Nation
Trump abruptly cancels signing a housing bill, blindsiding Republicans
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, abruptly canceling plans to sign a bipartisan measure that could help spur more home construction. Republicans had been hoping to use the housing bill as a selling point to voters ahead of critical November midterm elections. But the president declared on social […]
How Americans are feeling about the country’s 250th anniversary, according to new polls
WASHINGTON | Duane Mitchell has big plans for the United States’ 250th anniversary. Mitchell, a 78-year-old veteran in Montana, plans to take a red, white and blue 1954 Chevrolet pickup that he restored and drive it in local parades for the Fourth of July. In honor of the country’s milestone anniversary, he bought a decorative […]
Troubled Reflecting Pool faces fresh scrutiny over vandalism claims and duck deaths
WASHINGTON | The saga over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool took a turn as President Donald Trump said Tuesday that six people have been arrested over recent damage. The president’s troubled $14-million-plus rehabilitation project has become a visceral flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations. In a […]
Federal judge halts Trump administration effort to subpoena Walz in immigration enforcement probe
A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, accusing the Justice Department of using its investigatory powers to retaliate against state officials for not cooperating with federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. In a ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge […]
Judge in Charlie Kirk killing case to decide if prosecutors could be punished for comments in media
The Utah judge in the murder case over Charlie Kirk’s killing says he will rule Monday whether prosecutors could face sanctions for comments to the media about a bullet fragment recovered from the conservative activist’s body. Lawyers for defendant Tyler Robinson have asked Judge Tony Graf to block the death penalty in the case, claiming […]
Israel seized more land from neighbors since 2023 than it has in decades
JERUSALEM | Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of swaths of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria that amount to its biggest expansion of militarily occupied lands in decades. It is an area larger than many major cities — roughly 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) — and Israel has said […]
The European Union has quietly sought to reopen communication with Russia
BRUSSELS | The European Union has reached out to Moscow in a tentative bid to open a line of communication so the continent is not sidelined in any potential talks to end Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine, officials said Thursday. The news emerged as Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks since Russia’s all-out […]
U.S. lifts blockade of Iran and Iranian supreme leader endorses direct talks with American officials
WASHINGTON | The U.S. on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, and oil tankers began freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz after months of being unable to use the critical channel, as the tentative agreement to end the war took effect. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance announced that he may postpone a trip to […]
Federal Reserve policymakers show support for rate hikes as Warsh reins in guidance
WASHINGTON | The Federal Reserve kept its key rate unchanged Wednesday yet almost half the central bank’s policymakers said they could support a rate hike later this year. The unexpectedly aggressive tilt toward higher rates would disappoint President Trump and suggests heightened concerns about persistent inflation among Fed officials. In an unusually short statement after […]
Most Americans see freedoms under threat but core to nation’s identity, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON | Most Americans believe civil liberties like the right to vote are under threat, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while also continuing to agree that the rights expressed in the nation’s founding documents are still core to American identity. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most […]