While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press.
The Kennedy Center is ending the year with a new round of artists saying they are canceling scheduled performances after President Donald Trump's name was added to the facility, prompting the institution's president to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.
A second group canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center following the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the facility, with jazz supergroup The Cookers pulling out of a planned New Year's Eve concert, and the institution's president saying the cancellations demonstrate the artists' unwillingness to see their music as crossing lines of political disparity.
More artists have canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center following the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the facility, with jazz supergroup The Cookers pulling out of a planned New Year's Eve concert, and the institution's president saying the cancellations belie the artists' unwillingness to see their music as crossing lines of political disparity.
More artists have canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center following the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the facility, with jazz supergroup The Cookers pulling out of a planned New Year's Eve concert, and the institution's president saying the cancellations belie the artists' unwillingness to see their music as crossing lines of political disparity.
Four moderate House Republicans -- from swing districts Democrats are already eyeing for next year's midterms -- have broken ranks with Speaker Mike Johnson, signing on to Democrats' petition to force a vote on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of this year.
President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the long-awaited meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani would happen in Washington later this week, setting up an in-person clash between the political polar opposites who for months have antagonized each other from afar.
President Donald Trump has publicly called it quits with one of his most stalwart MAGA-world supporters, calling Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene "'Wacky' Marjorie" and saying he would endorse a challenger against her in next year's midterms "if the right person runs."
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Not even a year out from the last presidential election, the Democratic National Committee has begun setting up a framework for the party's next round of presidential primary elections, which could upend the early-voting calendar yet again.
The public release of a Young Republican group chat that included racist language, jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers prompted bipartisan calls for those involved to be removed from or resign their positions.
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HOUSTON (AP) -- With the first U.S. government shutdown in almost seven years looming, the Trump administration is using official government communications to blame Democrats and promote the president's policies.
Eight months into his second term, President Donald Trump's long-standing pledge to take on those he perceives as his political enemies has prompted debates over free speech, media censorship and political prosecutions.
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- Federal officials on Friday said they are taking steps that will give state and federal prisons the right to jam the signals of cellphones smuggled to inmates, devices they argue allow prisoners to plot violence and carry out crimes.
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- Charles Bierbauer, former CNN White House correspondent and a past president of the White House Correspondents Association who later became dean of the University of South Carolina's journalism program, has died. He was 83.
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is playing up her connection to President Donald Trump in the first TV campaign ad of a hotly contested gubernatorial race, highlighting the Republican candidates' heated pursuit of the president's backing in a state where his support remains high.
In the hundreds of pages of transcripts from Justice Department interviews of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein spoke glowingly of President Donald Trump, called him a "gentleman in all respects" and describing him as "friendly" with Epstein.
Former President Barack Obama has waded into states' efforts at rare mid-decade redistricting efforts, saying he agrees with California Gov. Gavin Newsom's response to alter his state's congressional maps, in the way of Texas redistricting efforts promoted by President Donald Trump aimed at shoring up Republicans' position in next year's elections.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer is suspending his GOP primary challenge to Sen. Lindsey Graham, shuttering his effort to oust the four-term incumbent after just more than a month and eschewing a "political climate that rewards deception over honesty, or ambition over unity."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump recognized nearly 100 recipients of the Purple Heart at the White House on Thursday, including several service members who gave him their own medals after an attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is recognizing nearly 100 recipients of the Purple Heart at the White House on Thursday, including several service members who gave him their own medals after an attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Although President Donald Trump has not directly said he thinks JD Vance should be the heir to his "Make America Great Again" base of support, he acknowledged this week that his vice president is probably the favorite to succeed him "at this point."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Although President Donald Trump has not directly said he thinks JD Vance should be the heir to his "Make America Great Again" base of support, he acknowledged this week that his vice president is probably the favorite to succeed him "at this point."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In firing the head of the agency that produces monthly jobs figures, President Donald Trump alleged that the recent weaker-than-expected numbers were phony and that positive numbers reported before the 2024 election were manipulated to make him look bad.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is running for governor, entering a GOP primary in which competition for President Donald Trump's endorsement -- and the backing of his base of supporters -- is expected to be fierce.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- President Donald Trump has downplayed the influence of Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur known for her incendiary social media presence, in his administration's decision-making.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- President Donald Trump has downplayed the influence of Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur known for her incendiary social media presence, in his administration's decision-making.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to headline the latest iteration of an event previously billed as the largest annual gathering of Republicans in South Carolina, a state traditionally key to picking the GOP's presidential nominees, and one in which she already has deep relationships.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to headline the latest iteration of an event previously billed as the largest annual gathering of Republicans in South Carolina, a state traditionally key to picking the GOP's presidential nominees, and one in which she already has deep relationships.
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- Rep. Ralph Norman, among the most conservative Republicans in the U.S. House, is entering South Carolina's 2026 governor's race.
FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom is launching a two-day tour of South Carolina on Tuesday, meeting voters across rural areas -- and some GOP strongholds -- in the early-voting state, the latest signal that the Democrat is eyeing a 2028 run for president.
Elon Musk has said that he's formed a new political party, but it's unclear what steps -- if any -- he's taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections.
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer is mounting a GOP primary challenge to Sen. Lindsey Graham, arguing the incumbent isn't conservative enough to represent the state.
Elon Musk's feud with President Donald Trump -- and seemingly any congressional Republicans who support the president's massive tax cuts and spending package -- has reignited, with the tech billionaire threatening to launch a new political party, and Trump suggesting Musk could be punished for his opposition.
LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) -- Alan Wilson, the four-term Republican attorney general of South Carolina, kicked off his bid for the state's first open gubernatorial race in 16 years, setting up a 2026 GOP primary contest that's likely to be a heated competition for President Donald Trump's endorsement.
The swiftly evolving situation in the Los Angeles area over protests surrounding immigration enforcement actions has also cued up a public spat between President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California governor who has been one of the Republican president's most vocal Democratic critics.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Dr. Annie Andrews, the South Carolina Democrat who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022, says she's running against Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2026, challenging the four-term incumbent in part due to what she characterized as his waffling positions over the course of his political career.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the constitutional provision that allows people to legally challenge their detention by the government is actually a tool the Trump administration can use in its broader crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border. She called habeas corpus "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their...
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the constitutional provision that allows people to legally challenge their detention by the government is actually a tool the Trump administration can use in its broader crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border. She called habeas corpus "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their...
HUGER, S.C. (AP) -- Vice President JD Vance visited a steel plant in South Carolina on Thursday as he heralded the launch of an "industrial renaissance" in the U.S., in part due to President Donald Trump's moves to boost domestic industry.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As President Donald Trump's tariffs roil global markets, some of the thought leaders and influential podcasters who backed the Republican's campaign are voicing doubts.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As President Donald Trump's tariffs roil global markets, some of the thought leaders and influential podcasters who backed the Republican's campaign are voicing doubts.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The deep cuts across federal agencies since Donald Trump's return to the White House include reductions in force, which mean not only layoffs but also elimination of positions altogether.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans, particularly those in Congress, have been overwhelmingly supportive of broad cuts across the federal government at the hands of Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency. But some have had words of caution.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday night will stand at the front of the U.S. House chamber to address a joint session of Congress, the first of his second term in office.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday night will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As they mustered support for their confirmations by the U.S. Senate, some of President Donald Trump's appointees made statements from which they've already distanced themselves upon taking office.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kelly Loeffler, a Georgia businesswoman and former senator, to lead the Small Business Administration, returning a stalwart supporter of President Donald Trump to Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For more than four centuries, the body of water stretching from Florida through Texas and into Mexico has been known as the Gulf of Mexico. But in a matter of weeks, President Donald Trump and White House officials have sought to rewrite the map by calling it the Gulf of America -- and insisting others do the...
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump's closest congressional allies, is kicking off his pursuit of a fifth term with two of his home state's top Republicans chairing his 2026 campaign, an early show of strength in a race where the longtime lawmaker is expected to face primary challengers.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the Democratic National Committee prepares to elect a new chair, its departing leader says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in the 2024 race.
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- Changeover among federal government agencies is normal when a new administration comes to Washington. But President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping changes in the first days of his second administration, from firing career agency employees to freezing trillions in federal grant funds and halting diversity, equity and inclusion programs that could result in wide-ranging layoffs.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said Wednesday that she is "seriously considering" a gubernatorial run in 2026 and will make a final decision in the coming weeks.
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
Jimmy Carter was remembered at his funeral Thursday at Washington National Cathedral as a man of "character" and "something of a miracle" with "prophetic" vision.
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed frustration that flags will be flying at half-staff when he takes office later this month.
Most of the U.S. holds its major primary and general elections in even-numbered years, but there are a handful of places where competitive congressional, state and local-level contests will be happening in 2025.