Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Grant County primary turnout slips from 2022 levels as officials look ahead to November election
EPHRATA — Grant County's voter turnout in the 2026 primary election finished at nearly 34%, a figure county electi…
AP-NORC poll: 3 in 4 Americans back requiring wearing masks
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three out of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans, favor requiring people to wear face coverings while outside their homes, a new poll finds, reflecting fresh alarm over spiking co…
Aid group claims harassment in Italy's block of rescue boat
MILAN (AP) — A migrant rescue organization said Thursday that Italian authorities have blocked its ship in a Sicilian port, characterizing the move as harassment.
Minnesota governor to sign police accountability bill
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign a police accountability bill into law Thursday that includes a ban on neck restraints like the one that was used on George Floyd before his death in Minneapo…
Dutch 'Dr. Superstrict' Rutte influential in EU virus deal
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte didn’t win many friends with his tough negotiating over the course of a marathon four-day European Union summit in Brussels.
China cites 'malicious slander' as Houston consulate closes
BEIJING (AP) — China said Thursday that “malicious slander” is behind an order by the U.S. government to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, maintaining that its officials never operated outside ordinary diploma…
Arizona to remove 2 Confederate monuments from state land
PHOENIX (AP) — Two Confederate monuments on Arizona state property, including one at the Capitol, will be removed at the request of the organization that erected them, Gov. Doug Ducey's administration announced Wed…
Greek former minister charged over pharmaceutical probe
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's parliament voted late Wednesday to charge a former deputy justice minister over allegations he sought to incriminate political opponents in a purported pharmaceutical bribery scandal.
County sues Wolf, seeking $13M in virus funding he withheld
A Pennsylvania county sued Wednesday to compel Gov. Tom Wolf to release $12.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funding that he withheld after county leaders defied his shutdown orders and sought to reopen on t…
'Squad' member Tlaib may be vulnerable in tough primary
Rep. Rashida Tlaib had been in Congress for a matter of hours when she was
Missouri governor clarifies comments on school kids, virus
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is clarifying comments he made in a radio interview in which he said children returning to school will come down with the coronavirus but will “get over it,” rem…
Trump targets Albuquerque crime with security deployments
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — President Trump focused on an open wound in the law enforcement community — the unsolved shooting death of the mother of two New Mexico state police officers — in announcing that federal agent…
US labs buckle amid testing surge; world virus cases top 15M
WASHINGTON (AP) — Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are undercutting the pandemic response.
GOP blocks Kansas governor's plan to delay reopening schools
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas schools will be allowed to reopen in mid-August after Republican officials on Wednesday again thwarted a plan from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly aimed at reversing a resurgence in reported …
Shreveport mayor enters race against US Sen. Bill Cassidy
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy drew the first high-profile challenger to his reelection bid Wednesday, when Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced his last-minute entrance into Louisia…
House Democrats to attempt to check Trump's pardon power
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats will try to rein in President Donald Trump’s clemency powers on Thursday as they advance legislation that would discourage pardons for friends and family and prevent presidents fro…