President Donald Trump will visit the eastern North Carolina town of Rocky Mount on Friday, the second time this month he will have traveled to a presidential battleground state to focus on the economy and affordability concerns.

The Justice Department faces a Friday deadline to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender known for his connections to powerful figures, including Donald Trump.

Shares are moderately higher in Asia and U.S. futures are mixed after the Bank of Japan raised its key policy rate to its highest level in 30 years.

The U.S. military says that it conducted two more strikes Thursday against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people.

References in U.S. Coast Guard policy calling hate symbols “potentially divisive” have been removed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Conservative influencers clashed at Turning Point USA's annual youth conference over the future of President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.

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.

A U.S. senator says she's pausing the nomination for the top Coast Guard job because leaders appeared to have “backtracked” on a commitment to ensure that swastikas and nooses are considered hate symbols and prohibited from being displayed.

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.

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 U.S. Postal Service says it intends to open its “last-mile” delivery network to large and small shippers, expanding beyond current arrangements with giants such as Amazon and UPS.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Four centrist Republicans have broken with their party's leadership over health care.

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.

A congressional report says China exploits partnerships with U.S. researchers to give its military access to nuclear technology and other innovations with economic and national security applications.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says he won’t forget the 67 people who died when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

The U.S. stock market drifted through a mixed day of trading after reports on the economy did little to clear uncertainty about where interest rates may be heading.

The U.S. Capitol has begun displaying a statue of a teenaged Barbara Rose Johns as she protested poor conditions at her segregated Virginia high school.

President Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with news organizations over his time in office has led to a host of legal battles and disputes.

The U.S. military says it has attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people.

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia's mistaken deportation to El Salvador has become a significant issue in the Trump administration's immigration policies.

The Trump administration says in a court filing that the president’s White House ballroom construction project must continue for reasons of national security.

Chile has become the latest country in Latin America to veer toward the right, electing a deeply conservative veteran politician who has long attracted comparisons to Donald Trump.

Pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai would devote himself to God and his family rather than political activism if he were released.

In a story published Dec. 15, 2025, about aviation safety, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Sen. Ted Cruz was threatening another federal government shutdown if new restrictions on military flights are not approved by the end of January.

A congressional committee's report says the police chief in Washington, D.C., pressured subordinates to manipulate department data to artificially lower the city’s crime rates.

The Colombian government’s delegation in peace talks with the National Liberation Army or ELN has rejected an “armed strike” that the Marxist rebel group is conducting this week in response to the U.S. military’s naval buildup in the Caribbean.

U.S. health officials have expanded approval of a drug that boosts libido in women who report stress due to a low sex drive.

Ryan Routh, convicted of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, has decided to use an attorney for his sentencing.

The two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend attack that the U.S. military blamed on the Islamic State group in Syria have been identified.

President Donald Trump is blaming Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition to the president for the actor-director’s killing, delivering the unsubstantiated claim in a post that seemed intent on decrying his opponents even in the face of a tragedy.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago says it will allow the U.S. military access to its airports in upcoming weeks as tensions between the United States and Venezuela remain high.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a Black death row inmate from Mississippi whose case was handled by a prosecutor with a history of dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons.

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The Islamic State group and other militant organizations are experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool to boost recruitment and refine their operations.

U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego is emerging as a key figure for the Democratic Party as it aims to regain Latino support lost in 2024.

Wall Street drifted through a quiet day of trading, ahead of economic reports this week that could drive where interest rates go.

A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair says he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates.

State officials engaged in unusual mid-decade redistricting are pushing a new definition of what it means to have “fair maps” for Congress.

Brian Jack is a first-term Republican congressman from Georgia, but he's become a key figure in the Oval Office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed willingness to drop Ukraine's NATO bid in exchange for Western security guarantees.

Americans are feeling the strain already with less than three weeks to go until the expiration of COVID-era tax credits that have helped many people pay for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison.

A federal judge says the Justice Department violated the constitutional rights of a close friend of James Comey and must return to him computer files that prosecutors had hoped to use for a potential criminal case against the former FBI director.

The Transportation Security Administration is renewing efforts to end a collective bargaining agreement with airport screening officers.

The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee is threatening contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Indiana Republican senators turned down President Donald Trump's redistricting proposal this week.

The Senate failed to get anywhere on health care this week.