The crowded scene in the Capitol Rotunda on Inauguration Day featured four of the world’s five wealthiest men, five U.S. presidents, influential sporting figures and two other foreign leaders with prime seats on the dais.

A president’s inaugural address is a time-honored spectacle: A makeshift grandstand is erected next to the Capitol and hundreds of thousands people line the National Mall.

President Donald Trump’s inaugural benediction on the federal holiday that celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. included an homage to the civil rights leader’s legacy.

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, taking charge as Republicans claim unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations have kicked off at King's former congregation in Atlanta with a 70-member choir's rendition of Hallelujah and stern words from his youngest daughter warning against anti-woke rhetoric.

Donald Trump, who overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, is set to be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected opera tenor Christopher Macchio to perform the national anthem at his second inauguration.

Carrie Underwood might not be Beyoncé or Garth Brooks in the celebrity superstar ecosystem.

Immigrants in Chicago and other U.S. cities have been preparing for immigration arrests since President-elect Donald Trump won the November election.

Most presidents get to move into the White House once.

President-elect Donald Trump used a raucous rally on the eve of his inauguration to promise swift Day 1 action remaking the federal government, shifting federal priorities at breakneck speed and ensuring that “the curtain closes on four long years of American decline.”.

Events honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and advocating for his vision of a just, nonviolent society will occur the same day as Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration.

In a story published Jan. 18, 2025, about opera tenor Christopher Macchio set to sing the national anthem at Donald Trump’s inauguration, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Macchio performed at Trump’s 70th birthday party.

It's unclear who'll take over at the Pentagon and the military services when the top leaders all step down Monday as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.

Attorney General Merrick Garland came in with a mission to calm the waters at the Justice Department and restore its reputation for independence after four turbulent years during Donald Trump's presidency.

The federal judge who oversaw Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case denounced efforts to rewrite the history of the U.S. Capitol attack as she handed down what she acknowledged may be one of the final punishments for the Jan. 6 riot before the Republican president-elect’s promised pardons.

The decision to move Monday's swearing-in means thousands of people with plans to visit Washington won’t be able to see President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration in person.

Every president since Ronald Reagan has left a note for his successor, and President Joe Biden could be the first to write a letter to someone who is both his successor and the predecessor who left a note for him.

The Democratic Party's left wing is responding to President Joe Biden's strong words about the possibility of an American oligarchy with a combination of appreciation, bemusement and frustration.

There were sports analogies galore but few policy specifics during Scott Turner’s confirmation hearing on Thursday to become housing secretary.

Donald Trump has given voters a hefty list of promises, and many of them come due right away.

The vast majority of Americans are about to get an extended taste of frigid Siberian weather.

President Joe Biden offered up a few surprises in his farewell address.

Senior officials from President-elect Donald Trump’s administration have participated in a transition exercise hosted by President Joe Biden's team on responding to potential terror attacks and avian flu, among other challenges.

Jack Hoffman, the cancer patient who captured the hearts of Nebraska football fans and inspired the nation as a 7-year-old with his touchdown run during the 2013 spring game, has died at the age of 19.

President Joe Biden has used his farewell address to the nation to warn of an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and of a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy.

President Joe Biden is set to deliver a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office.

Joe Biden staked his presidency on the idea that he was the best person to keep Donald Trump out of power.

If confirmed to lead the Justice Department, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi would become one of the most closely scrutinized members of Donald Trump’s cabinet.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio painted a dark vision of the consequences of America’s “unbalanced relationship” with China.

A panel of federal appeals judges has ruled that Tennessee can begin enforcing a law that requires pornographic websites to verify their visitors’ age.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, has publicly faced senators for the first time.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W.

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

Haitians marked the 15th anniversary of a tragedy on Sunday.

Despite failing to deliver his promise for broad student loan forgiveness, President Joe Biden has now overseen the cancellation of student loans for more than 5 million Americans — more than any other president in U.S. history.

Some current and former defense leaders and veterans are questioning whether Pete Hegseth would be able to enforce discipline in the ranks if the Senate confirms him as President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary.

As President Joe Biden prepares to leave office next week, he's insistent that his one-term presidency has made strides in restoring American credibility on the world stage and has proved that the U.S. remains an indispensable partner around the globe.

Former West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a number of socially conservative laws during his two terms in office.

If President Joe Biden is looking for ideas for retirement, he need look no further than past presidents.

President Joe Biden has honored Pope Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction.

An increasing number of Democrats are questioning whether their party’s commitment to diverse candidates, especially women, may lead to more political struggles in the Trump era.

Americans have a dimmer view of Joe Biden’s presidency as he prepares to leave office than they did at the end of Donald Trump’s first term or Barack Obama’s second.

Five current and former U.S. presidents have come together for Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

Inside Washington National Cathedral, the five men who've occupied the Oval Office since 1993 convened for a rare moment together at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral.

Former first lady Michelle Obama didn't attend the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.

Donald Trump ran on a return to his “America First” foreign policy platform.

After 23 years, the fate of the last remaining Guantanamo detainees swept up worldwide after al-Qaida’s shattering attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, is reaching a pivotal moment this month.

President-elect Donald Trump emerged from a lengthy Capitol Hill meeting with Senate Republicans with no set strategy for tackling his legislative priorities.

Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter's decades-long friendship will be on display one last time as Biden eulogizes Carter during his state funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

A record 24 million people have signed up for insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s landmark health legislation, as the program awaits an uncertain future under a Republican-controlled White House and Congress.

As the holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. approaches, his daughter is urging people to really focus on his work throughout the next year, rather than just paying him tribute for a day.

President Donald Trump says that he will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”.

Former Proud Boys extremist group leader Enrique Tarrio is urging President-elect Donald Trump to pardon him over the Jan. 6 insurrection as Trump’s return to power has thrown into question the future of the Jan. 6 cases.

U.S. Rep.-elect Sarah McBride will be sworn in as the first openly transgender member of Congress on Jan. 3.

Jimmy Carter’s funeral will feature an interstate choreography of grief, ceremony and logistics that is characteristic of state funerals.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia.

Richard Parsons, one of corporate America’s most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, has died.

A Syrian family that survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people near the country's capital, Damascus, says the ordeal they experienced haunts them to this day.

Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew.

Jill Biden says she has closed the book on teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is challenging President-elect Donald Trump to reject the isolationist voices within their party and build his foreign policy around military strength.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up perhaps his last Middle East mission as America’s top diplomat.

Donald Trump got something this year that no other person designated Time magazine's Person of the Year had ever received.

Americans may have elected Donald Trump to a second term in November, but that doesn’t mean they have high confidence in his ability to choose well-qualified people for his Cabinet or effectively manage government spending, the military and the White House.

Amazon is planning to donate $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.

A former FBI informant accused of fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges.

President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is not exactly thrilled about the NFL forcing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions to play three times over an 11-day span in the coming weeks.

President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t think much of Joe Biden’s foreign policy record.

Federal prosecutors sidestepped some Justice Department rules when they seized the phone records of reporters as part of media leak investigations during the Trump administration, according to a new watchdog report being released as the aggressive practice of hunting for journalists’ sources could again be resurrected.

Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, Americans still found time to read.

The poet, author, educator and public speaker Nikki Giovanni has died at 81.

Donald Trump’s second term comes with the specter of the world’s richest man serving as his political enforcer.

It was 1906 when U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt designated the first national monument — Devils Tower in Wyoming.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is jubilant about President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Eighteen white-bearded men who resemble the late U.S. author Ernest Hemingway have arrived in Havana for the weekend to visit some of the his favorite places when he lived on the island decades ago.

President-elect Donald Trump's immigration and border team is filling out.

It’s DOGE time at the U.S. Capitol.

Jill Biden has used a tour of the United Arab Emirates’ capital to praise efforts to fight cancer and call for more attention on women’s health issues as part of her final solo foreign tour as first lady.

Just one retail chain was enough for Taylor Swift to have the top-selling book last week and the biggest opening launch of 2024.

It was a life that took him from peanut farming to the presidency.

The outgoing Democratic National Committee chairman is downplaying his party’s November loss to President-elect Donald Trump and arguing Democrats avoided even greater losses that parties in power have faced around the world.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday toured a slavery museum in Angola and inspected shackles and a whip, and he spoke of “our nation’s original sin."

Bobby Flay’s latest cookbook is really a sort of recipe for how Bobby Flay was made.

President Joe Biden has arrived for his long-awaited first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa to the cheers of thousands in Angola.

President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, though he had previously said he would not do so.

Recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are bracing for potential challenges to their status in the country during President-elect Donald Trump's second term in the White House.

Republicans will control the White House and both houses of Congress come January.

Republicans swept to power on Election Day and now control the House, the Senate and the White House, with plans for an ambitious 100-day agenda come January.

The Connecticut NAACP says that former Hartford Mayor Thirman Milner has died.

Donald Trump is creating a National Energy Council that he says will establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world.

The drubbing Democrats took in Pennsylvania has prompted vows to rebound.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalls Vladimir Putin’s “power games” over the years, remembers contrasting meetings with Barack Obama and Donald Trump and says she asked herself whether she could have done more to prevent Brexit.

Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, is Donald Trump’s new pick to serve as U.S. attorney general.

Did stand-up comedians help reelect Donald Trump.

Percival Everett’s “James” has won the National Book Award for fiction.

The summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro has produced a joint declaration that, while not totally endorsed by one of the group’s members, succeeded in addressing most topics host Brazil had prioritized addressing: both ongoing major wars, a global pact to fight hunger, taxation of the world’s wealthiest people and changes to global governance.

Democrats fell short again in wresting away swing-state prize North Carolina from Republicans in the presidential election.