US & World News

Kamala Harris Makes History as First Black, South Asian Woman Elected Vice President

Kamala Harris is making history as the first Black woman elected vice president of the United States.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) WASHINGTON (AP)- Kamala Harris is making history as the first Black woman elected vice president of the United States, shattering barriers that have kept men – almost all of them white – entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries. The 56-year-old California senator is also the first person of South…

Biden Plans Friday Night Prime-Time Televised Address

WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden’s campaign says he will give a speech during prime time Friday. The Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign announced that he would be making an address but did not say where or what he plans to say. Biden is on the cusp of winning the presidency as he opens up narrow leads over President Donald Trump in several critical backgrounds. The…

Al Roker to Take Time off Work to Battle Prostate Cancer

NEW YORK (AP) — Weatherman and morning TV co-host Al Roker has revealed that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery to have his prostate removed. “It’s a good news-bad news kind of thing,” Roker said Friday on NBC’s “Today.” “Good news is we caught it early. Not great news is that it’s a little…

Biden Ahead in Georgia, Pennsylvania; Trump Attacks Process

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Joe Biden has overtaken President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia. The election hinges on the outcome of tight contests in those key battleground states. The new results Friday come as Trump is trying to undermine confidence in this week’s election. With his pathway to reelection appearing to shrink, Trump advanced unsupported accusations…

2020 Latest: Trump Set to Make Remarks From White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to make his first public appearance since the early morning hours after Election Day. The White House says Trump will deliver remarks at 6:30 p.m. Thursday from the press briefing room. It was unclear if he would take questions. Trump last appeared in public early Wednesday, when he falsely declared victory over Democrat…

Judges Dismiss Trump Claims in Georgia, Michigan

WASHINGTON (AP) – Judges in Georgia and Michigan have quickly dismissed Trump campaign lawsuits, undercutting a campaign legal strategy aimed at attacking the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean President Donald Trump’s defeat. The rulings came Thursday as Democrat Joe Biden inched closer to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White…

Michigan Judge Dismisses Trump Campaign Lawsuit

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP) – A Michigan judge has dismissed a lawsuit by President Donald Trump’s campaign in a dispute over whether Republican challengers had access to the handling of absentee ballots. Judge Cynthia Stephens noted that the lawsuit was filed late Wednesday afternoon, just hours before the last ballots were counted. She also said the defendant, Secretary of State…

Trump Team Says It’s Suing to Stop Pennsylvania Vote Count

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – President Donald Trump’s campaign said it’s suing to temporarily stop the vote count in Pennsylvania, claiming a lack of “transparency.” Justin Clark, Trump’s deputy campaign manager, said in a statement Wednesday that the campaign is “suing to stop Democrat election officials from hiding the ballot counting and processing from our Republican poll observers.” Clark also said…

Presidency Hinges on Tight Races in Battleground States

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump carried the prized battleground of Florida, then he and Democrat Joe Biden shifted their focus early Wednesday to three Northern industrial states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House. A late burst of votes in Wisconsin from Milwaukee gave Biden a small lead, but…

Mcconnell Wins Reelection, but Control of Senate at Stake

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has won a seventh term in Kentucky. McConnell is the chief ally of President Donald Trump in Congress and the longest-serving Republican Senate leader in history. The 78-year-old McConnell defeated Democrat Amy McGrath. She’s a retired Marine combat pilot who challenged him as a political outsider. McConnell played up his…

2020 Latest: Donald Trump wins Arkansas

(AP) – President Donald Trump has won the state of Arkansas. The Republican nominee on Tuesday was awarded its six electoral votes. Arkansas is a reliably Republican state that hasn’t gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1996. HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON: 8:20 p.m. A judge in Nevada has ordered 30 Las Vegas-area voting sites…

Issues Important to Trump Await Barrett on Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett’s first votes on the Supreme Court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her. The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent the Manhattan district attorney from acquiring his tax returns as well as appeals from the Trump campaign and Republicans to shorten the deadline for receiving…

Barrett Confirmed as Supreme Court Justice in Partisan Vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court late Monday by a deeply divided Senate, Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s nominee days before the election and secure a likely conservative court majority for years to come. Trump’s choice to fill the vacancy of the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg potentially opens a new era of rulings…

WATCH LIVE: Trump, Biden Heading Into Final Debate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It’s debate night for President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. They will square off in Nashville in their final face-to-face confrontation before the election. It’s one of the last high-profile opportunities for the trailing president to change the trajectory of an increasingly contentious campaign. Some Trump advisers are urging him to trade his aggressive…

Gop-Led Senate Panel Advances Barrett Despite Dems’ Boycott

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate. Republicans powered past a Democratic boycott of the session Thursday to keep confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick on track before Election Day. Democratic senators refused to show up in protest of the GOP’s rush to install Trump’s nominee to…

US Officials Call Out Iran, Russia For Election Interference

BOSTON (AP) — Iran is responsible for emails meant to intimidate American voters and sow unrest in multiple states, U.S. officials said Wednesday night in calling out both Tehran and Russia for activities meant to interfere in the upcoming presidential election. The announcement at a rare news conference just two weeks before the election underscored the concern within the U.S….

In Tennessee, Final Presidential Debate Puts Surging Virus in Spotlight

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden arrive in Nashville for their final debate, they’ll be greeted by a city with rising coronavirus case counts. Tennessee is also embroiled in a debate about mask-wearing. Thursday’s in-person presidential debate is at Belmont University, which also hosted the 2008 debate between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican…

Cough Keeps Melania Trump off Campaign Trail

WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump’s return to the campaign trail will have to wait. Her chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, said Tuesday that Mrs. Trump continues to feel better every day following her recent recovery from COVID-19 but has a lingering cough. Grisham says the first lady has decided not to accompany President Donald Trump to a campaign rally Tuesday…

Watch Live: Barrett Says She Can Set Aside Catholic Beliefs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett says she will be able to put aside her Catholic beliefs when ruling if she’s confirmed as a justice on the nation’s highest court. Barrett told Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Tuesday she “can” set aside her Catholic beliefs and has “done that” since her confirmation as an…

Barrett Vows to Interpret Laws ‘as They Are Written’

WASHINGTON (AP) — At her confirmation hearing, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has declared that Americans deserve an independent Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution and laws “as they are written.” That statement encapsulates her conservative approach that has Republicans excited about the prospect of her taking the place of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Election Day….

Watch: Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing Opens

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing has begun as the Republican-led Senate is charging ahead to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with President Donald Trump’s pick before Election Day. Barring a dramatic development, Republicans appear to have the votes to confirm the 48-year-old conservative appellate judge to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court….

The Latest: Trump Plans to Hold in-Person Event on Saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) – On Saturday, President Donald Trump is planning to hold his first in-person event since testing positive for the coronavirus. Two weeks after the Rose Garden event that is now considered a “superspreader,” Trump is planning to convene another large crowd outside the White House for an event on “law and order.” That’s despite the ongoing White House…

Watch Live: Vice Presidential Debate

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger, California Sen. Kamala Harris, are facing off in a debate that will highlight conflicting visions for a nation in crisis. The candidates will be separated by plexiglass barriers in an auditorium where any guest who refuses to wear a face mask will be removed, an extraordinary backdrop for…

Scene for VP Debate: Red, White and Blue — and Plexiglass

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Patriotic flair and plexiglass dominate the stage for Wednesday’s vice presidential debate between Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris. Each candidate will have a clear partition on the side of their desk that faces the other, and they will be spaced more than 12 feet apart. There’s no partition between the candidates and the…

Tune in Tonight: Pence-Harris Debate to Unfold as Trump Recovers From Virus

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger, California Sen. Kamala Harris, are set to face off in a debate that’ll offer starkly different visions for a country confronting escalating crises. The debate Wednesday night in Salt Lake City is the most highly anticipated vice presidential debate in recent memory. It will unfold while President…

In About-Face, Trump Seeks to Salvage Parts of Virus Aid

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is trying to salvage its favored proposals for coronavirus aid now that President Donald Trump has ended negotiation with Democrats. Trump has used a flurry of tweets to press for Congress to approve $1,200 stimulus checks and new aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the pandemic. It’s an…

Trump Campaign: All Events Featuring President Postponed After COVID-19 Diagnosis

(Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump campaign announced on Friday that all events featuring the president and the president’s family will be postponed or moved to a virtual event following his COVID-19 diagnosis. Vice President Mike Pence will continue his regularly scheduled campaign events. Statement from the Trump campaign: “All previously announced campaign events involving the…

Joe Biden and Wife Jill Test Negative for Coronavirus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden has tested negative for the coronavirus, his primary care doctor confirmed on Friday. The Democratic presidential nominee and his wife were tested earlier in the day after news of President Donald Trump’s infection was announced. Dr. Kevin O’Connor released the negative results in a statement issued by the Biden campaign. Biden was on the debate…