The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday — first announced as extending for 10 days but lasting only a few hours — stemmed from the Pentagon’s plans to test a laser to shoot down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to the Associated Press. San Antonio’s lone direct Wednesday flight to El Paso was not impacted.

The Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas.

Delta Air Lines estimates that it lost $200 million due to the longest government shutdown on record.

The U.S. government has released a new crash test dummy design that advocates believe will help make cars safer for women.

National Guard troops are patrolling in Memphis for the first time, as part of President Donald Trump’s federal task force.

American lawmakers are using a trip to South Korea and Japan to explore how the United States can tap those allies’ shipbuilding expertise and capacity to help boost its own capabilities.

President Donald Trump grew impatient with how long it was taking to finish new planes to serve as Air Force One, so he started to look for other options.

As transgender service members face a deadline to leave the U.S. military, hundreds are taking the financial bonus to depart voluntarily.

After long months when President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk appeared united in their chaotic mission to remake Washington, their relationship imploded this week.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and executives from Microsoft and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices testified on Capitol Hill about the biggest opportunities, risks and needs facing an industry which lawmakers and technologists agree could fundamentally transform global business, culture and geopolitics.

Barack Obama says he wouldn't have been a U.S. senator or president without the support of Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who has announced he's not seeking reelection.

Congressional lawmakers are scrambling to formulate a response to President Donald Trump’s slashing of the federal government as one group takes a front and center role: military veterans.

The Senate has confirmed Dan Driscoll to be the next Army secretary, voting 66-28 to put the former soldier and Iraq War veteran at the helm of the service.

The United States has a new secretary of veterans affairs.

President Donald Trump's remarks this week blaming diversity recruitment at the FAA as a potential reason for the plane crash that killed 67 people has drawn attention to the agency’s attempts to address its most pressing and long-standing staffing problem.

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled the proposed defense secretary over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asking him if he could name one member and how many countries were in the bloc.

Pete Hegseth faced an important test on Tuesday — but he didn't just have to prove himself to the senators who immediately began sparring over his nomination as defense secretary.

Confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s cabinet picks begin this week, starting with Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth will publicly face senators on Tuesday for the first time after weeks of privately pushing back on criticism over his qualifications and personal past.

Pete Hegseth vows to bring “warrior culture’” to the military if confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick.

Pete Hegseth has spent the week on Capitol Hill trying to reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Defense in the wake of high-profile allegations about excessive drinking and sexual assault.

The withdrawal of Matt Gaetz as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general serves as a reminder that the Senate is still relevant when it comes to installing a president’s Cabinet.

Republican lawmakers are pushing back against criticism from some Democrats that President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead U.S. intelligence services is “compromised” by her comments supportive of Russia and a meeting with an ally of that country.

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has reignited a debate that many thought was settled long ago: Should women be allowed to serve their country by fighting on the front lines.

Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is vowing to force health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for IVF treatments, a proposal at odds with the actions of much of his own party.

President Joe Biden has signed a proclamation to establish a national monument to commemorate the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Ill.

Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would make it a right nationwide for women to access in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments.

Senate Democrats are making a renewed push to show their support for ensuring nationwide access to in vitro fertilization.

Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would protect access to in vitro fertilization, objecting to a vote on the issue Wednesday even after widespread backlash to a recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that threatens the practice.

Investigators say bolts that helped secure a panel on the Boeing jetliner were missing before the panel blew off the plane in midflight last month.

Boeing says it is withdrawing a request for a safety exemption needed to certify a new model of its 737 Max airliner.

The White House says that President Joe Biden has renominated Julie Su to serve as labor secretary, whose confirmation languished in the Senate for more than 10 months.

The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $100 million in competitive grants for projects that advance environmental justice in communities disproportionately affected by industrial pollution and other hazards.

Democrats will again claim the Senate majority on Tuesday, but much of the chamber’s focus is on the top Republican as Mitch McConnell becomes the longest serving Senate leader in history.

Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are urging the Education Department to strengthen regulations against excluding kids from class because of behaviors related to a disability — a practice known as informal removal.

The Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has released his health records as he maneuvers to keep questions about Democratic rival John Fetterman’s recovery from a stroke front and center.

China’s government has accused Washington of jeopardizing peace after U.S. envoys began trade talks with Taiwan aimed at deepening relations with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing.

On a visit to Taiwan, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is reiterating support for the island amid rising Chinese threats.

The Pentagon will increase housing payments for troops in key areas and look into ways to combat hunger across the force,.

It’s a hidden crisis that's existed for years inside one of the most well-funded institutions on the planet and has only worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.

Women — and some men — in Congress have been fighting for government child care assistance for almost 80 years.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who was elected in 1992 as a self described “mom in tennis shoes,” has been fighting for paid family and medical leave for decades.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday will visit Lake Mead in Nevada to highlight the problems caused by Western drought.

Vice President Kamala Harris is making the case for the Biden administration’s climate change agenda, standing before the record-low water levels of Nevada’s Lake Mead and warning that “this is where we’re headed.”.

Health authorities in Thailand are racing to set up a large field hospital at one of Bangkok’s airports as the country sees new highs in coronavirus infections and deaths.

Organizations representing long-term care facilities are urging lawmakers working on a bipartisan infrastructure plan to avoid dipping into COVID-relief funds to help pay for the roughly $600 billion in new spending sought for the public works buildout.

A plane with 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Taiwan from the U.S. in a donation with both public health and geopolitical meaning.

Three senators visiting Taiwan say the U.S. will give the self-ruled island 750,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, part of President Joe Biden’s move to share tens of millions of jabs globally.

The Senate Commerce Committee has approved President Joe Biden’s nomination of Eric Lander to be chief science adviser.

Rarely has a routine water resources bill generated so much political buzz.

The Senate has passed legislation to combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

There are growing concerns about one American who risks being left behind as the U.S. moves to withdraw its military from Afghanistan.

Biden's meticulous approach to the presidency is intended to serve as a stark departure from the chaos of his predecessor, Donald Trump. Two Democratic senators, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, condemned the lack of diversity in Biden's Cabinet. AdDuckworth said she raised her concerns with the White House on Tuesday and she and Hirono threatened to withhold their votes on nominations until the administration addressed the matter. Just before news of the Colorado shooting, White House aides leaked preliminary word about their next priority, a potentially $3 billion package with money for developing roads, hospitals, schools and green energy systems. But for that program, like other legislative priorities, the White House faces tough prospects for any Republican support and would be forced to proceed along a party-line vote.

The only senators of Asian American heritage, they said they would withhold their support for his nominees until the diversity issue was addressed. AdDuckworth had said earlier that she raised the issue with top Biden advisers on Tuesday and afterward called the situation “not acceptable." “I’ve been talking to them for months and they’re still not aggressive, so I’m not going to be voting for any nominee from the White House other than diversity nominees,” Duckworth told reporters. But Hirono later said in a statement of her own that she too welcomed the appointment of an AAPI White House liaison and was dropping her objections. Tai, who was confirmed last week, is the first Asian American and first woman of color to serve as U.S. trade representative.

The Biden administration must determine how to handle that commitment. Frerichs' supporters are concerned that a drawdown of military personnel from Afghanistan leaves the U.S. without the leverage it needs to demand his release. AdThe State Department is offering $5 million for information leading to Frerichs' return. We will not stop working until we secure his safe return home,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “You don’t leave Americans behind, and I just really want to make sure that he’s home safe.”AdBlinken told reporters Wednesday that the Biden administration wanted to take a detailed look at that deal, saying.

Austin took office Friday as the first Black defense chief, in the wake of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where retired and current military members were among the rioters touting far-right conspiracies. The U.S. population overall is about three-quarters white and 13% Black, according to Census Bureau statistics. Austin gained confirmation after clearing a legal hurdle prohibiting anyone from serving as defense chief until they have been out of the military for seven years. He held a broader video conference on COVID-19 with all top defense and military leaders, and his first call to an international leader was with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. After serving as vice chief of the Army, Austin headed Central Command, where he oversaw the reinsertion of U.S. troops to Iraq to beat back Islamic State militants.

National Guard troops continue to be deployed around the Capitol one day after the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)WASHINGTON – After President Joe Biden’s inauguration went off with only a handful of minor arrests and incidents, more than 15,000 National Guard members are preparing to leave Washington, D.C., and head home. The National Guard Bureau said Thursday that of the nearly 26,000 Guard troops deployed to D.C. for the inaugural, just 10,600 remain on duty. The bureau said the Guard is helping states with coordination and the logistics so that troops can get home. Guard members will have to turn in equipment, make travel plans and go through COVID-19 screening.

Harrison, the longtime Democratic Party official, is President-elect Joe Bidens choice to lead the national party, according to multiple party officials. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Democratic National Committee elected Jaime Harrison of South Carolina as chair on Thursday, signifying an early alignment between newly inaugurated President Joe Biden and state party leaders around the country. Harrison was a key liaison with state party leaders with whom Perez sometimes had rocky relationships. Harrison, 44, comes into the job with overwhelming support from state party leaders, making his elevation a sign of relative unity in a party organization often beset by infighting among state leaders and Washington power players. Thursday's meeting also included a video tribute to Don Fowler, a former national party chair and mainstay of South Carolina politics, who died last month at age 85.

Harrison, the longtime Democratic Party official, is President-elect Joe Bidens choice to lead the national party, according to multiple party officials. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Democratic National Committee is set to formally elect Jaime Harrison of South Carolina as chairman on Thursday, signifying an early alignment between newly inaugurated President Joe Biden and state party leaders around the country. Harrison was a key liaison with state party leaders with whom Perez sometimes had rocky relationships. Harrison, 44, comes into the job with overwhelming support from state party leaders, making his elevation a sign of relative unity in a party organization often beset by infighting among state leaders and Washington power players. Some party leaders, including Clyburn, have also argued a more diverse state like South Carolina should be first to vote.

A memo signed by all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also reminded military members that Joe Biden was duly elected as the next president and will be sworn in to office on Jan. 20. The memo was unusual in that the military leadership, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, felt compelled to remind service members that it is wrong to disrupt the constitutional process. The Joint Chiefs memo did not allude directly to the question of military involvement. "The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection. “As service members, we must embody the values and ideals of the nation.

Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom's shoulders as he considers his pick to serve out the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate term through 2022. The South saw its highest number of Black Senate candidates ever this year, but none won races outright. Labor icon Dolores Huerta and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice want Newsom to appoint a Black woman. De Leon won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party and prominent labor unions, in part because of his support for immigrant rights and aggressive policies to curb climate change.

A Democratic senator is calling on the State Department to prioritize the return of Mark Frerichs, an American contractor believed to have been taken by a Taliban-linked militant network in Afghanistan earlier this year. It is unclear to what extent Frerichs, who is one of Duckworth's constituents, was discussed during those meetings. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)WASHINGTON – A Democratic senator is calling on the State Department to prioritize the return of Mark Frerichs, an American contractor believed to have been taken by a Taliban-linked militant network in Afghanistan earlier this year. “The welfare, safety, and security of Americans has always been and will continue to be our highest priority,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Cale Brown said in a statement. Khalilzad to negotiate with the Taliban about Afghanistan," she said.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party as he finalizes his choice for secretary of defense. And facing massive governing challenges once he takes office on Jan. 20, Biden can perhaps least afford to lose the backing of the Democratic Party’s fiery progressive base. Nearly 100 House Democrats belong to the Progressive Caucus, which may wield significant influence over Biden's policy agenda as Democrats cling to their narrowest House majority in a century. Flournoy, meanwhile, had been seen as the leading candidate for defense secretary under a Democratic president since Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 campaign. Biden has promised both to fight for big, bold policy changes and to compromise with Republicans.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party as he finalizes his choice for secretary of defense. And facing massive governing challenges once he takes office on Jan. 20, Biden can perhaps least afford to lose the backing of the Democratic Party’s fiery progressive base. Nearly 100 House Democrats belong to the Progressive Caucus, which may wield significant influence over Biden's policy agenda as Democrats cling to their narrowest House majority in a century. Flournoy, meanwhile, had been seen as the leading candidate for defense secretary under a Democratic president since Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 campaign. Biden has promised both to fight for big, bold policy changes and to compromise with Republicans.

NEW YORK – Sen. Tammy Duckworth has written a memoir, “Every Day Is a Gift,” which comes out March 30. Twelve, a Hachette Book Group imprint, announced the deal with Sen. Duckworth on Thursday, the 16th anniversary of the day she was shot down in a helicopter while serving in Iraq and lost both of her legs. She was elected in 2016 to the U.S. Senate, where she became the first sitting Senator to give birth. Over the past year, she was mentioned as a possible running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who ended up choosing Sen. Kamala Harris of California. She was represented by Robert Barnett, the Washington attorney who also has worked on deals for Biden, now president-elect, and for former President Barack Obama.

"No decisions, from personnel to policy, will be made until after the election,” Biden transition spokesman Cameron French said Wednesday. Those roles include leaders of the treasury and health and human services departments and the director of the National Economic Council. One person familiar with the transition planning said Buttigieg could also be an ambassador to the United Nations. If Biden wins, it's unclear how closely Trump administration officials would work with the incoming team. “Is it going to mean the Biden campaign’s not going to be able to conduct the transition?

WASHINGTON Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has declared President Donald Trump unfit for the presidency, delivering an impassioned reaction to a report that Trump who never served in uniform allegedly mocked American war dead. It could have been a guy like John Kelly, Trump told reporters, saying his former top aide was unable to handle the pressure of this job." As he spoke, Biden grew angry, raising his voice to rebut Trumps alleged comments that Marines who died in battle were suckers for getting killed. Returning to Washington from a Thursday visit to Pennsylvania, Trump told reporters that the Atlantic report was a disgraceful situation by a terrible magazine.I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes, Trump told the reporters, gathered on the tarmac in the dark. His allies quickly seized on the reported comments in hopes they could drive a wedge between military families and veterans and Trump.

WASHINGTON Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden declared President Donald Trump unfit for the presidency on Friday, delivering an impassioned reaction to a report that Trump who never served in uniform allegedly mocked American war dead. Voice cracking, Biden told reporters that you know in your gut Trumps comments, if true, are deplorable.Ive just never been as disappointed, in my whole career, with a leader that Ive worked with, president or otherwise, Biden added. If the article is true and it appears to be, based on other things hes said it is absolutely damning. As he spoke, Biden grew angry, raising his voice to rebut Trumps alleged comments that Marines who died in battle were suckers for getting killed. His allies quickly seized on the reported comments in hopes that could drive a wedge between military families and veterans from Trump.

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)LAS VEGAS Democratic Party luminaries, rising stars, former presidents and presidential contenders have been making a pitch for Joe Biden over three days of an atypical convention. Biden will speak Thursday night from Wilmington, Delaware, as he closes out the fourth night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention, starting at 9 p.m. The 78-year-old moderate and former Republican being given a spot to help to close out the Democratic convention is striking. The convention is also available to watch on Twitch, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. A celebrity-studded afterparty hosted by Andy Cohen is scheduled to be shown immediately after Bidens speech on the official livestream.

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

Joe Bidens presidential campaign is ramping up its advertising and deploying some of its high-profile surrogates as it tries to solidify a broad battleground map that his advisers see as giving him multiple paths to an Electoral College majority. Bidens Democratic campaign announced Tuesday a $15 million weeklong advertising campaign including television, digital, radio and print in six states: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The television purchases, which involve ads in English and Spanish, also extend to national cable television, including on Major League Baseball's Opening Day broadcasts. While the Biden moves underscore his wide-ranging approach, they also highlight lingering questions about spreading the campaign too thin. Klobuchar, who built her presidential campaign identity as a Midwestern moderate, is being deployed as the envoy in Iowa.

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. Multiple polls suggest that a majority of voters, including many Republicans, simply don't believe what Trump says about the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump also refused to say whether he would accept the results of the general election. Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor and a Trump ally, tells us that he sees no clear strategy coming from the Trump campaign. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

NEW YORK Fox News' Tucker Carlson said Monday that his former writer who posted racist comments online was wrong but criticized ghouls now beating their chest in triumph after his staffer's resignation. Neff previously worked as a reporter for the conservative news outlet The Daily Caller, which Carlson co-founded. What Blake wrote anonymously was wrong, Carlson said. When we pose as blameless in order to hurt other people, we are committing the gravest sin of all. There's no question.Carlson joined Fox's prime-time lineup in 2016 and has made several controversial comments.

NEW YORK Television's most popular political host, Tucker Carlson, says leaders of the Democratic party should be disqualified from running the country because they despise it. While some analysts called it divisive, Carlson praised it as the best speech the president has made in his life. Carlson said that these people hate America. Theres no longer any question about that.The leaders of todays Democratic Party ... despise this country, he said. Besides Biden, Carlson on Monday singled out U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a former military helicopter pilot who lost both legs during a 2004 attack in Iraq.

The relationship between the nation's military community and the Republican president has been strained repeatedly over the course of Trump's turbulent first term. Trump's relationship with the nation's military community has been frequently strained. Biden leaned into the debate Tuesday, calling the Trump administration's handling of the Russian intelligence an absolute dereliction of duty." Erik Hendriks lost his 25-year-old son in an April 2019 attack that intelligence officials believe may be tied to the Russian bounties. He admitted, however, that many of his close friends from the military community continue to support Trump.

With his rhetorical turn, Trump is feeding red meat issues to a base that helped spur his upset victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. The reality is this is a different election than 2016 was, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign. In 2016, a lot of voters went to the polls asking what kind of president Trump would be. Indeed, while many national and battleground polls show Trump trailing Biden, surveys have suggested that some of the former vice presidents support is lukewarm. 3 is a big day, Trump told attendees at a Students for Trump event in Phoenix.

Walking behind Trump from left are, Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley crafted a low public profile in his first eight months on the job, but that changed after the walk. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON In his first eight months as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley carefully crafted a low-key public profile. He knew that splashy and sassy were unlikely to endear him to his boss, President Donald Trump. Milley is known in the military as a charismatic leader who commanded troops during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2020, file photo a sign for at Fort Bragg, N.C., is shown. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)WASHINGTON The U.S. military is rethinking its traditional connection to Confederate Army symbols, mindful of their divisiveness at a time the nation is wrestling with questions of race after the death of George Floyd in police hands. The Army and Air Force have not yet followed Berger's lead, but a defense official said Tuesday that the issue of banning Confederate Army symbols is now under discussion at the highest levels of the Pentagon. Ten major Army installations are named for Confederate Army officers, mostly senior generals, including Robert E. Lee. Few voices in the military are openly defending the link to Confederate symbols, but some of the bases named for Confederate officers are legendary in their own right.

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2020, file photo a sign for at Fort Bragg, N.C., is shown. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)WASHINGTON The U.S. military is rethinking its traditional connection to Confederate Army symbols, mindful of their divisiveness at a time the nation is wrestling with questions of race after the death of George Floyd in police hands. The Army and Air Force have not yet followed Berger's lead, but a defense official said Tuesday that the issue of banning Confederate Army symbols is now under discussion at the highest levels of the Pentagon. Ten major Army installations are named for Confederate Army officers, mostly senior generals, including Robert E. Lee. Few voices in the military are openly defending the link to Confederate symbols, but some of the bases named for Confederate officers are legendary in their own right.

At some point, they had to come back to campus, academy spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt said Wednesday. Ophardt said 1.5% tested positive, which works out to about 17 people, and none showed symptoms. The rest of the class has been divided into four groups of roughly 275, and their health is being monitored. Presidents routinely speak at West Point commencements. West Point plans to bring the other three classes back for summer training in July and to welcome members of the class of 2024 that same month.