Top United States government News

Trump blames Biden and Harris' rhetoric toward him despite his own history of going after rivals

Sep. 16, 2024 17:11 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump claimed without evidence Monday that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' comments that he is a threat to democracy had inspired the latest apparent attempt on his life, despite his own long history of inflammatory campaign rhetoric and advocacy for...

Man who appeared intent on killing Trump wrote a book urging Iran to assassinate the ex-president

Sep. 16, 2024 17:26 PM EDT

KAAAWA, Hawaii (AP) — Ryan Wesley Routh portrayed himself online as a man who built housing for homeless people in Hawaii, tried to recruit fighters for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, and described his support and then disdain for Donald Trump — even urging Iran to kill him. ...

Trump was on the links taking a breather from the campaign. Then the Secret Service saw a rifle

Sep. 16, 2024 07:53 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sunday was to be a day of relative rest for Donald Trump, a rare breather this deep into a presidential campaign. Aside from sounding off on social media, golf was on the agenda. Then the Secret Service spotted the muzzle of a rifle sticking out of a fence in...

5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump

Sep. 16, 2024 17:19 PM EDT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump wasn’t harmed by Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt as he golfed near his Florida club. But the second attack on his life in barely two months is likely to further unsettle an election cycle already marked by upheaval. ...

Apparent attempt on Trump's life raises questions about how it could have happened again

Sep. 16, 2024 01:02 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — An apparent attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida has rocked a presidential campaign already marred by violence and raised questions about how such a thing could have happened for the second time in as many months. U.S....

The Latest: Suspect in apparent assassination attempt against Trump charged with federal gun crimes

Sep. 16, 2024 17:28 PM EDT

The FBI said former President Donald Trump was the target of “what appears to be an attempted assassination ” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. U.S. Secret...

DEA shutting down two offices in China even as agency struggles to stem flow of fentanyl chemicals

Sep. 16, 2024 13:08 PM EDT

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is shutting down two of its hard-won offices in China, The Associated Press has learned, a move that comes even as the agency struggles to disrupt the flow of precursor chemicals from the country that have fueled a fentanyl epidemic blamed for the deaths of...

A secretive group recruited far-right candidates in key US House races. It could help Democrats

Sep. 16, 2024 14:44 PM EDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Joe Wiederien was an unlikely candidate to challenge a Republican congressman in one of the nation’s most competitive House districts. A fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Wiederien was registered as a Republican until months earlier. A...

Postal Service insists it's ready for a flood of mail-in ballots

Sep. 16, 2024 14:08 PM EDT

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy assured state election officials in a letter released Monday that he'll work with them to handle their warnings of problems with election mail delivery during the primary season, while insisting that the Postal Service will be ready for the flood of mail-in...

Marines give highest noncombat medal to family of Osprey crew chief who died trying to save pilots

Sep. 16, 2024 16:48 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Marine Corps in a ceremony at the commandant’s headquarters on Monday presented their highest noncombat medal to the parents of Cpl. Spencer Collart, who died last year after his V-22 Osprey crashed in Australia. Collart, 21, survived the crash but went...

Latest United States government News

Oregon tribe sues over federal agency plans to hold an offshore wind energy auction

Sep. 16, 2024 17:29 PM EDT

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A tribe in Oregon whose culture is tied to the ocean is suing the U.S. government over plans to hold an offshore wind energy auction next month, saying the environmental analysis underpinning the sale was too narrow and based on a “predetermined political decision.” ...

Can noncitizens vote in Pennsylvania elections?

Sep. 16, 2024 17:24 PM EDT

U.S. law bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections, such as races for president, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Like many states, Pennsylvania also prohibits noncitizens from voting in elections for state offices. A 1996 federal law allows fines and imprisoned...

Why do election experts oppose hand-counting ballots?

Sep. 16, 2024 17:18 PM EDT

What is the most accurate way to count votes in U.S. elections? Is it by hand, as many Republican lawmakers have been demanding in the aftermath of 2020? Or the traditional way in which machines tally results? Election experts resoundingly agree that hand-counting ballots takes...

TikTok and the U.S. face off in court over law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform

Sep. 16, 2024 16:58 PM EDT

TikTok faced off with the U.S. government in federal court on Monday, arguing a law that could ban the platform in a few short months is unconstitutional while the Justice Department said it is needed to eliminate a national security risk posed by the popular social media company. ...

Betting on elections threatens confidence in voting and should be banned, US agency says

Sep. 16, 2024 16:15 PM EDT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Allowing people to bet on the outcome of U.S. elections poses a great risk that some will try to manipulate the betting markets, which could cause more harm to the already fragile confidence voters have in the integrity of results, according to a federal agency that...

Venezuelan opposition calls on US to cancel oil company licenses to pressure Maduro

Sep. 16, 2024 15:48 PM EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela’s main opposition coalition on Monday called on the U.S. to cancel the licenses that allow Chevron and other energy companies to operate in the South American country to pressure President Nicolás Maduro to negotiate a transition from power. The...

US military completes withdrawal from junta-ruled Niger

Sep. 16, 2024 15:13 PM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday. A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. Earlier this year,...

Do you know the 3 branches of US government? Many don't, leading to a push for civics education

Sep. 16, 2024 14:28 PM EDT

BLUFFTON, South Carolina (AP) — On the first day of his American National Government class, Prof. Kevin Dopf asks how many of his students are United States citizens. Every hand shoots up. “So, how did all you people become citizens?” he asks. “Did you pass a test?” ...

Postal Service insists it's ready for a flood of mail-in ballots

Sep. 16, 2024 14:08 PM EDT

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy assured state election officials in a letter released Monday that he'll work with them to handle their warnings of problems with election mail delivery during the primary season, while insisting that the Postal Service will be ready for the flood of mail-in...

US imposes sanctions on a spyware firm behind a tool used to spy on dissidents and journalists

Sep. 16, 2024 12:53 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States announced new sanctions Monday against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose program allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone. U.S. officials and private researchers say...