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AP US Politics News

What to know about California’s fight over harsher penalties for soliciting sex from older teens

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A debate over whether to create harsher penalties for soliciting and buying sex from 16- and 17-year-olds exploded in the California Legislature this week. Republicans and some moderate Democrats were pushing for a new tool to help law enforcement go after those who solicit older minors

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US wants to move Georgetown scholar’s deportation lawsuit to Texas. Judge appears skeptical

By OLIVIA DIAZ and BEN FINLEY Associated Press/Report for America ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Trump administration told a federal judge Thursday that a Georgetown University scholar’s lawsuit against deportation should be moved from Virginia, where it was filed, to Texas, where he’s jailed over allegations of “spreading Hamas propaganda.” U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver

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Bill overhauling Alabama’s largest water utility heads to governor’s desk despite local outcry

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama legislators passed a bill on Thursday that would strip Birmingham of control over the state’s largest water board and transfer power to the governor and surrounding suburbs, reigniting a decades-long, polarizing debate. Proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes and say that the move will prevent catastrophic events

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Midwest carbon dioxide pipeline could face new hurdle as some Iowa lawmakers question eminent domain

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A proposed carbon-capture pipeline that would traverse through several Midwestern states could face more hurdles in Iowa as a dozen Republican state senators try to force the issue to a vote. Summit Carbon Solutions already will likely have to readjust plans for their estimated $8.9

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Justice Department sues Hawaii, Michigan, Vermont and New York over state climate actions

By ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department filed lawsuits against four states this week, claiming their climate actions conflict with federal authority and President Donald Trump’senergy dominance agenda. The DOJ on Wednesday filed lawsuits against Hawaii and Michigan over their plans for legal action against fossil fuel companies for

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California Democrats reject push for harsher penalties for soliciting sex from older teens

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats rejected on Thursday a Republican-backed effort to advance a policy to increase penalties for soliciting and buying sex from 16- and 17-year-olds, an issue that’s caused friction among Democrats and prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to weigh in. Republicans argued for the policy on the

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The Justice Department ended a decades-old school desegregation order. Others are expected to fall

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Justice Department lifted a school desegregation order in Louisiana this week, officials called its continued existence a “historical wrong” and suggested that others dating to the Civil Rights Movement should be reconsidered. The end of the 1966 legal agreement with Plaquemines Parish schools announced

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The Latest: Trump names Rubio as acting national security adviser, taps Waltz as UN ambassador

By The Associated Press President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting national security adviser to replace Mike Waltz, whom he is nominating as United Nations ambassador. Trump announced the switch-up shortly after news broke that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were departing the administration, weeks

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A crackdown on diversity programs is reshaping college graduation ceremonies

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY and CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — As a first-generation college student, Austin Kissinger was looking forward to celebrating graduation with others of similar backgrounds who helped each other find their way at the University of Kentucky. Typically, Kentucky students who are the first in their family to graduate from college

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Trump says US kids may get ‘2 dolls instead of 30,’ but China will suffer more in a trade war

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the United States, saying American kids might “have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war. The Republican president has tried

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Democratic Leader Jeffries says Trump’s 100 days filled with ‘chaos, cruelty and corruption’

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Bringing the kind of punch many voters are demanding, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s 100 days in office have been an assault of Americans’ very way of life and promised Democrats in Congress are fighting as hard as they can

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North Carolina is pursuing its own restrictions amid Trump’s pushback against DEI

By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Following the lead of several conservative states and the president himself, North Carolina Republican lawmakers have advanced their own bills that target diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The North Carolina House passed a bill restricting DEI practices within state government on Wednesday after votes on it

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