Nation
April 18

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secures ballot access in battleground state of Michigan

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has secured a place on the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan, state officials confirmed Thursday, elevating his potential to affect the November election.
Nation
April 18

The Latest | 12 jurors and 1 alternate seated in Trump hush money case

Twelve jurors and one alternate have been seated in Donald Trump 's hush money case, quickly propelling the jury selection process forward after a morning that saw two previously sworn-in jurors dismissed — one after she expressed new doubt in her ability to be fair and impartial following the disclosure of details about her identity and the other over concerns that he may not have been truthful about whether he had ever been accused or convicted of a crime.
Nation
April 18

Kansas GOP congressman Jake LaTurner is not running again, citing family reasons

Two-term Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner is not running for reelection this year in his GOP-leaning eastern Kansas district so that he can spend more time with his four young children, he announced Thursday.
Nation
April 18

Senate advances renewal of key US surveillance program as detractors seek changes

The Senate advanced legislation Thursday that would reauthorize a key U.S. surveillance tool as lawmakers and the Biden administration rushed to tamp down fresh concerns about the program violating Americans' civil liberties.
Business
April 18

Convenience store chain with hundreds of outlets in 6 states hit with discrimination lawsuit

The Sheetz convenience store chain has been hit with a lawsuit by federal officials who allege the company discriminated against minority job applicants.
Nation
April 18
Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, left, and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Sen. Lisa Keim, R-Dixfield, share a laugh during the morning Senate session We

Sweeping gun legislation approved by Maine lawmakers after deadliest shooting in state history

The Maine Legislature approved sweeping gun safety legislation including background checks on private gun sales, waiting periods for gun purchases and criminalizing gun sales to prohibited people before adjourning Thursday morning, nearly six months after the deadliest shooting in state history.
Nation
April 18

Trump loses bid to halt Jan. 6 lawsuits while he fights criminal charges in the 2020 election case

Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington.
Politics
April 18
Braemar Arena in Edina. The Legislature gave Edina permission to ask voters for a half-cent sales tax to fund nearly $40 million in improvements at Fr

After a bumper crop of new sales taxes approved in 2023, legislators look at limits

Legislators could rein in what kinds of projects can be paid for with sales taxes in the future.
Nation
April 18

New York man pleads guilty to sending threats to state attorney general and Trump civil case judge

A New York man has pleaded guilty to sending death threats to the state attorney general and the Manhattan judge who presided over former President Donald Trump's civil fraud case, prosecutors said Thursday.
Business
April 18

Liquor sales in movie theaters, to-go sales of cocktails included in New York budget agreement

New York would expand access to booze by allowing movie theaters to sell liquor and continuing to let people buy takeout cocktails from bars and restaurants under a series of measures unveiled Thursday.
Nation
April 18

Democrats weigh prospect of helping Johnson save his job as House speaker

Some Democrats are entertaining the prospect of coming to House Speaker Mike Johnson's rescue should Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., force a vote seeking his ouster, though it will likely depend on his ability to deliver an emergency aid package focused on Ukraine and Israel.
Politics
April 18
The Community Addiction Recovery Enterprise (CARE) facility, Minnesota’s only all-woman substance use disorder residential facility, is one of sever

Minnesota plan to close state addiction treatment facilities faces pushback

DHS wants to divert resources to address mental health crisis. Some fear Minnesota is "robbing Peter to pay Paul" and women with addiction will suffer.
Nation
April 18
President Joe Biden waves as he walks across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, after returning from a trip t

Kennedy family makes 'crystal clear' its Biden endorsement in attempt to deflate RFK Jr.'s candidacy

President Joe Biden scooped up endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Politics
April 18

Vice President Harris returning to Wisconsin for third visit this year

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to return to Wisconsin next week for her third visit to the battleground state this year.
Nation
April 18

Former Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Peter Barca announces new bid for Congress

A Democrat who represented southeast Wisconsin in Congress in the 1990s before going on to become a leader in the Assembly and state revenue secretary announced Thursday that he's running for Congress again.
Nation
April 18

Nancy Pelosi book, 'The Art of Power,' will reflect on her career in public life

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has completed a book about her years in public life, from legislation she helped enact to such traumatizing moments as the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol and the assault at her San Francisco home that left her husband with a fractured skull.
Nation
April 18

Climate change concerns grow, but few think Biden's climate law will help, an AP-NORC poll finds

Like many Americans, Ron Theusch is getting more worried about climate change.
Nation
April 17

New Black congressional district in Louisiana bows to politics, not race, backers say

Politics and race are both factors in a pending court challenge of Louisiana's new congressional maps. How much weight each carries is a major question before three federal judges whose ruling could affect the balance of power in the next Congress.
Nation
April 17
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is sworn-in before the House Committee on Homeland Security during a hearing on "A Review of the Fiscal

Senate rejects impeachment articles against Mayorkas, ending trial against Cabinet secretary

The Senate dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border and shutting down his trial before arguments even began.
Nation
April 17

Poland's president becomes the latest leader to visit Donald Trump as allies eye a possible return

Former President Donald Trump met Wednesday in New York with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the latest in a series of meetings with foreign leaders as Europe braces for the possibility of a second Trump term.

Minnesota Politics

Latest politics news from the Twin Cities, Minnesota and Washington, D.C., including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Minnesota Legislature, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.