AP

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Demolition to build President Donald Trump’s new ballroom off the East Wing of the White House can begin without approval of the commission tasked with vetting construction of federal buildings, the Trump-appointed head of the panel said Thursday. Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove skin cancer lesions, a spokesperson said Thursday, the latest health challenge for the former president. His spokesperson Kelly Scully confirmed the surgery after Inside Edition published video of Biden leaving church in Delaware with a fresh scar on his forehead.

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents denounced a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts on Thursday as Republican lawmakers pressed ahead with President Donald Trump’s strategy to bolster Republicans in next year’s congressional elections. Dozens of people turned out for the first public hearing on a plan

By MATTHEW PERRONE and ALI SWENSON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A contentious three-hour hearing between U.S. senators and Robert Kennedy Jr. devolved into multiple screaming matches on Thursday as the nation’s health secretary fended off accusations about sweeping changes he’s made to vaccines, health care policy and leadership. The oversight hearing in the Senate

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and CURT ANDERSON Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is ramping up efforts to target human smuggling operations exploiting America’s northern border, officials announced Thursday, citing growing concerns about sophisticated criminal networks that transport migrants for profit expanding beyond the southern border. The expansion of Joint Task

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Ten Alaska residents pleaded not guilty Thursday to voter misconduct or other charges in cases that have renewed attention on the complex citizenship status of people born in the U.S. territory of American Samoa. Those facing charges — most of them related to one another —

By LINLEY SANDERS and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans say kids should be vaccinated to attend school. But as Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate childhood vaccine mandates, U.S. adults are also less likely to think these immunizations are important than they were several decades ago. Routine childhood

The Associated Press Lawmakers in Missouri are the latest to try to draw a new U.S. House map for the 2026 election that could improve the Republican Party’s numbers in Congress. It’s a trend that began in Texas, at the behest of President Donald Trump, to try to keep GOP control of the House next

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump likes to boast about how much money the U.S. Treasury is raking in from the massive taxes – tariffs — he’s slapped this year on imports from almost every country in the world. “We have trillions of dollars coming into our country,” Trump