Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Kriete, Gregg weigh continuity vs. change in final Q&A
EPHRATA — After four rounds of questions on leadership, public safety, accountability and the future of the Grant …
Fueled by winds, largest wildfire moves near California city
GRIZZLY FLATS, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire raged through a small Northern California forest town Tuesday, burning dozens of homes as dangerously dry and windy weather also continued to fuel other massive blazes and pr…
EXPLAINER: Western states face first federal water cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials on Monday declared the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought.
AP FACT CHECK: Biden skirts US failures in Afghan mayhem
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ignored his own administration's failures Monday when he tried to explain why desperate civilians in Afghanistan's capital
Democrats unveil plan to update landmark voting law
ATLANTA (AP) — House Democrats on Tuesday put forward a new proposal to update the landmark Voting Rights Act, seeking against long odds to revive the civil rights-era legislation that once served as a barrier agai…
'Game over': Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans
The chop of U.S. military helicopters whisking American diplomats to Kabul’s airport punctuated a frantic rush by thousands of other foreigners and Afghans to flee to safety as well, as a stunningly swift
As COVID-19 surges, 93% of Oregon's hospital beds are full
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — As Oregon's health system continues to be clobbered by the state's worst COVID-19 surge, officials reported on Tuesday that 93% of the state's hospital beds for adults and 90% of the intensive…
Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban
WASHINGTON (AP) — Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the Americ…
California fire threatens homes as blazes burn across West
QUINCY, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Northern California homes were threatened Sunday by the nation's largest wildfire and officials warned the danger of new blazes erupting across the West was high because of unstab…
Amid new virus surge, Florida skeptics reconsider vaccines
CALLAHAN, Fla. (AP) — In a rural stretch of northeastern Florida where barely half the people have gotten a coronavirus shot, Roger West had no problem telling others he was “adamantly anti-vaccination.”
Biden: Afghan chaos 'gut-wrenching' but stands by withdrawal
WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant President Joe Biden rejected blame Monday for chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Taliban's easy v…
Japan marks 76th anniversary of WWII defeat; no Suga apology
TOKYO (AP) — Japan marked the 76th anniversary of its World War II surrender on Sunday with a somber ceremony in which Prime Minister Yosihide Suga pledged for the tragedy of war to never be repeated but avoided ap…
Analysis: Defiant Biden is face of chaotic Afghan evacuation
Four presidents share responsibility for the missteps in Afghanistan that accumulated over two decades. But only President Joe Biden will be the face of the war's chaotic, violent conclusion.
DeSantis top donor invests in COVID drug governor promotes
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates and vaccine passports — is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor's company has invested millions of dollars.
Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials were stunned on Sunday by the pace of the Taliban's nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently …
DeSantis top donor invests in COVID drug governor promotes
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates and vaccine passports — is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor's company has invested millions of dollars.