Latest Government policy News

What Americans think about Trump and Musk's plans for the federal government: AP-NORC poll

Jan. 24, 2025 07:10 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans see the federal government as rife with corruption, inefficiency and red tape — but they're less sure about whether Elon Musk is the right person to fix it. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that only...

Bank of Japan raises interest rate to about 0.5%, citing higher wages and inflation

Jan. 24, 2025 02:11 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — The Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate to about 0.5% from 0.25% Friday, noting that inflation is holding at a desirable target level. “The economy is gradually recovering,” BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda told reporters after a two-day policy board meeting in Tokyo. ...

Japan's leader says he's preparing for tough negotiations with Trump on maintaining US presence

Jan. 24, 2025 01:47 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, struggling to stabilize his minority government, said Friday he will seek to maintain regional security and prepare for tough negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump to win his commitment to maintain a strong American presence in the...

Who's the guy handing Trump those binders of executive orders? Meet Will Scharf

Jan. 24, 2025 00:13 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Those binders full of executive orders that President Donald Trump has been signing with a flourish and a wide-tipped Sharpie during his first week in office don't just magically appear before him. White House staff secretary Will Scharf has been a prominent part...

Trudeau says Americans will pay more whenever Trump decides to impose tariffs on Canada

Jan. 23, 2025 22:23 PM EST

TORONTO (AP) — Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday American consumers will pay more whenever President Donald Trump decides to apply sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday that he still plans to tariff...

Trump says he will 'demand' that interest rates come down, but it won't be that simple

Jan. 23, 2025 17:03 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pledged cheaper prices and lower interest rates, but an economy transformed by the pandemic will make those promises difficult to keep. Economic growth is solid, driven by healthy consumer spending. And budget deficits are huge and...

What to know about President Donald Trump's order targeting the rights of transgender people

Jan. 23, 2025 17:02 PM EST

An executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day back in office offers a new federal government definition of the sexes that could have a major impact on transgender people nationwide. The order calls for the federal government to define sex as only male or female...

USDA secretary nominee says politics shouldn't influence California wildfire response

Jan. 23, 2025 15:49 PM EST

Efforts by the U.S. Forest Service to fight wildfires in California shouldn't be influenced by politics, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday at her Senate confirmation hearing. Responding to questions from a Senate panel, nominee...

Why meeting Trump's military spending target could be tough for NATO's lowest spender

Jan. 23, 2025 15:35 PM EST

MADRID (AP) — While Europe’s military heavyweights have already said that meeting President Donald Trump’s potential challenge to spend up to 5% of their economic output on security won't be easy, it would be an especially tall order for Spain. The eurozone’s fourth-largest...

With Trump pivot back to pro-oil and gas policies, one renewable energy finds favor

Jan. 23, 2025 09:40 AM EST

As promised, President Donald Trump began reversing the country's energy policies his first day in office with a spate of orders largely favoring oil, gas and coal. But there is one renewable energy that did find favor: geothermal. Energy experts say that makes sense — geothermal...