Top United States government News
Trump's incoming chief of staff is a former lobbyist. She'll face a raft of special interests
WASHINGTON (AP) — As incoming White House chief of staff, one of Susie Wiles ’ vexing challenges will be policing the buffet line of powerful interests who want something from Donald Trump. It’s a world she knows well. During Trump’s first presidency, she lobbied for many of...
Lawmakers are concerned about background checks of Trump's Cabinet picks as red flags surface
WASHINGTON (AP) — As senators prepare to consider President-elect Donald Trump's picks for his Cabinet, they may be doing so without a well-established staple of the confirmation process: an FBI background check. The Trump transition team has so far not signed the requisite...
Trump chooses former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as NATO ambassador
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO, the bedrock Western alliance that the president-elect has expressed skepticism about for years. Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker...
Republicans on House Ethics reject for now releasing report on Matt Gaetz
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Ethics Committee Republicans voted Wednesday against releasing the panel’s long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said. The outcome, however, is...
Senate rejects effort from Bernie Sanders to block some weapons for Israel over Gaza deaths
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday rejected attempts by Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday to block sales of offensive weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza over mounting civilian deaths there. The Vermont lawmaker and a small group of Democrats sought to put legislation up for a...
Biden has become notably quiet after the 2024 election and Democrats' loss
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has been notably quiet since the Democrats' gut-wrenching defeat at the polls. After warning voters for years that a Donald Trump win would be calamitous for American democracy, Biden has gone largely silent on his concerns about what lays...
New study shows voting for Native Americans is harder than ever
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — A new study has found that systemic barriers to voting on tribal lands contribute to substantial disparities in Native American turnout, particularly for presidential elections. The study, released Tuesday by the Brennan Center for Justice, looked at 21...
Speaker Johnson declares support for banning Sarah McBride's access to women's restrooms
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Wednesday that lawmakers and staff will have to use the restroom corresponding with their biological sex, a statement directed at Sarah McBride, the first transgender person to be elected to Congress, months before she is set to arrive on...
Trump's casting call as he builds out his administration: TV experience preferred
WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television. Trump loves that "central casting" look, as he likes to call it. Some, like his choices...
FEMA head sounds the alarm over disaster funding after double hurricanes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The money available to help communities hit by disasters has shrunk after back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the funding problems might jeopardize the government's ability to respond to new emergencies in the future, the Federal Emergency Management Agency chief said...
Latest United States government News
Trump's incoming chief of staff is a former lobbyist. She'll face a raft of special interests
WASHINGTON (AP) — As incoming White House chief of staff, one of Susie Wiles ’ vexing challenges will be policing the buffet line of powerful interests who want something from Donald Trump. It’s a world she knows well. During Trump’s first presidency, she lobbied for many of...
US to give antipersonnel mines to Ukraine to help slow the Russian advance
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will give Ukraine antipersonnel mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield advances, marking the second major shift on U.S. military support for Kyiv in days. After allowing Ukraine to use longer-range...
Senate rejects effort from Bernie Sanders to block some weapons for Israel over Gaza deaths
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday rejected attempts by Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday to block sales of offensive weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza over mounting civilian deaths there. The Vermont lawmaker and a small group of Democrats sought to put legislation up for a...
Canada's provincial leaders want a free trade deal with the US that excludes Mexico
TORONTO (AP) — The leader of Canada's most populous province said Wednesday that all of the country's provincial and territorial governments want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico. ...
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 defense chief regrets China's decision not to meet during Southeast Asian security talks
VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed regret Wednesday that his Chinese counterpart chose not to hold talks with him during meetings of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Laos, calling it a setback for the entire region. The Association of Southeast...
US gathers allies to talk AI safety as Trump's vow to undo Biden's AI policy overshadows their work
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Joe Biden's signature artificial intelligence policy when he returns to the White House for a second term. What that actually means for the future of AI technology remains to be seen. Among those who...
Biden has become notably quiet after the 2024 election and Democrats' loss
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has been notably quiet since the Democrats' gut-wrenching defeat at the polls. After warning voters for years that a Donald Trump win would be calamitous for American democracy, Biden has gone largely silent on his concerns about what lays...
Speaker Johnson declares support for banning Sarah McBride's access to women's restrooms
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Wednesday that lawmakers and staff will have to use the restroom corresponding with their biological sex, a statement directed at Sarah McBride, the first transgender person to be elected to Congress, months before she is set to arrive on...
US will send Ukraine at least $275 million in new weapons in push to bolster Kyiv before Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will send Ukraine at least $275 million in new weapons, including an undisclosed number of antipersonnel land mines, as the Biden administration rushes to do as much as it can to help Kyiv fight back against Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. ...
