Biden signs defense bill despite objections to ban on transgender health care for military children

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping...

Latest challenge to North Carolina's power-shifting law focuses on state elections board control

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's current governor and his successor tacked on another lawsuit Monday disputing a key provision within a GOP law that erodes the powers of several incoming Democratic state leaders — the latest in a longstanding power struggle between North Carolina's...

As TikTok bill steams forward, online influencers put on their lobbying hats to visit Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. The platform is once again bringing influencers to Washington, this time to lobby members of Congress to reject a fast-moving bill that would force TikTok's Beijing-based parent company to sell...

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...

Vatican advances beatification process for Belgium's king who abdicated rather than approve abortion

ROME (AP) — The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion. The Holy See’s saint-making office on Dec. 17 established a...

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 passes bill to boost Social Security benefits for many public service retirees, sending the measure to Biden

The Latest: Schumer says Senate on course to pass bill before funding lapses at midnight

With hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan from House Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but dropped President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. The...

House Republicans tee up vote on new government funding bill without debt limit increase that Trump demanded

Internal divisions doom Michigan Democrats in their final days of legislative control

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrats, recently hailed as a model of electoral and legislative success, are ending their final days in complete control of the state government mired by divisions and outright rebellion that has stalled votes on key priorities. Tensions peaked...