In The News

WASHINGTON - It's NAFTA no more. As of 12:01 this morning, the U.S. - Mexico - Canada trade agreement, better known as the USMCA, is in full effect, formally replacing the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement "Today marks the... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House on Monday voted to block the Trump administration from overhauling rules that affect how banks make loans to people in lower to moderate-income communities. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters, challenges a recent ruling by... Read More

WASHINGTON - A psychologist and psychiatrist on Tuesday suggested Congress provide stronger federal intervention to prevent a mental health crisis during the coronavirus pandemic. They said suicides and substance abuse are on the upswing as Americans struggle with quarantines, social... Read More

WASHINGTON — Almost 90% of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the state of the country, and their unhappiness is affecting their political decisions four months before the presidential election, a new study from Pew Research Center shows. Only 17%... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court struck down a ban on taxpayer funding for religious schools on Tuesday, saying such institutions can't be prevented from participating in programs that use public funds to support private education. The 5-4 ruling upheld a... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a series of recommendations Tuesday that it say should help facilitate the timely development of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. The agency said the guidance reflects advice it has been... Read More

WASHINGTON — A nearly unanimous Supreme Court said Tuesday that the travel website Booking.com can trademark its name, a ruling of high significance to other companies using a generic word followed by ".com." as a name. Lower courts had sided... Read More

WASHINGTON - Defense policy discussions are attracting most of the attention on Capitol Hill this week as the Senate takes up the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill on the floor and the House Armed Service Committee marks up its version.... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The World Health Organization said urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds and greenery in neighborhoods, can promote mental and physical health by alleviating stress and providing psychological relaxation. Access to green space, such as parks and... Read More

Proxy voting has been extended through mid-August in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday.  House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul D. Irving, in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician, notified Pelosi that the public health emergency due to the coronavirus... Read More

WASHINGTON — Alabama officials asked the Supreme Court to step into the debate over how to conduct election laws in the midst of a national health crisis, in a legal dispute over absentee ballot requirements in three of the state’s... Read More

A political protester and an Australian television reporter led criticisms during a congressional hearing Monday against U.S. Park Police who aggressively cleared Lafayette Square park near the White House June 1. Police forced Black Lives Matter protesters to back away... Read More

WASHINGTON - Members of both parties on Capitol Hill continue to demand answers from the Trump administration about reported bounties paid by Russian operatives to Afghan insurgents for targeting American troops. Administration officials held a briefing for a limited number... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed President Donald Trump's ability to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Monday, but left undisturbed the rest of the statute that created the agency in the wake of the 2008... Read More

WASHINGTON - A Coalition of Democratic and Republican House members have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to request Congressional funding to plug "orphan" oil and gas wells across the... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court upheld a provision of federal law Monday that requires foreign affiliates of U.S.-based health organizations to denounce prostitution as a condition of receiving taxpayer money to fight AIDS around the world.  Writing for the majority... Read More

WASHINGTON - A divided Supreme Court on Monday refused to block the execution of four federal prison inmates -- executions that will mark the first use of the death penalty on the federal level in nearly 20 years. A majority... Read More

The economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak is worsening the strain on city and county health departments that have been tasked with doing more with less resources since the 2008 recession, an updated report from the National Association of County... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights in the first big abortion case of the Trump era. Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the liberal wing... Read More

House Democrats on Tuesday will issue an ambitious plan to combat climate change, a move intended to reassure their base of supporters but that’s sure to inflame opponents on the right. The proposal will be released at an event at... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday evening decline to force Texas officials to offer mail-in ballots to all voters in the state because of the threat posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The court's order is the latest development... Read More

WASHINGTON - New polling shows former Governor John Hickenlooper taking a dominant lead over Andrew Romanoff in Colorado’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, just days before voters cast their ballots on June 30. In a survey published on Thursday by... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled House approved a bill Friday to make the District of Columbia the 51st state, saying Congress has both the moral obligation and constitutional authority to ensure that the city's 700,000 residents are allowed full voting... Read More

Climate change is increasing the likelihood of low birth weights, premature births, and stillbirths in minority communities, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study’s authors said while they found detrimental impacts... Read More

WASHINGTON - Barely a month after regaining its ability to take major enforcement actions, the Federal Elections Commission is once again losing its quorum. On Friday, longtime Republican commissioner Caroline Hunter submitted her letter of resignation to President Donald Trump,... Read More

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally divert Pentagon funds to build a miles-long wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, a federal appeals court ruled Friday afternoon. In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON - Confronted with an extraordinary public health crisis, the federal government moved with uncommon agility to bolster the economy and quickly establish services for those infected with the virus, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said Thursday. But in doing... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration filed a legal brief with the Supreme Court Thursday night, arguing the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down by the Justices. Overturning the Affordable Care Act would take away health coverage for about... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Friday will vote on historic legislation that would grant statehood to the District of Columbia, making it the 51st U.S. state. The bill -- aptly named H.R. 51 -- is expected to pass... Read More

WASHINGTON - Judges and lawmakers at a congressional hearing Thursday left little doubt that Internet video and teleconferencing will become permanent parts of court proceedings soon. They described the emergency procedures instituted to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as an... Read More