Top United States government News
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's defense team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign. ...
The Latest | Trump speaks with reporters after 4th day of witness testimony in hush money trial ends
NEW YORK (AP) — Defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial dug Friday into assertions of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election. David Pecker returned to the witness stand for the...
Planning for potential presidential transition underway as Biden administration kicks it off
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration on Friday formally began planning for a potential presidential transition, aiming to ensure continuity of government no matter the outcome of November's general election. Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management...
140,000 people did their taxes with the free IRS direct file pilot. But program's future is unclear
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS said Friday that more than 140,000 taxpayers filed their taxes through its new direct file pilot program and participants saved roughly $5.6 million in fees they would have otherwise spent with commercial tax preparation companies. The government pilot...
US postpones decision on aid to Israeli army battalion accused of abuses against Palestinians
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has determined that an Israeli army battalion committed grave human-rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank before the war in Gaza. But he said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson that he is postponing a decision on blocking...
Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November. In a statement Friday, Biden’s top health...
South Dakota governor, a potential Trump running mate, writes in new book about killing her dog
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — a potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — is getting attention again. This time, it's for a new book where she writes about killing an unruly dog, and a smelly goat, too. The Guardian obtained a copy...
President Joe Biden says he's 'happy to debate' Donald Trump. Trump says he's ready to go
NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that he is willing to debate his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall – his most definitive comment yet on the issue. Trump said he was ready, though he questioned Bidens's willingness. ...
Commerce Department announces new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Commerce Department on Friday announced new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports in an effort to prevent the guns from ending up in the hands of drug traffickers and criminals in other nations. Oversight of legal firearms exports has become a political...
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in New York's special congressional election
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans’ majority could tighten by another vote after Tuesday’s special congressional election in Buffalo — at least, temporarily. Voters are choosing a replacement for Democrat Brian Higgins, a longtime House member who cited the “slow and...
Latest United States government News
Mississippi police were at odds as they searched for missing man, widow says
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In the weeks after Sudanese Civil War refugee Dau Mabil vanished without a trace in Mississippi, officers from two police agencies blamed each other for the stalled investigation, his widow told The Associated Press. Fishermen, not police, spotted Mabil's body...
The Latest | Trump speaks with reporters after 4th day of witness testimony in hush money trial ends
NEW YORK (AP) — Defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial dug Friday into assertions of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election. David Pecker returned to the witness stand for the...
Florida's Bob Graham remembered as a governor, senator of the people
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former Democratic Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham was remembered Friday by Republicans and Democrats alike as a man whose love for people and his state of Florida transcended partisanship, many of them smiling with memories of his five decades in politics as they passed by...
Mississippi legislative leaders swap proposals on possible Medicaid expansion
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Senate leaders on Friday said for the first time that they are willing to expand Medicaid to the full level allowed under a federal law signed 14 years ago by then-President Barack Obama. But as part of negotiations with fellow Republicans in the...
Planning for potential presidential transition underway as Biden administration kicks it off
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration on Friday formally began planning for a potential presidential transition, aiming to ensure continuity of government no matter the outcome of November's general election. Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management...
US postpones decision on aid to Israeli army battalion accused of abuses against Palestinians
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has determined that an Israeli army battalion committed grave human-rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank before the war in Gaza. But he said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson that he is postponing a decision on blocking...
Owner of exploded Michigan building arrested at airport while trying to leave US, authorities say
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The owner of a suburban Detroit business that caught fire and exploded, killing a man, was arrested at a New York airport as he was preparing to depart for Hong Kong on a one-way ticket, authorities said Friday. U.S. Customs and New York Port...
Antony Blinken meets with China's President Xi as US, China spar over bilateral and global issues
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of “responsibly managing” the differences between the United States and China as the two sides butted heads over a number of contentious...
These are the countries where TikTok is already banned
LONDON (AP) — TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. It would be the biggest blow yet to the popular video-sharing app, which has faced various restrictions around the world. ...
The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?
WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular...
