Politics

A voter casts a ballot on the first day of early voting in Minnesota at the Elections & Voter Servi...

US cybersecurity agency releases election infrastructure plan 40 days before midterms

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s cybersecurity agency on Thursday released an election infrastructure security plan 40 days before November’s midterms, laying out potential threats to election systems and listing services it would offer to election officials to protect the vote. The plan, which Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had originally promised to release by […]
7 days ago
President Donald Trump listens as China's President Xi Jinping speaks during an arrival ceremony in...

Xi says 2 giant pandas from China will arrive in the coming days at Atlanta’s zoo

ATLANTA (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that two giant pandas from China will arrive at Zoo Atlanta in the coming days, bolstering a loan program that at one time had lapsed as part of tensions between Beijing and Washington. China and the zoo had said in April that Ping Ping, a male, […]
7 days ago
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (A...

US government foots bill for television advertisement featuring Trump’s midterm messaging

At first glance, it looks like a typical Republican campaign advertisement. As images of President Donald Trump flash across the screen, the 30-second spot says “America will never be a communist country” and boasts about the “largest tax cuts in history.” But there’s something different near the end — a bit of text at the […]
7 days ago
The U.S. Capitol is seen Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)Credit: AP ...

Senate to vote on resolution to halt the Iran war as gas prices upend midterms

WASHINGTON (AP) — Increasingly anxious about the Iran war, senators are set to vote Thursday on a war powers resolution seeking to halt President Donald Trump ‘s military action, which has been largely blamed for the spike in fuel prices and become a flashpoint in the midterm election. The Senate vote, days after Trump’s bombastic […]
7 days ago
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrives at the port in Laem Chabang, Chonburi, T...

8 sailors in USS Lincoln group attempted suicide on extended deployment, Navy leader says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight sailors attempted suicide while deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war, the Navy’s top civilian leader said this week. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao provided the information to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a letter dated Tuesday […]
7 days ago
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks via pre-recorded video during the 81st session of the Un...

Palestinian president, again denied a visa to speak at UN, addresses leaders on prerecorded video

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, delivering prerecorded remarks from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row. “The Palestinian people face one of the most dangerous times in its history,” […]
7 days ago
President of Kenya William Samoei Ruto, addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General As...

A (permanent) seat at the table of power: African leaders press UN for Security Council reform

They want to help make the decisions — not just watch them unfold. As in years past, African leaders attending the U.N. General Assembly this year are demanding a reform of the powerful Security Council that would include permanent seats for countries from the continent in the global body’s highest decision-making structure. Many African heads […]
7 days ago
President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint...

The Latest: Trump and Xi Jinping will hold talks in Washington on trade, AI and more

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have no shortage of difficult issues to cover when they sit down for talks Thursday at the White House. The leaders are tackling issues like trade irritants, artificial intelligence safeguards and the war in Iran. Trump wants China to use its influence with Iran, while Xi seeks a halt […]
7 days ago
United States Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, talks to the media during a press conference on the...

Energy Department will spend $2 billion to squeeze more electricity from aging power grid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Energy Department is set to announce it will spend almost $2 billion to try to squeeze more electricity out of the nation’s aging and stressed power grid, as President Donald Trump’s administration steps up efforts to avoid blackouts amid skyrocketing energy demand spurred by artificial intelligence. The money will go toward […]
7 days ago
Michael Serpa, senior scientist at the Scottsdale Water Campus, works on water testing, Wednesday, ...

Scottsdale’s water recycling program hits election-year backlash

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A Phoenix suburb ditched a plan to send recycled water from toilets and other sources directly to residents’ taps, after political candidates made unproven claims that the water is contaminated “poop water.” The affluent city of Scottsdale mainly uses purified water from the city’s liquid waste to recharge aquifers that can […]
7 days ago

Judge orders White House to restore access to news outlets Trump banned

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge early Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s move to ban three news outlets from the White House grounds and said CNN, MS NOW and Politico must have their access restored. It’s the latest development in an escalating showdown between President Donald Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes. […]
7 days ago
People visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Wednesday, ...

At 10 years old, Smithsonian’s Black museum is undaunted amid pressure from Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deeply impactful exhibits, ticketed galas and educational events are expected ways to celebrate a world-class museum. But at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which marks the 10-year anniversary of its opening on Thursday, the singing of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” will give the event the flavor of a […]
7 days ago
FILE - Dr. Heidi Overton, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks about ...

Senators to question FDA nominee about her views on abortion pill and vaccines

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over the Food and Drug Administration is set to answer questions Thursday, with Senate lawmakers likely to focus on her plans for vaccines, the abortion pill and other products that have come under new scrutiny at the regulatory agency. Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician and top […]
7 days ago
President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint...

Trump and Xi Jinping head into Washington summit with both leaders thinking time is on their side

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have no shortage of difficult issues to cover when they sit down for talks on Thursday at the White House. China has resisted the Trump administration’s urgings — and economic threats — to use its considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to U.S. terms to […]
7 days ago
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani addresses the 81st session of the...

They said it: Leaders at the UN, in their own words

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That’s what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year. And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts from leaders who might have […]
7 days ago
FILE - U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 performs aerobatic maneuvers on the second day of the A...

Pentagon investigates after China obtains parts from F-35 stealth fighter jet

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is investigating how parts of the nation’s most advanced fighter jet ended up in Hong Kong, with a news outlet reporting Wednesday that China has obtained the F-35 equipment. The F-35 Joint Program Office said in a statement that it and the Defense Department are aware of “a shipment issue” […]
7 days ago
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and members of his staff leave the South Texas ICE Processing Center where he ...

Congressman says Venezuelan man shot by ICE then taken into custody told he needs surgery

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Democratic congressman said Wednesday that a Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration officer in Texas and then taken to a detention center has been told by a specialist he needs surgery to remove the bullet still lodged near his spine. U.S. Rep. Greg Casar visited a federal detention center […]
7 days ago
Delcy Rodríguez, acting president of Venezuela, addresses the 81st session of the United Nations G...

Venezuela’s acting leader, at UN for first address, praises Trump for ‘readiness’ to resume ties

Addressing the U.N. General Assembly for the first time since coming to power, Venezuela’s acting president said her country is coming back strong after “setbacks” suffered this year and thanked President Donald Trump for being willing to resume relations after the U.S. military spirited her predecessor out of the country. “Today, Venezuela is being reborn,” […]
7 days ago
This photo taken with a smartphone and provided by Ryan Garton shows a federal officer speaking to ...

U.S. citizen injured in Illinois after ICE agents mistook him for fugitive, tried to arrest him

CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. citizen was left bloodied and injured on the side of the road in a Chicago suburb after a confrontation with immigration enforcement agents who mistook him for a fugitive, according to local police and a resident who tried to help the man. The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was […]
7 days ago
FILE - An official voting center sign stands outside of a polling location on May 26, 2026, in Dall...

State error in Texas creates huge backlog in voter registration applications as midterm voting nears

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — County election offices throughout Texas are scrambling to process a massive backlog of voter registration applications stemming from an error at the state level, a headache that is hitting just as they are preparing for voting to begin in the midterm elections. The problem, which officials in the Republican-controlled state have […]
7 days ago

Iowa judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Des Moines Register and pollster

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge on Wednesday dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit accusing The Des Moines Register and its former pollster of misrepresenting the state of the 2024 presidential race, rejecting the president’s claim that the newspaper’s poll coverage violated Iowa’s consumer fraud law. Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie sided with pollster J. […]
8 days ago
FILE - People take part in a march ending in front of the US consulate, under the slogan, Greenland...

Trump’s push to acquire Greenland almost broke NATO. The winner of it all may be … Greenland

BERLIN (AP) — In the end, it was all kisses and laughter as President Donald Trump hailed his “fantastic” relationship with Denmark and Greenland after signing a new security deal that America’s European allies hope will close one of the most dangerous chapters in transatlantic relations. Trump’s territorial ambitions over Greenland almost broke the NATO […]
8 days ago
FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cellphone with an image on a computer monitor generated by...

US diplomats told to use term ‘super intelligence’ not ‘artificial intelligence’ after Trump’s call

NEW YORK (AP) — The State Department is ordering diplomats in its international organizations bureau to use the term “super intelligence” instead of “artificial intelligence” in all communications following President Donald Trump’s attempt to rebrand the technology in his address to the U.N. General Assembly this week. “Following the president’s remarks at the GA today, […]
8 days ago
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a rally for democratic candidates Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, i...

Newsom talks climate with world leaders in New York, accuses Trump of abdicating that responsibility

Saying President Donald Trump has abdicated his responsibilities on climate change, California Gov. Gavin Newsom met with world and business leaders Wednesday to advance climate action and clean energy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. State and local governments are leading, he said, as “Trump is trying to recreate the 19th century” by […]
8 days ago