Top United States government News

Biden says US won't supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to ally

May. 08, 2024 21:16 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. ...

House rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from office

May. 08, 2024 21:06 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried and failed in sudden action Wednesday to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest...

Georgia appeals court agrees to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to stay on Trump election case

May. 08, 2024 12:57 PM EDT

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump. The move seems likely to delay...

Has Israel followed the law in its war in Gaza? The US is due to render a first-of-its-kind verdict

May. 08, 2024 13:37 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing heat over its military support for Israel's war, the Biden administration is due to deliver a first-of-its-kind formal verdict this week on whether the airstrikes on Gaza and restrictions on delivery of aid have violated international and U.S. laws designed to spare...

Biden lauds new Microsoft center on the same site where Trump's Foxconn project failed

May. 08, 2024 20:25 PM EDT

STURTEVANT, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday laced into Donald Trump over a failed project in the previous administration that was supposed to bring thousands of new jobs into southeastern Wisconsin and trumpeted new economic investments under his watch that are coming to the same...

Biden administration will propose tougher asylum standards for some migrants at the border

May. 08, 2024 17:01 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration plans to propose a new rule Thursday aimed at speeding up the asylum claims process for some migrants — a potential prelude to broader actions from President Joe Biden later this year that would impose a bigger crackdown at the border. ...

Can you afford to take care of your children and parents? Biden revives effort to lower costs

May. 08, 2024 00:11 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Joe Biden runs for reelection, he’s resurrecting proposals to reshape American life from the cradle to the grave by lowering the cost of child care, expanding preschool opportunities and making home aides more available to the elderly. The...

Why the US paused the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel ahead of a possible Rafah attack

May. 08, 2024 18:12 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As it targets Hamas’ underground tunnels in Gaza, Israel has relied on powerful 2,000-pound bombs provided by the United States. But now those deliveries are on hold. The U.S. is pausing a shipment of 1,800 of the bombs, as well as 1,700 500-pound bombs, U.S....

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges Donald Trump to debate at Libertarian Convention

May. 08, 2024 17:37 PM EDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged Donald Trump to a head-to-head debate for when both address a Libertarian convention later this month, a move that comes as the presumptive GOP nominee has ramped up both criticism of Kennedy's independent bid and demands that President...

Illinois Democrats' law changing the choosing of legislative candidates faces GOP opposition

May. 08, 2024 18:01 PM EDT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Democrats have changed the way candidates for the General Assembly get on the ballot. Republicans are complaining that they changed the rules mid-game. The Legislature's majority party speedily made the change last week by introducing the...

Latest United States government News

China criticizes US for ship's passage through Taiwan Strait, weeks before new leader takes office

May. 08, 2024 22:09 PM EDT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s military criticized a U.S. destroyer’s passage through the Taiwan Strait, which occurred less than two weeks before the island's new president takes office and while Washington and Beijing are making uneven efforts to restore regular military exchanges. ...

Biden says US won't supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to ally

May. 08, 2024 21:16 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. ...

Republicans renew push to exclude noncitizens from the census that helps determine political power

May. 08, 2024 20:23 PM EDT

Some Republicans in Congress are pushing to require a citizenship question on the questionnaire for the once-a-decade census and exclude people who aren’t citizens from the count that helps determine political power in the United States. The GOP-led House on Wednesday passed a bill...

Why the US paused the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel ahead of a possible Rafah attack

May. 08, 2024 18:12 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As it targets Hamas’ underground tunnels in Gaza, Israel has relied on powerful 2,000-pound bombs provided by the United States. But now those deliveries are on hold. The U.S. is pausing a shipment of 1,800 of the bombs, as well as 1,700 500-pound bombs, U.S....

Slow to expand, internet casino gambling is the future of US betting, industry execs say

May. 08, 2024 17:54 PM EDT

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — Internet casino gambling is legal in only a handful of states, but the industry is convinced it is the future of betting, even as some worry about cannibalizing physical casinos. Speaking Wednesday at the SBC Summit North America, a major gambling industry...

Biden administration will propose tougher asylum standards for some migrants at the border

May. 08, 2024 17:01 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration plans to propose a new rule Thursday aimed at speeding up the asylum claims process for some migrants — a potential prelude to broader actions from President Joe Biden later this year that would impose a bigger crackdown at the border. ...

Some Xavier University students upset with planned commencement address by UN ambassador

May. 08, 2024 16:35 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Xavier University's pick to deliver its undergraduate commencement address has sparked criticism among students who oppose past positions by the U.S. on the war in Gaza. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is scheduled to speak at 1...

Has Israel followed the law in its war in Gaza? The US is due to render a first-of-its-kind verdict

May. 08, 2024 13:37 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing heat over its military support for Israel's war, the Biden administration is due to deliver a first-of-its-kind formal verdict this week on whether the airstrikes on Gaza and restrictions on delivery of aid have violated international and U.S. laws designed to spare...

Iowa facility that mistreated residents with intellectual disabilities nears closure

May. 08, 2024 13:00 PM EDT

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa facility for people with intellectual disabilities is set to permanently close after federal investigators said patients’ rights were violated there. The 28 residents at the state-run Glenwood Resource Center will be moved out by the end of June and...

AB InBev reports higher-than-expected revenue in first quarter despite ongoing weakness in the US

May. 08, 2024 11:06 AM EDT

Anheuser-Busch InBev reported higher-than-expected revenue in the first quarter despite lower sales in the U.S. and China. The world’s largest brewer — whose brands include Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona — said its revenue rose 2.6% to $14.5 billion. That beat Wall...