Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Auditor candidates discuss election integrity, public confidence
EPHRATA — Three Republican candidates are running for the position of Grant County Auditor: incumbent Shannon Fals…
Abbas decrees first Palestinian elections in 15 years
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday decreed parliamentary and presidential elections for later this year in what would be the first vote of its kind since 2006, when the Islam…
Pence calls VP-elect Kamala Harris to offer congratulations
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has called his soon-to-be successor Kamala Harris to offer his congratulations, according to two people familiar with the conversation.
Most major US airlines ban guns in luggage for DC flights
Airlines and airports say they are stepping up security before next week's presidential inauguration, with Delta and other major airlines saying they will prohibit passengers flying to the Washington area from putt…
Some in the GOP parrot far-right talk of a coming civil war
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — War-like imagery has begun spreading in Republican circles after the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters, with some elected officials and party leaders…
Poet Amanda Gorman, 22, will read at Biden inaugural
NEW YORK (AP) — At age 22, poet Amanda Gorman, chosen to read at
Fate of Biden agenda rests with Schumer in 50-50 Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chuck Schumer is used to drinking from a firehose. But the incoming Senate majority leader has never taken on such a torrent of challenges, with the opening days of both the Biden administration a…
Vaccine skepticism hurts East European anti-virus efforts
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Vaccines from the West, Russia or China? Or none at all? That dilemma faces nations in southeastern Europe, where coronavirus vaccination campaigns are off to a slow start — overshadowed by …
FBI tracking 'extensive' online chatter about armed protests
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is tracking an “extensive amount of concerning online chatter,” including calls for armed protests leading up to next week's presidential inauguration, Director Chris Wray said Thursday.
European powers press Iran to back off latest nuclear move
BERLIN (AP) — Germany, France and Britain pressed Iran on Saturday to back off the latest planned violation of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, saying that Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium …
Pentagon says US has dropped to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has met its goal of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500 by Friday, a drawdown that may have violated a last-minute congressional prohibition.
After Trump, Biden aims to reshape the presidency itself
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Joe Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday outside a wounded U.S. Capitol, he will begin reshaping the office of the presidency itself as he sets out to lead a bitterly divided nation strug…
Federal watchdogs open probe of response to Capitol riot
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal watchdogs launched a sweeping review of how the FBI, the Pentagon and other law enforcement agencies responded to the riot at the U.S. Capitol, including whether there were failures in inf…
Transgender athletes look to changing of White House guard
Transgender athletes are getting an ally in the White House next week as they seek to participate as their identified gender in high school and college sports — although state legislatures, Congress and the courts …
Trump's presidency not just a blip in US foreign policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to scrap President Donald Trump’s vision of “America First” in favor of “diplomacy first” will depend on whether he's able to regain the trust of allies and convin…
Capitol rioters included highly trained ex-military and cops
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump’s supporters massed outside the Capitol last week and sang the national anthem, a line of men wearing olive-drab helmets and body armor trudged purposefully up the marble…