Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Several contested races on the primary ballot in Grant County
EPHRATA — Filing week for the August primary election closed Friday, leaving several contested races on the ballot…
Haunted by mass violence, Colorado confronts painful history
DENVER (AP) — Dawn Reinfeld moved to Colorado 30 years ago to attend college in the bucolic town of Boulder. Enchanted by the state's wide-open spaces, she stayed.
GOP 2024 contenders enter Iowa, wary of Trump's long shadow
URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents. Their first step is finding out whether activists there have gotten over the last one.
Women's soccer stars join Biden to promote closing pay gap
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden made the case Wednesday that the pay disparity between men and women has hurt the economy, bringing members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team to the White House to help …
Small Texas border town is thoroughfare for migrant children
ROMA, Texas (AP) — As darkness sets on the Rio Grande, U.S. Border Patrol agents hear pumps inflating rafts across the river in Mexico. It is about to get busy.
EU leaders grapple with surge of infections, vaccine issues
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders failed to settle a fight about the distribution of COVID-19 shots among member states Thursday but pledged to strengthen vaccine export controls and production on EU soil amid…
EXPLAINER: Varying views on how to keep accurate voter rolls
ATLANTA (AP) — A key element of voting restrictions pushed by Republican state lawmakers this year focuses on cleaning voter rolls to ensure only those eligible are registered. Maintaining accurate voter rolls is a…
Buttigieg pitches 'once in a generation' infrastructure fix
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called for a once in a generation infrastructure investment Thursday that would address a massive backlog in needed improvements for the nation's roads, bri…
North Korea test-fires ballistic missiles in message to US
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday test-fired its first ballistic missiles since President Joe Biden took office as it expands its military capabilities and increases pressure on Washington while nuc…
Oregon Senate votes in favor of bill banning guns in Capitol
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Senate voted Thursday to advance a bill banning guns at the Capitol and other state facilities and letting cities, counties, schools and commercial airports decide whether to allow …
In shift, oil industry group backs federal price on carbon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The oil and gas industry's top lobbying group on Thursday endorsed a federal price on carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, a reversal of longstanding policy that comes as th…
Biden leaves door open for Senate changes to advance agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden at his first news conference left the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda like immigration and voting rights past Rep…
Bolsonaro under fire as Brazil hits 300,000 virus deaths
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Mere miles from Brazil’s presidential palace, the bodies of COVID-19 victims were laid on floors of hospitals whose morgues were overflowing. Lawmakers fielded calls from panicked constituen…
Lawmakers: Require nursing homes to disclose vaccine data
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nursing homes have to publicly disclose their vaccination rates for flu and pneumonia but there’s no similar mandate for COVID-19 shots, even though the steepest toll from the virus has been among…
Biden readies for 1st news conference, White House tradition
WASHINGTON (AP) — He'd led allied armies in the defeat of Nazi Germany only to find himself, a decade later, a tad intimidated before the cameras in an echoey room of the Old Executive Office Building, ready to mak…
AP FACT CHECK: Biden skews figures on border, taxes, more
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday misstated the reality at the U.S.-Mexico border when he asserted that “nothing has changed” when it comes to the number of children coming to the United States sinc…