New York City mayoral contenders relentlessly criticized their opponents as they made their final pitch to voters Wednesday night in the last debate before early voting starts Saturday.  Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, Independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa once again traded barbs on the debate stage, meeting for the second time in less than a week. Wednesday’s debate at LaGuardia Community College...

Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump said the U.S. will “hit” drug smugglers attempting to enter the U.S. by land after a series of lethal strikes on cartel boats at sea. The president was questioned about his use of military force to crack down on drug smugglers in the Caribbean and Pacific following the eighth such strike in recent weeks. Trump acknowledged “it...

Democrats pulled out all the stops Wednesday to delay the vote on a short-term spending bill to reopen the government, the 12th time the Senate has considered the measure since the government entered a shutdown Oct. 1. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., embarked on a nearly 24-hour speech at 6:23 p.m. Tuesday, concluding his remarks at 5 p.m. the next day. Merkley, 68, warned viewers of the authoritarianism he...