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.…
Conservative hoaxers face $5.1M fine for election robocalls
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two conservative hoaxers face a record $5.1 million fine for allegedly making illegal robocalls to wireless phones without the owners' consent in the 2020 election.
Tech companies pledge billions in cybersecurity investments
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the country's leading technology companies have committed to investing billions of dollars to strengthen cybersecurity defenses and to train skilled workers, the White House announced Wedn…
EXPLAINER: What's next for the 'Remain in Mexico' policy?
PHOENIX (AP) — The Supreme Court's decision to order the reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy is sparking criticism from advocacy groups and praise by former President Donald Trump. It's also …
US says 1,500 Americans may still await Kabul evacuation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan, a figure that suggests the U.S. may accomplish its highest priority for the Kabul air…
Spain judge nixes backup site for disputed Hawaii telescope
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish judge in a decision cheered by environmentalists has put a halt to backup plans for the construction of a giant telescope in the Canary Islands — eliminating at least for now the primary alt…
Man gets 6 years in prison in Michigan governor kidnap plot
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A man upset over state-ordered coronavirus restrictions was sentenced to just over six years in prison Wednesday for planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a significant break…
'Crisis teams' sent to hard-hit COVID hospitals in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon will deploy “crisis teams” of hundreds of nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and nursing assistants to regions of the state hardest hit by a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations t…
Blinken estimates 1,500 Americans may still await evacuation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan, a figure that suggests this part of the U.S.-led airlift could be comp…
Biden tackles cybersecurity with tech, finance leaders
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is meeting Wednesday with top executives from some of the country's leading technology companies and financial institutions as the White House urges the private sector to help …
US to evacuate until deadline, but it's brutal at airport
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials pledged Wednesday that the military airlift of Americans and others from Kabul will continue until the final hours before President Joe Biden's Tuesday night deadline. But refugee g…
2 US lawmakers' Kabul trip prompts questions, criticism
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two members of Congress are facing criticism and questions following their surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, which diverted resources from the U.S.'s chaotic withdrawal, enraged military le…
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…
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…
Feds report most rental assistance has still not gone out
BOSTON (AP) — States and localities have only distributed 11% of the tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, the latest sign the program is struggling to re…
Experts on WHO team say search for COVID origins has stalled
LONDON (AP) — The international scientists dispatched to China by the World Health Organization to find out where the coronavirus came from said Wednesday the search has stalled and warned that the window of opport…