Town Hall News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department imposed a $7.1 million fine on a New York-based property management firm Thursday, accusing it of violating sanctions by managing luxury real estate properties for oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Gracetown Inc. had received 24 payments between April 2018 and May 2020 totaling $31,250 on behalf of a company […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy on Thursday released investigative reports into four mishaps that all involve the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman while it was dispatched to counterattacks on shipping by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The four reports cover a friendly fire incident in December 2024 that saw the cruiser USS Gettysburg shoot at two fighter jets from the Truman, downing one, as well as the carrier’s collision with a […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — New investigative reports into a series of high-profile and costly Navy mishaps during a U.S.-led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels reveal that the most intense running sea battle that the military service has faced since World War II took a toll on ships and personnel. The four reports released Thursday cover a “friendly fire” incident in December 2024 that saw the cruiser USS Gettysburg shoot at two […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After flirting with the idea of leaving California to run for Congress in Texas, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Thursday he’s staying put. “I can hold this seat. I’m not quitting on California and neither should anyone else,” Issa, who represents a district anchored in San Diego County, said in a statement. Issa’s brief, footloose impulse was prompted by the November approval of a new U.S. […]

CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) — Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is allowed to loan $10 million to his campaign for governor, Georgia’s ethics panel said Thursday. Attorney General Chris Carr, who is running against Jones, alleged it evaded campaign finance restrictions. But Georgia Ethics Commission decided in a meeting in Carrollton, Georgia, that a loan to a leadership committee counts as a contribution under state law, adopting a legal opinion that […]

PRAGUE (AP) — Populist billionaire Andrej Babiš said on Thursday he would get rid of his major businesses by moving them to an independent trust in order to be able to become the prime minister again. Babiš said he believed the move would help him avoid a conflict of interest that could arise from his private dealings and his political status. “I’ve decided to take a step that I never […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After flirting with the idea of leaving California to run for Congress in Texas, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Thursday he’s staying put. “I can hold this seat. I’m not quitting on California and neither should anyone else,” Issa, who represents a district anchored in San Diego County, said in a statement. Issa’s brief, footloose impulse was prompted by the November approval of a new U.S. […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — As a leader of the College Democrats at Vanderbilt University, Luci Wingo knew the odds of a Democrat winning one of Nashville’s three U.S. House seats weren’t great. Yet her hope grew as the party mounted an aggressive campaign for its candidate, Aftyn Behn, in a special election to replace a Republican who had resigned. In the end, high Democratic enthusiasm and millions of dollars in […]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trump administration officials overseeing the immigration crackdown launched this week in New Orleans are aiming to make 5,000 arrests with a focus on violent offenders, a target that some city leaders say is not realistic. It’s an ambitious goal that would surpass the number of arrests during a two-month enforcement blitz this fall around Chicago, a region with a much bigger immigrant population than New Orleans. […]