Top United States government News
Trump chooses loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration amid scrutiny over sex trafficking...
Gaetz's withdrawal highlights how incoming presidents often lose Cabinet nominees
MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) — Losing a Cabinet nominee to the confirmation process isn't unheard of for incoming presidents — including for Donald Trump when he was elected the first time. Matt Gaetz's decision to pull his name Thursday from consideration for attorney general — amid...
JD Vance is leaving the Senate for the vice presidency. That's set off a scramble for his Ohio seat
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — JD Vance's election as vice president has opened up one of Ohio's U.S. Senate seats for the third time in as many years, setting off a scramble for the appointment among the state's ruling Republicans. GOP Gov. Mike DeWine is tasked with filling the vacancy,...
Republicans rally around Hegseth, Trump's Pentagon pick, as Gaetz withdraws for attorney general
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another...
What to know about Pam Bondi, Trump's new pick for attorney general
NEW YORK (AP) — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration after a federal sex trafficking investigation and ethics probe made his ability to be...
Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad
A social-media tribute to Coptic Christians. A billboard in Amish country. A visit to a revered Jewish gravesite. While Donald Trump's lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, he and his campaign allies also wooed smaller religious groups, far from the mainstream. ...
Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far
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...
Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed before Congress adjourns
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate won't hold votes on four of President Joe Biden's appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that...
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Mississippi's judicial runoff elections
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in central Mississippi and the state’s Delta and Gulf Coast areas will return to the polls Tuesday to resolve two judicial races in which no candidate received the vote majority needed in the Nov. 5 general election to avoid a runoff. At stake are seats...
Trump convinced Republicans to overlook his misconduct. But can he do the same for his nominees?
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidency, he's tried to demonstrate his dominance by naming loyalists for top administration positions, even though many lack expertise and some face sexual misconduct accusations. It often seems like he's daring Congress to oppose...
Latest United States government News
NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia's attack with new hypersonic missile
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister...
Bitcoin ticks closer to $100,000 in extended surge following US elections
NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin extended its streak of record highs after ticking above $99,000 for the first time overnight. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000, just two years after dropping below $17,000 following...
House passes bill that would allow Treasury to target nonprofits it deems to support terrorism
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday that would give the Treasury Department unilateral authority to strip the tax-exempt status of nonprofits it claims support terrorism, alarming civil liberties groups about how a second Trump presidency could invoke it to punish...
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
The Kremlin fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine on Thursday in response to Kyiv's use this week of American and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russia, President Vladimir Putin said. In a televised address to the country, the Russian president...
Mexico acknowledges Canada's concerns about a Chinese auto plant, but says none exists
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president acknowledged Thursday that Canada is concerned about reports of a Chinese company’s plan to build an auto plant in Mexico, but she said it does not currently exist. President Claudia Sheinbaum said she talked recently to Canadian Prime...
Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far
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...
US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials warned American defense companies on Thursday to increase security precautions following several acts of sabotage in Europe that officials have blamed on Russia. The public bulletin issued by the National Counterintelligence and...
The Latest: Matt Gaetz withdraws his name from consideration as Trump’s attorney general
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation. The Republican's announcement came one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support...
Trump's team is delaying transition agreements. What does it mean for security checks and governing?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump 's team still hasn't signed agreements that are required to formally begin the transition process to the White House — meaning the government can't provide security clearances and briefings to incoming administration officials and the FBI can't...
US envoy sees no 'political appetite' among Sudan's combatants to end the country's devastating war
ROME (AP) — The U.S. special envoy for Sudan said Thursday, just days after his first visit to the war-wrecked country since taking his post, that he doesn't see enough of “political appetite” from the warring parties to reach a resolution to the conflict. The African nation...
