiate nuclear cooperation as Europe seeks greater security independence

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — The leaders of Germany and France announced on Friday that the German military would participate in a nuclear exercise under a French initiative to deepen European nuclear cooperation. The move by both countries to deepen nuclear cooperation underscores growing European defense self-reliance amid concerns about the future of U.S. security commitments […]
3 months ago
From left, U.S. Senate candidates David Costello, Elizabeth Dickerson, Dan Kleban, and Ashley Webb ...

Maine Democrats running to replace Platner as Senate nominee scramble to woo his voters

The tight timeline to replace former Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner has left Democratic hopefuls scrambling to woo his progressive base while trying to turn the focus from the disgraced oysterman to defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. It’s a delicate balance for the candidates, who are vying to face Collins in a contest […]
3 months ago

The Latest: Trump doubles down on election fraud claims in primetime speech

President Donald Trump used a primetime address to the nation to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss — this time, to justify his push to pass a strict voter ID bill. His allegations Thursday night of interference and influence didn’t include key context. […]
3 months ago

China rejects Trump’s election interference claim as ‘groundless accusations’

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday said it has never interfered in U.S. elections and has no interest in doing so, urging Washington to stop making what it described as “groundless accusations” after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of meddling in the 2020 election. In an address to the nation Thursday, Trump again raised doubts […]
3 months ago
Mourners place flowers and candles in Biddeford, Maine, Wednesday, July 15 2026, near the blood-sta...

Lawmakers demand answers after ‘bombshell’ report of ICE officer shooting in Maine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic members of Congress demanded answers about Homeland Security’s vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed Thursday that the ICE officer involved in a deadly shooting this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior. The Associated Press reported that David Brouillette, the […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Wash...

To air or not to air? Nation’s TV networks struggle to find the right balance for Trump speech

As President Donald Trump threatened sanctions for those who didn’t cover his address live Thursday night, the nation’s broadcast and cable news operations wrestled with the thorniest of questions: To air or not to air? Networks and their news operations, broadcast and cable alike, spent the hours leading up to Trump’s address debating how to […]
3 months ago
People vote in the Democratic primaries at Blair-Caldwell Library, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Denve...

Why American elections are so complicated — and secure

In a speech to the nation Thursday evening, President Donald Trump said Americans deserve secure elections, and he claimed to be using federal authority to prevent them from being “stolen.” In fact, one of the strongest security features of U.S. elections is the fact that they aren’t conducted at the federal level. America votes in […]
3 months ago
People hug outside the chapel during a public visitation for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot a...

Family to hold a vigil for man fatally shot by immigration officer in Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — The family of a man who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in Houston is holding a public vigil Thursday evening in response to what the man’s son says is an outpouring of support amid renewed criticism of enforcement tactics. The ceremony for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national […]
3 months ago
Member of the National Guard patrol at the base of the Washington Monument, Wednesday, July 15, 202...

National Guard deployment to DC will last through Trump’s term

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital is being extended by more than two years and will last until the end of his term. The Pentagon confirmed the extension in an email Thursday, saying the mission will continue until Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the […]
3 months ago
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefin...

Homeland Security: Foreign journalist visas set at 240 days, Chinese reporters cut to 90 days

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Thursday it will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and retaliation against American journalists overseas. The final rule announced by […]
3 months ago
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, center, speaks with an aide during a mark...

House Republicans’ $95 billion Iran war package clears first hurdle

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on the House Budget Committee advanced a $95 billion package Thursday for the Iran war, farm aid and President Donald Trump’s push for strict new voter ID requirements, moving forward on a party-line vote despite trouble in the full House — and the Senate. Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington framed the […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump arrives at the United States Army War College for the Pennsylvania Defense a...

Trump media firm plans to sell high speed access to Truth Social posts, possibly Trump’s own

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own affecting national security and financial markets. The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they […]
3 months ago
President Donald Trump departs on Marine One after speaking at the United States Army War College i...

Hopes for US-Iran diplomacy still alive as fighting intensifies over the Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has intensified over control of the Strait of Hormuz, but hopes for a possible diplomatic solution have shown stubborn signs of life. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected suggestions that Islamabad had abandoned efforts to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table after brokering […]
3 months ago
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefin...

Trump’s teleprompter operator on unpaid leave for alleged prediction market bets on Trump speeches

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump’s teleprompter operator is on unpaid leave after reports that he used his inside knowledge to make bets about the president’s speeches on the online prediction market Kalshi, the White House said Thursday. The firm’s enforcement chief said Kalshi contacted federal regulators about bets allegedly made about what the president […]
3 months ago