Voting underway in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Voting was underway Wednesday in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland in a key presidential election that was delayed for two years and comes as the Horn of Africa region is experiencing political tension. Local media showed voters waiting in line to...

Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They're flooding crisis hotlines

Transgender youth in the United States have been flooding crisis hotlines since the election of Donald Trump, who made anti-transgender themes central to his campaign. Many teens worry about how their lives could change once he takes office. During his presidential bid, Trump pledged...

Speaker Johnson begins fight for the House gavel promising to be Trump's 'quarterback'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson is beginning the hard fight for his gavel, a weeks-long campaign that starts Wednesday during internal House Republican leadership elections and will establish the new power centers in Congress for a Washington dominated by President-elect Donald Trump. ...

A look at the candidates vying to be the next Senate majority leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first seriously contested Senate Republican leadership election in decades, three senators are vying to replace longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell when he steps down from the post at the beginning of next year and Republicans take back the Senate majority. ...

Senate Republicans are gathering behind closed doors to pick a new majority leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators will gather behind closed doors Wednesday to decide who will replace longtime Senate leader Mitch McConnell and lead their new majority next year — a decision that could shape the future of the Senate, and the party, as Donald Trump reclaims the presidency....

In Africa, meager expectations and some hopes for a second Trump presidency

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — African leaders may have been quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his election, professing a desire for mutually beneficial partnerships, but there are meager expectations that his presidency will change things for this continent of over 1.4 billion people. ...

Trump makes a victor's return to Washington to meet with Biden and GOP lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is making a victor's return to Washington. President Joe Biden will welcome him to the White House on Wednesday for an Oval Office visit that is a traditional part of the peaceful handoff of power — a ritual that Trump himself...

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party's power in Thursday's parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country's economic woes and foster good governance. The Marxist-leaning...

Democrat Mike Levin wins reelection to U.S. House in California's 49th Congressional District

AP Race Call: Democrat Mike Levin wins reelection to U.S. House in California's 49th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Mike Levin won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing California on Tuesday. Levin initially flipped the 49th District seat north of San Diego, including parts of Orange County, in the 2018 midterms. This year, he defeated Republican Matt Gunderson, who owns a car dealership. Democrat Joe...