JOEY CAPPELLETTI

Congressional reporter

Cappelletti covers Congress for The Associated Press. He previously reported on Michigan politics for AP.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, speaks about the Trump administration following reports that only Republican lawmakers received security briefings on the Trump-ordered military strikes against boats in the Caribbean, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Top Intel Democrat rips Trump administration over exclusion from boat strike briefing

A briefing held only for Republicans in Congress on U.S. military strikes is drawing a fierce rebuke from a key Democrat. Sen.

Amer Ghalib appears before a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on his pending nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

He helped deliver Arab American support for Trump. Now his path to Mideast post faces GOP opposition

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait is facing rejection by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Former President Joe Biden listens to a speaker before receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute's 10th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Boston.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republicans send Biden autopen report to the Justice Department, urging further investigation

House Republicans have released a long-promised report on former President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen and the alleged cover-up of his mental state while in office.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, joined from left by Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the House Republican Conference, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., wrap up a news conference on day 23 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans grapple with voter frustration over rising health care premiums

Notices of rising health insurance premiums are landing in voters’ mailboxes and sending some to town halls to vent their frustration.

U.S. Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., left, spars with Democratic rival and former governor Jeanne Shaheen during a live televised debate in Manchester, N.H., Oct. 30, 2008. (AP Photo/POOL/David Lane, File)

Ex-US Sen. John E. Sununu enters GOP primary race in New Hampshire for the seat he lost in 2008

New Hampshire Republican John E. Sununu has announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat he lost nearly 20 years ago.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., left, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speak to reporters outside the Senate chamber as they charge President Donald Trump and the Republicans with the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats say Trump needs to be involved in shutdown talks. He’s shown little interest in doing so

Democrats are calling on President Donald Trump to get more involved with negotiations to end the government shutdown.

With the government shutdown now in its third week, a sign turns away tourists at the entrance to the Capitol Visitor Center, in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Who’s winning the blame game over the shutdown? Here’s what a new AP-NORC poll shows

A new poll finds most Americans see the government shutdown as a significant problem as it drags on.

A sign that reads "Closed due to federal government shutdown," is seen outside of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Federal workers endure financial strain and fear layoffs as the government shutdown drags on

Federal workers furloughed or working without pay are feeling the financial squeeze and fear being swept up in the Trump administration’s layoffs.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., questions witnesses during a hearing of a special House committee dedicated to countering China, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon,File)

Rep. Moulton challenges Sen. Markey in Massachusetts, calls for new generation of Democratic leaders

The campaign of U.S. Sen. Edward Markey says he is focused on the government shutdown in response to the announcement that Democratic Rep.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, speaks on election night, Nov. 5, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

Crypto spent millions to defeat Sherrod Brown and elect allies. It’s ready for a repeat in 2026

The cryptocurrency industry spent millions last year to unseat a longtime critic, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and install its allies in Washington.

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a heated discussion to endorse House bill H.R.5145 that would extend the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Federal government shutdown grinds into a week two as tempers flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight. No negotiations, at least publicly, are underway, but quiet talks are emerging.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

The GOP says it’s winning the shutdown. Some fear Trump’s cuts may change that

President Donald Trump is using the federal shutdown to push deep spending cuts in states that backed Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP leaders, from left, Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans are relishing a role reversal in the shutdown fight. Can Trump keep them united?

Republican leaders have presented a united stance as they try to keep the government open and berate Democrats for demanding health care policy changes in exchange for their votes.

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, candidate for Senate in 2026, speaks in Columbus, Ohio, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, where he endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy, candidate for Ohio Governor in 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

He planned to run for Ohio governor. Now Jon Husted could be in the US Senate’s toughest 2026 race

Jon Husted planned to run for Ohio governor next year. But his political path took an abrupt turn in January, when Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to the U.S.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., right, joined by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., center left, leads a vigil to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk who was shot and killed at an event in Utah last week, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House approves resolution honoring Charlie Kirk with dozens of Democrats opposed

The House has passed a resolution honoring the late Charlie Kirk over significant Democratic opposition.

As lawmakers debate a government funding extension, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., awaits the arrival of the leader of the Orthodox Christian Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for a meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republican leaders reject Democratic health care demands for bill to avoid shutdown

Republican leaders in the House and Senate are rejecting Democratic demands for health care subsidies in a bill to avoid a government shutdown.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is taking steps to run for Senate in 2026, sources tell AP

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is taking steps toward running for the U.S. Senate in 2026. That’s according to two sources who spoke to The Associated Press.

New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at a rally with Hotel & Gaming Trades Council workers, in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The Democratic Party is in fits over Mamdani’s bid for NYC mayor. Republicans are loving it

Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor has amplified a rift within the Democratic Party. Establishment leaders in Washington and moderate Democrats on the ballot in looming elections are actively distancing themselves from the 33-year-old Democratic nominee for mayor, who identifies as a democ

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., speaks during the confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

National conservatism asserts its dominance in Trump’s Washington

National conservatism is reshaping the Republican Party in President Donald Trump’s second term. This week, its leaders gathered in Washington to celebrate their rise and lay out their next steps.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks during an Iowa GOP event at the Cedar Rapids Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Aug. 6, 2024. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP, File)

Sen. Ernst of Iowa is expected to announce next month that she won’t run for reelection in 2026

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is expected to announce next month she won’t seek reelection, leaving another vacancy in an Iowa seat that could have ripple effects down the ballot as Democrats look to the state for pickup opportunities.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference in a Chicago water taxi Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Democratic governors look to derail Trump’s plan to send National Guard to Chicago and other cities

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other top Democrats are warning President Donald Trump to stay out of the cities they run.

Visitors explore the rotunda into the late night as the Senate takes a recess before hearing more debate over a bill on a redrawn U.S. congressional map during a special session at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)

Texas Gov. Abbott says he’ll swiftly sign new maps on his desk that will boost GOP in 2026

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has promised to sign a new congressional voting map designed to help Republicans maintain their slim majority in Congress.

A Texas troopers passes the Texas Seal on the Rotunda of the Texas Capitol before debate on a bill for a redrawn U.S. congressional map during a special session in the Senate Chamber in Austin, Texas, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas lawmakers give final approval to redrawn congressional map favoring GOP

The Texas Senate has given final approval to a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Rep. Chip Roy, an outspoken fiscal conservative, is running for Texas attorney general

A Republican congressman from Texas, Chip Roy, says he’s running for state attorney general. Roy is a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative faction that wields outsize influence in the narrowly divided House.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks at a campaign event on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, at Holt Bros. BBQ in Florence, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Trump ready to ‘crush’ Russian economy if Putin avoids talks with Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump is willing to “crush” Russia’s economy with sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Democratic candidate for North Carolina's 11th congressional district Jamie Ager smiles, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Fairview, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Where Trump is popular, Democrats look to a new crop of candidates to help win back the House

North Carolina farmer Jamie Ager is part of a new crop of Democratic candidates the party is turning to as it tries to compete in the tough, often rural districts it may need to flip to retake the U.S.

An American Flag at the Ford Motor Company Kentucky Truck Plant is seen during a media tour for the launch of the 2025 Ford Expedition in Louisville, Ky., April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Whitmer told Trump in private that Michigan auto jobs depend on a tariff change of course

Michigan’s governor met privately with President Donald Trump to urge him to change course on tariffs that are having a big impact on automakers in her state.

A briefcase of a census taker is seen as she knocks on the door of a residence, Aug. 11, 2020, in Winter Park, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Trump seeks to change how census collects data and wants to exclude immigrants in US illegally

President Donald Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to change how the Census Bureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants in the United States illegally.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with former television journalist Gretchen Carlson, not shown, at an event on April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Michigan Gov. Whitmer makes another White House visit to meet with Trump

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the impact tariffs and Medicaid changes are having on her state.

President Donald Trump shouts to reporters as he surveys the grounds from the roof above the Colonnade that goes to the West Wing of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump takes an unexpected walk on the White House roof to survey new projects

President Donald Trump made an unexpected appearance on the roof of the White House’s West Wing. His nearly 20 minute walk on the roof Tuesday followed an early morning television appearance and call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.