Washington News

Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai denies he asked a newspaper colleague to draft list of sanction targets

Former publisher Jimmy Lai has denied that he asked a colleague to draft a list of potential sanction targets in testimony at his landmark national security trial in Hong Kong.

Federal Reserve’s likely slowdown in rate cuts could disappoint borrowers

Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth

Stock market today: Global shares mostly slip despite Nvidia’s solid earnings report

US regulators want to force Google to sell its Chrome browser as part of the penalty for monopolizing search

AP Race Call: Republican Nick Begich wins election to U.S. House in Alaska’s at-large Congressional District, beating incumbent Mary Peltola

Republican Nick Begich wins election to U.S. House in Alaska’s at-large Congressional District, beating incumbent Mary Peltola

Canada’s provincial leaders want a free trade deal with the US that excludes Mexico

The leader of Canada’s most populous province says all of the country’s provincial and territorial premiers want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico.

AP Race Call: Democrat Marcy Kaptur wins reelection to U.S. House in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District

Democrat Marcy Kaptur wins reelection to U.S. House in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District

Democrat Marcy Kaptur wins reelection to U.S. House in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to ignore prosecutors and dismiss hush money conviction

As prosecutors push to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction, his lawyers are urging a judge to ignore them and scrap the case before he takes office in January.

Trump chooses Matt Whitaker, a former acting attorney general, as NATO ambassador

Trump chooses Matt Whitaker, a former acting attorney general, as NATO ambassador.

Delta CEO says the Trump administration will reverse government ‘overreach’ seen under Biden

The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden.

US to give antipersonnel mines to Ukraine to help slow the Russian advance

The U.S. defense chief says the Biden administration will give Ukraine antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield advances.

Trump has called for dismantling the Education Department. Here’s what that would mean

Throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump heaped scorn on the federal Department of Education, describing it as being infiltrated by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.”

Health advocates in Africa worry Trump will reimpose abortion ‘gag rule’ governing US aid

Women’s health advocates in Africa are worried that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will again invoke the so-called global gag rule, a policy that cuts off U.S. government funding for groups that offer abortion-related services.

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts as Target tumbles

U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish, though the modest moves for indexes masked some thrashing underneath the surface. The S&P 500 ended barely changed Wednesday after trading lower for much of the day.

Hong Kong ex-publisher Jimmy Lai testifies he didn’t ask Pence, Pompeo to take action against city

Former Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai is testifying in his defense at his landmark national security trial. He told the court on Wednesday about his 2019 meetings with former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and former U.S.

US defense chief regrets China’s decision not to meet during Southeast Asian security talks

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has expressed regret that his Chinese counterpart chose not to hold talks with him during meetings of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Laos, calling it a setback for the entire region.

A battle over mail ballots in Pennsylvania is latest example of messy disputes over election rules

The recount underway in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race marks the end of a chaotic post-election period that has become the latest example of how disputed election rules can expose weak points in a core function of American democracy.

Multiple election offices report receiving mailed ballots misdirected from other states

The Associated Press has found numerous instances of completed mail ballots from around the country being sent to election offices in the wrong state.

Prosecutors tell New York judge they oppose any effort to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction

Russia’s military says Ukraine fired 6 US-made ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region overnight

Ukraine fires several US-made longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time

Officials say Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia, marking the first time Kyiv has used such weapons since the start of the war.

Stock market today: Nvidia helps pull US indexes higher

Nvidia helped pull U.S. stock indexes higher after they stumbled in the morning on worries about escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Tuesday.

Lula urges G20 members to take action to slow global warming

Brazil’s president has opened the second day of a meeting of the world’s 20 major economies by calling for more action to slow global warming, saying developed nations must speed up their initiatives to reduce harmful emissions.

Georgia appeals court cancels hearing in election interference case against Trump

A Georgia appeals court has canceled oral arguments that were scheduled for next month on the appeal of a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against President-elect Donald Trump.

Photo-shoot fail: Biden, Trudeau miss traditional photo with world leaders at G20

President Joe Biden inadvertently was a missing man in the traditional photo of world leaders at the final Group of 20 summit of his presidency. A U.S. official attributed Monday’s photo-shoot fail to timing.

Amazon and Elon Musk’s SpaceX challenge labor agency’s constitutionality in federal court

Judge tosses Huckabee lawsuit against Meta over ads suggesting he endorsed marijuana gummies

A federal judge in Delaware has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee against social media giant Meta over advertisements using his name and image to sell CBD products.

As China cracks down on bookstores at home, Chinese-language booksellers are flourishing overseas

Independent bookstores have become a new battleground in China. They’re getting swept up in the ruling Communist Party’s crackdown on dissent and free expression.

Stock market today: Wall Street rises following last week’s slide

Most U.S. stocks ticked higher to recover some of their sharp slide from last week. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Monday for its first gain in three days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.

Brazil’s G20 summit produces a broad declaration that’s short on specifics

The summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro has produced a joint declaration that, while not totally endorsed by one of the group’s members, succeeded in addressing most topics host Brazil had prioritized addressing: both ongoing major wars, a global pact to fight hunger, taxat

North Korean leader calls for expanding his nuclear forces in the face of alleged US threats

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has renewed his call for a “limitless” expansion of his military nuclear program to counter what he characterizes as U.S.-led threats.

Donald Trump Jr. says pushback against Cabinet picks proves they’re the disrupters voters wanted

Donald Trump Jr. says any pushback from the Washington establishment around his father’s unconventional choices for Cabinet proves they are just the kind of disruptors that voters are demanding.