Top United States government News

House Republicans ditch their day jobs to stand with Trump, while legislating languishes

May. 16, 2024 20:09 PM EDT

Leaving Washington behind, prominent far-right House Republicans who have repeatedly thrown this Congress into chaos showed up Thursday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial to do what they do best. They stood outside Trump Tower filming their support for the indicted former...

What to know about how much the aid from a US pier project will help Gaza

May. 16, 2024 19:40 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S.-built pier is in place to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea, but no one will know if the new route will work until a steady stream of deliveries begins reaching starving Palestinians. The trucks that will roll off the pier project installed Thursday...

Sexual assaults are down in the US military. Here's what to know about the numbers

May. 16, 2024 18:21 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon officials are cautiously optimistic that an overall decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies suggests that leaders are finally getting a handle on what has been a persistent problem. “The...

White House blocks release of Biden audio as Republicans move ahead with Garland contempt charge

May. 16, 2024 17:36 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday blocked the release of audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with a special counsel about his handling of classified documents, arguing that Republicans in Congress only wanted the recordings “to chop them up” and use them for political...

Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in historic shift

May. 16, 2024 15:59 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy. A proposed rule sent to the federal register recognizes the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has...

Justice Dept. makes arrests in North Korean identity theft scheme involving thousands of IT workers

May. 16, 2024 19:26 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced Thursday multiple arrests in a series of complex stolen identity theft cases that officials say are part of a wide-ranging scheme that generates enormous proceeds for the North Korean government, including for its weapons program. ...

Biden marks Brown v. Board of Education anniversary amid signs of erosion in Black voter support

May. 16, 2024 15:32 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden marked this week's 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that struck down institutionalized racial segregation in public schools by welcoming plaintiffs and family members in the landmark case to the White House. The Oval Office visit...

Michael Cohen pressed on his crimes and lies as defense attacks key Trump hush money trial witness

May. 16, 2024 20:09 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's lawyers accused the star prosecution witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors, portraying Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen on Thursday as a serial fabulist who is bent on seeing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee behind bars. ...

House votes to require delivery of bombs to Israel in GOP-led rebuke of Biden policies

May. 16, 2024 20:10 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House delivered a rebuke to President Joe Biden Thursday for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, passing legislation that seeks to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war. Seeking to...

Matt Gaetz evokes 'standing by' language adopted by Proud Boys as he attends court with Donald Trump

May. 16, 2024 14:37 PM EDT

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz evoked language adopted by the far-right Proud Boys extremist group as he appeared at court Thursday to support Donald Trump at his hush money trial, reflecting the undercurrent of activist elements present among the presumptive GOP nominee's supporters as he seeks a return to...

Latest United States government News

House votes to require delivery of bombs to Israel in GOP-led rebuke of Biden policies

May. 16, 2024 20:10 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House delivered a rebuke to President Joe Biden Thursday for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, passing legislation that seeks to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war. Seeking to...

House Republicans ditch their day jobs to stand with Trump, while legislating languishes

May. 16, 2024 20:09 PM EDT

Leaving Washington behind, prominent far-right House Republicans who have repeatedly thrown this Congress into chaos showed up Thursday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial to do what they do best. They stood outside Trump Tower filming their support for the indicted former...

What to know about how much the aid from a US pier project will help Gaza

May. 16, 2024 19:40 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S.-built pier is in place to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea, but no one will know if the new route will work until a steady stream of deliveries begins reaching starving Palestinians. The trucks that will roll off the pier project installed Thursday...

Google wants judge, not jury, decide upcoming antitrust case in Virginia

May. 16, 2024 18:52 PM EDT

Google on Thursday asked that a judge, rather than a jury, decide whether it violated U.S. antitrust laws by building a monopoly on the technology that powers online advertising. To bolster its case, the tech giant wrote a multimillion-dollar check to the U.S. government that it...

Aid for Gaza will soon flow from pier project just finished by US military, Pentagon says

May. 16, 2024 18:08 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Thursday that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately. Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the...

White House blocks release of Biden audio as Republicans move ahead with Garland contempt charge

May. 16, 2024 17:36 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday blocked the release of audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with a special counsel about his handling of classified documents, arguing that Republicans in Congress only wanted the recordings “to chop them up” and use them for political...

House votes to force US delivery of bombs to Israel, rebuking President Biden with bill that is likely doomed in Senate

May. 16, 2024 17:12 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — House votes to force US delivery of bombs to Israel, rebuking President Biden with bill that is likely doomed in Senate.

Ethiopia protests US ambassador's speech after he calls for release of political prisoners

May. 16, 2024 16:42 PM EDT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia lodged a complaint Thursday over statements by the U.S. ambassador after he said the release of political prisoners could help the country engage in a productive dialogue and that detaining critics won't resolve the country's issues. The Foreign...

Maryland governor signs bill to create statewide gun center

May. 16, 2024 12:04 PM EDT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill into law on Thursday to create a new statewide center to help prevent gun violence. The governor described the center as the first of its kind since the White House urged states to form their own centers to better focus...

Georgia's leader says a divisive media bill passed by lawmakers is unacceptable and she'll veto it

May. 16, 2024 11:35 AM EDT

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — A controversial media bill passed this week by Georgia's parliament is “unacceptable” and will be vetoed, President Salome Zourabichvili said Thursday, reaffirming her opposition to a measure that critics describe as a threat to free speech. In an...