Political Headlines
Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack is indicted on new assault count
[caption id="attachment_1504134" align="alignnone" width="1024"] FILE - Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, File)[/caption]WASHINGTON (AP) — A California man accused of trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempting to kill President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on a new charge over claims that he fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer during the attack. Cole Tomas Allen initially was charged in a complaint with attempting to assassinate the president and two additional firearms counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone. Allen's indictment by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., includes the ... Read More
Republicans aim to secure $1 billion for security-related aspects of White House ballroom construction project
Demolition of the East Wing of the White House, during construction on the new ballroom extension of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Senate Republicans are aiming to secure $1 billion in funding for security-related aspects of the White House ballroom project as part of a broader, roughly $70 billion funding package for immigration enforcement, which they aim to pass with little-to-no support from Democrats.Republicans began unveiling aspects of their reconciliation package late Monday night. Included within the bill is a $1 billion allocation to the Secret Service for "the purposes of security adjustments and upgrades ... relating to the East Wing Modernization Project, including above-ground and below-ground ... Read More
Trump’s retribution? What to watch in Tuesday’s elections in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump’s campaign to politically punish Republicans who stand in his way moves through Indiana on Tuesday, when seven state senators face Trump-backed primary challengers. In neighboring Ohio, primaries for U.S. Senate and governor will lock in the candidates for two major races with national implications. And in Michigan, voters in a bellwether district will fill a vacancy in the state Senate, a race with implications for the balance of power in a battleground state. An effort pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump last November to redraw Indiana’s congressional map failed. With the recent Supreme Court decision limiting the Voting Rights Act, some fear it could happen again. (AP video: Obed Lamy) Here’s what to watch ... Read More
Fulton County challenges DOJ subpoena targeting 2020 election workers
The Fulton County court in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(FULTON COUNTY, Ga.) -- The Department of Justice last month demanded the names and contact information for every election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, involved in the 2020 election, according to court filings disclosed this week.The Fulton County Board of Registrations and Elections is now asking a federal court in Atlanta to quash the grand jury subpoena from federal agents, which requested the names, addresses, phone numbers and emails for any staff member who worked the 2020 election."Its purpose is to target, harass, and punish the President's perceived political opponents; it is grossly overbroad and untethered to any reasonable need; it cannot yield ... Read More
Trump stops short of saying Iran violated ceasefire: ‘not heavy firing’
US President Donald Trump during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to retirement plans for workers whose employers don't offer that benefit, seeking to refocus the administration's messaging on economic issues. (Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- With Iranian forces attacking commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and oil infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, President Donald Trump on Monday stopped short of saying the U.S.-Iran ceasefire has been violated. "[It was] not heavy firing," Trump said in a phone call with ABC News when asked if the ceasefire had been violated. "We'll let ... Read More
Louisiana’s congressional primaries delayed in light of SCOTUS map decision
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on Thursday said that the Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday against the state's congressional map means that the planned May 16 congressional primaries won’t proceed as scheduled as lawmakers consider drawing a new map."The Supreme Court previously stayed an injunction against the State’s enforcement of the current Congressional map. By the Court’s order, however, that stay automatically terminated with yesterday’s decision. Accordingly, the State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map. We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of ... Read More
Former FBI Director James Comey makes initial court appearance in Instagram post case
ames Comey speaks onstage at 92NY on May 30, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Former FBI Director James Comey made an initial court appearance Wednesday after self-surrendering to law enforcement at the courthouse in the Eastern District of Virginia, following his indictment Tuesday on charges of threatening the president.A federal grand jury in North Carolina on Tuesday indicted Comey over a controversial Instagram post from last year that President Donald Trump and members of his administration claimed was a threat against Trump.Comey did not enter a plea during his court appearance.He answered "Yes, your honor," presumably as an acknowledgement of the charges in the indictment. He was flanked by his two attorneys, Jessica Carmichael ... Read More
Supreme Court reviews Trump cancellation of Haitian, Syrian protected status
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office after signing an Executive Order April 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday is considering whether the Trump administration unlawfully ordered hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the U.S. from Haiti and Syria to return home, abruptly cancelling their legal status out of alleged racial animus and without proper consideration of risks to their safety and the nation’s economy.The outcome in the pair of cases being argued before the court will directly affect the futures of roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals and about 6,000 Syrians.The Trump administration contends in court documents that the immigrants were never intended to be permanent residents and ... Read More
Hegseth and Kid Rock go for a ride in Army helicopters
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 24, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Kid Rock and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took a ride in AH-64 Apache attack helicopters around the Washington, D.C., area on Monday, just weeks after the Army drew scrutiny for allowing the same type of aircraft to hover near the pro-Trump musician's home.Both helicopters are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, according to a U.S. official, the same formation whose aircraft initially flew near Kid Rock’s Nashville-area home, where the musician later posted video of himself waving at and saluting the Apaches as they hovered near his backyard."Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great ... Read More
Extraordinary Trump-style filing asks to lift ballroom injunction as Republicans seek $400M in funding
Construction cranes are seen, from the Washington Monument, on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 17, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Senate Republicans unveiled a bill on Monday that would provide $400 million for President Trump's White House ballroom project, arguing that such a space is needed following the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, revealing their plans hours before the Department of Justice filed a scathing response to a judge's injunction on the project.Senior leadership of the Justice Department overnight filed a motion demanding U.S. District Judge Richard Leon dissolve the injunction he put in place in March, a ruling that said Trump couldn't build the planned ballroom ... Read More
Trump’s attempt to remake the Kennedy Center faces key legal test
Exterior of the Kennedy Center on the Potomac River, Washington, D.C., undated. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump’s attempt to remake the Kennedy Center faces a critical legal test on Tuesday morning.A federal Judge in Washington, D.C., is set to hear arguments about an attempt by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, to block the renaming, planned closure and renovation of the performing arts center.Beatty, an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center, initially brought her lawsuit last year to challenge its renaming to the Trump-Kennedy Center, an action she described as "more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American republic.""This is a flagrant violation of the rule of law, and it flies in the face of our constitutional ... Read More
Florida Gov. DeSantis unveils proposed congressional map that could let GOP flip up to 4 seats
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attends the Boom Belt: A Return to First Principles in Public Markets conference on April 7, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday unveiled a proposed new congressional map for the Sunshine State that his office indicates could let Republicans flip up to four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.It's a move that could help the party gain seats and counter Democrats' recent redistricting victory in Virginia, if the map passes the Legislature and survives likely legal challenges. But some in the state are concerned about how a new map might backfire on the GOP. It is also another volley in mid-decade redistricting around the country, as another state ... Read More
Supreme Court weighs ‘geofence warrants’ for cellphone data
The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- For generations, cops have obtained warrants to lawfully seek information from a specific suspect in a crime.The Supreme Court on Monday is considering whether investigators can also use so-called "geofence warrants" to do the reverse -- scanning cell phone data of thousands of innocent individuals in hopes of finding a suspect to apprehend.The landmark case is the first time the justices will consider whether the controversial practice of digital dragnets, which have grown in popularity among law enforcement with advances in technology, violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.Critics say the warrants intrude on Americans' reasonable expectation of privacy by compelling service ... Read More
Blanche says ‘the system worked’ to protect Trump from White House correspondents’ dinner shooting
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Appeals court says Trump’s order suspending asylum claims at the border is unlawful
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Senate Republicans greenlight ICE and CBP budget blueprint amid lingering shutdown
U.S. Capitol (Getty/Andrey Denisyuk)(WASHINGTON) -- Senate Republicans early Thursday morning approved a blueprint for their budget bill to fund immigration enforcement after an all-night voting marathon.The vote marks the first step in a new plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down since mid-February -- making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history.The budget resolution, which kicks off the drafting process of a bill that Republicans said would provide billions of dollars to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, was approved by a vote of 50-48.Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul joined with the Democrats in voting against the resolution. All other Republicans voted in favor of it, except for Sen. ... Read More
Supreme Court rules in favor of Army veteran wounded in suicide attack
The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of a U.S. Army veteran wounded in a 2016 suicide bombing in Afghanistan, allowing him to sue a military contractor for damages after it allegedly failed to supervise the attacker who was an employee.The 6-3 decision reverses lower court rulings which had said the contractor, Fluor Corporation, was immune from lawsuits because it was operating on behalf of the U.S. government and opens the door to other damages suits against war-zone contractors for activities outside the bounds of their responsibility.The attacker, Ahmad Nayeb, was employed by Fluor to work in a nontactical vehicle ... Read More
Georgia Democratic Rep. David Scott dies at 80
Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., attends the House Financial Services Committee hearing on "Make Community Banking Great Again" in the Ryaburn House Office Building on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Veteran Democratic Rep. David Scott of Georgia has died. He was 80 years old.Scott, who served as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee from 2021 to 2025, served in the House for more than 23 years, taking office in 2003.He was in the Capitol on Tuesday when he cast his final vote as a member.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. ... Read More
White House UFC event is getting increased security, DHS says
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump attend UFC 327 at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026, in Miami, Florida. The main event of UFC 327 is the light heavyweight match between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The sprawling UFC Freedom 250 event being held on the South Lawn of the White House and the Ellipse event in June are receiving the highest level of security possible, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News."The 'UFC Freedom 250' event held on the South Lawn of the White House and the Fan Festival on the Ellipse on June 13-14, 2026, are designated SEAR 1 events," a department spokesperson said to ABC News. Other SEAR 1 ... Read More
Hegseth ends mandatory flu vaccine for US military, says shot is now optional
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks as Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command, listens during a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 16, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that the annual flu vaccine will now be optional for all U.S. military personnel, both active and reserve. Previously, the flu vaccine had been mandatory. The new policy is in line with a previous change of making the COVID-19 vaccine optional.Hegseth announced the change in a video posted on social media."The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance, at all times, is just overly broad and not rational," Hegseth said."Our ... Read More
Embattled Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from Congress
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FLA) appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Florida Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress on Tuesday afternoon, just before she was to face a House Ethics Committee sanction hearing.The committee was set to hold a rare public hearing to determine what sanction would be appropriate for it to recommend to the full House against Cherfilus-McCormick.Last month, Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty of 25 House ethics violations, including acceptance of improper campaign contributions and commingling of campaign and personal funds. The congresswoman was indicted in November 2025 by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing $5 million in Federal ... Read More
In Virginia redistricting election, 4 House seats at stake as voters go to the polls
Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (left) and former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (right) campaign in Leesburg, VA on Monday, April 20, 2026. (ABC News)(RICHMOND, Va.) -- Voters in Virginia head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a redistricting ballot measure referendum that could have major implications for the midterm elections.The referendum will decide if the Democratic-controlled legislature should be allowed to redraw the state's congressional map. That would allow the legislature to implement a map that would reconfigure four congressional seats to favor Democrats, which could have major implications for control of the U.S. House after November’s midterm election.Democrats have said they need the measure in Virginia to pass in order to continue to counter previous mid-decade redistricting ... Read More
House Ethics Committee urges victims of sexual misconduct to contact them after lawmaker resignations
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 20, 2026. House Republicans will send their first funding bills for the next fiscal year to the floor this week, while the Senate GOP plots a blueprint for patching up missing money for the current one. (Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (WASHINGTON) -- The bipartisan House Ethics Committee on Monday released a rare statement encouraging anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct by a House member or staffer to contact them, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights or the Office of Employee Advocacy."There should be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination in the halls of Congress, or in any employment setting," the committee said in a lengthy statement. "The ... Read More
Trump tells ABC News he thinks he can trust the Iranians
President Donald Trump walks over to speak to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to promote the tax cuts he signed into law in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” ahead of the midterm election. Tomorrow he will deliver remarks at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- After announcing the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open" and saying a deal can soon be secured with Iran, a triumphant-sounding President Donald Trump told ABC News he believes he can trust the Iranians."I think they've had it," Trump said in ... Read More
First on ABC: Memo to Rubio details data on HIV/AIDS treatment program under Trump administration
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers remarks during working-level peace talks at the U.S. State Department, April 14, 2026, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Data collected by the State Department that has not previously been made public indicates that the number of people receiving treatment through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has remained steady despite dramatic cuts to foreign aid funding under the Trump administration, according to an internal department memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and seen exclusively by ABC News. The memo, which is marked sensitive but unclassified, says that even though overall spending on the initiative fell by roughly 30%, 20.6 million people living with HIV in more than 50 countries received anti-retroviral treatment ... Read More
Congress approves short-term FISA spy powers extension amid GOP infighting
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise speaks alongside House Republican leadership during a news conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, on April 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- In the dead of night at 2:09 a.m. on Friday, the House passed a bill to extend FISA through April 30 by unanimous consent, after Republicans tanked procedural votes on the controversial warrantless surveillance law. The short-term extension buys GOP leaders more time to continue negotiations amid Republican infighting over the program that was set to expire on Monday.The program allows the federal government to collect communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant, including when those people are interacting with Americans. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. ... Read More
Exclusive: Barack Obama calls for Virginians to vote ‘Yes’ in new video just days before crucial redistricting election
Former President Barack Obama during a campaign event for Representative Mikie Sherrill, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for New Jersey, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Former President Barack Obama, in a video shared exclusively with ABC News, called on Virginians to vote in favor of a redistricting measure that could give Democrats a boost in the 2026 midterms if it passes."By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms," Obama said in the video shared with ABC News. "By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we're counting on you."Over a million Virginians have voted early already, according to ... Read More
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons leaving agency
Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), speaks during a news conference in Nogales, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Ash Ponders/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, who presided over the agency amid President Donald Trump's controversial immigration crackdown, is planning to leave his post later this spring.Lyons said he was leaving his role to spend more time with his family, according to his resignation letter reviewed by ABC News."My sons are both reaching a pivotal point in their lives and my wife and I wish to spend as much time as possible with them," the letter reads. "This was not an easy decision, but ... Read More
Fine arts panel gives initial approval to Trump’s ‘triumphal arch’ but asks for design revisions
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, near an artist's rendering of President Donald Trump's planned Triumphal Arch during a news conference on April 15, 2026. (Mattie Neretin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot-tall "triumphal arch" at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was given initial approval on Thursday by the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency, but revisions were requested to address the panel's design concerns.Five members on the commission, now made up entirely of Trump appointees, voted in favor of moving along with the project. The panel's other two members were not present for the hearing.The towering arch Trump wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial ... Read More
DOJ prosecutors turned away after unannounced visit to Fed construction site: sources
Construction on the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Pete Kiehart/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office in Washington were turned away Tuesday after they made an unannounced visit to the Federal Reserve, where they allegedly requested a tour of renovations that have attracted scrutiny from the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.The unusual visit prompted immediate backlash from an attorney for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who wrote a letter to D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office, citing the recent ruling from a federal judge that blocked subpoenas to the bank after determining DOJ's criminal probe was driven by President Donald Trump's political animus ... Read More
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