The Latest | Lawyers in Trump hush money case paint competing portraits of him in opening statements
The commencement of opening statements in Donald Trump's hush money trial sets the stage for weeks of testimony about the former presidentโs personal life and places his legal troubles at the center of his closely contested campaign against President Joe Biden.
Judge fines Donald Trump $5,000 after post maligning court staffer is found on campaign website
Donald Trump has been fined $5,000 after his disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud trial lingered on his campaign website for weeks after the judge ordered it deleted.
SPECIAL REPORT | Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday heโs been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
White House: Improved surveillance caught Chinese balloon
U.S. officials say efforts ordered by President Joe Biden to strengthen defenses against Chinese espionage helped identify last weekโs spy balloon โ and determine that similar flights were conducted at multiple points during the Trump administration.
EPA finalizes water rule that repeals Trump-era changes
President Joe Bidenโs administration has finalized regulations that protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts had thrown out and that environmentalists said left waterways vulnerable to pollution.
Poll results show Virginians approve of Gov. Youngkinโs leadership, donโt want him to run for President
Virginians' approval rate of Governor Glenn Youngkin is increasing, according to results of a new Roanoke College poll, but an overwhelming amount want him to remain in Richmond and not Washington D.C.
FBI search at Trump Mar-a-Lago estate one of several probes
The FBI search of Donald Trumpโs Mar-a-Lago estate marked a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of the law enforcement scrutiny of the former president, but the Florida operation was just one part of one investigation related to Trump and his time in office.
Immigration judge union seeks recognition as top judge quits
The National Association of Immigration Judges has asked the federal government to restore its union recognition after the Trump administration stripped its official status and the systemโs chief judge resigned after two years on the job.
Jan. 6 panel's 1,000 witnesses: From Trump aides to rioters
The House Jan. 6 panel has interviewed more than 1,000 people who were directly or indirectly involved in the U.S. Capitol insurrection as it's probed the violent attack and former President Donald Trumpโs unprecedented efforts to overturn his election defeat.
Accounting firm: Trump financial statements aren't reliable
The accounting firm that prepared former President Donald Trumpโs annual financial statements says the documents, used to secure lucrative loans and burnish Trumpโs image as a wealthy businessman, โshould no longer be relied uponโ after investigators said they found evidence he and his company regularly misstated the value of assets.
Kellyanne Conway memoir 'Here's the Deal' coming out May 24
Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has a memoir out May 24: โHereโs the Dealโ is billed by her publisher as a look beyond the headlines of the Trump administration and her family life, including her husband and prominent Trump detractor, George Conway.
2 Iranians charged with threatening US voters in 2020
Two suspected Iranian computer hackers have been charged in a broad campaign of election interference aimed at intimidating American voters during last yearโs presidential race and undermining confidence that the results of the contest could be trusted.
US House votes to ease entry process for Afghan interpreters
The U.S. House of Representatives has easily passed legislation that would make it easier for Afghans who worked for the American military or NATO to relocate to the U.S. The bill, which drew bipartisan support, eliminates a requirement that special visa applicants get a medical exam before they leave Afghanistan.
Pentagon looks to root out extremists targeting US troops
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo a violent mob of Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. A top official compared the recruitment effort to that undertaken by international terrorist groups trying to lure the support of servicemembers. Military leaders are intent on developing training for troops that makes clear they should not get involved with such groups. Speaking to a small number of reporters at the Pentagon, Colรณn-Lรณpez said he is not aware of any specific coordination that has started between the Defense Department and law enforcement. And, as time goes on, he said that with more education, service members will identify and report extremist activities and comments more frequently.
Justices call off arguments over Medicaid work requirements
WASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court said Thursday it has called off upcoming arguments over a Trump administration plan to remake Medicaid by requiring recipients to work, agreeing to a request from the Biden administration. But the Biden administration already has decided preliminarily that work requirements do not fit with Medicaid's goal of providing health care to lower-income people. AdOther cases involved Trump administration immigration policies and a fight over unreleased portions of grand jury documents from special counsel Robert Muellerโs investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The high court had in December agreed to review lower-court decisions involving Arkansas and New Hampshire that found that the Trump administrationโs support for work requirements went beyond whatโs allowed by law. Arkansas had opposed the Biden administrationโs request that the cases be dropped.
GOP struggles to define Biden, turns to culture wars instead
President Joe Biden speaks with Mary Anna Ackley, Owner of Little Wild Things Farm, left, and Michael Siegel, Co-owner of W.S. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag. Other GOP efforts to define Biden as a radical or to attack his mental acuity also didn't resonate. Some Republicans argue it will simply take time for the GOP to organize against Biden, given the honeymoon period most new presidents enjoy. All the while, the Biden White House is underscoring its attempts at bipartisanship, putting the Republicans on the defensive for not signing onto the broadly popular COVID relief bill.
GOP struggles to define Biden, turns to culture wars instead
President Joe Biden speaks with Mary Anna Ackley, Owner of Little Wild Things Farm, left, and Michael Siegel, Co-owner of W.S. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag. Other GOP efforts to define Biden as a radical or to attack his mental acuity also didn't resonate. Some Republicans argue it will simply take time for the GOP to organize against Biden, given the honeymoon period most new presidents enjoy. All the while, the Biden White House is underscoring its attempts at bipartisanship, putting the Republicans on the defensive for not signing onto the broadly popular COVID relief bill.
Biden visits businesses to highlight changes to loan program
WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden visited a hardware store in the nationโs capital Tuesday to highlight changes he made to the Paycheck Protection Program to benefit small businesses he says were overlooked by the Trump administration earlier in the coronavirus pandemic. Biden administration officials announced last month that for two weeks starting on Feb. 24, the Small Business Administration would only accept applications for the forgivable loan program from firms with fewer than 20 employees. The exclusivity period for small businesses ends Tuesday, with White House officials reporting that the effort led to a 20% increase in minority businesses and a 14% increase in women businesses receiving loans. The Biden administration also changed eligibility rules for the program. AdTrump administration officials argued the program primarily benefitted smaller businesses because a vast majority of the loans in the first months of the program were for less than $150,000.
Court raises bar for some immigrants to avoid deportation
FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2020 file photo, the Supreme Court is seen in Washington. The Supreme Court will take up challenges to controversial Trump administration policies affecting family-planning clinics and immigrants, even though the Biden administration has announced it is reviewing them. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for longtime immigrants who have been convicted of a crime to avoid deportation. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion for a 5-3 conservative majority that ruled against a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. illegally and has lived in the country for 25 years. Not all criminal convictions inevitably lead to deportation, but Gorsuch wrote for the court that Pereida failed to prove he was not convicted of a serious crime.
Biden administration tosses out Trumpโs revised U.S. citizenship test
ROANOKE, Va. โ Removing barriers for potential citizens, the Biden administration is bringing back the old citizenship test. Creating tougher questions and adding more of them, the Trump administration revised the U.S. Citizenship test last year. In 2020, the Trump administration doubled the requirement by having people answer 12 out of 20 civic questions correctly. The study guide was also altered to have 128 potential questions rather than 100.
Roanoke College poll shows Virginians have opposing views on impeachment, Capitol riots and COVID-19
ROANOKE, Va. โ In the wake of the 2021 elections, Roanoke College conducted a poll to take a closer look at peopleโs views on recent issues. From Feb. 14 to Feb. 27, The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College interviewed 596 Virginians. The organization used random-digit landline numbers in proportion to Virginiaโs population to make sure that everyone had a chance to be included and bought cell phone samples from Marketing Systems Group. According to the organization, 61% of the completed interviews were done over a cell phone. Below is a highlight of what the poll revealed:Impeachment50% of people who responded believed that Trumpโs actions were impeachable offenses, 33% thought they were wrong but not impeachable and 13% believed he didnโt do anything wrong50% thought he should have been convicted by the Senate while 44% thought he should not have beenCapitol riots and last summerโs social justice protests53% saw the protestors as mostly violent; 84% viewed capitol rioters as criminals68% said the anger that led to the protests was not justified at allIn reference to last summerโs social justice protests, 35% viewed them as fully justified, 37% viewed them as partially justified and 91% viewed the looting and destruction associated with those protests as not at all justifiedCovid vaccine and governmental response18% of participants reported that they have already been vaccinated; 54% said they plan to get vaccinated while 23% said they donโt46% said they thought state government officials have helped slow the spread of the virus while 46% said they thought that the federal government hasnโt done enoughTo learn more about the poll results, click here.
High court to weigh Puerto Rico access to US aid
WASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether it is unconstitutional to exclude people living in Puerto Rico from Supplemental Social Security Income. The administration argues that a pair of 40-year-old Supreme Court decisions already upheld the federal law that created SSI and excluded Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories from it. In recent months, a federal judge ruled that Puerto Rico residents should have access to other federal welfare benefits from which they have been excluded as well. A federal judge in Guam said residents of that Pacific island also should be able to collect SSI. AdA separate program, Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled, covers residents of the territories, but it has more stringent eligibility requirements and pays less generous benefits than SSI.
Trump the dominant force at conservative conference
A conference attendee takes a selfie photo in front of a statue of former president Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)WASHINGTON โ A conference dedicated to the future of the conservative movement turned into an ode to Donald Trump as speakers declared their fealty to the former president and attendees posed for selfies with a golden statue of his likeness. Trump on Sunday will be making his first post-presidential appearance at the conference, and aides say he will use the speech to reassert his power. โIf we do, we will lose the working base that President Trump so animated. Trumpโs eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., lit into Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. โAnd I assure you that it will solidify Donald Trump and all of your feelings about the MAGA movement as the future of the Republican Party.โ
Biden's trade pick vows to work more closely with allies
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2020, file photo Katherine Tai, the Biden administration's choice totake overas the U.S. trade representative, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. President Joe Bidens pick to be the top U.S. trade envoy is promising to work with Americas allies to combat Chinas aggressive trade policies. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden's pick to be the top U.S. trade envoy is promising to work with America's allies to combat China's aggressive trade policies, indicating a break from the Trump administration's go-it-alone approach. Fluent in Mandarin, Tai served several years as head of China enforcement at the trade representative's office. Far from working with allies on trade, Trump sparred with them instead, putting tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and threatening to target European cars, too.
Biden asks high court to drop 2 Trump-era Medicaid cases
WASHINGTON โ The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court not to hear arguments in two cases on its March calendar about the Trump administration's plan to remake Medicaid by requiring recipients to work. The Biden administration has been moving to roll back those Trump-era plans and cited โgreatly changed circumstancesโ in asking Monday that the cases be dropped from the court's argument calendar. The high court had in December agreed to review lower-court decisions involving Arkansas and New Hampshire that found that the Trump administrationโs support for work requirements went beyond whatโs allowed by law. Medicaid is a $600 billion federal-state program that covers about 70 million people, from pregnant women and newborns to disabled people and nursing home residents. Under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, states gained the option of expanding the program to many low-income adults previously ineligible.