Top United States government News
Biden celebrates a 'crisis averted’ in Oval Office address on bipartisan debt ceiling deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden celebrated a “crisis averted" in his first speech to the nation from the Oval Office Friday evening, ready to sign a budget agreement that eliminates the potential for an unprecedented government default that he said would have been catastrophic for the...
Justice Department says it won't charge Pence over handling of classified documents
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice has informed former Vice President Mike Pence 's legal team that it will not pursue criminal charges related to the discovery of classified documents at his Indiana home. The department sent a letter to Pence's attorney Thursday informing...
DeSantis wraps up 1st early states tour as candidate with more personal touch in South Carolina
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was wrapping up his first tour of early voting states as a presidential candidate on Friday, showcasing his personal side in South Carolina with a lighthearted sit-down with his wife and an emotional moment with a military spouse. ...
Donald Trump’s lawyers ask judge to exit criminal case, echoing claims of political bias
NEW YORK (AP) — Within hours of his historic arraignment this spring, Donald Trump fixed his ire on the judge, complaining that he’s “a Trump-hating judge" with a family full of “Trump haters.” On Friday, the former president’s lawyers doubled down on that criticism,...
Republicans schedule 1st presidential debate for Aug. 23, but there's no guarantee Trump will attend
CHICAGO (AP) — The first 2024 Republican presidential debate will be held Aug. 23, the Republican National Committee announced Friday, with a second debate the following night should it be needed. The RNC also detailed the criteria that will be used for candidates to qualify for...
White House wants to engage Russia on nuclear arms control in post-treaty world
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is ready to talk to Russia without conditions about a future nuclear arms control framework even while taking countermeasures in response to the Kremlin's decision to suspend the last nuclear arms control treaty between the two countries, White House...
How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt limit deal and staved off a catastrophe
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was advice that Mitch McConnell had offered to Joe Biden once already: To resolve the debt limit standoff, he needed to strike a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — and McCarthy alone. But after the first meeting of the top four congressional leaders with the president...
Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term aid for Ukraine, won't be ready for upcoming offensive, US says
PARIS (AP) — America's top military officer says training for Ukrainian forces on advanced U.S. Abrams tanks has started, but those weapons crucial over the long term in trying to expel Russia from occupied territory will not be ready in time for Kyiv's imminent counteroffensive. ...
Disney lawsuit judge removes himself from case but not for reasons cited by DeSantis
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing the First Amendment lawsuit that Walt Disney Parks filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis and others is disqualifying himself, but not because of bias claims made by the Florida governor. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a...
CIA Director William Burns met Chinese leaders in Beijing as Washington tries to thaw tensions
WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director William Burns went to Beijing in May to meet with Chinese counterparts, a U.S. official said Friday, in what is the highest level visit by a Biden administration official since a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by American forces. Burns'...
Latest United States government News
Panama launches operation in Darien jungle targeting organized crime and migrant smugglers
NICANOR, Panama (AP) — Panama launched a security operation along its shared border with Colombia on Friday to combat criminal gangs and migrant smugglers involved in record-setting migration through the perilous Darien Gap. Security officials said the “Shield” campaign is part...
DeSantis wraps up 1st early states tour as candidate with more personal touch in South Carolina
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was wrapping up his first tour of early voting states as a presidential candidate on Friday, showcasing his personal side in South Carolina with a lighthearted sit-down with his wife and an emotional moment with a military spouse. ...
YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections
YouTube will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election or other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches," the platform announced Friday. The change is a reversal for the Google-owned video service, which said a month...
Military college's chief of diversity quits amid debate over DEI
The chief diversity officer of the nation’s oldest state-supported military college, Virginia Military Institute, has turned in her resignation amid a debate among alumni over the school's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Jamica Love took on the new role in July 2021 — a...
Stock market today: Wall Street leaps, nearly escapes its bear market after strong jobs report
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rushed higher Friday after a strong report on the U.S. job market suggested a recession may not be as close as Wall Street had feared. The S&P 500 leaped 1.5% for the latest surge in a rally that's vaulted it nearly 20% since mid-October. That put Wall...
US judge condemns Mississippi city's 'crime cancer' as he removes state justice from lawsuit
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Supreme Court chief justice cannot be sued over a state law that requires him to appoint some judges in the capital city of Jackson, a federal judge wrote Thursday in a ruling that also condemned violence in the city. U.S. District Judge Henry...
FBI offers to show GOP chairman document that purports to relate to Biden, his family
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI offered Friday to show top lawmakers next week a bureau document that purports to relate to President Joe Biden and his family following weeks of demands by congressional Republicans and a contempt threat against Director Christopher Wray. In a statement,...
Fort Bragg becomes Fort Liberty in Army's most prominent move to erase Confederate names from bases
FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members. The change was the most...
Macron awards top U.S. general France's highest honors
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron awarded France's highest medal of honor to the U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, on Friday for his role in coordinating support for Ukraine and for his more than 40-year military career spent in defense of democracy. Milley,...
Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term aid for Ukraine, won't be ready for upcoming offensive, US says
PARIS (AP) — America's top military officer says training for Ukrainian forces on advanced U.S. Abrams tanks has started, but those weapons crucial over the long term in trying to expel Russia from occupied territory will not be ready in time for Kyiv's imminent counteroffensive. ...
