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 …
Europe urges unity on Taliban but is quiet on failed mission
LONDON (AP) — European leaders said Monday they will press for a unified international approach to dealing with a Taliban government in Afghanistan, as they looked on with dismay at the rapid collapse of two decade…
US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall
WASHINGTON (AP) — Warning of tough days ahead with surging
Census data puts target on rural, Rust Belt House districts
While suburban congressional districts are swelling with new residents, lawmakers in large swaths of rural America and some Rust Belt cities are in need of more people to represent.
Mental health clinics angle for a spot in Biden budget bill
WASHINGTON (AP) —
Israel condemns Poland restitution law, recalls top diplomat
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Israel on Saturday condemned Poland’s approval of a law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors or their descendants to reclaim property seized by the country’s former communist regim…
Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs
A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “bla…
Russian firefighting plane crashes in Turkey; 8 killed
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — A firefighting plane from Russia crashed Saturday in a mountainous area in southern Turkey, killing the eight crew members and emergency workers aboard, Russia's Defense Ministry said.
Costs of the Afghanistan war, in lives and dollars
At just short of 20 years, the now-ending U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan was America's longest war. Ordinary Americans tended to forget about it, and it received measurably less oversight from Congress than the…
Gusty winds bring new worries to California fire lines
QUINCY, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battling flames in Northern California forests girded Monday for new bouts of windy weather, and a utility warned thousands of customers it might cut their electricity to prevent …
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.
Biden calls school chiefs, lauds defiance of anti-mask rules
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona to praise them for doing “the right thing” after their respective boards implemented mask requirements …
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
Police: School shooting victim went to aid boy being bullied
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It's only a few days into the new school year, but New Mexico’s largest district is reeling from a shooting that left one student dead and another in custody after, according to police, the…
'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
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…