Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
5th Congressional District candidates discuss motivation for running
SPOKANE — Twelve candidates, including incumbent Michael Baumgartner, are running for the seat in the Fifth Congre…
As GOP makes it harder to vote, few Republicans dissent
ATLANTA (AP) — In Arizona, a Republican state senator worried aloud that his party's proposed voter identification requirements might be too “cumbersome.” But he voted for the bill anyway.
Hungary emerges as an EU vaccination star amid surging cases
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary has emerged as a European Union leader in COVID-19 vaccinations thanks to a strategy that sought shots from Russia and China as well as from inside the bloc, spurring increasing tru…
The Latest: Biden urges Americans to 'stick with the rules'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package (all times local):
Under new program, some Oregon centers can vaccinate anyone
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon made national headlines when it placed teachers ahead of its oldest residents in the line for a scarce supply of COVID-19 vaccine and then again when a committee advising the governor o…
Court overturns automatic life sentences for young killers
SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the automatic life-without-parole sentences given to two men for murders committed when they were 19 and 20, saying judges must consider the …
Resignation demands grow as police get Cuomo groping report
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's grip on power appeared increasingly threatened Thursday as a majority of state legislators called for his resignation, Democrats launched an impeachment investigatio…
Democrats find support for Biden in small-city America
MANKATO, Minnesota (AP) — Mary McGaw grew up in a Republican home on the rural prairie of south central Minnesota. But as she moved from her tiny town of Amboy to the nearest city of Mankato to study nursing, her p…
Lawmakers in Olympia on verge of major policing overhaul
SEATTLE (AP) — Lawmakers are on the cusp of overhauling policing and police accountability in Washington state, acting with unusual urgency to curb bad behavior by officers following last year’s turbulent protests …
Biden moves to relieve strain of child border crossings
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Biden administration hopes to relieve the strain of thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the southern border by ending a Trump-era order that discouraged potential family sponsors from…
Measure allowing overtime for farmworkers moves forward
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Agricultural workers in Washington state would become eligible for overtime pay under a bill moving through the Legislature in Olympia.
At Air Force One base, intruder given up by 'mouse ears'
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a highly unusual breach of security last month at the air base that operates the Air Force One presidential aircraft, an apparently aimless intruder went undetected for several hours and walked…
The Latest: Japan to tighten border control against variants
TOKYO — Transportation minister Kazuyoshi Akaba says Japan will tighten border controls and limit the number of entrants to up to 2,000 per day to guard against the more contagious variants of the coronavirus.
Mississippi governor signs first state bill in the U.S. this year to ban transgender athletes from female sports teams
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi governor signs first state bill in the U.S. this year to ban transgender athletes from female sports teams.
Biden aims for quicker shots, 'independence from this virus'
WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus, President Joe Biden pledged in his first prime-time address to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and rai…
US, Indo-Pacific allies to expand India's vaccine production
President Joe Biden and fellow leaders of the Indo-Pacific group known as the Quad have announced a plan to expand coronavirus vaccine manufacturing capacity in India.