Top United States government News
Biden to console families in Uvalde, press for action
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to console families and honor victims of Tuesday’s mass school shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. The White House said the Bidens would “grieve with...
Texas shooting is new test for Biden's long battle over guns
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden, then the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, surveyed the collection of black, military-style rifles on display in the middle of the room as he denounced the sale of guns whose “only real function is to kill human beings at a ferocious pace.” ...
Senate GOP blocks domestic terrorism bill, gun policy debate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ first attempt at responding to the back-to-back mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, failed in the Senate Thursday as Republicans blocked a domestic terrorism bill that would have opened debate on difficult questions surrounding hate crimes and gun safety. ...
US education chief seeks action to prevent school shootings
WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Thursday he is ashamed the United States is "becoming desensitized to the murder of children” and that action is needed now to prevent more lives from being lost in school shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas. Cardona...
Justices to rule in gun case with US raw from mass shootings
WASHINGTON (AP) — With mass shootings in Texas, New York and California fresh in Americans’ mind, the Supreme Court will soon issue its biggest gun ruling in more than a decade, one expected to make it easier to carry guns in public in some of the largest cities. Already in an...
US moves to make antiviral drug more available against COVID
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday announced more steps to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the U.S. as it projects COVID-19 infections will continue to spread over the summer travel season. The nation’s first federally backed test-to-treat...
Blinken: US to leverage Russia-Ukraine bloc against China
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the Biden administration aims to lead the international bloc opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine into a broader coalition to counter what it sees as a more serious, long-term threat to global order from China. ...
K-pop band BTS and Biden to meet to discuss Asian inclusion
WASHINGTON (AP) — BTS, the Grammy-nominated South Korean boy band, will join President Joe Biden next week to talk about “Asian inclusion and representation” and to address hate crimes and discrimination against Asians, the White House announced Thursday. The musical group's...
Trump ally Zinke fights claim he's too liberal for Montana
BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — When Republican Ryan Zinke first ran for Congress, the former Navy SEAL faced false accusations amplified by Democrats that his military career had ended in disgrace. After winning in 2014 and two years later getting picked as President Donald Trump's interior...
Justices won't block Biden policy on 'social cost of carbon'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Biden administration to use a higher estimate, challenged by Republican-led states, for calculating damages to people and the environment from greenhouse gas emissions. The justices did not comment in refusing to put back...
Latest United States government News
Russia slams sanctions, seeks to blame West for food crisis
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow pressed the West on Thursday to lift sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, seeking to shift the blame for a growing food crisis that has been worsened by Kyiv’s inability to ship millions of tons of grain and other agricultural products due to the...
Unionized Starbucks stores face hard work of bargaining
It’s become a common sight: jubilant Starbucks workers celebrating after successful votes to unionize at dozens of U.S. stores. But when the celebrations die down, a daunting hurdle remains: To win the changes they seek — like better pay and more reliable schedules — unionized...
Lawsuit seeks to revoke FAA license for Georgia spaceport
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Opponents of a proposed launchpad for commercial rockets on the Georgia coast are asking a court to throw out the project's government license, saying the Federal Aviation Administration failed to correctly assess the risks of firing rockets over homes and a barrier island...
Live updates | US military officer back at embassy in Kyiv
WASHINGTON — The move to reopen the U.S. embassy in Ukraine has brought one American military officer back into the country as part of the diplomatic team. But the Pentagon said Thursday that no other troops are going into Ukraine at this point. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby...
Kemp signs order suspending Georgia gas taxes until mid-July
ATLANTA (AP) — Gov. Brian Kemp is suspending Georgia's motor fuel tax for six more weeks. The Republican Kemp signed an executive order Thursday extending the tax break through July 14. Kemp used the announcement to again blame Democratic President Joe Biden for...
States divided along partisan lines in response to shootings
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was quick to react to this week’s carnage at a Texas elementary school, sending a tweet listing the gun control measures the Democratic-controlled state has taken. He finished with: “Your turn Congress.” But gun control...
US Census Bureau: Big city losses early in COVID pandemic
Ko Im always thought she would live in New York forever. She knew every corner of Manhattan and had worked hard to build a community of friends. Living in a small apartment, she found her attitude shifting early in the coronavirus pandemic. After her brother accepted a job in Seattle in the summer...
Better results from retailers help send stock market higher
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday as investors cheered a strong set of quarterly results from Macy’s and other retailers. The S&P 500 rose 2% and is on pace for its first weekly gain after seven straight losses, its longest such stretch...
Planned Parenthood workers in 5 Midwest states seek union
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — About 400 workers at Planned Parenthood offices in five states said Thursday they plan to unionize as their employer deals with the potential loss of business in states where abortions may become illegal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade...
Senate GOP blocks domestic terrorism bill, gun policy debate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ first attempt at responding to the back-to-back mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, failed in the Senate Thursday as Republicans blocked a domestic terrorism bill that would have opened debate on difficult questions surrounding hate crimes and gun safety. ...
