In The News

WASHINGTON — This week, the American Worker Holiday Relief Act was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. “With the economy backsliding as COVID-19... Read More

WASHINGTON – This week, Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, introduced the Rural Revitalization Now Act to provide up to $50,000 in student loan relief for people who commit to live and work in rural communities for at least eight years. The... Read More

Members of two Virginia churches are trying again in a lawsuit filed on Friday to challenge the governor’s restrictions intended to control the spread of coronavirus. The lawsuit says the restrictions Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam announced in mid-November “discourage the... Read More

MADISON, Wis. — This week, Governor Tony Evers announced that COVID-19 Lodging Grants have been awarded to 663 Wisconsin lodging operators.  The grants aim to provide stabilization to the state’s lodging industry as it continues to be impacted by the... Read More

WASHINGTON - A decade after Republicans, then in the majority in the House, banned them in their conference rules, the practice of Congressionally-directed spending -- otherwise known as the use of earmarks -- is poised for an almost certain comeback.... Read More

A new survey report from Gallup suggests that Americans’ positive outlook on their mental health is on a nine-point decline from last year, a new low point in Gallup’s 20-year history of measuring Americans’ view on their mental health. The... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — Polls had only been closed in Florida for a few hours last month when elections offices started closing up shop for the night, too. Almost all the votes were counted and reported, and there just wasn't much left to do at... Read More

Georgia's embattled Republican governor and elections chief asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by an ex-Trump campaign lawyer whose "outlandish" claims of fraud tied to Dominion Voting Systems Inc. machines are, they say, comparable to a work of fiction. The... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Supreme Court moved up a key deadline Sunday for Pennsylvania officials to respond to a last-minute bid by one of Trump's top boosters in Congress to decertify the state's elections results. Previously, Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who oversees emergency matters arising out... Read More

ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and the Rev. Raphael Warnock faced off in their first, and possibly only, one-on-one debate Sunday night at the Atlanta Press Club, trading barbed attacks in their fight for the right to represent Georgia in the Senate for the next two years. Over the course of... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's false claim that he beat Joe Biden in last month's election — and won the state of Georgia — drew sharp rebukes Sunday from top Georgia officials, less than a month before a contest that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Further roiling Trump's... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will come "on board" with a $908 billion package to provide pandemic relief, according to a member of a bipartisan group that's seeking legislation before the end of the year. " President Trump has indicated that... Read More

Americans should shun the example set by President Donald Trump when it comes to indoor gatherings, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday. Asked about White House and State Department plans to throw indoor parties all month while on NBC's "Meet the Press," Birx said it was... Read More

NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani became the latest member of President Donald Trump's circle to test positive for coronavirus, the commander in chief announced Sunday, and the former Big Apple mayor stated that he's doing well. "Thank you to all my friends and followers for... Read More

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has tapped California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be the next health and human services secretary, a historic choice that would make the former Los Angeles congressman the first Latino to hold the office, according to sources familiar with the decision. Becerra, 62, a... Read More

WASHINGTON — All Americans who want to get a COVID-19 vaccine should be able to do so by the second quarter of next year, Health and Human Services Alex Azar said. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration due to decide as early as Thursday... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications, including wireless companies, cable and internet providers, and broadcast stations. Of particular note, due to the prevalence of remote work and school in 2020, the agency also guides the... Read More

WASHINGTON — With Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga taking power last September and a new Biden Administration coming into office at the beginning of next year, these dual transitions of power offer the chance for a U.S.-Japan alliance to... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W. Va., introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent cuts to hospital payments through the duration of the COVID public health emergency.  The Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act would delay the Medicare... Read More

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Trump administration must allow all eligible immigrants to file new applications for protection under the DACA program, and find a way to contact individuals who are eligible for the protection to notify them of the change,... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved a $1.4 trillion relief package closer to approval Friday by joining pandemic assistance and economic stimulus measures into a single bill headed toward a vote in Congress. Negotiations dragged on for months between... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House passed legislation that would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level -- the first time either chamber of Congress has voted on such a measure. And significantly, the measure received bipartisan support. When the figurative smoke cleared,... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Democrats made history on Thursday when the caucus voted to make Reps. Gregory Meeks, of New York, and David Scott, of Georgia, the first African-Americans to chair, respectively, the chamber's Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Committees. Meeks, who... Read More

In a virtual roundtable event co-hosted Tuesday by the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, economists discussed what economic policies should be prioritized by the in-coming Biden Administration and Congress.  The panelists... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Drug policy analysts told a congressional committee Thursday that the U.S. government has largely failed to stop illegal drug smuggling because of an unfocused strategy against the cartels. Instead, they recommended flexibility that seeks solutions based on local... Read More

WASHINGTON — Since the end of the Cold War, the relationship between the United States and Russia has been complicated, often described more as competitive and conflicting than cooperative. Yet a new administration in the U.S. could bring a fresh... Read More

WASHINGTON – Third Way, a Washington D.C.- based think tank, launched its inaugural “Wine with Wonks” virtual series this week that features scholars from its ACADEMIX Upshot series in an effort to promote their research and explore various education topics... Read More

WASHINGTON — Weeks after President Donald Trump said the Supreme Court should decide whether to throw out millions of ballots in what he dubbed a fraudulent election, and with state and federal courts rejecting nearly all his legal team's lawsuits in multiple states,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a senior Republican and adviser to the majority leader, said flatly Thursday that President Donald Trump has no realistic path to overturning the election. After weeks of court defeats, he noted, Trump's legal team has yet to show evidence of... Read More

WASHINGTON - As part of the 10th Annual NewDEAL Leaders Conference held this week, the NewDEAL Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization, released a new education report detailing policy solutions for providing high quality college and career pathways for students... Read More