Top United States government News

Harris hits Trump's promise of mass deportations as both candidates break from battleground states

Sep. 18, 2024 16:01 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized Republican Donald Trump's promise to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally, questioning whether he would rely on massive raids and detention camps to carry it out. Harris, the...

Milwaukee's new election chief knows her office is under scrutiny, but she's ready

Sep. 18, 2024 15:41 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — As election officials across the country boost security ahead of November's election, the leader of one of the most intensely scrutinized offices in a presidential swing state said it's not personal threats or worries about conflicts at the polls that keep her up at night. ...

Justice Department disrupts vast Chinese hacking operation that infected consumer devices

Sep. 18, 2024 16:39 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has disrupted a group of hackers working at the direction of the Chinese government who targeted universities, government agencies and other organizations, Director Chris Wray said Wednesday. The hacking campaign known as Flax Typhoon installed malicious...

Teamsters union declines to endorse Trump or Harris for president

Sep. 18, 2024 17:57 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union. “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make...

Lessons from Red Sea and Ukraine's Black Sea fight help prep Navy for possible conflict with China

Sep. 18, 2024 10:38 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy is taking lessons from its combat in the Red Sea over the past year and what Ukraine has done to hold off the Russians in the Black Sea to help U.S. military leaders prepare the service for a potential future conflict with China. From drones and unmanned...

Veteran CIA officer who drugged and sexually assaulted dozens of women gets 30 years in prison

Sep. 18, 2024 18:20 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime CIA officer who drugged, photographed and sexually assaulted more than two dozen women in postings around the world was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Wednesday after an emotional hearing in which victims described being deceived by a man who appeared kind,...

Treasury rule would expand tax credits for installing electric vehicle chargers

Sep. 18, 2024 14:47 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to clarify how homeowners and businesses can receive lucrative tax credits for installing electric vehicle chargers. A rule proposed Wednesday by the Treasury Department would make credits worth up to $1,000 for individuals and...

US wants more clarity from Ukraine on possible use of long-range weapons

Sep. 18, 2024 14:01 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration still is not convinced that it should give Ukraine the authority to launch long-range missiles deeper into Russia, and U.S. officials say they are seeking more detailed information about how Kyiv would use the weapons and how they fit into the broader...

Families of Americans detained in China share their pain and urge US to get them home

Sep. 18, 2024 17:54 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The families of four Americans detained in China said Wednesday that their loved ones are suffering both physically and mentally, urging the U.S. government to take action to bring them home. Appearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission of China, the...

Work has begun on an inauguration stage at the Capitol. The last one became part of Jan. 6 attack

Sep. 18, 2024 15:07 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Work on the presidential inauguration platform began Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol with congressional leaders pounding the first ceremonial nails into a stage they cast as a symbol of America's commitment to the peaceful transfer of power — a tradition that was almost upended...

Latest United States government News

House rejects government funding bill linked to proof of citizenship for new voters

Sep. 18, 2024 18:48 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal that would have linked temporary funding for the federal government with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote. Next steps on government funding are...

Tupperware lifts the lid on its financial problems with bankruptcy filing

Sep. 18, 2024 18:28 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The company behind Tupperware, the plastic kitchenware that revolutionized food storage after World War II and became inextricably linked to the parties where women seeking a measure of financial independence and fun in midcentury America sold the colorful products, has filed for...

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff seeks more control over postmaster general after mail meltdown

Sep. 18, 2024 18:20 PM EDT

ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia said Wednesday he wants Congress to have more control over selecting the U.S. postmaster general after a mail-service breakdown in his state. Ossoff's proposed Postmaster General Reform Act would require the U.S. Senate to...

Families of Americans detained in China share their pain and urge US to get them home

Sep. 18, 2024 17:54 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The families of four Americans detained in China said Wednesday that their loved ones are suffering both physically and mentally, urging the U.S. government to take action to bring them home. Appearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission of China, the...

Federal Reserve signals end to inflation fight with a sizable half-point rate cut

Sep. 18, 2024 17:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The rate cut,...

Harris hits Trump's promise of mass deportations as both candidates break from battleground states

Sep. 18, 2024 16:01 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized Republican Donald Trump's promise to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally, questioning whether he would rely on massive raids and detention camps to carry it out. Harris, the...

US wants more clarity from Ukraine on possible use of long-range weapons

Sep. 18, 2024 14:01 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration still is not convinced that it should give Ukraine the authority to launch long-range missiles deeper into Russia, and U.S. officials say they are seeking more detailed information about how Kyiv would use the weapons and how they fit into the broader...

Suspension of security clearance for Iran envoy did not follow protocol, watchdog says

Sep. 18, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department’s internal watchdog concluded Wednesday that officials did not follow proper protocol when handling the security clearance suspension of the U.S. special envoy for Iran following allegations last year that he may have mishandled classified information. ...

Two years after Mahsa Amini death, Western allies sanction a dozen Iranian officials

Sep. 18, 2024 11:38 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S., Canada and Australia hit a group of Iranian officials with sanctions Wednesday for their participation in suppressing protests and detaining people in relation to the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died in the custody of Iran's morality police two years ago...

Bernie Sanders preparing resolutions to block $20B in US arms sales to Israel

Sep. 18, 2024 11:05 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders is preparing several resolutions that would stop more than $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, a longshot effort but the most substantive pushback yet from Congress over the devastation in Gaza ahead of the first year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas...