Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” as she took a brief break from the battleground states where she's been campaigning.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican challenger Hung Cao have gone toe to toe in their only debate of the campaign over issues from illegal immigration to tariffs on foreign goods.

The vice presidential debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz will bring together undercards who have spent two months going after each other and the top of each ticket.

A trademark lawyer who bought the domain named ClintonKaine.

One of America’s most conservative congressmen is locked in a tight renomination battle against an opponent endorsed by former President Donald Trump in Virginia.

Political observers have already placed their bets on U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, predicting the Democrat will win his third term in November.

The guest list for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address speaks volumes about what Democrats and Republicans want to focus on as the 2024 election season heats up.

More of President Joe Biden’s top Senate allies are demanding that the U.S. act directly to ease Palestinian civilian suffering in Gaza and are joining calls to cut military aid if Israel refuses to change course.

The scene in classrooms around the country is similar: Kids are on their phones, even when school rules forbid it.

The U.S. Senate is slogging past far-right Republican opposition to helping Ukraine fight Russia.

Senate Democrats are pushing to prevent the Biden administration from bypassing Congress when approving weapons sales to Israel as the Jewish state's war against Hamas comes under increasing scrutiny.

The Senate has voted to repeal the decades-old congressional measure that greenlighted the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to continue congressional authorization for the use of military force in the global fight against terror, turning back an effort by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to repeal the 2001 measure.

Democrat Jennifer McClellan has defeated her Republican opponent to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she will be the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

The Senate will vote this month to repeal two decades-old measures that approved American military action in Iraq.

It's been more than 375 years since Alse Young became the first person on record to be executed in the American colonies for witchcraft.

The mishandling of classified documents is not a problem unique to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia says there's “a whole lot more” he wants to do and he's seeking reelection next year.

A push by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin to speed permits for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects has failed in the current Congress, but could come back as soon as next month.

A recent boost in titles for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has proven crucial to shielding him from a U.S. lawsuit in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is promoting Biden administration policies as the key to advancing the nation’s “long-term economic well-being” in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Condolences have poured in from around the world after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose rule saw Britain through decades of change.

An audit about what caused gridlock along Interstate 95 in Virginia during a January snowstorm says state government failed to carry out numerous lessons gleaned from a previous weather event.

Perreault, 63, died about an hour later at the hospital from chest trauma, Willard said.

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing compromise legislation to restore abortion access in the wake of the June Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The Biden administration and Democrats are warning of dire consequences if Congress fails to act on computer chips legislation.

The United States’ top negotiator for Iran nuclear talks has made the case to lawmakers for sticking with Iran nuclear talks.

Donald Trump’s relentless, false claims about the 2020 presidential election have sparked fresh urgency in Congress for changing the Electoral Count Act.

The waiting is over for the last of the drivers who got stranded overnight on an interstate highway in Virginia.

Jaime Harrison is a man leading a party in peril.

Democrats in the House appear on the verge of advancing President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion-and-growing domestic policy package.

A resounding loss in Virginia and a too-close-for-comfort victory in New Jersey have Democrats fretting about a blowout in next year's midterm elections.

Democrats are blending finger-pointing, optimism and a renewed push to unstick their stalled legislative agenda as they scramble for Election Day lessons from a jolting loss in Virginia and a closer than expected win in New Jersey.

The beaten and battered Republican Party of Virginia hopes it's on the cusp of a comeback with its candidate for governor, Glenn Youngkin.

A.

About a month and a half out from the finale of the Virginia governor's race, optimism among Democrats in this state long trending blue is increasingly tinged with nervousness.

Just a few years ago, Virginia was considered a civic embarrassment for its staggering eviction rate.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted to finally repeal two decades-old measures giving open-ended approval for military action in Iraq.

The Senate will take a key vote next week on a sweeping rewrite of voting and election law, setting up a dramatic test of Democratic unity on a top priority that Republicans are vowing to block.

The Democratic-led House has passed legislation to repeal the 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq.

The White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are endorsing efforts to terminate the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq.

A bipartisan senators’ group working on a $1 trillion infrastructure compromise has now doubled in size, expanding to 21 members.

The horror of Jan. 6 has been reduced from a stunning assault on American democracy to another political fight.

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

President Joe Biden says he will withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan and end America's longest war.

One Small Step, which Isay established in 2018, is among a growing number of nonprofit initiatives whose aim is to narrow America's increasingly toxic political divide. But he felt it was a start, and he named his initiative accordingly: One Small Step. One Small Step, which Isay established in 2018, is among a growing number of nonprofit initiatives whose aim is to narrow America's increasingly toxic political divide. Yet they'd never met and probably never would have, if not for their joint involvement in One Small Step. But as One Small Step has developed, expansion has followed, with roughly 800 people meeting in pairs in about 40 cities.

The U.S. has blamed the militia for numerous attacks targeting U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq in the past. But several leading members of Congress, including members in Biden’s own party, denounced the strikes — the first military action he has authorized. Kaine and others argued offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances. A U.S. contractor died after at least 10 rockets slammed into the base early Wednesday. “If we assess further response is warranted, we will take action again in a manner and time of our choosing,” Psaki said.

President Joe Biden is expected to speak to Saudi King Salman for the first time in Bidens just over a month-old administration. The language came in contrast to Biden's pledge as a candidate to make Saudi Arabia “a pariah” over the killing. The Saudi Arabia Embassy spokesman in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. U.S. intelligence findings are coming out more than two years after Khashoggi walked hand-in-hand with his fiancee to the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Once in office, Biden said he would maintain whatever scale of relations with Saudi Arabia that U.S. interests required.

The House appointed nine impeachment managers who will present the case against Trump on the Senate floor. Trump’s first impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, lasted almost three weeks. The fresh memories of Jan. 6 could make it easier for the House impeachment managers to make their case, but it doesn’t mean the outcome will be any different. While the House impeachment managers say Trump is “singularly” responsible for the attack on the Capitol, Trump’s lawyers say the rioters acted on their own accord. The brief goes after the impeachment managers personally, charging that the Democrats have “Trump derangement syndrome,” are “selfish” and are only trying to impeach Trump for political gain.

AdThe House appointed nine impeachment managers who will present the case against Trump on the Senate floor. Trump’s first impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, lasted almost three weeks. The fresh memories of Jan. 6 could make it easier for the House impeachment managers to make their case, but it doesn’t mean the outcome will be any different. While the House impeachment managers say Trump is “singularly” responsible for the attack on the Capitol, Trump’s lawyers say the rioters acted on their own accord. The brief goes after the impeachment managers personally, charging that the Democrats have “Trump derangement syndrome,” are “selfish” and are only trying to impeach Trump for political gain.

A look at the basics of the upcoming impeachment trial:HOW DOES THE TRIAL WORK? AdTrump's first impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, lasted almost three weeks. “If we were not to follow up with this, we might as well remove any penalty from the Constitution of impeachment.”AdHOW IS THIS TRIAL DIFFERENT FROM TRUMP’S FIRST TRIAL? Beyond the constitutionality of the trial, Trump’s lawyers say that he did not incite his supporters to violence and that he did nothing wrong. “It is denied that President Trump ever endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” they wrote in a brief for the trial.

House Democrats are busy preparing their formal case against the former president for inciting an insurrection, with arguments starting the week of Feb. 8. A week later, on Jan. 13, the Democratic-led House impeached Trump with the backing of 10 Republicans. She said that five is probably “a high mark on what you’re going to see for Republican support” for convicting Trump at trial. Some said the censure resolution was too late because Democrats had rejected GOP suggestions of censure before the House voted to impeach. “I guess if we can censure former presidents, then when Republicans get in charge, we can censure Barack Obama or Democrats can censure George Bush."

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.

Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. And both senators used their objections for political fundraising,” the Democratic senators said in their letter. Cruz helped force a vote on Biden's victory in Arizona, while Hawley helped force one on Biden's victory in Pennsylvania. “This latest effort is a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge."

President-elect Joe Biden has selected Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration. Vilsack “has the necessary qualifications and experience to steer the agency through these turbulent times,” said Rob Larew, the president of the National Farmers Union. Then mayor of Mount Pleasant in southeast Iowa, Vilsack volunteered for the up-and-coming Biden before he exited the presidential race. Despite that, in 2007, after his own brief presidential campaign, Vilsack endorsed Hillary Clinton, even with Biden also running. In his endorsement, Vilsack called Biden “a man with empathy, and a man who has the heart of a president.

Voters appear to recognize the moment: More than 91 million people have already cast ballots, shattering records for early voting. The courts, which have been stacked with a generation of conservative jurists during Trump’s tenure, would veer further to the right. Though Democrats are wary of overconfidence, given Trump’s upset in 2016, party leaders see significant differences in this year’s election. Despite the pandemic’s toll on his political fortunes, Trump’s campaign is banking on strategy similar to 2016. The challenge for Trump is engineering a late shift in the race when so many voters have already cast ballots.

CHICAGO – Long before Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced her as his running mate, Kamala Harris was the target of widespread online misinformation. Harris’ birth certificate shows she was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, making her eligible to serve as either vice president or president. Social media chatter around Harris’ eligibility declined after being “eclipsed” by fact checks from news organizations that debunked it, Granston added. There's been a huge uptick in social media conversation around the vice presidential candidates this year, compared to the 2016 campaign. But misinformation around Harris has been more prevalent, making up more than 4% of the conversation on Twitter, Zignal Labs found.

Biden's "campaign is doing a better job, even during COVID, of reaching out with the candidates and a voter-to-voter effort. Besides spending no time in Wisconsin and only five days in Michigan, Clinton didn't begin advertising in either until two weeks before the election. There's been more to Biden's sharper focus on Michigan and Wisconsin than showing up and spending money. Biden's Michigan campaign as well as national aides have contacted Kinloch more in the past two months than Clinton's did throughout all of 2016, he said. “They're looping everything we're doing individually together under the Biden campaign,” Kinloch said.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Unable to block President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Sen. Kamala Harris used three days of confirmation hearings this week to remind voters of the stakes of the Nov. 3 election and how Democratic nominee Joe Biden would govern differently if he were in the White House. Known for her tough questioning of Trump's nominees, Harris took a lower key approach and avoided sparring matches with Republicans. Her messaging was muted in part because she appeared via video conference from her office, not the Senate hearing room, due to coronavirus concerns. “Democrats are wise not to play into their hand.”Republicans took note of the disciplined approach by Harris and the Democrats. GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who was next in line for questioning after Harris on Wednesday, asked Barrett a series of questions meant to rebut Harris.

Moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, the 90-minute debate will feature segments on the Supreme Court, the coronavirus, the economy, race and policing, election integrity and the candidates' records. "This time it may actually turn out to be.”Both candidates are likely to repeat their talking points about the Supreme Court. But during the debate, their comments are likely to reach vast swaths of the electorate that haven't been following the campaign closely. But this Supreme Court pick gives them the exact reason to hold their nose and vote for somebody they despise because it falls in line with their ideological values.”The court vacancy will have to compete with Trump's taxes coming to light. Rocha said Biden will likely use the Supreme Court vacancy and other issues to try to rattle Trump and get him to blurt out ill-advised remarks.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett applauds as President Donald Trump announces Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. Trump hailed Barrett as “a woman of remarkable intellect and character,” saying he had studied her record closely before making the pick. Trump, meanwhile, is hoping the nomination will galvanize his supporters as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden. “We don’t have to do it before, but I think this will be done before the election," Trump told reporters Saturday. “I think this will end up in the Supreme Court,” Trump said Wednesday of the election.

(AP Photo/Michael Perez)SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Kamala Harris is poised to become a leading figure in the Democratic opposition to President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, with her status as both a lawmaker and vice presidential nominee putting her in the center of the fight. The California senator is in a unique role following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday. She was widely praised by Democrats for her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh during the last Supreme Court confirmation fight. Beyond her questioning of Kavanaugh, he pointed to her 2017 questioning of then-Sen. Jeff Sessions as Trump’s first attorney general. “That would give her the flexibility to be able to be in D.C., maybe a little bit more than during a traditional presidential campaign closing stretch,” he said.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, about the Supreme Court. – Joe Biden on Sunday used the sudden Supreme Court vacancy to reinforce his argument that the upcoming election should be a referendum on President Donald Trump's handling of health care and the coronavirus. Biden kept the focus on health care, which has proven to be a winning issue for Democrats during previous elections and could be even more resonant amid the pandemic. “Millions of Americans are voting because they know their health care hangs in the balance," Biden said during remarks at Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Their refusal to put names to Biden’s potential court pick underscores the political peril that the Supreme Court debate holds for Biden.

The University of Wisconsin chancellor said Tuesday that Big Ten football will remain on hold until there are answers to questions about COVID-19 testing and tracing, along with possible long-term heart issues related to the coronavirus. “Decisions within the Big Ten are largely majority based decisions, but I’ll be honest, we almost always decide everything by consensus. A court filing earlier this month disclosed that Big Ten presidents and chancellors voted 11-3 in favor of postponing all fall sports. “When there is any news to share or confirm regarding any Big Ten board decision, it will be announced by the Big Ten,” University of Nebraska spokeswoman Deb Fiddelke said. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

But four years later, the president has plenty to say about Kamala Harris. “Kamala Harris and her voting record helps make the case against Joe Biden,” Murtaugh said. Like Biden, Harris has staked out relatively moderate stances over the course of her career on issues such as health care and law enforcement. Kamala,” Trump said, mispronouncing and stretching out each syllable of her name each time he said it in North Carolina. By elevating and trying to define Harris, the Trump campaign is trying to change how voters view Biden.

FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2020, file photo Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks in Washington. On Monday, Sept. 7, Harris will travel to Milwaukee, her first traditional campaign trip. Three weeks after joining Joe Biden as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, the California senator is still campaigning largely in front of a computer screen to relatively small audiences. On Monday, Harris will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on her first traditional campaign trip. He said he expects there will be opportunities for Harris to get out in swing states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2015, file photo, Vice President Joe Biden administers the Senate oath to Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., as Coons' wife, Annie Coons, watches during a ceremonial re-enactment swearing-in, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. The theme and timing of Coons speech on the pandemic-altered convention schedule underscore Democrats' interest in engaging with religious voters on the basis of shared values with Biden. For Joe, faith isnt a prop or a political tool, Coons is set to say, according to prepared remarks shared with The Associated Press ahead of time. Coons is also one of the more vocal Democrats when it comes to coaxing fellow party members to be more open about faith. When it comes to speaking for Biden about faith, though, Coons will have the most prominent forum.

President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Thursday gave credence to a false and racist conspiracy theory about Kamala Harris eligibility to be vice president, fueling an online misinformation campaign that parallels the one he used to power his rise into politics. Harris has been a top target of misinformation since launching her own bid for the White House last year. That is certainly a slight, said Amanda Harrington, vice president of Times Up, which works to stop workplace harassment. Obama, who beat McCain in the 2008 race for the White House, was even a co-sponsor of the McCain resolution.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. A Virginia state senator is launching a bid to be the state's next governor, which if successful would make her the nation's first African-American woman to ever lead a state. I have the understanding of where we are in this moment in time, how we got here ... and the vision to take Virginia forward, McClellan said. McClellan is one of several Democrats either officially running or eyeing a possible campaign for their party's nomination to succeed Gov. If she were to win the 2021 contest, McClellan would be Virginias first woman governor, the first African American female governor in the United States and only the second woman ever elected to statewide office in Virginia. I'm not running to make history, I am running to set Virginia on the course I think we need to go," she said.

Instead of an emergency standard, the agency has relied on voluntary guidance that recommends companies erect physical barriers, enforce social distancing and install more hand-sanitizing stations, among other steps. More than 80,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among health care workers, meatpacking employees and prison staff, including at least 372 deaths, Adams said. OSHA quickly pivoted to focus intensely on giving employers and workers the guidance they need to work safely in this rapidly changing situation. A group of Senate Democrats asked the Labor Departments inspector general to investigate OSHAs inspections and citations related to COVID-19. The lawmakers, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also want the watchdog to investigate OSHAs decision not to put in place a temporary emergency standard to deal with the virus.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON, DC – The Pentagon is considering several options to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, including one that would shift to a narrower counterterrorism mission, the top U.S. military officer told Congress on Wednesday. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not disclose any potential troop totals, but he agreed that leaving a minimal U.S. footprint in Afghanistan to battle terrorists is a potential move. The U.S. currently has about 13,000 troops in Afghanistan. “We have an important counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan,” he said. Esper has said he is reviewing U.S. military missions worldwide to determine how many can be reallocated in that manner.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine has canceled a planned campaign swing through Florida on Friday due to the tropical weather due in the state. The Clinton campaign said Monday that Kaine would campaign in Pensacola and Panama City on Thursday and in Jacksonville on Friday, where he would attend a panel discussion with local officials and community leaders. Kaine, a Virginia senator, campaigned last week in Tallahassee and South Florida. Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence is scheduled to campaign Wednesday in Sarasota. Pence is scheduled to appear at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, according to the campaign Donald Trump campaign.