NEW YORK — Recent crackdowns targeting the sex-for-hire industry have reduced the number of commercial ads on the internet and helped fight online trafficking. But activists and police say the efforts may have had unintended consequences — landing women and girls back on the streets, where dangers also lurk. The...
As Aid Checks Go Out, Farmers Worry Bailout Won't Be Enough
WASHINGTON — Farmers across the United States will soon begin receiving government checks as part of a billion-dollar bailout to buoy growers experiencing financial strain from President Donald Trump's trade disputes with China. But even those poised for big payouts worry it won't be enough. And while support for Trump...
Rosenstein Expects to Lose Job, Heads to White House
WASHINGTON — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein headed to the White House Monday expecting to lose his job, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The development followed revelations that Rosenstein had made comments critical of President Donald Trump, including discussing possibly secretly recording the president and...
New Accusation Rocks Kavanaugh Nomination. Trump Stands Firm.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump staunchly defended his embattled Supreme Court nominee against a new allegation of sexual misconduct Monday, calling the accusations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh "totally political." The president spoke a day after a second allegation emerged against Kavanaugh, a development that further imperiled his nomination to the...
Trump Drops Civil Tone, Slams Kavanaugh Accuser Credibility
WASHINGTON — Abandoning his previous restraint, President Donald Trump challenged the credibility of the woman accusing his Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault on Friday, declaring that if the alleged attack was so terrible she would have reported it to law enforcement. Trump's change in tone — and apparent shift...
Trump's Tariffs Could Sow Trouble for GOP in Farm Districts
SPANGLE, Wash. — In the aptly named Harvester Restaurant, wheat farmer Roy Dube makes clear he's no fan of President Donald Trump's trade policy. "We get him elected into office and he pulls us out of trade agreements," Dube said last week as local farmers gathered to hear Democratic House...
Florence Death Toll Climbs to 37. Trump Visits Stricken Area.
WILMINGTON, N.C. — The death toll from Hurricane Florence climbed to at least 37, including two women who drowned when a sheriff's van taking them to a mental health facility was swept away by floodwaters, and North Carolina's governor pleaded with thousands of evacuees not to return home just yet....
Trump Says 'We'll Make Decision' if Kavanaugh Accuser Credible
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday the White House and Republican supporters of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination would have to "make a decision" on going forward if the woman accusing him of a long-ago sexual assault delivers a compelling account to senators considering confirmation. But amid uncertainty over...
Left is Suppressing Free Speech and That's Wrong: Zakaria
The rise of nationalism and growing autocracy around the globe in recent years has led to observations that the world is facing a "democratic recession." The previous global expansion of democratic values has slowed globally while some countries that once strongly embraced democratic norms have begun reversing course. In his...
Trump Declassifies FBI's Russia Probe Documents
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday declassified a trove of documents related to the early days of the FBI's Russia investigation, including portions of a secret surveillance warrant and former FBI Director James Comey's text messages. Trump made the extraordinary move in response to calls from his allies in...