One of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s appointees has resigned over social media posts she made more than a decade ago that featured antisemitic tropes.

President Donald Trump’s “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast is raising new concerns about the legality of his military campaign in Latin America.

A Kansas tribe said it has walked away from a nearly $30 million federal contract to come up with preliminary designs for immigrant detention centers after facing a wave of online criticism.

TikTok has signed a deal to form a new U.S. unit with three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — holding a majority stake.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued three states and the District of Columbia for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration.

The U.S. military has amassed an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off the coast of Venezuela since this summer, when the Trump administration first began to shift assets to the region as part of its anti-drug trafficking operations.

A federal judge has denied a request to close an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”.

Eileen Higgins has been sworn in as Miami's first female mayor, taking office two weeks after defeating a Trump-endorsed Republican.

Speaker Mike Johnson has stayed on message that a Republican health care package will help all Americans and not just those on Affordable Care Act plans.

Cannabis companies like Tilray Brands and Canopy Growth could soon face a more mellow path ahead following President Donald Trump’s move to help reclassify the drug’s status.

A judge in Miami has dismissed a complaint challenging a college’s decision to gift prime downtown real estate for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library.

The “Warrior Dividend” that President Donald Trump announced Wednesday is not a Christmas bonus made possible by tariff revenues, as the president appeared to suggest during his televised address to the nation.

The House has approved bipartisan legislation aimed at speeding up permitting reviews for new energy and infrastructure projects and limiting judicial review.

Federal regulators will allow tech companies to effectively plug massive data centers directly into power plants.

President Donald Trump’s key peace envoy will host new Gaza talks with Arab and Muslim officials on Friday in Miami, a State Department official tells the AP.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

President Donald Trump’s handpicked board has voted to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center.

Democrats won't issue a postelection report on their 2024 shellacking after all.

Federal prosecutors say about half of the roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen.

House Democrats have released several dozen more photos from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

President Donald Trump's administration has imposed sanctions on two more International Criminal Court judges over their role in investigating Israeli officials for possible war crimes.

Zohran Mamdani can claim multiple firsts when he becomes New York’s mayor Jan. 1.

A Mexican drug cartel member accused of faking his death to avoid capture has been sentenced to more than 11 years in U.S. prison.

Belarus’ authoritarian president says that Russia had deployed its latest nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system to the country, a move that comes as talks to end the war in Ukraine have entered a crucial phase.

U.S. officials are proposing new restrictions that are designed to block access to gender-affirming care for minors.

A U.S. official says a Kremlin envoy will travel to Florida to discuss a U.S.-proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Thailand has conducted more airstrikes on Cambodia, targeting a warehouse storing rockets.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors.

U.S. inflation slowed unexpectedly last month according to data that was delayed and likely distorted by the government shutdown.

The parent company of President Donald Trump’s Truth Social media platform announced Thursday it is merging with a fusion power company, an unusual pairing of the Trump name with a futuristic clean energy venture that aims to power the next wave of artificial intelligence.

The United States has announced it will resume nuclear testing if other countries do the same.

The U.N. refugee agency in Lebanon says the U.S. lifting of sanctions on Syria could encourage more refugees to return.

Pope Leo XIV has made a significant U.S. appointment by naming Bishop Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York.

The European Central Bank is leaving interest rates unchanged for the fourth meeting in a row as the economy in the 20 countries that use the euro increasingly looks strong enough to get by without the stimulus of lower borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.

The European Commission says the European Union is delaying a massive free-trade deal with South American countries after fiery protests by farmers and last-minute opposition by France and Italy.

U.S. stocks rose following an encouraging report on inflation that could help the Federal Reserve keep cutting interest rates next year.

Turning Point is beginning its annual Christian youth conference, the first event since the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk.

India has signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Oman.

Prosecutors are trying to convince a jury that a Wisconsin judge put her personal beliefs above the law and helped a Mexican immigrant evade federal authorities seeking to arrest him in the courthouse.

President Donald Trump's administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion, including medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones.

The U.S. military says it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people.

President Donald Trump is demanding Venezuela pay for assets that Trump says were stolen from U.S. companies when the South American country nationalized its oil industry years ago.

Missouri’s top prosecutor says China is suing after the state pressed federal officials for help collecting on a roughly $25 billion court judgment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Africa has been the hardest hit by the Trump administration's expanded travel ban that includes 20 more countries.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he’ll resign from the bureau next month, ending a brief tenure in which he clashed with the Justice Department over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and was forced to reconcile the realities of his law enforcement job with provocative claims he made in his prior role as a popular podcast host.

Imprisoned former Jeffrey Epstein girlfriend and longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell is asking a federal judge to set aside her sex trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence, saying “substantial new evidence” has emerged to prove constitutional violations spoiled her trial.

A federal judge in the nation’s capital has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies limiting members of Congress’ access to immigration detention facilities.

The Senate has confirmed billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator.

Some oil vessels are diverting away from Venezuela after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the South American country.

The House has rejected a pair of resolutions that would put a check on President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela.

The Trump administration is moving to dissolve the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General will investigate the Trump administration’s termination of $7.6 billion in grants for clean energy projects across several states that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.

California regulators are threatening to suspend Tesla’s license to sell its electric cars in the state early next year unless the automaker tones down its marketing tactics for its self-driving features after a judge concluded the Elon Musk-led company has been misleading consumers about the technology’s capabilities.

A Republican push to make drilling cheaper on federal land is creating new fiscal pressure for states that depend on oil and gas revenue, most notably in New Mexico.

The Senate has moved quickly to close a loophole that could allow military aircraft to fly without broadcasting their locations, just like an Army helicopter was doing last January before it collided with an airliner over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.

Veteran police officer Jeffery Carroll is taking over as interim chief of Washington's police force.

A federal judge has blocked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from revoking an easement that allows Enbridge to run an oil pipeline through a Great Lakes channel.

President Donald Trump has added partisan and subjective plaques to a refashioned West Wing walkway he calls the Presidential Walk of Fame.

Four moderate House Republicans have broken ranks with Speaker Mike Johnson by supporting a Democratic petition to extend health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.

U.S. President Donald Trump's announced blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil could lead to shortages of food, fuel, and other basic goods.

A Second Amendment clash has erupted between the federal government and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Senate's passage of the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday has also secured the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina's federal recognition as a tribal nation.

The U.S. Treasury asked major philanthropic donors to contribute to new investment accounts for children Wednesday in part of what Secretary Scott Bessent called a “50 State Challenge” to raise funds for the Trump Accounts program.

In a story published Dec. 17, 2025, about Nebraska implementing work requirements for Medicaid, The Associated Press misspelled the first name of former President Barack Obama.

A federal appeals court says the National Guard deployment in the nation's capital can continue for now.

Warner Bros.

The Senate has given final passage to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs.

President Donald Trump has delivered a speech where he discussed his achievements and touched on some of his agenda for next year and beyond.

President Donald Trump says he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas.

Mega billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos have donated $5 million to David Flink, founder of the Neurodiversity Alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning that Moscow will extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin's demands in peace talks.

Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has told lawmakers in a closed-door interview his team “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” President Donald Trump criminally conspired to overturn his 2020 election loss.

South African authorities say a center processing applications for the United States refugee program was raided by immigration and law enforcement officers and seven Kenyan nationals were arrested for working there illegally.

Democratic senators are criticizing the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

More drops for AI stocks dragged the U.S. market to its worst day in nearly a month.

Fani Willis has counterattacked during a Wednesday Georgia state Senate committee questioning her prosecution of Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump has paid his respects to two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian who were killed in an attack in Syria last weekend.

Norman Podhoretz, a leading neo-conservative and the former editor of Commentary magazine, has died.

The proposed $85 billion merger of the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads has lost the support of two unions that represent more than half their workers.

A private equity firm owned by Jared Kushner says it's no longer backing Paramount’s hostile acquisition bid for Warner Bros.

President Donald Trump says he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.

A federal judge in Washington says he's inclined to deny a preservationist group's request to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's ballroom project.

A former leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health has sued the Trump administration, saying she was illegally fired for warning that research cuts were endangering patients and public health.

Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian tobacco shop owner, has become a national hero in Australia, with an online fundraiser for him raising millions of dollars.

House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums for Affordable Care Act recipients.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are suing President Donald Trump’s administration for what they say is unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in funding for two electric vehicle charging programs.

The Trump administration has designated another Latin American drug cartel as a foreign terrorist group, increasing financial pressure on its members and opening the door to potential military action against them.

The Trump administration has announced an expansion of travel restrictions to include 20 more countries.

President Donald Trump will go to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday for a dignified transfer for the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona says the Pentagon’s escalating investigation into his plea to troops to refuse unlawful orders is part of an effort to silence dissent within the military.

The European Union is moving to dial back its total ban on cars with gas or diesel engines by 2035.

A colleague of the Milwaukee judge accused of helping an immigrant evade arrest is testifying at her criminal trial that she was shocked by her fellow judge’s behavior.

FIFA slashed the price of some World Cup tickets for teams’ most loyal fans following a global backlash and some will get $60 seats for the final instead of being asked to pay $4,185.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and broadly defending Donald Trump's second presidency in a series of interviews published Tuesday.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have announced they will withdrawal from Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo following U.S. pressure.

President Donald Trump’s top Cabinet officials overseeing national security are back on Capitol Hill as questions mount over the swift escalation of U.S. military force and deadly boat strikes in international waters near Venezuela.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon will not publicly release unedited video of a strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly carrying cocaine in the Caribbean.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says peace proposals for U.S. officials to present to Russia could be finalized within days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and about 30 other countries are expected to approve plans to create a compensation body for damages caused by the Russian invasion.

European Union leaders are gathering this week at the end of political year dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.