Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Soap Lake looking to seat salary commission
SOAP LAKE — The City of Soap Lake is seeking residents to serve on its newly reactivated Salary Commission, a citi…
Robinhood CEO defends actions in GameStop saga at hearing
WASHINGTON (AP) — The CEO of Robinhood defended the trading platform to Congress Thursday for its actions during the GameStop trading saga, while apologizing to customers for restricting their ability to trade at t…
Cruz confirms his Mexican vacation after storm slammed Texas
DALLAS (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz acknowledged on Thursday that he had traveled to Mexico for a family vacation this week, leaving his home state as thousands of constituents struggled without power or safe drinkin…
SC governor signs abortion ban; Planned Parenthood sues
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s governor on Thursday signed a bill banning most abortions, one of his top priorities since he took office more than four years ago. Planned Parenthood immediately sued, effect…
The Latest: Spain expects more flattening of virus curve
MADRID — Spanish health authorities say they expect the curve of coronavirus contagion to continue flattening after the 2-week incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants dropped Thursday to 320 cases from a peak of nea…
The Latest: Czech Republic lawmakers act to end crisis
PRAGUE — The lower house of the Czech Republic's Parliament has approved new legislation that defines the state’s responsibilities and rights in fighting the pandemic in a hard-hit European Union country.
VIRUS TODAY: Unemployment applications in U.S. up this week
Here's what's happening Wednesday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:
The Latest: Officials in Italy cancel coronavirus conference
ROME — Officials have canceled one of the main events this weekend commemorating the first anniversary of the start of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak after clusters of new infections traced to the British variant for…
Lawmakers face off with GameStop saga's key players
WASHINGTON (AP) — Key players in the GameStop saga are testifying to a House committee Thursday. Lawmakers are examining whether the wild swings in the stock price of the video game retailer exposed conflicts in th…
AP source: Cruz on vacation in Mexico as storm slams Texas
DALLAS (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz traveled to Mexico on Wednesday for a family vacation as his
The Latest: Study suggests London infection rates down
LONDON — A major study suggests coronavirus infection rates in London have plunged by 80% in the past month as lockdown measures curb the spread of the virus.
AP source: Sen. Cruz went to Mexico on vacation amid storm
DALLAS (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has traveled to Mexico for a family vacation as his home state struggles with a
The Latest: Vatican decrees vaccinations for employees
ROME — The Vatican is taking Pope Francis’ pro-vaccine stance very seriously: Any Vatican employee who refuses to get a coronavirus shot without valid medical reason risks being fired.
The Latest: U.S. jobless claims jump as layoffs stay high
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid rose last week to 861,000, evidence that layoffs remain painfully high despite a steady drop in the number of confirmed viral infections.
The Latest: Africa expects 1st AstraZeneca doses next week
NAIROBI, Kenya — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the first 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 are expected to arrive next week for distribution in some 20 countries o…
The Latest: UK invests in studies of long COVID-19 syndrome
LONDON — The British government is backing four new studies to investigate why some people continue to have symptoms months after becoming sick with COVID-19.