AP US Politics News

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A failed political candidate was sentenced to 80 years in federal prison Wednesday for his convictions in a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in the aftermath of the 2020 election. A jury convicted former Republican candidate Solomon Peña earlier this year of conspiracy, weapons

By LEA SKENE Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — A judge on Wednesday questioned why it was necessary for the Trump administration to sue Maryland’s entire federal bench over an order that paused the immediate deportation of migrants challenging their removals. U.S. District Judge Thomas Cullen didn’t issue a ruling following a hearing in federal court

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University and the Trump administration are getting close to an agreement that would require the Ivy League university to pay $500 million to regain access to federal funding and to end investigations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The framework is still being

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump names George Strait, Sylvester Stallone and Gloria Gaynor among Kennedy Center Honors picks in new role as chair.

By The Associated Press U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop his war in Ukraine after their Friday summit in Alaska, though he did not say what those consequences might be. Trump’s comment came after a virtual meeting with

By WILL WEISSERT and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Diplomacy may be soft power, but in President Donald Trump’s administration, it’s also lately a soft landing. National security adviser Mike Waltz was nominated as United Nations ambassador after he mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal chat discussing military plans. Trump tapped

By DAVID FISCHER Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The fate of a makeshift immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz ” hung in the balance on Wednesday as a federal judge considered whether building on sensitive wetlands violated environmental laws. Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a 14-day halt

By ANNIE MA and HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As the new chairman of the Kennedy Center, President Donald Trump added a highly personal stamp to this year’s announcement of the recipients of the annual honors, whom he named as country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — For decades, its powerful lighthouse illuminated Miami’s Biscayne Bay, and during the height of the Cold War, what was known as the Freedom Tower stood as a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of Cubans fleeing communist rule. The 14-story Spanish Revival skyscraper was where, from

By MARK THIESSEN and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — When U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state’s long history with Russia — and with international tensions. Siberian fur traders arrived from across the Bering Sea

CHEHALIS, Wash. (AP) — Washington state Sen. John Braun announced Tuesday that he will run next year for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House seat held by Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Braun, the Republican minority leader of the Democratic-controlled state Senate, will be vying for a competitive, conservative-leaning district in southwestern Washington that

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois law now requires that prospective police officers approve the release of personal background records in response to last summer’s shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman, in her home by a sheriff’s deputy who had responded to her call for help. Gov. JB

By SAFIYAH RIDDLE Associated Press/Report For America As President Donald Trump pushes the bounds of military activity on domestic soil, a debate has emerged over a nearly 150-year old law that regulates when federal troops can intervene in state issues. About 800 National Guard troops filed into Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after President Donald Trump

By ANNIE MA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is ordering a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the country’s 250th birthday with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history. In a letter sent Tuesday to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday released human rights reports for countries worldwide, which eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people, reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights and criticize restrictions on political speech by U.S. allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the agency that produces the nation’s jobs and inflation data is typically a mild-mannered technocrat, often with extensive experience in statistical agencies, with little public profile. But like so much in President Donald Trump’s second administration, this time is different.

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams pleaded guilty Tuesday to soliciting straw donations in a case tied to separate corruption charges against Adams that the Trump administration ultimately decided to drop. Mohamed Bahi, who served as City Hall’s chief liaison to the

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A jury awarded nearly $60 million Tuesday to a man who accused a disgraced Michigan prosecutor and a police officer of violating his rights in filing sexual abuse charges in a case that was ultimately dismissed by the state attorney general. It is extremely rare for a

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao’s enduring status as a powerhouse couple was on display Tuesday as they reflected on their shared lives at a ceremony for the archives that will catalogue their careers. The Kentuckians marked the expansion of the McConnell Chao Archives at McConnell’s alma

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio’s best-known Democrat, is expected to make another run for the U.S. Senate next year, giving Democrats a likely boost as they wage an uphill fight to win control of the chamber. Brown has not yet made a formal announcement,

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio is expected to run for the US Senate in 2026, giving Democrats a likely boost.

By KATE PAYNE Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for grassroots campaigners are again asking a federal judge to halt enforcement of parts of a new Florida law that restricts the state’s process to get citizens’ initiatives on the ballot. Tuesday’s arguments before U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee were the

By CHARLOTTE KRAMON Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Two more Republicans joined the growing list of candidates vying to become lieutenant governor in next year’s election. Georgia state Sen. Blake Tillery, a Republican, launched his campaign Monday and state Rep. David Clark of Buford in the greater Atlanta metro area announced his candidacy Tuesday. Tillery,

By BILL BARROW and NADIA LATHAN Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ratcheted up President Donald Trump’s congressional redistricting fight by calling Tuesday for progressive activist Beto O’Rourke to be put “behind bars” for helping Democrats who have managed to block the GOP’s gerrymandering efforts with an extended walkout. Hours

By KATE PAYNE Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Republican state Sen. Jay Collins to be his next lieutenant governor Tuesday. It’s a closely watched appointment by the two-term governor, who can’t run for reelection in 2026 and has been working to cement his legacy as his time

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama announced Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate, seeking the position being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville who is running for governor. Moore is in his third term in Congress and is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus. In a campaign

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis picks Republican state Sen. Jay Collins to be Florida’s lieutenant governor ahead of 2026.

By The Associated Press Mexico is expelling 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the President Donald Trump ’s administration, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The cartel leaders and other prominent figures were being flown from Mexico to the U.S. on

WASHINGTON (AP) — US inflation was unchanged last month, though core prices accelerated.

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Less than a week after demanding his resignation, President Donald Trump is now calling the career of Intel’s CEO an “amazing story.” Shares of Intel, which slid last week after CEO Lip-Bu Tan came under fire from the U.S. president, bounced higher before the opening bell Tuesday. The attack