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Trump-appointed prosecutor who pursued Comey indictment departs post after 120 days

Published January 21, 2026 at 8:15AM

FILE - Lindsey Halligan, special assistant to the president, speaks with a reporter outside of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Lindsey Halligan, who, as a hastily appointed Justice Department prosecutor, pursued indictments against a pair of President Donald Trump’s adversaries, is leaving her position as her months-long tenure has now concluded, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday night.

Halligan’s departure from the role of interim United States attorney for the Alexandria-based Eastern District of Virginia came as multiple judges were casting doubt on her ability to remain in the job legally following a court ruling two months ago that declared her appointment illegal.

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Search of Washington Post reporter’s home took place in Alexandria, FBI confirms

By The Associated Press and Katie Taranto

Published January 15, 2026 at 1:41PM

FILE - A person walks into the One Franklin Square Building, home of The Washington Post newspaper, June 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter’s Alexandria home yesterday (Wednesday) as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified information, the Justice Department said.

Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Donald Trump’s transformation of the federal government, had a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch seized in the search of her Alexandria home, the Post reported. Natanson has reported extensively on the federal workforce and recently published a piece describing how she gained hundreds of new sources — leading one colleague to call her “the federal government whisperer.”

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JUST IN: Judge dismisses Comey indictment after finding that prosecutor was illegally appointed

By The Associated Press

Published November 24, 2025 at 1:00PM

FILE - Former FBI director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, June 8, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, concluding that the prosecutor who brought the charges at President Donald Trump’s urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.

The rulings from U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie halt at least for now a pair of prosecutions that had targeted two of the president’s most high-profile political opponents and amount to a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s legal maneuvering to install an inexperienced and loyalist prosecutor willing to file the cases.

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Comey lawyers seek indictment dismissal over ‘vindictive and selective’ prosecution

By The Associated Press

Published November 19, 2025 at 9:30AM

Family of former FBI Director James Comey and others, arrive at federal court in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Former FBI Director James Comey will make another run Wednesday at getting his criminal case dismissed, with his lawyers looking to convince a judge that the prosecution is vindictive and rooted in President Donald Trump’s hatred of him.

The arguments arrive as the Comey case appears freshly imperiled following a judge’s excoriation of the Justice Department on Monday and as multiple challenges to the indictment may result in its dismissal.

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House passes bill to end government shutdown, sending measure to Trump

By The Associated Press

Published November 12, 2025 at 8:56PM

The Capitol is seen at dusk as Democrats and Republicans in Congress are angrily blaming each other and refusing to budge from their positions on funding the government, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks away. Republicans used their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line with a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate has already passed the measure.

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Northern lights could return to N. Va. skies tonight after Tuesday auroras

By Katie Taranto and The Associated Press

Published November 12, 2025 at 1:30PM

The northern lights fill the sky behind the Saint Joseph the Woodworker Shrine Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, near Valley Falls, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Solar storms brought colorful auroras to unexpected places last night (Tuesday), and there could be more to come across the D.C. area this evening.

Space weather forecasters confirmed that storms reached severe levels Tuesday, triggering vibrant northern lights as far south as Kansas, Colorado and Texas. In Virginia, residents posted about aurora sightings from northern localities like Arlington and Vienna, and out west in Rockingham County.

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Senate passes deal to reopen government, but hurdles remain for health care funding

By The Associated Press

Published November 10, 2025 at 9:00AM

Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks with reporters at the Capitol Subway on the 36th day of the government shutdown, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track Monday after a handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to break the impasse in what has become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services, the longest in history.

What's in and out of the bipartisan deal drew sharp criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation provides funding to reopen the government, including for SNAP food aid and other programs, while also ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers the Trump administration had left in doubt.

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DCA, Dulles among airports facing flight cuts as FAA reduces traffic amid government shutdown

By The Associated Press

Published November 6, 2025 at 1:45PM

FILE - Passenger planes rest in front of a control tower at the Reagan National Airport in Washington, Nov. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON — Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport are among 40 airports where flights will be cut this tomorrow (Friday) due to the government shutdown, according to a list obtained by The Associated Press.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it would reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown.

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Government shutdown is longest on record as Trump meets with GOP senators

By The Associated Press

Published November 5, 2025 at 1:00PM

President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with Senate and House Republicans in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — The government shutdown has entered its 36th day, breaking the record as the longest ever and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with program cuts, flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks.

President Donald Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over their demands to salvage expiring health insurance subsidies until they agree to reopen the government. But skeptical Democrats question whether the Republican president will keep his word, particularly after the administration restricted SNAP food aid despite court orders to ensure funds are available to prevent hunger.

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UPDATED: Spanberger elected Virginia governor, Hashmi lieutenant governor, in historic firsts

By The Associated Press

Published November 4, 2025 at 8:10PM | Updated November 4, 2025 at 11:44PM

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger speaks during a campaign event with former President Barack Obama, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

RICHMOND, Va — Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to give Democrats a key victory heading into the 2026 midterm elections and make history as the first woman ever to lead the commonwealth.

Spanberger’s win was the first in a big night for Democrats in Virginia and around the country, casting new doubts about President Donald Trump’s political strength less than a year into his second White House term.

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AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Virginia on Election Day

By The Associated Press

Published October 30, 2025 at 12:16AM | Updated October 30, 2025 at 5:22AM

Campaign signs for Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Democratic challenger Jay Jones appear outside the elections office for the City of Fairfax, Va., Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Yoon)

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia will elect its first woman as governor Tuesday as Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger look to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Voters will also decide races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and the state House of Delegates.