WASHINGTON — A year after the Trump administration introduced its strategy for Afghanistan, the Taliban are asserting themselves on the battlefield even as U.S. officials talk up hopes for peace. That's raising questions about the viability of the American game plan for ending a war that began when some of...
Appeals Court Tells EPA to Ban Harmful Ag Pesticide
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence that even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Thursday...
For Now, Army Suspends Discharges of Immigrant Recruits
The U.S. Army has stopped discharging immigrant recruits who enlisted seeking a path to citizenship — at least temporarily. A memo shared with The Associated Press on Wednesday and dated July 20 spells out orders to high-ranking Army officials to stop processing discharges of men and women who enlisted in...
Pompeo Says Sanctions a Pillar of US Policy Toward Iran
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran will be rigorously enforced and remain in place until the Iranian government radically changes course. Speaking to reporters en route from a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia, Pompeo said Monday's re-imposition of some sanctions is an important...
China Announces $60B of US Goods for Tariff Retaliation
BEIJING — China on Friday announced a $60 billion list of U.S. goods including coffee, honey and industrial chemicals for retaliation if Washington goes ahead with its latest tariff threat. The Finance Ministry accused the Trump administration of damaging the global economy after it proposed increasing duties on $200 billion...
Trump Team Wants To Roll Back Obama-Era Mileage Standards
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday proposed weakening Obama-era mileage standards designed to make cars more fuel efficient and less polluting, a major rollback already being challenged in the courts by California and other states. The administration also served notice that it wants to revoke states' long-standing authority to...
Court Strikes Down Trump Push To Cut 'Sanctuary City' Funds
SAN FRANCISCO — A divided U.S. appeals court on Wednesday struck down a key part of President Donald Trump's contentious effort to crack down on cities and states that limit cooperation with immigration officials, saying an executive order threatening to cut funding for "sanctuary cities" was unconstitutional. In a 2-1...
More Than 300 Older Children Split at Border Are Reunited
SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration said Thursday that it has reunified 364 children ages 5 and older with their families after they were separated at the border, still leaving hundreds to go before a court-imposed deadline a week away. The Justice Department reaffirmed in a court filing that it...
Farmers Fret and Wait as US-China Trade War Escalates
MINNEAPOLIS — Many anxious American farmers are delaying purchases and investment while hoping for a truce in a U.S.-China trade war that has left their crops at a competitive disadvantage overseas. The longer the Trump administration's tariffs remain in place, the more China's retaliatory tariffs against American exports stand to...
Trump Wants To Amend Endangered Species Act
DENVER — The Trump administration on Thursday proposed ending automatic protections for threatened animal and plant species and limiting habitat safeguards that are meant to shield recovering species from harm. Administration officials said the new rules would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how the landmark Endangered Species Act is...