Trump’s ICE force is sweeping America. Billions in his tax and spending cuts bill are paying for it
WASHINGTON — A ballooning Immigration and Customs Enforcement budget. Hiring bonuses of $50,000. Swelling ranks of ICE officers, to 22,000, in an expanding national force bigger than most police departments in America. President Donald Trump promised the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, but achieving his goal wouldn’t have...
In his new book, Gov. Josh Shapiro recalls an ‘offensive’ vetting process to be Kamala Harris’ running mate
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro questioned whether he was being unfairly scrutinized as the only Jewish person being considered as a finalist to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate — and briefly entertained his own run for the presidency — according to a copy of his upcoming book...
Donald Trump thanks you for your attention to these matters in his 2nd term
WASHINGTON — A stunning military intervention in Venezuela. Telling the New York Giants which coach to hire. Threats against Iran, Denmark, Greenland and Colombia. Posing with someone else’s Nobel Peace Prize. Dangling the potential of deploying U.S. troops in Minneapolis. Flipping off a critic. Announcing an aggressive round of tariffs....
Surrounded by billionaires in Davos, Trump plans to lay out how he’ll make housing more affordable
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to use a key address Wednesday to try to convince Americans he can make housing more affordable, but he’s picked a strange backdrop for the speech: a Swiss mountain town where ski chalets for vacations cost a cool $4.4 million. On the anniversary of...
Trump’s Board of Peace has several invited leaders trying to figure out how it’ll work
Israel has been asked to join President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace that will supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, an Israeli official said Monday, while France is holding off accepting for now. It’s not known whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the offer,...
Trump ties his stance on Greenland to not getting Nobel Peace Prize, European officials say
President Donald Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” in a text message released on Monday. Trump’s message to Jonas Gahr Støre...
The current U.S. political climate is spurring a ‘reclaim’ and rallying on the MLK holiday
As communities across the country on Monday host parades, panels and service projects for the 40th federal observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the political climate for some is more fraught with tensions than festive with reflection on the slain Black American civil rights icon’s legacy. In the year...
Kevin Hassett says Trump may be right to keep him out as Fed chair
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said President Donald Trump may well keep him in his current job, which would eliminate him from contention for the next Federal Reserve chair. “From the beginning, he and I have talked about whether it’s better for me to be here in the West...
Abigail Spanberger becomes Virginia’s 1st female governor in historic inauguration
RICHMOND, Va. — Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into office Saturday as Virginia’s first female governor, amid a cold drizzle outside the state Capitol after centuries of men holding the state’s top office. Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican. It marks a new...
Here’s where Trump’s most jaw-dropping promises stand a year into his second term
WASHINGTON — From toppling Venezuela’s leader to ordering mass deportations, from turning once independent government entities into rubber stamps to demolishing the East Wing for a White House ballroom, President Donald Trump spent his first year back in office trampling political norms and testing institutional checks and balances. Some of...
Shapiro, Garrity set stage for Pa.’s high-stakes race for governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro didn’t mention his likely Republican opponent by name once last week when he launched his reelection campaign with a 26-minute speech in Pittsburgh. President Donald Trump’s name didn’t come up either. Shapiro’s likely opponent in the race for governor, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, took a different...
Progressive Pa. group targeting Fetterman launches website to get contributions refunded
A progressive Pennsylvania group that has already pledged to back a primary opponent against Sen. John Fetterman in 2028 has unveiled a website that will help unhappy donors get refunds for their contributions to him. The Pennsylvania Working Families Party on Friday said PrimaryFetterman.com will be the hub for its...
Trump isn’t waiting for future generations to name things after him. It’s happening now
WASHINGTON — Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor. Donald Trump isn’t leaving it to future generations. As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on...
Trump takes the unusual step of thanking Iran for canceling executions of political prisoners
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took the unusual step on Friday of thanking the Iranian government for not following through on executions of what he said was meant to be hundreds of political prisoners. “Iran canceled the hanging of over 800 people,” Trump told reporters while leaving the White House...
Denmark, Greenland seek congressional support against Trump bid
Denmark and Greenland are stepping up lobbying of U.S. lawmakers in an effort to head off President Donald Trump’s push to take control of Greenland. A group of U.S. senators is set to meet members of the Danish parliament in Copenhagen on Friday. The trip follows a week of meetings...
Prayer leader in Iran and the faithful call for executions over protests, a red line for Trump
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A hard-line cleric leading Friday prayers in Iran’s capital demanded the death penalty for protesters detained in a nationwide crackdown and directly threatened President Donald Trump, showing the hard-line rage gripping the Islamic Republic after the demonstrations. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami’s sermon carried by Iranian state...
Are Trump’s supporters getting what they want from his 2nd term? Here’s what a new poll shows
NEW YORK — Nearly a year into his second term, President Donald Trump’s work on the economy hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC survey. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a significant...
GOP congressman hints Greenland invasion could trigger bipartisan Trump impeachment
Republican Rep. Don Bacon indicated there could be bipartisan support to impeach President Donald Trump for a third time if he invades Greenland. Days after the Trump administration attacked Venezuela and took its leader into custody, the president began expressing renewed interest in acquiring Greenland. Polls overwhelmingly show Greenland doesn’t...
Senate passes more spending bills, but Homeland Security dispute looms
WASHINGTON — Congress is halfway home in approving government funding for the current budget year that began Oct. 1 after the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a three-bill package. Now comes the hard part. Lawmakers still must negotiate a spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security amid soaring tensions...
Fetterman opposes calls to abolish ICE
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is rejecting calls from some fellow Democrats to abolish the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement following last week’s deadly shooting of a woman by an ICE agent and continuing unrest in Minneapolis. “The party must resist the destructive tendencies to push extreme positions,” Fetterman, D-Braddock,...
The debate that never ends: Washington’s constant health care fight
WASHINGTON — The president was barely a year into his administration when a health care debate began to consume Washington. On Capitol Hill, partisan divides formed as many Democrats pressed for guaranteed insurance coverage for a broader swath of Americans while Republicans, buttressed by medical industry lobbying, warned about cost...
House GOP’s new Jan. 6 committee questions what happened that day
WASHINGTON — One week after the nation marked the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, the history of what happened that day is being reconsidered, revised and reassessed by the party in power. The House GOP’s new Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack held its first...
War powers resolution fails in Senate as 2 Republicans bow to Trump pressure
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans voted to dismiss a war powers resolution Wednesday that would have limited President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks on Venezuela after two GOP senators reversed course on supporting the legislation. Trump put intense pressure on five Republican senators who joined with Democrats to advance...
Democrats push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee has joined a longshot effort by a group of Democrats in the House to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Right now, the Trump administration is commissioning the endangerment of the American public — (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is hunting human beings down, tearing families apart...
Federal judges allow California to use new U.S. House map ahead of 2026 election
SACRAMENTO — A federal three-judge panel on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voter-approved U.S. House map that is designed to boost Democrats in the 2026 midterms. In a 2-1 ruling, a three-judge panel in Los Angeles denied requests from state Republicans and the U.S. Justice Department to block...
