The recent firing of the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is just the latest in a string of blows for the nation’s top disaster-response agency, which has been repeatedly undercut by the Trump administration’s efforts to rein in spending and restructure the federal government.

The dismissal of acting director Cameron Hamilton...Read more

WASHINGTON — Asked if the ends can justify the means in politics, U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford brings it back to tariffs.

“That’s part of the problem right now. You know, tariffs are not a bad thing, but how you do it matters,” the Nevada Democrat says.

Tourism is a big industry in Nevada’s 4th District, which includes parts of Las ...Read more

DENVER -- When Liam Kelly first became interested in psychedelics as a teenager, they did so in a self-described “nerdy” way. Kelly, who uses nonbinary pronouns, would deeply research the drugs online to learn about their various effects and other people’s experiences. By the time they began attending college in Vermont, they were using ...Read more

President Donald Trump’s sudden move to lower tariffs on goods from China to 30% from 145% has thrown a lifeline to America’s small businesses who were running low on inventory — and cash.

But owners warn the reprieve will be limited.

Their caution goes like this: tariff rates remain sky high by historical levels and will keep pressuring...Read more

A 6-foot-tall inflatable Donald Trump gives two thumbs up to passersby outside the Trump Truth Store in far northwest suburban Huntley, Illinois, which sells all varieties of Trump-themed merchandise from Make America Great Again T-shirts to DOGE baseball caps.

But the replica of the controversial 47th president — along with the business it�...Read more

MIAMI -- Lucy Lowell, who survived the deadliest Nazi concentration camp to build a full life in New York City and eventually settle in Miami Beach, is among the last of an important and increasingly rare group of people.

At 103, she’s among the oldest living Holocaust survivors in the world.

It’s a population that’s disappearing with ...Read more

Local sheriffs are on the front lines in deciding whether to participate in the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans. But states increasingly are making the choice for them.

More and more, sheriffs’ hands are tied no matter whether they do — or don’t — want to help with deportations, though they often get the blame when ...Read more

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both joined President Trump’s Cabinet promising to restore “integrity” to their offices. Nearly four months in, however, both prominent Floridians are neck deep in administration controversies.

Though in a role seen as independent, Bondi says she works “at the directive of ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hopes of state lawmakers passing a more than $60 billion two-year budget on time are fading at the Minnesota Capitol.

Daily marathon negotiation sessions between Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor majority Senate and the House tied 67-67 between the DFL and Republicans have failed to produce a final budget deal.

On ...Read more

In a rare acceptance of regulations adopted during the Biden administration, the Trump-led Environmental Protection Agency is backing the first national limits on a pair of toxic forever chemicals contaminating the drinking water of most Americans.

But the Trump EPA wants to eliminate standards for a handful of replacement chemicals that appear...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — People have been asking John Morgan to run for governor and talking about his potential candidacy for so long, the Orlando celebrity lawyer told a local political club, “that I became like a candidate and that’s where all this talk is coming from.”

But the high-profile Florida lawyer, who is known nationally for his ...Read more

At least one Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee wants to know why her subcommittee is being asked to approve funding for a new jet to be used by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“My committee just received a last-minute addition to the Coast Guard’s spend plan: $50 million for a new Gulfstream 5 jet for DHS...Read more

The Boston City Council passed a home rule petition that seeks to implement a ranked-choice voting system for city elections, that would see voters rank multiple candidates by order of preference rather than cast a single vote for their top choice.

The Council voted Wednesday to approve the petition, by an 8-4 margin, after a roughly hour-long ...Read more

The Trump administration called its $142 billion defense deal with Saudi Arabia “the largest defense sales agreement in history.” Critics aren’t so sure.

The deal, announced as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week, appeared ambitious and sweeping, touting purchases linked to the air force and space, ...Read more

Germine Joly, the Haitian gang leader who ran a gunrunning conspiracy and kidnapping racket from the inside of a Haitian jail, denied any gang affiliation or role in the kidnapping of 16 U.S. missionaries as he took the stand in his own defense on Wednesday inside a Washington federal courtroom.

Joly, wearing a black suit, tie and eyeglasses, ...Read more

Medicaid is on the chopping block in Washington, D.C., and by extension throughout the rest of the country.

The cuts being pushed by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives would be felt in nursing homes, delivery rooms, doctors’ offices and private homes all over the nation.

Willie Barnett, 80, and his companions at the A.G. Rhodes...Read more

DEDHAM, Mass. — The Karen Read retrial returned to examining physical evidence in the case after multiple days examining a lack of professionalism by certain case investigators.

The day also included testimony from victim John O’Keefe’s niece, which the media was not allowed to record per a court order. She testified that O’Keefe and ...Read more

A proposal to regulate the killing of coyotes in California has drawn fierce opposition from ranchers and farmers, who say they need to be able to control the wild canines to protect livestock and pets.

Dozens of people whose livelihoods rely on California’s broad range lands are expected to pack a hearing in Sacramento on Thursday before a ...Read more

Wildfires are burning through thousands of acres of forest in Northern Minnesota, damaging buildings and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.

The yet-to-be-contained Camp House fire, Jenkins Creek fire and Munger Shaw fire have a small accomplice to thank for their continued destruction: spruce budworms, a well-known pest that has ...Read more