AP US Politics News

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in California on Thursday barred the Trump administration from denying or conditioning the use of federal funds to “sanctuary” jurisdictions, saying that portions of President Donald Trump’s executive orders were unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued the injunction sought by San Francisco

By The Associated Press Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The

WASHINGTON (AP) — Judge blocks parts of Trump’s election executive order, including a proof-of-citizenship mandate for voter registration.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday urged the Justice Department to refuse a Trump administration official’s request to prosecute the Democrat for mortgage fraud, calling it “improper political retribution.” In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, the lawyer,

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — State and local election officials from around the country on Thursday questioned the leaders of a federal agency directed by President Donald Trump to implement parts of his sweeping election overhaul executive order, with some expressing concerns about the consequences for voters and the people

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press Attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security say the agency didn’t violate a judge’s order detailing when people may be deported to countries other than their own because it was the Defense Department — not DHS officials — doing the deporting. Justice Department attorney Mary Larakers made the argument in

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — President Donald Trump will mark his first 100 days in office next week with a rally in Michigan, his first since returning to the White House earlier this year. Trump will visit Macomb County on Tuesday, the White House press secretary said. The region is just

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz pledged Wednesday night to do everything in his power to protect Minnesotans from the chaos that he said President Donald Trump has unleashed on the country and the world. Delivering his annual State of the State speech to a joint session of

By COLLIN BINKLEY and JOCELYN GECKER AP Education Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered sharper scrutiny of America’s colleges and the accreditors that oversee them, part of his escalating campaign to end what he calls ” wokeness ” and diversity efforts in education. In a series of executive actions signed Wednesday, Trump

By RUSS BYNUM and MEG KINNARD Associated Press DATAW ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Republican Rep. Nancy Mace faced criticism over the legal wrangling concerning universities and allegations of antisemitism during a town hall at a private, gated island community in her coastal South Carolina district. The crowd of several hundred, mostly gray-haired attendees on Dataw

By NADIA LATHAN Associated Press/Report for America AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday creating an office inspired by the Department of Government Efficiency and aimed at reducing state regulations, joining other Republican governors who have pledged their own versions of billionaire Elon Musk’s cost-cutting group. In establishing the Texas

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged an alleged high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua in Colombia with terrorism offenses, making the first case of its kind against a member of the gang the Trump administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization, officials said Wednesday.

By BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk has been called a Moonshot Master, the Edison of Our Age and the Architect of the Future, but he’s got a big problem at his car company and it’s not clear he can fix it: damage to its brand. Sales have plunged for

By GARY D. ROBERTSON and MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina trial judges threw out on Wednesday another Republican attempt to strip the governor of his authority to appoint State Board of Elections members, declaring that a law shifting it to the elected state auditor is unconstitutional. One registered Republican judge

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is putting his “touches” on the White House with new flagpoles, new artwork, an overhaul of the Oval Office decor and possibly covering up the lawn in the Rose Garden. Trump, a former real estate developer and hotelier, said Wednesday that he’s adding two

NEW YORK (AP) — A dozen states sue the Trump administration in U.S. trade court over its tariff policies.

By MARK VANCLEAVE and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press NORTHWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Iowans attending a forum Wednesday hosted by Sen. Chuck Grassley started to turn on each other as the lawmaker faced heated questions about President Donald Trump ‘s first months in office. The room of about 100 people in north-central Worth County, near the

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs is establishing a task force to investigate employee reports of alleged anti-Christian bias among their colleagues, part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to infuse its agenda with religious purpose and champion the rights of Christians. VA Secretary Doug Collins

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and JOHN O’CONNOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Wednesday he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending his more than four-decade career representing Illinois and accelerating a generational shift in Senate Democratic leadership where he has long held the No. 2 position. Durbin, 80, is

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Florida’s “hanging chads” ballot controversy riveted the nation during the 2000 presidential contest and later prompted Congress to create an independent commission to help states update their voting equipment. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has operated in relative anonymity since, but is now central to President

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump accuses Zelenskyy of prolonging ‘killing field’ after Ukrainian leader pushes back on ceding Crimea to Russia.

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked North Carolina election officials from contacting voters whose disputed ballots in an unresolved 2024 state Supreme Court race could be eliminated from the final count. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Dick Durbin of Illinois, the US Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, won’t seek reelection to a sixth term in 2026.

By The Associated Press U.S. stocks made big gains amid clear signs of relief Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he would not attempt to fire the head of the Federal Reserve and his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects a “de-escalation” in what he called an unsustainable tariffs showdown against China. “There is

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When Random House Publisher Andrew Ward met recently with staff editors to discuss potential book projects, conversation inevitably turned to current events and the Trump administration. “It seemed obvious that we needed to look back to the country’s core documents,” Ward said. “And that we

By PETER SMITH Associated Press As he does one day each month, the Rev. Robert Turner hit the road from his home in Baltimore last week and traveled — on foot — 43 miles (69 kilometers) to Washington. He arrived by evening on April 16 outside the White House, carrying a sign that called for

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — Cory Bowman was feeling inspired in January as he headed home after watching his half brother, JD Vance, be inaugurated as vice president. The 36-year-old Bowman, who shares a father with Vance, was already active in the community, starting an evangelical church in Cincinnati’s West End

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Two major law firms asked separate judges Wednesday to permanently block President Donald Trump’s executive orders that were meant to punish them and harm their business operations. The firms — Perkins Coie and WilmerHale — say the orders are unconstitutional assaults on the legal profession threaten their

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-led Legislature adjourned its monthslong lawmaking session on Tuesday by passing a final flurry of bills, including ones aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion in governments. Lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would ban local governments or higher education institutions from making employment