Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
3 council members renew oaths of office in Ephrata
EPHRATA — Three Ephrata City Council Members were sworn in Wednesday evening after winning their respective races.…
Latino city in Arizona grew, but census says it shrank
SOMERTON, Ariz. (AP) — It’s a Thursday evening in Somerton, Arizona, and parents and students packed inside a middle school gym are roaring for the school’s wrestling team at decibels that test the eardrum.
Capitol Police officers sue Trump, allies over insurrection
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Capitol Police officers who were attacked and beaten during the Capitol riot filed a lawsuit Thursday against former President Donald Trump, his allies and members of far-right extremist grou…
With Merkel going, candidates fail to inspire German voters
BERLIN (AP) — It's not that politics bore him; quite the opposite. But Christoph Gillitzer is stumped by whom to vote for in Germany's federal election next month.
Biden vows to finish Kabul evacuation, avenge US deaths
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day's deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He promised to ave…
Herschel Walker begins Georgia GOP Senate bid amid unknowns
ATLANTA (AP) — Herschel Walker said he "can't sit on the sidelines anymore” as he joined the Republican U.S. Senate race in Georgia. He's running with some definite advantages — including his football fame and the …
Explainer: How dangerous is Afghanistan's Islamic State?
The Islamic State offshoot that Americans blame for a deadly suicide attack outside the Kabul airport coalesced in eastern Afghanistan six years ago, and rapidly grew into one of the more dangerous terror threats g…
U.S. voting rights events reflect multiracial reform agenda
A decades-old fight to expand and protect voting rights will intensify this weekend, when multiracial coalitions of civil, human and labor rights leaders hold rallies in Washington and across the nation to urge pas…
Migrant children spend weeks at US shelters as more arrive
Five months after the Biden administration declared an emergency and raced to set up shelters to house a record number of children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border alone, kids continue to languish at the sites, whil…
Prosecutor: South Dakota AG to take plea deal in fatal crash
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will avoid a trial and take a plea deal on misdemeanor traffic charges in a crash last year in which he hit and killed a man who was walking along a…
Texas GOP advances voting bill after Democrats’ holdout ends
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans advanced new voting restrictions Thursday night after months of protests by Democrats, who after returning from a 38-day walkout are now all but out of ways to stop a bill tha…
EXPLAINER: What's happening with Afghanistan evacuations?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug. 14, more than 82,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in one of the largest U.S. airlifts in history. While the pace has picked up in…
Israeli PM aims to push Biden away from Iran nuclear deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is aiming to dissuade President Joe Biden from returning to the Iran nuclear deal when the two leaders meet at the White House Friday.
Japan further expands virus emergency areas as cases surge
TOKYO (AP) — Japan expanded its coronavirus state of emergency on Wednesday for a second week in a row, adding eight more prefectures as a surge in infections fueled by the delta variant strains the country’s healt…
Gaps in US wildfire smoke warning network leave many exposed
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Huge gaps between air quality sensors in the western U.S. have created blind spots in the warning system for wildfire smoke plumes sweeping North America this summer, amid growing concern ove…
COVID-19 surge pummels Hawaii and its native population
HONOLULU (AP) — Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane could barely breathe when she went to a Hawaii emergency room. Nausea made it difficult for her to stand and her body throbbed with pain.