Seventeen of 20 American doctors treating patients amid the destruction and war in Gaza have made it out of the besieged enclave alive as Israel's army continues its conflict with Hamas targets. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters Friday that those in the group who wanted to leave were able to do so. Kirby said on Friday, "they came out today, all 17, they wanted to leave." He said, "I won't speak for the other three, but I can assure you that any of them that wanted to leave are out now." When asked if the discovery of 3 bodies of hostages found in G ..read more

President Joe Biden's campaign is highlighting a term focused on improving U.S. infrastructure, most recently with a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration that is expected to save money and boost air travel safety for consumers. In a Friday interview, Senior Advisor to the President Tom Perez told Scripps News about the immediate benefits of the bill. "Safety is job one," Perez said. "You're going to see the benefits right away. The Department of Transportation has been working these safety initiatives for some time. We weren't waiting for the bill to be signed to be putting i ..read more

The U.S. has a long history of gun use, and the topic has become increasingly political. At a National Rifle Association Outdoor Show held in the swing state of Pennsylvania, presumptive Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump said he's the best friend of American gun owners. "During my four years nothing happened," Trump said at the February rally. "And there was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing. We didn't yield." The crowd cheered heartily at his remarks. "Your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your president," Trump said. Tr ..read more

President Joe Biden signed the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization Thursday, calling it a "big win for travelers." President Biden said the legislation will "expand critical protections for air travelers" and will improve safety standards, including by requiring that cockpits be fitted with 25-hour voice recording devices an increase by two hours compared to current devices. Certain aircraft traveling on extended over-water flights will also have to be equipped with technology that will help investigators recover critical flight data fast, without having to find physical recorders ..read more

Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CBS News to debate former President Donald Trump's currently unnamed running mate. The Biden-Harris administration told the network she could participate in an in-studio debate either July 23 or August 13, both of which CBS News offered. The Trump campaign hasn't yet responded to the invitation, the network reported. If the debate occurs on July 23, it would only be days after the Republican National Convention wraps in Milwaukee. Trump told Scripps News there's "probably a good chance" he'll announce his vice presidential pick there ..read more

A loophole in federal campaign finance law that allows candidates to spend donations for their own personal use has repeatedly brought together Democrats and Republicans at the Federal Election Commission to try to persuade Congress to ban the practice. But the issue presents a political paradox: The only people who can change the law are the ones who directly benefit from it. The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University investigated spending from a specialized type of political action committee known as a leadership PAC. The FEC says leadership PACs are often set ..read more

For more than 50 years, presidents have taken to televised podiums following incidents of gun violence, vowing to make changes. At the state level, those changes run the spectrum, from arming teachers to attempting to ban the sale and trade of assault weapons. Amid the web of rules inside state lines, on the federal level, there are fewer gun control laws today than a generation ago. For most of American history, gun control laws weren't controversial. For example, a 1934 ban on civilians owning machine guns didn't meet a lot of resistance. The National Firearms Act of 1934 came during Prohibi ..read more

The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it would send more than $1 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday. But it was not immediately known how soon the weapons would be delivered. It's the first arms shipment to Israel to be revealed since the administration put another arms transfer, consisting of 3,500 bombs of up to 2,000 pounds each, on hold this month. The Biden administration, citing concern for civilian casualties in Gaza, has said it paused that bomb transfer to keep Israel from using those particular munitions in its offens ..read more

In the aftermath of mass shootings, there are often calls to strengthen gun laws, but those calls don't always result in new restrictions. Few people know that better than Nevada State Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui. On her first day as an intern for former Sen. Harry Reid, a gunman opened fire in the lobby of the federal courthouse in Las Vegas. Seven years later, she was at the Route 91 music festival where 58 people were killed and hundreds of others were wounded. Jauregui has authored several bills aimed at curbing gun crime, but some have been vetoed by the state's Republican governor. "So ..read more

The matter of abortion access could steer political fates from statehouses all the way up to Congress and the White House this year. Scripps News examines the potential impact of abortion battles up and down the ballot and hears from the women most affected by the shifting legal landscape surrounding abortion in the U.S. How have President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump's views on abortion evolved? How has Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as a critical leader for abortion rights across the U.S.? And in Florida, we examine the effort to change the state constitution to enshrine ..read more