Political Headlines
MS NOW, CNN and Politico say their journalists were denied access to White House after Trump ban
[caption id="attachment_1542809" align="alignnone" width="1024"] This combination of photos shows MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardne, from left, CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein and Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett near the White House complex after all were denied entry to the White House and had credentials confiscated following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photos/Jose Luis Magana)[/caption]NEW YORK (AP) — Reporters from three major news organizations — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — were denied access to the White House on Saturday, a day after President Donald Trump said he was barring them because of reporting he found to be “fake news.” The actions were a ... Read More
Appeals court rejects swift deportation of immigrants to third countries
Detainees are transferred from buses operated by the GEO Group to a plane chartered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at King County International Airport on April 15, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that immigrants facing deportation to third countries must be given sufficient notice before being sent to nations where they have no ties.The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit struck down a Department of Homeland Security policy that allowed the swift deportation of immigrants to third countries."An individual's right to contest removal to a country based on a fear of persecution in that country means ... Read More
Trump to meet with Venezuela’s interim president, other leaders during UN General Assembly: Official
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 23, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is set to visit the U.N. General Assembly next week, where he will address the international organization and meet with global leaders, according to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz.Trump will address the assembly on Tuesday and then have meetings with global leaders, Waltz said. Most notably, the president will meet face-to-face with Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez in a pull-aside meeting.It will be the first time that the leaders will meet since the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured then-President Nicolas Maduro ... Read More
Protesters plan to form human chain around Kennedy Center amid Trump’s threats to demolish it
Workers walk past newly installed fencing outside the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington, DC. The new fencing composed of “bike rack” and barricade material was installed a day after the Kennedy Center Board voted to close the venue for repairs. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Several hundred activists are expected to gather at the Kennedy Center on Friday in opposition to President Donald Trump's attempted takeover of the presidential memorial and threats that he will close and demolish it.Activists are expected to gather Friday evening to link hands and form a human chain outside the Washington venue, demanding Trump be removed as its chairman for failing to protect and manage it. ... Read More
Judge questions whether ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ is really dead
The U.S. Department of Justice Building on Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against the Justice Department said at a hearing Friday that she remains skeptical that the Trump administration won't move forward with improperly compensating allies of President Donald Trump who were prosecuted under the Biden administration, despite the DOJ's repeated statements that the $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is dead. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who is overseeing a lawsuit filed in May that sought to permanently block the fund, pointed to recent statements from top administration officials that she said suggests payments are still on the table for people like anti-abortion protesters convicted under the FACE Act and rioters ... Read More
Trump’s controversial triumphal arch will have ‘adverse effects’ on landscape, administration acknowledges
A model of President Donald Trump's proposed arch next to models of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building on a table at a public meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, April 16, 2026, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration acknowledges that the proposed construction of a 250-foot triumphal arch along the Potomac River at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery will cause "adverse effects" on the setting and views along the river -- but it says those impacts "cannot be fully avoided" because the arch's location is "central to the undertaking."The acknowledgment is contained in a document that has been sent by the National Park Service to four historic preservation and planning agencies in ... Read More
Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth’s impeachment
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie seized the House floor for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon, launching a long-shot effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stemming from his controversial administration over the Pentagon, including the war in Iran.After sending a news release announcing his intent to impeach Hegseth, Massie quickly appeared on the floor where he stood for more than 67 minutes reading the sweeping 34-page resolution with eight articles of impeachment aloud."Secretary Hegseth has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Secretary of Defense and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of ... Read More
DHS agents allegedly directed to ‘misrepresent’ themselves to access state voter rolls, whistleblower claims
Sen. Alex Padilla listens as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The Department of Homeland Security has allegedly directed hundreds of agents to attempt to access voter rolls, even if they must “misrepresent themselves” to do so, and “fabricate” evidence of voter fraud ahead of the midterm elections, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and California Sen. Alex Padilla said Monday, citing what they said was information from a whistleblower.“A DHS whistleblower warns that the department is pulling hundreds, hundreds of federal agents from national security rolls and sending them on a wild goose chase,” Schumer said at a press conference. “The goal: to ... Read More
Judge blocks adding Trump tribute to Kennedy Center facade
The Kennedy Center on Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- One month after the board of the Kennedy Center voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the historic building, the board voted on Tuesday to immediately close the performing arts center's main building, sources told ABC News. The vote came an hour after a federal judge blocked the Kennedy Center board from adding a tribute to Trump on the building or site. Last month, the Kennedy Center board members -- who Trump last year replaced with his allies -- voted to close the famed cultural institution for a two-year renovation.Lamenting that the "drama at the Kennedy Center continues" despite a permanent injunction and laws to the contrary, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ... Read More
Sen. Mitch McConnell returns to Senate floor after hospitalization
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for a vote at the U.S. Capitol on September 14, 2026 in Washington, D.C. This is McConnell’s first public appearance in over 90 days after he recovered from a fall and illness. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time since being hospitalized in June following a fall."Today, I'll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June," McConnell said in a statement. "I'm really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues."McConnell, who was in a wheelchair, briefly addressed journalists outside the Senate chamber this afternoon before heading to the floor to cast his ... Read More
Military funding, AI and more: Congress returns for short stint before bolting again
Capitol Hill dome on Sept. 11, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Lawmakers from both chambers return to Washington this week for the final legislative push before the November midterm elections, the first time since July 23 that both chambers will be in Washington.The House is in session for its final week of legislative business before the election after Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped two previously scheduled weeks of votes. The Senate has three weeks of business ahead of it -- as no changes to the Senate schedule have been announced -- though it’s possible Majority Leader John Thune could decide to dispatch his members to the campaign trail earlier than planned as well.The September session is often plagued by a looming ... Read More
Trump promised $2,000 tariff ‘dividends,’ but they still haven’t materialized 10 months later
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention on Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would give American adults a $5,000 "dividend" if Republicans kept the House and Senate in the midterm elections this fall, marking at least the second time he's promised to use tariff revenue to send payments to Americans."Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," Trump said, likening it to what "a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders."ABC News has reached out to the White ... Read More
Trump gave gifts totaling $155,000 to 4 White House aides, including Natalie Harp
Executive assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump Natalie Harp looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an agriculture event in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 4, 2026, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump doled out gifts totaling $155,000 for the holidays to four staff members in 2025, according to personal financial disclosures from the aides published by the White House.The president gave $45,000 each to Natalie Harp, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris as "cash gift[s] for the holidays," gifts that appear to be personal, according to documents the White House made public this month.Walt Nauta, a longtime ally of Trump's, received a $20,000 holiday gift, according to the documents.The aides received the ... Read More
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