In The News

WASHINGTON - While COVID-19 is amplifying conundrums in many policy areas, perhaps nowhere has this been more manifest than in the area of immigrants and the U.S. immigration system.  President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that he had signed an executive... Read More

President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic collapse has shaken voters’ confidence in him, with the percentage of undecided voters more than doubling in the last two weeks. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court bolstered the nation’s clean-water protections for oceans and beaches on Thursday, ruling that environmentalists can sue to block discharges of sewage into the ground if those pollutants flow in significant amounts from there into the... Read More

WASHINGTON — When the governor of Georgia and other leaders press for ending government restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus, they are proposing a huge gamble, not just for people in their own states but for millions of others nationwide.... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — Joe Biden has a sizable lead over President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll, as voters cast a critical eye on Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The survey by Fox News showed Biden leading... Read More

WASHINGTON — With unemployment claims topping 26 million in the last five weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the House voted Thursday to approve another half-trillion dollars in federal relief to replenish a depleted small-business loan program and provide money... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bill introduced by two Democratic congressmen Thursday would make businesses in the previously flourishing cannabis industry eligible to apply for COVID-19 relief programs run through the Small Business Administration. In the wake of the shuttering of many... Read More

WASHINGTON - Law firms and their clients who are joining the growing list of plaintiffs against the Chinese government over the coronavirus outbreak are running up against a foreign policy that could rule out any successful lawsuits. About a half-dozen... Read More

WASHINGTON - As the House prepares to vote on a $483 billion coronavirus aid package, a majority of Americans say they'd like Congress to return to Washington immediately to try to deal with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, a new poll... Read More

WASHINGTON - Just over 4.4 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to tame it continue to batter the U.S. economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that 4,427,000 Americans applied for benefits... Read More

It’s a big year for the planet. April 22, 2020, marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a celebration of the environmental movement that is honored around the world. But many are celebrating Earth Day indoors this year. The coronavirus... Read More

A federal lawsuit filed in Arkansas on Wednesday claims the state's election laws make it virtually impossible to collect the requisite signatures for placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot. At issue in the lawsuit, which was filed in the... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday shelved a vote on a temporary change to House rules to allow proxy voting, announcing instead that a bipartisan panel will look at it and other issues relating to House operations during... Read More

WASHINGTON - Federal workers hoping for some clarity on when and how they will return to work in their offices got a hint on Monday, when the White House released its framework for gradually reopening the federal government. The framework,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Census Bureau is launching two new surveys to gather data on disruptions to households and small businesses due to the coronavirus outbreak. The bureau received emergency approval from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Sunday... Read More

As Americans are staying home to stem the spread of the coronavirus, online searches for white supremacist content have increased, according to a London-based company that uses technology to disrupt violent extremism. In states that have had local stay-at-home orders... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights even after the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Preparations for the 2020 general election debates are proceeding “according to schedule” despite the coronavirus outbreak. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized all general election debates since 1988, said in a statement Tuesday that... Read More

WASHINGTON - The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus has released a lengthy checklist it hopes will help guide the White House and congressional leaders as they continue to work toward fully reopening the U.S. economy. While the caucus, which has 25... Read More

WASHINGTON - Congressional negotiators and the White House reached agreement Tuesday on a $500 billion coronavirus relief bill that includes $331 billion to replenish a small business rescue fund while also providing an additional $75 billion to hospitals. The new... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration Tuesday approved the first diagnostic test for the coronavirus that allows people to collect their sample at home -- a development that could greatly expand testing options in states fighting to corral the... Read More

A Milwaukee, Wisconsin health official said Tuesday that the city had identified at least seven people who appear to have contracted the coronavirus while participating in the state's controversial April 7 primary election. Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said in... Read More

In 2014, Susan Collins was looking at an easy victory in Maine. The veteran Senator was well-funded, well-liked, and faced little competition in her bid for re-election. Her main challenger, Shenna Bellows, was a young progressive with no name recognition... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Blue Dog Coalition urged the Trump administration Tuesday to fix problems community-based financial institutions are encountering as they try to access the Paycheck Protection Program. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Jovita Carranza, administrator... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, led by Reps. Andy Levin, D-Mich., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., is pressing for the inclusion of funding and a directive in the next coronavirus stimulus bill to enable the National Labor Relations Board... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says an emergency proxy-voting plan for members that could be voted on as soon as Thursday is a fine first step, but he would like to take a second look at technology that... Read More

The day started like any other gloomy Monday in the oil market’s worst crisis in a generation. It ended with prices falling below zero, thrusting markets into a parallel universe where traders were willing to pay $40 a barrel just... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the... Read More

A recent survey found 91 percent of Americans want healthcare price transparency – and support that hospitals and healthcare facilities be required to publicly disclose the prices of their services. Hospitals – which, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, have already... Read More

WASHINGTON - Montana homeowners can sue Atlantic Richfield Co. under state law to get additional cleanup of arsenic left over from years of copper smelting, however, writing for the majority on a divided court, Chief Justice John Roberts said before... Read More