AP

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance Thursday at a progressive event in Washington, telling the crowd that American voters are rejecting the Trump agenda and offering hope that divisions within the Democratic party can be bridged. “We had a good night on Tuesday,” Obama

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned the former Tennessee House speaker and a onetime aide of public corruption charges after the White House said the Biden administration Justice Department “significantly over-prosecuted” both for a minor issue. Former Republican state Rep. Glen Casada was sentenced in September to three

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is expected to announce a run for New York governor Friday, according to two people familiar with her plans. The two people spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Nancy Pelosi is bringing her history-making career in the U.S. House to an end, but she leaves a linguistic legacy in Congress and beyond. The enduring leadership of the first woman to become speaker of the House can not only be seen but also heard. The

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia confirmed Thursday that he won’t seek a fifth term, days after the Illinois Democrat backed a quiet effort to get his chief of staff to replace him on the March primary ballot. Garcia, a progressive Democrat who has made immigrant rights a

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation Thursday that would have put a check on President Donald Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trump’s high-stakes campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Lawmakers, including top Republicans, have

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is speeding up the implementation of new rules that would give the agency tasked with protecting federal government facilities greater authority to charge people for a broader array of offenses on or off those properties. The changes outlining the powers of the Federal Protective

By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland officials sued President Donald Trump’s administration Thursday for blocking the previously-approved construction of new FBI headquarters just outside the nation’s capital. Gov. Wes Moore joined other Maryland leaders to criticize the plan to move the FBI’s headquarters several blocks from its current home in Washington

By MATT SEDENSKY and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Travelers braced for canceled flights, scrambled plans and holidays stranded in airports as a U.S. government shutdown threatened to snarl trips across the country. News that the Federal Aviation Administration will reduce air traffic at 40 airports beginning Friday set off a flurry

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO and SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge in Chicago on Thursday issued an extensive injunction restricting federal agents’ use of force, saying Thursday that a top Border Patrol official leading an immigration crackdown repeatedly lied about threats posed by protesters and reporters. The preliminary injunction came in response