Inquiry into Russia probe carries political consequences

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr says he doesn't expect a criminal inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation to target former President Barack Obama or Joe Biden, the former vice president and President Donald Trump's Democratic opponent. But that doesn't mean the investigation,...

History in the making as House cast proxy votes in pandemic

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a day for the history books on Capitol Hill: For the first time, House lawmakers were voting by proxy, an unprecedented move to avoid the risk of travel to Washington during the pandemic. To mark Wednesday's history-making moment, House Republicans sued to stop the majority party...

States, cities challenge Trump mileage standards rollback

DENVER (AP) — Nearly two dozen states and several cities on Wednesday filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s rollback of Obama-era mileage standards, saying science backed up the old regulations developed with the help of the nation's car makers. They asked the U.S. Court of Appeals...

Appeals court sides with tech giants in activists' lawsuit

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that accused Twitter, Facebook and other tech giants of conspiring to stifle the political views of a far-right activist and a conservative nonprofit. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit...

Nation's capital set to begin a gradual reopening on Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mayor Muriel Bowser says the nation's capital will begin a gradual reopening Friday, even as she warns that it probably will result in more coronavirus infections. Restaurants will be permitted to seat guests outdoors, barbers and hair salons will open with limited capacity and...

White House letter doesn't explain why Trump fired watchdogs

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump followed the law when he fired multiple inspectors general in the last two months, the White House has told Congress, but the administration offered no new details about why the internal watchdogs were let go. A White House letter issued Tuesday in response to...

Brazil envoy says U.S. travel ban won't hurt relations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brazil's top diplomat in Washington has waved aside suggestions that relations with the U.S. have been hurt by a travel ban on his country that took effect Wednesday and expressed gratitude for advance warning of the measure. Chargé d'Áffaires Nestor Forster said in an interview...

White House letter doesn't explain why Trump fired watchdogs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said that President Donald Trump followed the law when he fired multiple inspectors general in the last two months, but the administration offered no new details about why they were let go. A White House letter issued Tuesday in response to concerns from a prominent...

Rubio warns of foreign actors amplifying virus conspiracies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Marco Rubio, the new Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is warning that foreign actors will seek to amplify conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and find new ways to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. The Florida Republican said in an interview...

AP-NORC poll: About half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine if they could, while many are unsure or would refuse

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — AP-NORC poll: About half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine if they could, while many are unsure or would refuse.