Top United States government News
Hit by a ransomware attack? Your payment may be deductible
WASHINGTON (AP) — As ransomware attacks surge, the FBI is doubling down on its guidance to affected businesses: Don't pay the cybercriminals. But the U.S. government also offers a little-noticed incentive for those who do pay: The ransoms may be tax deductible. The IRS...
Bidens' older dog, Champ, has died; German shepherd was 13
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Saturday that Champ, the older of the family’s two dogs, had died “peacefully at home.” The German shepherd was 13. “He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the...
Democrats see springboard for health care in high court win
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the Affordable Care Act now secure in the framework of the nation's health care programs, Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond. They want to expand insurance coverage for working-age people and their families, add new benefits to Medicare...
VA moves to offer gender confirmation surgery to vets
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to offer transgender veterans gender confirmation surgery, Secretary Denis McDonough announced at a Pride Month event in Orlando Saturday. McDonough said in prepared remarks that the move was “the...
Voting debate roils Washington but leaves many voters cold
PLANO, Texas (AP) — Brenda Martinez, a 19-year-old community college student, thinks the government should help immigrant students more. Donald Huffman is worried about turning 50 next week with no work available because the federal government is delaying the pipelines he usually helps...
AP FACT CHECK: Putin's twisted tale on rival; Biden GOP jab
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin faulted his imprisoned political rival for leaving Russia without legal permission, omitting the vital detail that the departure was, literally, an unconscious decision: Alexei Navalny was in a coma. After meeting...
Amid reform movement, some GOP states give police more power
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After a year of protests over police brutality, some Republican-controlled states have ignored or blocked police-reform proposals, moving instead in the other direction by granting greater powers to officers, making it harder to discipline them and expanding their...
Fierce Capitol attacks on police in newly released videos
Videos released under court order provide a chilling new look at the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, including body camera footage that shows a man charging at a police officer with a flagpole and tackling him to the ground. Federal judges ordered the release of the...
GOP needs new health care target; 'Obamacare' survives again
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's latest rejection of a Republican effort to dismantle “Obamacare” signals anew that the GOP must look beyond repealing the law if it wants to hone the nation's health care problems into a winning political issue. Thursday's 7-2...
Conservative activists heckle Pence at conference in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Some attendees at a conference in Florida for conservative activists heckled former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday during a speech. A few attendees shouted, “Traitor!" as Pence spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority...
Latest United States government News
Juneteenth, recalling end of slavery, is marked across US
Parades, picnics and lessons in history were offered Saturday to commemorate Juneteenth in the U.S., a day that carried even more significance after Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday to observe the end of slavery. A new holiday was “really...
Las Vegas pushes land swap to balance growth, conservation
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Record-breaking heat and historic drought in the U.S. West are doing little to discourage cities from planning to welcome millions of new residents in the decades ahead. From Phoenix to Boise, officials are preparing for a future both with more...
5 rescued when boat overturns in Buzzards Bay
MATTAPOISETT, Mass. (AP) — Five people were rescued Saturday when a boat capsized near a lighthouse in Buzzards Bay, according to officials. The Mattapoisett Harbormaster plucked the people from the water before rescue boats arrived at the scene, and a Mattapoisett...
UVM Food Systems Research Center gets $11K in federal funds
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The University of Vermont Food Systems Research Center is getting $11 million in federal funding to support its work researching the regional food system, from production agriculture to food security, UVM and U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy announced Friday. ...
Federal drones checking out lobster gear off Maine
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is using remote video cameras, and hopes to step up those efforts, to make sure lobster trap lines are in compliance with federal rules. The video cameras can alert inspectors whether lobstermen...
FAA considering plan to land space vehicles in Alabama
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is considering a plan to land commercial space vehicles in Alabama. The agency recently released information about a proposal by the Huntsville airport and Nevada-based Sierra Space to use the site roughly 15...
Effect of school lockdown drills on students under scrutiny
DENVER (AP) — The Lockdown Drill Generation. That’s what 17-year-old Ellie Perlmutter said she’s part of. No, it has nothing to do with the pandemic. It’s the generation of students that have had to participate in active shooter drills at school. ...
Oil spill settlement to fund loon conservation projects
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A half-dozen projects in New England and New York are slated to receive more than $3.5 million in funding to help protect common loons. Loons have been the focus of conservation efforts throughout the country, and they have slowly come back in...
Democrats see springboard for health care in high court win
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the Affordable Care Act now secure in the framework of the nation's health care programs, Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond. They want to expand insurance coverage for working-age people and their families, add new benefits to Medicare...
AP FACT CHECK: Putin's twisted tale on rival; Biden GOP jab
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin faulted his imprisoned political rival for leaving Russia without legal permission, omitting the vital detail that the departure was, literally, an unconscious decision: Alexei Navalny was in a coma. After meeting...
