AP Politics
Political news and analysis from the Associated Press.
Latest stories
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JD Vance returns to Iowa as Senate and governor races heat up
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is headed to Iowa for the second time this year to campaign for Republican majorities in Congress as he lays the groundwork for his own political ambitions.
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EU chief floats 'associate membership' for Canada. But that doesn't exist yet
BRUSSELS (AP) — By opening the door this week for Canada to become the first “associate member” of the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered Prime Minister Mark Carney hope, but also an illusion.
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Russians begin 3 days of voting in a parliamentary election set to cement the Kremlin's power
Russians on Friday began three days of voting in the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, which features virtually no opposition and is all but certain to secure the Kremlin’s political dominance.
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Early voting begins in US midterm elections that could flip control of Congress
In-person voting for this year’s midterm elections is beginning, ushering in the final six weeks for Americans to decide who they trust to lead Congress through a cost-of-living crisis, a prolonged war in Iran and other pressing issues. Friday is the start of early voting in Virginia. Voters in a...
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Trump refers to Black man from racially offensive 1988 campaign ad while stumping in North Carolina
President Donald Trump is using a controversial campaign ad from 1988 to criticize Democrats on crime. During a Wednesday rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, Trump referenced the Willie Horton ad, which targeted then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. Trump compared it to a recent case involving ...
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Judge strikes down Trump policy that cut millions in teacher-training money
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday struck down a 2025 order from the Trump administration that cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher-training money.
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Indonesia welcomes its first aircraft carrier, prompting debate over cost and military ambitions
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia welcomed its first aircraft carrier on Friday, a former Italian warship that the government says will strengthen the archipelago nation's maritime security and disaster response capabilities.
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Virginia's attorney general says DHS may have violated state election law after whistleblower report
Virginia’s attorney general says the Department of Homeland Security may have violated several state election laws following a whistleblower report. The report released Monday accused DHS of requiring federal employees to misrepresent themselves on voter lookup tools in a hunt for noncitizen vote...
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Preparing to leave office, with world beset by problems, UN chief talks of a way forward
The United Nations’ top official acknowledges the world is deeply divided and the U.N.’s most powerful body is paralyzed when it comes to ending conflicts. But U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres says there’s a way forward. On his way out of office at the end of the year after nearly a decade...
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Prize-winning author Phil Klay takes over at PEN America amid Israel-Hamas war rifts
NEW YORK (AP) — Prize-winning author Phil Klay has been named the new president of PEN America, taking on the role as the literary and free expression organization continues to be torn by disagreements stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
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A sweeping US sanctions bill offers Ukraine new leverage on Russia, but enforcement looms
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has long argued that Russia will only negotiate seriously if the cost of continuing the war becomes too high.
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Postal Service chief says work stopped on computer system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting
The U.S. Postal Service has stopped developing a controversial computer system tied to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit mail voting. The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s executive order this week. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed the halt Thursday. He emphasized the agency’s indep...
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Senators from both parties voice criticism about Pentagon briefing on US defense strategy
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tensions are mounting between the Pentagon and Congress over the flow of information to lawmakers about the U.S. military's priorities, with both Democrats and Republicans accusing a Defense Department leader of being frustratingly opaque.
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Killing endangered wildlife is legal if they aren't the target, new Trump rule says
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Killing endangered animals while logging a forest or building a dam would not be considered illegal unless the animals were specifically targeted, under a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act by President Donald Trump's administration that marks a sea change in ...
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Kennedy tells anti-vaccine activists they have a friend in Trump's White House
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells anti-vaccine activists from an organization he once chaired that they have a friend in the White House. Kennedy addressed Children's Health Defense on Thursday, appearing at its conference for the first time since becoming secretary....
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Russia and China veto US proposal for UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorized U.N. experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program.
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Trinidad and Tobago ends long state of emergency as anger mounts over arrests
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Trinidad and Tobago ended a lengthy state of emergency on Thursday with authorities on alert for a possible surge in violence as activists and lawyers decried the mass arrests stemming from the measure.
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US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN high-level meeting even with sides at war
The Trump administration has approved visas for top Iranian officials to attend next week’s U.N. General Assembly high-level session in New York despite the two countries being at war. The State Department said Thursday that it had approved visas for Iran’s “core delegation,” along with essential...
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Trump withdraws Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, as his nominee to lead ICE
The White House says it is withdrawing its nomination of Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ensuring that an agency at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda will remain without a Senate-confirmed leader for at lea...
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Brazil’s Lula announces 15% increase in flagship welfare payments ahead of key election
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Thursday increasing benefits under his flagship welfare program by 15%, weeks before the first round of the presidential elections.
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Romania's president nominates a new prime minister to break a political deadlock
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian President Nicusor Dan nominated Liberal European lawmaker Siegfried Muresan on Thursday to be prime minister as he seeks to end a monthslong political crisis after his previous two picks failed.
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Former US Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, a 'workhorse' who shaped water policy, dies at 84
Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, who represented Arizona in both chambers of Congress over nearly three decades, has died at 84. He had dementia. A family friend says Kyl died Wednesday night. Kyl remained a reliable Republican vote throughout his career, spanning a drastic transformation of his party f...
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Appeals court weighs Trump-backed Missouri congressional map despite Supreme Court block
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Thursday was considering an attempt to resurrect new Missouri congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump, even though the U.S. Supreme Court blocked those districts from being used in the November election.
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Judge orders Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes
A federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it as President Donald Trump has threatened. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said Thursday his ruling would “avoid any confusion on that...
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Fewer migrants are reaching Europe by sea but more people are dying, IOM warns
Significantly fewer migrants are reaching Europe by sea this year, and yet more are dying as people take increasingly dangerous journeys to reach the continent, the U.N. migration agency warned Thursday.
