Top United States government News
Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion
PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation...
What Trump's decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. The president-elect successfully pushed House Republicans to...
Shutdown saga exposes new fault lines for Speaker Johnson and tests his grip on the gavel
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next one. Midnight passage of the government shutdown package put in sharp focus the political fault lines emerging in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump returns...
Trump taps 'Apprentice' producer, Mark Burnett, as special envoy to the United Kingdom
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with “The Apprentice,” is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration. “With a...
Lara Trump says she's removing herself from consideration to be Florida senator
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump, said Saturday that she's removing herself from consideration to be a Florida senator — ending speculation that she could replace Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been tapped to be the incoming...
Isolated Chicago communities secure money for a coveted transit project before Trump takes office
CHICAGO (AP) — Adella Bass dropped her in-person college classes because it was just too hard to get there from the far South Side of Chicago, where the city's famous elevated train doesn't run. And it can take her nearly two hours to get to the hospital where she is treated for a heart...
Biden signs bill that averts a government shutdown and brings a close to days of Washington upheaval
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the...
Here's a look at the $100 billion in disaster relief in the government spending bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid designed to address extensive damage caused by disasters after this week's scramble to find consensus on a government spending bill. The money comes after back-to-back hurricanes — Helene and Milton...
Senate passes Social Security benefits boost for many public service retirees
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation early Saturday to boost Social Security payments for millions of people, pushing a longtime priority for former public employees through Congress in one of its last acts for the year. The bipartisan bill, which next heads to President...
Senate review of Supreme Court ethics finds more luxury trips and urges enforceable code of conduct
WASHINGTON (AP) — A nearly two-year investigation by Democratic senators of Supreme Court ethics details more luxury travel by Justice Clarence Thomas and urges Congress to establish a way to enforce a new code of conduct. Any movement on the issue appears unlikely as Republicans...
Latest United States government News
Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion
PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation...
Prominent Lebanese figure meets Syrian insurgent who led Assad's ouster, seeking better relations
BEIRUT (AP) — A prominent Lebanese politician held talks on Sunday with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syria's President Bashar Assad, with both expressing hope for a new era in relations. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt is the most important politician from Lebanon to visit...
2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, US military says
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. Both...
What Trump's decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. The president-elect successfully pushed House Republicans to...
China says US is 'playing with fire' after latest military aid for Taiwan
BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government protested Sunday the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is “playing with fire.” U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Saturday the provision of up to $571 million in...
Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots
Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk's X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner's support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta's Threads and its...
Today in History: December 22, four shot by New York subway vigilante
Today is Sunday, Dec. 22, the 357th day of 2024. There are nine days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 22, 1984, New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot and wounded four young Black men on a Manhattan subway, alleging they were about to rob him. (Goetz was...
Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent "friendly fire" incident, US military says
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent "friendly fire" incident, US military says.
Trump taps 'Apprentice' producer, Mark Burnett, as special envoy to the United Kingdom
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with “The Apprentice,” is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration. “With a...
Shutdown saga exposes new fault lines for Speaker Johnson and tests his grip on the gavel
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next one. Midnight passage of the government shutdown package put in sharp focus the political fault lines emerging in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump returns...
