Gary Fields

A mockup of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch stands at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, June 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File)

Virginia and DC sue over President Donald Trump’s arch, adding to legal challenges as government wants work to begin

October 31, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

The legal challenges to President Donald Trump’s proposed memorial arch are mounting, with the District of Columbia and Virginia suing in federal court Saturday as the administration says construction could...

Debbie Lewis, right, early in-person voting intaker, hands Eddie Johnson, left, his ballot, in Cleveland, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Many GOP states have imposed new voting rules this year, some mirroring Trump’s midterm proposals

October 12, 2026 at 7:14 a.m.

President Donald Trump has pushed Congress to pass a proof-of-citizenship law, signed an executive order seeking a national voter ID requirement and tried to limit mail voting through U.S. Postal...

A man rides his bicycle past a closed meat market in the Scotlandville section of Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A Black community in Louisiana faces a future without a champion in Congress after redistricting

October 4, 2026 at 4:49 p.m.

Congressional districts are core to debates over racial equality in the South, where white leaders spent decades using gerrymandering to ensure Black people couldn’t gain enough power to elect their...

Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Chicago on Nov. 6, 2014. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)

Lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration

September 8, 2026 at 1:05 p.m.

Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution following a tumultuous year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by...

Envelopes for mail-in ballots at the Wake County Board of Elections are seen on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)

Trump administration makes another appeal to the Supreme Court to allow mail ballot restrictions

September 6, 2026 at 1:18 p.m.

The Trump administration on Sunday renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge blocked new restrictions on mail ballots ahead of the midterms.

FILE – Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump’s order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Washington grapples with a National Guard deployment extended until 2029

August 10, 2026 at 12:58 p.m.

It’s been 12 months since President Donald Trump announced a crime emergency in Washington, pledging to make the city “safe and beautiful” and deploying the National Guard.

Visitors take photos at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, with the ferris wheel and a model of the triumphal arch in the background, Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

President Donald Trump’s arch could harm the integrity of many of Washington’s historical sites, report says

August 4, 2026 at 12:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot-tall memorial arch could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location, according to an assessment by the National Park Service.

Christine Bayly, right, and Jason Brown, left, take a photo as they eat lunch on the National Mall with the Washington Monument, Freedom 250 Ferris Wheel, and a replica of the triumphal arch, behind them during the Great American State Fair, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The Great American State Fair kicks off in Washington in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary

June 27, 2026 at 5:47 p.m.

The fair is run by a group created by President Donald Trump, and visitors can find a 110-foot Ferris wheel, along with farm animals and state-themed exhibits.

This combination of images shows Black Lives Matter plaza on 16th Street, NW, near the White House on March 10, 2025, top, as work was beginning to remove signage and markings, and on April 1, 2025, after the work was completed. (AP Photo)

Touring Trump’s Washington: How the president is putting his imprint on the nation’s capital

June 26, 2026 at 8:58 a.m.

The United States is celebrating its 250th year. And what better way to mark that anniversary than with an American summer staple — a trip to the nation’s capital.

FILE – Columbia College Chicago student Kailey Ryan reads a newspaper in Chicago, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

As America 250 approaches, fewer Americans see their country as exceptional, AP-NORC poll finds

June 8, 2026 at 8:33 a.m.

As the U.S. prepares for an extravagant celebration of its founding principles, fewer Americans see their country as exceptional, a new poll finds.

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