ASA HUTCHINSON

When Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina launched his campaign for the White House, the notoriously prickly former President Donald Trump welcomed his new competitor with open arms.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to launch his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday.

It's expected to be a big week for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is set to announce his bid for president.

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy says he wants the U.S. voting age raised to 25.

Sen. Tim Scott says he’s nearly ready to reveal his decision on entering the 2024 presidential race.

Asa Hutchinson has formally launched his Republican campaign for president in his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.

Many loyal Republicans in the state that kicks off the presidential nominating season insist they’re open to White House hopefuls other than Donald Trump.

Asa Hutchinson is launching his bid for president in the northwest Arkansas city where he was born and got his start in politics.

A second wave of Republican candidates is preparing to enter the presidential race later this spring following a monthslong lull as the GOP field finally takes shape.

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who sought to replace the California governor in a failed 2021 recall effort, announced Thursday he is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Top Republican hopefuls for the 2024 presidential race are vowing at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention to defend the Second Amendment at all costs.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina says conservatives are “starved for hope,” as he tries to present a more positive vision for the future than his potential rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

The candidates vying against former President Donald Trump for the White House in 2024 are battling for air time and media attention this week.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will seek the Republican presidential nomination and he's positioning himself as an alternative to Donald Trump just days after the former president was indicted by a grand jury in New York.

It's been more than seven years since the 2016 presidential campaign, and Republicans are still trying to figure out how to run against Donald Trump.

The presidential campaign landscape in Iowa is markedly different this year compared with four years ago.

Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she wants to keep the focus on Arkansas as she prepares to take office as the state’s 47th governor.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson calls the possibility of another Donald Trump presidential nomination the worst scenario for Republicans in 2024.

The nation's first trial over a ban on gender-confirming care for children has ended and is now in the hands of a federal judge.

The landmark trial over Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care for children has resumed.

Voters have approved recreational marijuana in Maryland and Missouri and rejected it in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been elected Arkansas governor and will be the first woman to lead the state.

An Arkansas teenager who is receiving hormone therapy says a state ban on such treatments could force he and his family to leave the sate.

The nation's first trial over a state's ban on gender-confirming care for children has begun in Arkansas.

President Joe Biden's decision to pardon thousands of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law could give a boost to Election Day ballot proposals in five states that would legalize the drug.

Former White House press secretary and Arkansas GOP gubernatorial candidate Sarah Sanders has been released from a hospital following surgery for thyroid cancer.

Former White House press secretary and Arkansas gubernatorial hopeful Sarah Sanders is recovering after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer.

In the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, governors around the country vowed to take steps to ensure their students would be kept safe.

State governments flush with money are returning billions of dollars to their residents.

A federal appeals court has agreed with a judge's ruling preventing the state from enforcing a ban on transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care.

Federal authorities and experts who study online extremism are warning of a risk of additional attacks on federal law enforcement following the FBI's search of ex-President Donald Trump's Florida home.

For much of the year, small cracks in Donald Trump’s political support have been growing.

Republican state lawmakers this year have been losing in primaries at nearly twice the average rate of the past decade.

When the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a right to abortion, it sparked legal changes and court challenges in states nationwide.

Threats against election officials in the U.S. have risen to such a level that those attending a conference this week in Wisconsin were not given the agenda until after they arrived, were warned not to wear their name tags in public and were shuttled to an undisclosed location for trivia night.

Several Republican governors seen as potential 2024 presidential candidates have been cautious to push new abortion restrictions in their state since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Stark political divides are threatening to overshadow a meeting this week of the nation's governors.

The National Governors Association says it's forming a working group of governors to come up with recommendations to stop mass shootings following the Texas school massacre.

The gunmen in two of the nation’s most recent mass shootings legally bought the semi-automatic rifles they used in their massacres after they turned 18.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has won the Republican nomination for governor in Arkansas.

Georgia takes center stage in Tuesday’s primary elections as Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger try to fight back challengers endorsed by Donald Trump.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is Arkansas' top Republican and is entering the final stretch of his term with strong approval ratings.

Rape, incest and the health of the fetus or mother were once accepted reasons to obtain an abortion in even the most conservative Republican-led states.

The bombshell leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he is weighing a presidential run in 2024 and his decision won’t be affected by whether former President Donald Trump decides to join the race.

Severe storms packing isolated tornadoes and high winds are racing across the Deep South _ killing two in the Florida Panhandle and leaving scattered damage to buildings and homes in their path.

Severe storms including at least two confirmed tornadoes injured people, damaged homes and businesses and downed power lines in Mississippi and Tennessee.

You can see it in the masks, in the seating charts and even in the distribution of water glasses at the White House.

Eight people are confirmed dead at a Kentucky candle factory that was hit by a tornado and another eight remain missing, but dozens more have been accounted for, a company spokesman said Sunday, raising hope that the toll from a Midwest twister outbreak won’t be as high as first feared.

Kentucky's governor says tornadoes may have killed 70 people in the state and the death toll may exceed 100.

Republicans have struggled to deal with Donald Trump since the day he announced his candidacy for president.

A decline in COVID-19 cases across the United States over the past several weeks has given overwhelmed hospitals some relief.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders might be running for governor of Arkansas, but she's not talking much about the state.

Australia’s capital will remain locked down for a second month after the local government reported 22 new coronavirus infections.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says federal vaccination mandates announced by President Joe Biden last week hurt efforts to overcome the public’s resistance to taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says President Joe Biden is overreaching with his new requirement for employees of large businesses to be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19.

Republican lawmakers in at least half a dozen states are looking to copy a Texas law that represents the most far-reaching curb on abortions in 50 years.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is beginning her term in office with plenty of challenges.

The highly contagious delta variant is fueling a surge in coronavirus cases as students return to classrooms.

An Arkansas judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law that prevents schools and other governmental agencies from requiring masks.

Two Florida school districts have decided to require masks as children go back to classrooms, despite an order by Gov. Ron DeSantis essentially banning such mandates.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged that 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be supplied to the world through this year, increasing China’s commitment as the largest exporter of the shots.

Australia’s most populous state is reporting the worst day of its outbreak of the coronavirus delta variant, with a record 262 new local infections and five deaths from COVID-19.

A federal judge has ordered Texas to keep state troopers from stopping vehicles that are carrying migrants on the grounds that the migrants may spread the coronavirus.

Arkansas has reported 42 new deaths from COVID-19 and its biggest one-day spike in hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she has no plans to ratchet up her messaging to urge people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Local officials in Georgia are scrambling to increase vaccination rates even as more schools continue telling students and employees to wear masks in the face of rising COVID-19 infection rates.

New guidance from the federal government set off a cascade of mask rules across the nation as cities, states, schools and businesses raced to bring back mandates.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant.

As U.S. regulators weigh giving the final stamp of approval for certain COVID-19 vaccines, governors in states hard hit by the pandemic hope the move will help persuade the many holdouts in their states to finally get the shot.

Federal judges have temporarily blocked new laws in Arkansas and West Virginia restricting transgender people's rights.

Three Republican governors opposed efforts this year to absolve businesses for violating public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas has hit the road, meeting face-to-face with residents to try to overcome vaccine resistance at a time when the state has the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the nation but is near the very bottom in dispensing shots.

Former NFL player Jake Bequette says he's challenging Arkansas Sen. John Boozman in next year's Republican primary.

Pfizer says it plans to meet Monday with top U.S. health officials to discuss the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization of a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer says it plans to meet Monday with top U.S. health officials to discuss the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization of a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The Biden White House is no longer refraining from criticizing Republican officials who play down the importance of coronavirus vaccinations or seek to make political hay of the federal government’s all-out effort to drive shots into arms.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is taking over the National Governors Association as his state struggles with a resurgence in coronavirus cases and lagging vaccinations.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson leads a state that went heavily for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she will use a donation from a Republican donor to fund a deployment of up to 50 South Dakota National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the United States now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the vaccines have been and an indication that daily deaths — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the shots.

A state government minister has been infected with COVID-19 and another minister is in isolation as a cluster in the Australian city of Sydney worsens.

Fifteen Republican governors have sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Secretary, urging that the U.S. Census bureau release redistricting data as soon as possible.

The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging bans involving transgender people that target athletes in West Virginia and children in Arkansas.

The president of the Philippines warns he will jail village leaders and police officers who don't enforce pandemic lockdown restrictions.

There’s a new buzzword among Republicans in Washington this week: unity.

There’s a new buzzword among Republicans in Washington this week: unity.

A Tennessee Republican has falsely declared that an 18th century policy designating a slave as three-fifths of a person was adopted for what he called “the purpose of ending slavery.”.

The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas.

State lawmakers across the U.S. are taking actions to limit the emergency powers of governors — not just in the current coronavirus pandemic, but for any future emergencies.

Republican state legislators have been in overdrive this year on so-called culture-war bills.

Arkansas’ governor has vetoed legislation that would have made his state the first to ban gender confirming treatments for transgender youth, though lawmakers could enact the restriction over his objections.

The nonprofit Tax Foundation said in an analysis last week that state tax cuts financed by natural growth in state revenue or new tax hikes likely are fine under the federal law. The Republican-led Oklahoma House last week passed bills to reduce the corporate and individual income tax rates and restore the ability for a refund of the earned income tax credit. AdThe Republican-controlled Mississippi House has passed legislation that would phase out the state income tax, cut the grocery tax in half and increase the sales tax on most items. Laura Kelly, who vetoed two GOP tax-cutting bills in 2019, welcomed the restrictions on using federal pandemic aid to offset tax cuts. “I’m glad that we can’t use this money for tax cuts," Kelly said.

It's not clear if or when the Supreme Court might consider any of them, or take some other path. In addition to three appointments to the Supreme Court, giving it a 6-3 conservative majority, Trump made scores of appointments to federal district and appellate courts. “This is a decision that the Supreme Court is going to need to make,” he said. “It is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law,” he said. AdNancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said it would be “shocking” if the Supreme Court agreed to consider the Mississippi case.

Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year. The bans were pushed by Republicans who want to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Another measure Hutchinson signed in 2019 banning abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy is on hold due to a legal challenge. Another sweeping abortion ban was signed into law by South Carolina’s governor last month but was quickly blocked by a federal judge due to a legal challenge by Planned Parenthood. Alabama enacted a near-total ban on abortions in 2019 that has been blocked because of court challenges.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation has continued on a downward trend in the number of daily coronavirus cases. Canada regulators have approved AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. Gavin Newsom expects California to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week. Addition of the J&J vaccine would come as California is seeing dramatic drops in virus cases and hospitalizations after record highs in early January. While they only comprise about 48% of coronavirus cases, they account for 74% of vaccinations.

“This event was well beyond the design parameters for a typical, or even an extreme, Texas winter that you would normally plan for. In Kansas, where wind chills dropped to as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) in some areas, Gov. At DFW, the temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) — 3 degrees (-16 degrees) colder than Moscow. In Houston, officials said Bush Intercontinental Airport runways would remain closed until at least 1 p.m. Tuesday, a day longer than previously expected. The southern Plains had been gearing up for the winter weather for the better part of the weekend.

"Typically, we just don’t have quite this much cold air in place that far south,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. AdChenard said significant ice and up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow were expected across parts of the southern Plains into Monday. Winter weather conditions are affecting large portions of the U.S., but it is rare for them to extend so far south, Chenard said. The airline said the storm was also affecting their flights across the region, with operations reduced and canceled at airports across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Utilities warned of the likelihood for additional power outages due to falling tree limbs.

As part of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, Biden wants to send $350 billion to state and local governments and tribal governments. But state governments have shed 332,000 jobs since the outbreak began to spread last February, and local governments have cut nearly 1 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Congress provided $150 billion in direct assistance to state and local governments in an earlier relief package signed into law last March. Rep. James Comer, the ranking Republican, said states still have money to spend from the relief package Congress passed last March. Ad“Despite this surplus, California is still receiving an additional $41.2 billion in taxpayer dollars from this $350 billion slush fund,” Comer said.