Meg Kinnard

As Congress responds to President Donald Trump's attack on Iran, lawmakers who served on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan are making their voices heard in a war debate that has taken on intensely personal meaning.

In today's AP Ground Game:

✅Lawmakers who served on front lines of Iraq/Afghanistan make their voices heard on Iran war debate

✅Q&A w/ Gary Robertson on Roy Cooper’s NC Senate bid

✅One extraordinary photo w/ Julia Nikhinson

Today’s edition: link.apnews.com/view/65620db...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump appears to rule out negotiations with Iran and says US will help Iran rebuild after the war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House narrowly rejects resolution to halt Trump's attack on Iran, an early sign of unease in Congress over the conflict.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he's replacing Homeland Security Secretary Noem with GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump tells Axios he must be involved in selection of Iran's next leader and calls Khamenei's son an 'unacceptable' pick.

Obama throws his support behind Virginia Democrats' redistricting plan as it heads to voters Former President Barack Obama is promoting a Democratic effort to redraw congressional lines in Virginia, the latest front in a nationwide redistricting battle ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Barack Obama is promoting Dems' effort to redraw VA House lines, the latest front in a nationwide redistricting battle.

In video shared w/ AP, Obama asks Virginians to OK new maps to ensure “voting power is not diminished by what Rs are doing" elsewhere. apnews.com/article/obam...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s top court allows a voter referendum on Democrat-led redistricting that aims to flip 4 US House seats.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Judge rules companies are entitled to refunds for Trump tariffs they paid but that were overturned by the Supreme Court.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Lou Holtz, the college football staple who coached Notre Dame to the 1988 national title and captivated fans, dies at 89.

Early primaries show incumbents are on shaky ground in midterms The first round of primary elections shows this year’s midterm elections will be taking place on shifting political ground for incumbents.

The 1st round of primary elections is showing how this year’s midterms take place on shifting political ground for incumbents.

That was particularly true in TX, where incumbents have been pushed to runoffs &/or scuttled from Congress altogether.
apnews.com/article/texa...

The first primaries of the 2026 midterm elections are in the books, and while Republican Senate contenders are headed to a runoff in Texas, Democrats have picked their fighter.

In today's AP Ground Game:

✅Takeaways from the 1st votes of the 2026 midterms
✅Q&A w/ David Bauder on Trump's Iran messaging
✅One extraordinary photo w/ Julio Cortez

Today's edition: link.apnews.com/view/5f524f9...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hegseth says an American submarine sank an Iranian warship with a torpedo in international waters.

Democratic moderates warn that leaning too far left in midterms sets up presidential loss in 2028 Moderate Democrats are pushing back on the party’s progressive energy. They say winning elections means “winning the middle.”

Across the US, progressives are lighting a fire they hope will catapult Democrats back to power in Congress this year.

But in a hotel ballroom this week, the party’s beleaguered moderates have another message — not so fast.

Dispatch from Charleston:
apnews.com/article/2026...

This is how the US-Israeli strikes on Iran played out President Donald Trump says he was not pleased with the way that negotiations with Iran were proceeding. That was Friday afternoon.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday afternoon that he wasn't pleased with the way nuclear talks had been going with Iran.

Three hours later, he gave the order to launch the operation that would take out many of the country’s top leaders.

How it unfolded:
apnews.com/article/iran...

The U.S. Congress is about to launch a war powers debate over President Donald Trump's authority to bomb Iran under largely unusual circumstances — he's already done it, and the country is essentially already at war.

In today's AP Ground Game:

✅Congress to debate Iran conflict that's well underway
✅Texas primary updates from the ground
✅Elections spotlight on NC01 & NC04

Today's edition: link.apnews.com/view/5f524f9...

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli military says strikes killed Iran’s defense minister and the commander of its Revolutionary Guard.

Biden flies commercial from Reagan National Airport and winds up stuck in delays like everyone else Former President Joe Biden flies commercially from Reagan National Airport and ends up stuck in the same delays as everyone else.

Passengers gaped in wonder: Why would a man who for a time was leader of the free world be, like they were, at the mercy of airport travel delays, even as he sat ensconced in his security detail?

More from this morning's DCA-CAE flight with Joe Biden: apnews.com/article/bide...

Headed home today after a week in DC so I can cover former President Joe Biden as he attends a @scdemocrats.bsky.social event in Columbia SC tonight.

Apparently I picked a popular flight this morning!

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vance says Trump administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns.

President Donald Trump has has delivered the State of the Union. Now the challenge for him is to make that message stick. The president gets his first opportunity to test drive his midterm year message later this week, when he travels to Texas ahead of that state's upcoming primaries.

In today's AP Ground Game:
✅Trump's eventual SOTU roadshow plans
✅ DC bureau chief Anna Johnson's weekly AP picks
✅ One extraordinary AP Photo by Evan Vucci

Today's edition: link.apnews.com/view/5f524f9...

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump breaks record for longest State of the Union, speaking for more than 1 hour and 41 minutes.

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In today's AP Ground Game:
✅SOTU preview
✅Tariff refunds(?)
✅TX redistricting

We listened to your feedback & we've made some changes we hope you'll love - including more editions (next up: SOTU recap on Wednesday).

Sign up: apnews.com/newsletters
link.apnews.com/view/5f524f9...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump-appointed judge permanently bars release of special counsel's report on president's classified documents case.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Armed man shot and killed after entering Mar-a-Lago secure perimeter, Secret Service announces.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he is going to raise global tariff to 15%, up from 10%, after Supreme Court defeat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he'll sign executive order to enact 10% global tariff after Supreme Court defeat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he's 'absolutely ashamed' of Supreme Court justices who issued 'deeply disappointing'  tariff decision.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats pass map aimed at flipping 4 US House seats, but still need approval from high court and voters.

FCC chairman says the agency is investigating ABC's 'The View' over equal time rule The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC’s “The View” over possible violations of the requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates when they appear on-...

The FCC says there's "an enforcement action underway" on ABC’s “The View” over possible violations of the requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates on-air.

That + more that's come up this week on the equal time rule: apnews.com/article/view...