POLITICS
Inside a year of firings that have shaken the Trump Justice Department: 'A great deal of fear'
Read full article: Inside a year of firings that have shaken the Trump Justice Department: 'A great deal of fear'As Attorney General Pam Bondi approaches her first anniversary on the job, the firings of career attorneys have defined her turbulent tenure.
Trump isn't waiting for future generations to name things after him. It's happening now
Read full article: Trump isn't waiting for future generations to name things after him. It's happening nowPresident Donald Trump isn't waiting for future generations to decide to name important things in his honor — he's doing it himself.
Greg Abbott enters 2026 Texas governor’s race with staggering $106 million on hand
Read full article: Greg Abbott enters 2026 Texas governor’s race with staggering $106 million on handAbbott raised almost $23 million from July through December, while his leading Democratic challenger, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, brought in $1.3 million in the last 10 weeks of 2025.
Senators worry that US Postal Service changes could disenfranchise voters who cast ballots by mail
Read full article: Senators worry that US Postal Service changes could disenfranchise voters who cast ballots by mailA group of U.S. senators is voicing concern over U.S. Postal Service processing changes and what those could mean for voting with mail ballots.
Ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema sued for allegedly breaking up bodyguard's marriage
Read full article: Ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema sued for allegedly breaking up bodyguard's marriageFormer U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema allegedly had a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail, leading to the breakup of his marriage.
Texas A&M abruptly cancels ethics course over race, gender policy
Read full article: Texas A&M abruptly cancels ethics course over race, gender policyThe university said content of the graduate course, which was already underway, was not adequately disclosed, forcing the cancellation. The professor disagrees.
US names major sporting events other than World Cup, Olympics exempt from Trump visa ban
Read full article: US names major sporting events other than World Cup, Olympics exempt from Trump visa banThe Trump administration has identified a host of athletic competitions it classifies as “major sporting events” — aside from soccer's 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games — that athletes and coaches will be allowed to travel to the U.S. to take part in despite a broad visa ban.
Middle East allies in blitz of diplomacy urged Trump to hold off on Iran strikes, diplomat says
Read full article: Middle East allies in blitz of diplomacy urged Trump to hold off on Iran strikes, diplomat saysSeveral Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.
Defense Department says military newspaper Stars and Stripes must eliminate 'woke distractions'
Read full article: Defense Department says military newspaper Stars and Stripes must eliminate 'woke distractions'The Defense Department says it is revamping the military newspaper Stars and Stripes to focus on “reporting for our warfighters” and eliminate woke distractions.
Aggressive tactics used on Minneapolis protesters raise concerns about federal officer training
Read full article: Aggressive tactics used on Minneapolis protesters raise concerns about federal officer trainingFederal immigration agents deployed to Minneapolis have used aggressive crowd-control tactics — including pointing rifles at demonstrators and deploying chemical irritants — actions the government says are necessary to protect officers from violent attacks and growing protests.
New Texas poll finds Talarico leading Crockett by 9 points in Senate Democratic primary
Read full article: New Texas poll finds Talarico leading Crockett by 9 points in Senate Democratic primaryTexas’ Senate Republican primary, meanwhile, looks headed for a runoff. The survey found U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a dead heat against Attorney General Ken Paxton, with neither eclipsing 30%.
In South Texas, local Republicans push for more wins as Latinos appear to sour on Trump
Read full article: In South Texas, local Republicans push for more wins as Latinos appear to sour on TrumpEven as Trump's approval ratings fall with Latinos, a constellation of grassroots Republicans are working to secure wins in the midterms.
Democrats hope a blue wave washes over Wisconsin and gives them total control of battleground state
Read full article: Democrats hope a blue wave washes over Wisconsin and gives them total control of battleground stateWisconsin Democrats are hoping to flip majority control of the Legislature and retain the governor's seat this year.
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate raises 10 times more than conservative
Read full article: Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate raises 10 times more than conservativeThe Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court raised 10 times as much last year as her Republican-endorsed opponent, putting in stark relief the challenge conservatives face in winning the race in the battleground state.
US sanctions Iranian officials accused of repressing protests against the government
Read full article: US sanctions Iranian officials accused of repressing protests against the governmentThe U.S. is imposing new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of repressing protests against Iran’s theocratic government.
Final day to select ACA health plans arrives in most states, with no subsidy deal yet
Read full article: Final day to select ACA health plans arrives in most states, with no subsidy deal yetThe final day to select Affordable Care Act health insurance for the year has arrived across much of the country.
US seizes sixth sanctioned tanker it says has ties to Venezuela in Trump's effort to control its oil
Read full article: US seizes sixth sanctioned tanker it says has ties to Venezuela in Trump's effort to control its oilU.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela.
Live updates: Venezuela’s Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize during meeting
Read full article: Live updates: Venezuela’s Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize during meetingVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has discussed her country’s future with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Lawmakers propose $2.5B agency to boost production of rare earths and other critical minerals
Read full article: Lawmakers propose $2.5B agency to boost production of rare earths and other critical mineralsA bipartisan group of lawmakers has proposed creating a new agency with $2.5 billion to boost production of rare earths and the other critical minerals.
What Americans think about Trump's first year back in office, according to AP-NORC polling
Read full article: What Americans think about Trump's first year back in office, according to AP-NORC pollingPresident Donald Trump’s second term has been eventful, but you wouldn’t know it from his approval numbers.
Alaska court weighs voter misconduct charges in case that casts light on status of American Samoans
Read full article: Alaska court weighs voter misconduct charges in case that casts light on status of American SamoansThe Alaska Court of Appeals is deciding whether to dismiss felony voter misconduct charges against Tupe Smith, an Alaska resident born in American Samoa.
Texas House Democrats raised record-breaking $2.2 million in 2025
Read full article: Texas House Democrats raised record-breaking $2.2 million in 2025The majority of the Democratic caucus’ haul came when the party broke quorum over the summer to delay the GOP-controlled Legislature from redrawing the state’s congressional map.
Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, Frederick Haynes III, sees Congress as stage to pursue social justice
Read full article: Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, Frederick Haynes III, sees Congress as stage to pursue social justiceHaynes staked out several progressive policy positions at his recent campaign launch event, including support for Medicare for All and dismantling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Press freedom advocates worry that raid on Washington Post journalist's home will chill reporting
Read full article: Press freedom advocates worry that raid on Washington Post journalist's home will chill reportingPress freedom advocates are concerned this week's raid on a Washington Post journalist's home will deter reporting on government actions and silence whistleblowers.
Venezuela's Machado says she presented her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during their meeting
Read full article: Venezuela's Machado says she presented her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during their meetingVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump.
New DHS rule aims to shorten visa wait times abroad for religious workers serving US congregations
Read full article: New DHS rule aims to shorten visa wait times abroad for religious workers serving US congregationsThe Department of Homeland Security is making it easier for visa-holding religious workers to serve U.S. congregations with less disruption.