Food stamp change fuels anxiety as states try to curb impact: 'We can't go without eating'
CHICAGO — Having food stamps offers Richard Butler stability he’s rarely known in his 25 years.
President Trump seeks high court approval to speed deportations
WASHINGTON — The man slipped into the U.S from Tijuana, Mexico, and made it just 25 yards from the border before he was arrested.A seven-month journey from Sri Lanka was over for Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam.
'Didn't think my vote would count:' Voters weighing options, turnout expected to rise in 2020
MILWAUKEE -- The national Trump campaign is making overtures to black voters here in Milwaukeee.
Federal appeals court temporarily halts President Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
SAN DIEGO — A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a Trump administration policy to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts.The same court decided to keep another major change on hold, one that denies asylum to anyone who enters the U.S. illegally from Mexico.A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the two policies that are central to President Donald Trump’s asylum crackdown, dealing the administration a major setback, even if it proves temporary.The question before the judges was whether to let the policies take effect during legal challenges.The Trump administration has made asylum an increasingly remote possibility at a time when claims have soared.
'Our hearts go out:' Leaders from city, state, nation react to Miller Brewery shooting
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Governor Tony Evers shared messages in the wake of the Miller Brewery shooting to not only the people of Milwaukee, but all of Wisconsin.Police say five people were fatally shot, and the shooter, a Milwaukee man, 51, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
President Trump names Vice President Pence to lead US response to coronavirus threat
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the U.S. is “very, very ready” for whatever the coronavirus threat brings, and he put his vice president in charge of overseeing the nation's response.President Trump sought to minimize fears of the virus spreading widely across the U.S. But he said he was ready to spend “whatever's appropriate,” even if that meant the extra billions of dollars that Democrats have said is necessary to beef up the U.S. response.
Appeals court sides with Trump administration in 'sanctuary cities' grant fight
NEW YORK — The Trump administration can withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to force states to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement, a federal appeals court in New York ruled Wednesday in a decision that conflicted with three other federal appeals courts.The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan overturned a lower court's decision ordering the administration to release funding to New York City and seven states — New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia and Rhode Island.The states and city sued the U.S. government after the Justice Department announced in 2017 that it would withhold grant money from cities and states until they gave federal immigration authorities access to jails and provide advance notice when someone in the country illegally is about to be released.Before the change, cities and states seeking grant money were required only to show they were not preventing local law enforcement from communicating with federal authorities about the immigration status of people who were detained.At the time, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said: “So-called ‘sanctuary’ policies make all of us less safe because they intentionally undermine our laws and protect illegal aliens who have committed crimes.”In 2018, the Justice Department imposed additional conditions on the grant money, though challenges to those have not yet reached the appeals court in New York.The 2nd Circuit said the plain language of relevant laws make clear that the U.S. attorney general can impose conditions on states and municipalities receiving money.And it noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly observed that the federal government maintains broad power over states when it comes to immigration policies.In the past two years, federal appeals courts in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco have ruled against the federal government by upholding lower-court injunctions placed on the enforcement of some or all of the challenged conditions.“While mindful of the respect owed to our sister circuits, we cannot agree that the federal government must be enjoined from imposing the challenged conditions on the federal grants here at issue,” the 2nd Circuit three-judge panel said in a decision written by Judge Reena Raggi.“These conditions help the federal government enforce national immigration laws and policies supported by successive Democratic and Republican administrations.
South Carolina debate: Bernie Sanders takes hits while gaining spotlight as front-runner
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Democrats unleashed a roaring assault against Bernie Sanders and seized on Mike Bloomberg’s past with women in the workplace during a contentious debate Tuesday night that tested the strength of the two men at the center of the party’s presidential nomination fight.As the undeniable Democratic front-runner, Sanders faced the brunt of the attacks for much of the night, and for one of the few times, fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren was among the critics.
Pres. Trump seeks $2.5B to stem coronavirus spread; lawmakers unsure if it’ll be enough
WASHINGTON ─ President Donald Trump is asking Congress for $2.5 billion to prepare for the potential spread of the coronavirus nationwide, despite also stating that the United States has everything under control.President Trump said the majority of the funding would be put toward developing quarantine and treatment facilities for those who could potentially have the virus.
President Trump returns to domestic squabbles on India trip
NEW DELHI — Returning to domestic squabbles, President Donald Trump lashed out at Supreme Court justices and his Democratic rivals on Tuesday during the second and last day of a whirlwind trip to India.
Fundraising mail looks like US census form, but it's not from the government
MADISON -- Some Wisconsin residents are receiving mail calling itself a census, but it's not from the government.
President Trump, first lady stroll the grounds of iconic Taj Mahal
AHMEDABAD, India President Donald Trump, who once owned the former Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, took in breathtaking views of the real Taj Mahal Monday in India.As President Trump walked from the iconic 17th century mausoleum, he told reporters that is was an “incredible place."On his flight to Agra, India, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he'd never been to the UNESCO world heritage site before.
Sanders briefed by officials of Russian attempts interfere in his 2020 campaign
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Friday he was briefed by U.S. officials “about a month ago” that Russia has been trying to help his campaign as part of Moscow's efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.“It was not clear what role they were going to play,” Sanders said during a campaign stop in California. “We were told that Russia, maybe other countries, are going to get involved in this campaign.”The Vermont senator continued: “Here’s the message to Russia: Stay out of American elections.”Sanders' response was a sharp contrast from that of President Donald Trump, who has pushed back at the assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia has interfered in elections on his behalf.
Intel officials say Russia boosting President Trump's candidacy
WASHINGTON — Intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign to help President Donald Trump get reelected, three officials familiar with the closed-door briefing said Thursday.The warning raises questions about the integrity of the presidential campaign and whether President Trump's administration is taking the proper steps to combat the kind of interference that the U.S. saw in 2016.The officials asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.
President Trump ally Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months in prison
WASHINGTON — President Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department's original sentencing recommendation.U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Stone's crimes demanded a significant time behind bars, but she said the seven to nine years originally recommended by the Justice Department were excessive.Stone's lawyers had asked for a sentence of probation, citing his age of 67 years, his health and his lack of criminal history.Stone was convicted in November on all seven counts of an indictment that accused him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election.
Debate night brawl: Bloomberg, Sanders attacked by rivals
LAS VEGAS — From the opening bell, Democrats savaged New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and raised pointed questions about Bernie Sanders' take-no-prisoners politics during a contentious debate Wednesday night that threatened to further muddy the party's urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump.Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who was once a Republican, was forced to defend his record and past comments related to race, gender and his personal wealth in an occasionally rocky debate stage debut.
AP source: Attorney General Barr tells people he might quit over President Trump's tweets
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has told people close to him he’s considering quitting his post after President Donald Trump wouldn’t heed his warning to stop tweeting about Justice Department cases, an administration official told The Associated Press.The revelation came days after Barr took a public swipe at the president, saying in a television interview that President Trump’s tweets about Justice Department cases and staffers make it “impossible” for him to do his job.
President Trump commutes sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, pardons others
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov.