Top United States government News

Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary

Nov. 23, 2024 00:10 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time before settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his treasury secretary nominee. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can...

Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor

Nov. 22, 2024 21:44 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he'll nominate billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary, one of several personnel decisions that he unveiled as he closed out the workweek. ...

Trump taps a Fox News personality, a surgeon and a former Congressman to lead public health agencies

Nov. 22, 2024 22:51 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration, selecting a surgeon and author who gained national attention for opposing vaccine mandates and some other public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

NATO head and Trump meet in Florida for talks on global security

Nov. 23, 2024 06:59 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said Saturday. In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its secretary general, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. ...

An influx of outsiders and money turns Montana Republican, culminating in a Senate triumph

Nov. 23, 2024 00:08 AM EST

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Democrats' crushing loss in Montana's nationally important U.S. Senate race settled a fierce political debate over whether a surge of newcomers in the past decade favored Republicans — and if one of the new arrivals could even take high office. Voters...

Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump's most contentious picks

Nov. 22, 2024 16:11 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the...

What to know about Scott Bessent, Trump's pick for treasury secretary

Nov. 22, 2024 19:53 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction and deregulation, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent is a past supporter of Democrats who has become an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. He’s an...

What to know about Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump's pick for labor secretary

Nov. 22, 2024 23:43 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor in his second administration, elevating a Republican congresswoman who has strong support from unions in her district but lost reelection in November. ...

Matt Gaetz says he won't return to Congress next year after withdrawing name for attorney general

Nov. 22, 2024 14:48 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday that he will not be returning to Congress after withdrawing his name from consideration to be attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct. “I’m still going to be in the...

What to know about Pam Bondi, Trump's new pick for attorney general

Nov. 22, 2024 10:12 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration after a federal sex trafficking investigation and ethics probe made his ability to be confirmed...

Latest United States government News

The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war

Nov. 23, 2024 06:34 AM EST

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities that Ukraine has witnessed since Russia's full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war — one tinged with uncertainty and fear. It began with U.S. President Joe...

An influx of outsiders and money turns Montana Republican, culminating in a Senate triumph

Nov. 23, 2024 00:08 AM EST

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Democrats' crushing loss in Montana's nationally important U.S. Senate race settled a fierce political debate over whether a surge of newcomers in the past decade favored Republicans — and if one of the new arrivals could even take high office. Voters...

What to know about Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump's pick for labor secretary

Nov. 22, 2024 23:43 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor in his second administration, elevating a Republican congresswoman who has strong support from unions in her district but lost reelection in November. ...

Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far

Nov. 22, 2024 20:29 PM EST

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...

Venezuela's government will investigate opposition leader Machado for supporting US House bill

Nov. 22, 2024 20:02 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government on Friday announced another investigation against opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, continuing its efforts to blame her for the economic sanctions that the United States and other nations have imposed against the South American country. ...

A courtroom of relief: FBI recovers funds for victims of scammed banker

Nov. 22, 2024 18:23 PM EST

WICHITA, KANSAS (AP) — Sobs of relief broke out in a federal courtroom in Kansas on Monday as dozens of people whose life savings had been embezzled by a bank CEO learned that federal law enforcement had recovered their money. "I just can’t describe the weight lifted off of...

NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia's attack with new hypersonic missile

Nov. 22, 2024 16:49 PM EST

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister...

Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump's most contentious picks

Nov. 22, 2024 16:11 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the...

Bitcoin ticks closer to $100,000 in extended surge following US elections

Nov. 22, 2024 15:22 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin extended its streak of record highs after ticking above $99,000 for the first time. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000, just two years after dropping below $17,000 following the...

House passes bill that would allow Treasury to target nonprofits it deems to support terrorism

Nov. 22, 2024 04:21 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday that would give the Treasury Department unilateral authority to strip the tax-exempt status of nonprofits it claims support terrorism, alarming civil liberties groups about how a second Trump presidency could invoke it to punish...