Top United States government News

Biden will become the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest

Nov. 17, 2024 00:09 AM EST

SAO PAULO (AP) — Joe Biden will become the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in the Amazon rainforest during a brief stop Sunday in the Brazilian city of Manaus, coming as the U.S. is expected to scale back its commitment to combating climate change under the incoming administration of...

Trump attends UFC championship fight in New York, taking a break from Cabinet picks

Nov. 16, 2024 23:53 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump walked out to a roaring standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, combining two things close to his heart: fierce battles inside the octagon and New York City. ...

In a meeting with Biden, China's Xi cautions US to 'make the wise choice' to keep relations stable

Nov. 16, 2024 19:36 PM EST

LIMA, Peru (AP) — China’s leader Xi Jinping met for the last time with U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday but was already looking ahead to President-elect Donald Trump and his “America first” policies, saying Beijing “is ready to work with a new U.S. administration." ...

Trump names fossil fuel executive Chris Wright as energy secretary

Nov. 16, 2024 20:47 PM EST

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has selected Chris Wright, a campaign donor and fossil fuel executive, to serve as energy secretary in his upcoming, second administration. CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Wright is a vocal advocate of oil and gas...

Anxiety and dismay inside the Justice Department after Trump taps Gaetz as attorney general

Nov. 16, 2024 15:48 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general has many Justice Department employees reeling, worried not only about their own jobs but the future of the agency that the Trump loyalist has railed against. The president-elect's pick of the Florida...

Kamala Harris raised $1 billion-plus in defeat. She's still sending persistent appeals to donors

Nov. 16, 2024 14:29 PM EST

ATLANTA (AP) — Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party's prodigious fundraising operation raised more than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, but the vice president is still pushing donors for more money after the election. Democrats are sending persistent appeals to Harris...

Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far

Nov. 16, 2024 20:00 PM EST

President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, and it's shaping up much differently than his first. He's prioritizing loyalists for top jobs. Trump was bruised and hampered by internal squabbles during his initial term in office. Now he appears...

What to know about the congressional push to expand some Social Security benefits

Nov. 16, 2024 14:51 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people, pushing it one step closer to becoming law. The Social Security bill on Tuesday won bipartisan support in the House, 327-75, in what is now the lame-duck...

House elections produced a stalemate. Can Republicans figure out how to work with a thin majority?

Nov. 16, 2024 00:11 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — After one of the most chaotic and least productive sessions in modern history, voters made a surprising choice in elections for the U.S. House -- they overwhelmingly stuck with the status quo. House Republicans will hold onto a thin majority, and while the...

From New Jersey to Hawaii, Trump made inroads in surprising places in his path to the White House

Nov. 16, 2024 08:38 AM EST

TOTOWA, N.J. (AP) — Patrons at Murph's Tavern are toasting not just Donald Trump's return to the presidency but the fact that he carried their northern New Jersey county, a longtime Democratic stronghold in the shadow of New York City. To Maria Russo, the woman pouring the drinks,...

Latest United States government News

The 'super year' of elections has been super bad for incumbents as voters punish them in droves

Nov. 17, 2024 00:18 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Whether on the left or the right, regardless of how long they’ve been in power, sitting governments around the world have been drubbed this year by disgruntled voters in what has been called the “super year” for elections. Donald Trump's victory in the U.S....

Asia-Pacific summit closes in Peru with China’s Xi front and center as Trump whiplash looms

Nov. 17, 2024 00:17 AM EST

LIMA, Peru (AP) — After two days of meetings in Lima that rarely ventured beyond platitudes in discussing the strategies of the region’s major economies, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum wrapped up on Saturday with a spirit of detente that many fear the summit may not see again for...

Biden will become the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest

Nov. 17, 2024 00:09 AM EST

SAO PAULO (AP) — Joe Biden will become the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in the Amazon rainforest during a brief stop Sunday in the Brazilian city of Manaus, coming as the U.S. is expected to scale back its commitment to combating climate change under the incoming administration of...

Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far

Nov. 16, 2024 20:00 PM EST

President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, and it's shaping up much differently than his first. He's prioritizing loyalists for top jobs. Trump was bruised and hampered by internal squabbles during his initial term in office. Now he appears...

In a meeting with Biden, China's Xi cautions US to 'make the wise choice' to keep relations stable

Nov. 16, 2024 19:36 PM EST

LIMA, Peru (AP) — China’s leader Xi Jinping met for the last time with U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday but was already looking ahead to President-elect Donald Trump and his “America first” policies, saying Beijing “is ready to work with a new U.S. administration." ...

Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since Oct. 1 invasion, Lebanese media say

Nov. 16, 2024 17:04 PM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since they invaded six weeks ago before pulling back Saturday after battles with Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported. The clashes and further Israeli bombardment came as Lebanese and Hezbollah...

APEC leaders hold Lima summit as Trump prepares to return to office

Nov. 16, 2024 12:51 PM EST

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Leaders of Pacific Rim countries including the U.S. and China gathered Friday in Peru for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, the first major global summit since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory. The annual gathering brings together...

From New Jersey to Hawaii, Trump made inroads in surprising places in his path to the White House

Nov. 16, 2024 08:38 AM EST

TOTOWA, N.J. (AP) — Patrons at Murph's Tavern are toasting not just Donald Trump's return to the presidency but the fact that he carried their northern New Jersey county, a longtime Democratic stronghold in the shadow of New York City. To Maria Russo, the woman pouring the drinks,...

Some exult, others worry: Reactions to Trump's victory are mixed on NATO's eastern flank

Nov. 16, 2024 06:38 AM EST

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Conservative lawmakers in the Polish parliament exulted at Donald Trump's victory, standing and applauding while they chanted his name. The prospect of a second Trump term has excited people on the populist right across Central Europe who share his...

Iranian official met with Musk in a possible step to ease tensions with Trump

Nov. 16, 2024 05:54 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a U.S. official, one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with President-elect Donald Trump. Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk — a Trump ally named this...