AP

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday launched a two-day tour of South Carolina, calling on voters across rural areas — some tucked in GOP strongholds — to exercise their “moral authority” in standing up to President Donald Trump and Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. But

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says pastors who endorse political candidates from the pulpit should not have to risk losing their tax-exempt status. The move effectively calls for a carve out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment, put in place in 1954 and

By JULIE WATSON and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. military troops and federal immigration officers made a brief but mighty show of force Monday at a Los Angeles park in a neighborhood dubbed the “Ellis Island of the West Coast” for its large immigrant population. The operation left local officials and

By REBECCA SANTANA and GISELA SALOMON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is ending the temporary status for nearly 80,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans that has allowed them to live and work in the U.S. for a quarter of a century after a devastating hurricane hit Central America, according to federal government notices —

By AMANDA SEITZ and JONEL ALECCIA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday praised a company that makes $7-a-pop meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. He even thanked Mom’s Meals for sending taxpayer-funded meals “without additives” to the homes of sick or

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is reshaping a student loan cancellation program into what some fear will become a tool for political retribution, taking aim at organizations that serve immigrants and transgender youth. Public Service Loan Forgiveness allows government employees, such as teachers and firefighters, plus many who

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Monday he raised another $1.25 million for his 2026 gubernatorial bid from Feb. 1 to June 30. The Republican announced the fundraising totals to The Associated Press on Monday, although he hasn’t yet filed an official report with the state Ethics

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Attorneys for the state of Maine and a conservative lawmaker who identified a transgender teen student athlete online now agree that the lawmaker’s appeal over her loss of voting rights for her post is now moot. Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby identified the athlete in a

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and BEN FINLEY Associated Press GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — The U.S. government would initiate deportation proceedings against Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he’s released from jail before he stands trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee, a Justice Department attorney told a federal judge in Maryland on Monday. The disclosure by U.S. lawyer

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Elon Musk has said that he’s formed a new political party, but it’s unclear what steps — if any — he’s taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections. Musk has not yet released any additional information. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America