AP-Newswatch

Trump wins the White House in a political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday. He is the first former president to regain power since 1892. The victory marks an extraordinary comeback for a former president. He will be joined in the new administration by his vice president, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. At 40, Vance will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in government.

Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration. For example, his approach would not only crack down on illegal immigration but curtail immigration overall. He talks about ending federal taxes on workers’ tips and Social Security. 

Republicans take Senate majority and eye unified power with Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have taken the Senate majority and are fighting to keep control of the House. A unified Republican grip on Washington would set the course for President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda. Or if Democrats wrest control of the House, the chamber would provide an almost certain backstop, with veto power over the White House. Trump said he has won a “powerful mandate.” House races are in a state-by-state slog, with many races too early to call. The Senate rally started with a GOP pick up in West Virginia and later in Ohio and early Wednesday in Montana as Democrats own hopes for a sweep fizzled.

Stocks and bitcoin jump after Trump’s victory. So do worries about inflation as Dow surges 1,300

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market, Elon Musk’s Tesla, banks and bitcoin are storming higher as investors bet on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and world. Among the losers the market sees on Wednesday: solar energy companies and potentially anyone worried about higher inflation. The S&P 500 rose 2% and was on track to top its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1,304 points, or 3.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 2.3%. Investors expect Trump’s victory to lead to faster economic growth and more market-friendly policies.

Trump promises to bring lasting peace to a tumultuous Middle East. But fixing it won’t be easy

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Donald Trump will return to the presidency at a time of unprecedented conflict and uncertainty in the Middle East. He has vowed to fix it. While he has a history of strong support for Israel, his insistence during the campaign that the war in Gaza should end quickly, the isolationist forces in the Republican party and Trump’s penchant for unpredictability all raise a mountain of questions over how his second presidency will affect the region at this pivotal moment. Barring the achievement of elusive cease-fires before the inauguration, Trump will ascend to the highest office in the country as a brutal war in Gaza still rages and as Israel presses on with its offensive against the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.

Election takeaways: Trump’s decisive victory in a deeply divided nation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump scored a decisive victory in a deeply divided nation. And in the process, the Republican president-elect exposed a weakness within the Democratic base. He won over frustrated voters with bold promises that his brand of America-first economic populism and conservatism would make their lives better. In the short term, the Democrats face a more urgent reckoning with no obvious leader and no clear plan to rebuild as an emboldened Trump prepares to re-take Washington.

AP VoteCast: Voter anxiety over the economy and a desire for change return Trump to the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — A disaffected electorate wanted former President Donald Trump to return to the White House, a blatant rejection of Vice President Kamala Harris and her nearly four years with President Joe Biden. The Republican’s victory came from a public so put off by America’s trajectory that they welcomed his brash and disruptive approach. About 3 in 10 voters said they wanted total upheaval in how the country is run, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. And even if they weren’t looking for something that dramatic, more than half of voters overall said they wanted to see substantial change.

Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortion rights advocates lost on Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota ballot measure but prevailed in seven other states, including Missouri, where an amendment clears the way to undo one of the nation’s strictest bans. By rejecting adding abortion rights to their state constitution, Florida voters kept a ban on abortion after the first six weeks of pregnancy in place. It’s the first time abortion rights groups have lost in a statewide ballot question since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a national right to abortion in 2022. Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Montana and Nevada voters adopted such measures and New Yorkers passed an amendment to bar discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes.”

On Ukraine’s front and in Kyiv, hope and pragmatism compete when it comes to Trump’s election

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Soldiers in a Ukrainian artillery battery on the front lines of the country’s east were only vaguely aware of American election results pointing to Donald Trump’s victory. But they were firm in their hopes for the next president of the United States on Wednesday. Though Trump’s election throws into doubt American support for Ukraine, the unit’s 39-year-old commander is among many Ukrainians who hope that Trump will hold the line on American aid. It was under Trump that the United States first sent weapons to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, in 2017. But Trump overall is wary of U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.

Baby girl and her mother among those lost in Spain’s catastrophic flooding

PAIPORTA, Spain (AP) — Jorge Tarazona is mourning the loss of his 3-month-old niece and sister-in-law in last week’s catastrophic flooding in eastern Spain. They were caught along with his brother in a traffic jam when the wave of water hit. His brother survived after he managed to get out of the car and cling to a fence. But his brother’s wife and their newborn child were found dead in the mangled vehicle. It’s unknown if the two are included in the official toll of the 217 confirmed dead. The fatalities are slowly ticking up, eight days after the deadliest floods in Spain this century.