Wall Street gains ground as crude prices and oil company shares rise after the US raid on Venezuela
Stocks rose in morning trading on Wall Street Monday to kick off the first full week of the new year, led by energy and technology companies.
Politics
South Carolina officials react to US military operation in Venezuela, Maduro's capture
Elected officials across South Carolina are weighing in after the United States struck the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and captured the country's leader Nicolas Maduro at President Trump's direction early Saturday morning.
Maduro says 'I was captured' as he pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges
A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself the “president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty on Monday to the federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power.
107% tariffs on Italian pasta no longer set to take effect
The U.S. Commerce Department is rolling back proposed steep tariffs which were set to take effect on over a dozen Italian pasta makers later this year.
Trump delays increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year
President Donald Trump signed a New Year's Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks.
Maduro open to US talks on drug trafficking, but silent on CIA strike
Venezuela is open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking, the South American country’s President Nicolás Maduro said in a pre-taped interview aired Thursday on state television.
Trump and top Iranian officials exchange threats over protests roiling Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats Friday as widening protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June.
SC governor proclaims January as Interfaith Harmony Month
Earlier Tuesday, Dec. 30, Governor Henry McMaster issued a formal proclamation making January South Carolina Interfaith Harmony Month.
After quiet off-year elections, Democrats renew worries about Trump interfering in the midterms
If history is a guide, Republicans stand a good chance of losing control of the House of Representatives in 2026. They have just a slim majority in the chamber, and the incumbent party usually gives up seats in midterm elections.
Trump says the US 'hit' a facility along shore where he says alleged drug boats 'load up'
President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the U.S. offered few details.
US pledges $2B for UN humanitarian aid as Trump slashes funding and warns agencies to 'adapt or die'
The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to slash U.S. foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities.
State's Education Department seeks $18M to educate students on risks of screen addiction
South Carolina's Department of Education is asking for nearly $18 million to tell kids why they can't – and shouldn't – use their phones in school.
US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians
President Donald Trump said the United States launched a “powerful and deadly" strike against forces of the Islamic State group in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country's government of failing to rein in the targeting of Christians.
Special election held to replace Former State Representative RJ May
A special election to replace Former State Representative RJ May began Tuesday, Dec. 23.
Trump warns Maduro against playing 'tough' as US escalates pressure campaign on Venezuela
President Donald Trump on Monday delivered a new warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the U.S. Coast Guard steps up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Republican administration's escalating pressure campaign on the government in Caracas.
National Politics
- Nation's only unsalaried legislature in New Mexico asks voters to reconsider volunteer status Feb 18, 2026 8:46 PM ESTMembers of the nation’s only unsalaried legislature are asking voters to reconsider their volunteer status that has endured since statehood in New Mexico
- US senators visit key Ukrainian port city as they push for fresh sanctions on Russia Feb 18, 2026 7:25 PM ESTA delegation of U.S. senators is returning from a trip to Ukraine
- Bernie Sanders and Gavin Newsom become adversaries over billionaire tax Feb 18, 2026 9:53 AM ESTBernie Sanders is coming to Los Angeles to campaign for a proposed “billionaires tax” that has set off an uproar in the Silicon Valley and led to divisions among Democrats
- White House names new pick for Nevada top federal prosecutor Feb 18, 2026 12:09 AM ESTLast week the White House announced the nomination of a Las Vegas attorney for U.S. Attorney of the District of Nevada
- Thomas Pritzker steps down from Hyatt board saying he deeply regrets association with Epstein Feb 17, 2026 1:49 PM ESTThomas Pritzker will retire as the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after details of his affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in documents related to the burgeoning investigation of ties the notorious sex trafficker had to the elite and pow...
- Texas Republican Paxton steps up his Senate bid against GOP Sen. Cornyn ahead of early voting Feb 17, 2026 4:37 AM ESTTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton is stepping up his race for the U.S. Senate with early voting about to begin for the March 3 GOP primary
- Derek Dooley didn't vote for years. Now he wants Georgia voters to send him to Washington Feb 16, 2026 3:33 AM ESTMany political candidates pitch themselves as outsiders
- In battleground Michigan, 3 Democrats test vision of affordability in the Senate primary Feb 14, 2026 12:40 PM ESTVoters say they're worried about the cost of living, and affordability is a leading issue in 2026 campaigns
- Trump heads to Fort Bragg to cheer special forces who ousted Venezuela's Maduro Feb 13, 2026 9:14 AM ESTPresident Donald Trump is visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Friday to praise special forces involved in the capture of Venezuela’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro
- Judge temporarily blocks Trump officials from rescinding health grants to some Democratic-led states Feb 13, 2026 7:41 AM ESTA federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot pull back $600 million in public health grants allocated to four Democratic-led states, for now
