In The News

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that defendants in criminal trials can only be convicted by a unanimous jury, striking down a practice that has already been abandoned by all but one state. Writing for the majority on... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan quartet of Senators is urging the chamber's leadership to support aid to local newspaper, radio and television stations in the next iteration of the federal Paycheck Protection Program. In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration must reinstate nutrition standards for school meals that the Agriculture Department eliminated in 2018, a federal court in Maryland ruled this week. The plaintiffs were the Center for Science in the Public Interest as well... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. attorney general issued a guidance this week that authorizes the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Prisons and other Justice Department agencies to intercept communications from threatening drones or destroy them without prior consent. The policy... Read More

WASHINGTON - Congress made little progress on immigration reform last year, but state legislatures are keeping the ball rolling. Nearly every U.S. state passed legislation related to immigration in 2019, according to a report by the National Council on State... Read More

New York Attorney General Letitia James ordered four companies to immediately stop selling unauthorized coronavirus home test kits and purported cures. "This isn’t a game," James said in a post on Twitter. "Giving people a false sense of security is... Read More

WASHINGTON - Scores of public health experts responded with shock and anger this week to the decision by the White House to halt U.S. funding to the World Health Organization. The move, announced by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, comes... Read More

WASHINGTON — Despite continued uncertainty over how the Coronavirus pandemic will end, its economic impact will surely cast a shadow over the November election, according to a pair of former governors. Govs. John Kasich, a Republican of Ohio, and Terry... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — New White House guidelines outline a phased approach to restoring normal commerce and services, but only for places with strong testing and seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases. President Donald Trump unveiled his administration's plans to ease... Read More

WASHINGTON - After weeks of calls for some kind of tech-based system to allow members of Congress to work from their districts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee proposed a decidedly low-tech alternative --... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The Republican party is moving forward with plans to hold its National nominating convention in Charlotte, N.C. this summer, despite continued uncertainty over when the coronavirus outbreak will finally crest and go away. "Truthfully, there really isn't a... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., are among the bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers named to a White House panel tasked with counseling the White House on when and how to get the economy moving again... Read More

As COVID-19 wreaks havoc around the world, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its media surrogates have turned to a familiar messaging playbook to manipulate the narrative surrounding the outbreak, one well-steeped in disinformation, denial, and deceit. As phrases like... Read More

WASHINGTON - Ahead of an expected White House announcement on the easing of restrictions meant to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, governors across the nation are preparing for a "new normal" that will be quite different from the... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — A state judge said Wednesday afternoon that all voters in Texas afraid to contract COVID-19 through in-person voting should be allowed to vote by mail during the pandemic. State District Judge Tim Sulak of the 353rd District... Read More

President Donald Trump nudged the nation’s governors on Wednesday to get ready to reopen their economies and dubiously threatened to override them should they refuse, as the country’s coronavirus death toll continued to skyrocket. Speaking from the White House Rose... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Initial unemployment claims, a proxy for layoffs, jumped by another 5.2 million last week, bringing the four-week total to about 22 million, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That number wipes out the total number of jobs created during... Read More

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has signed into law bipartisan legislation that enables veterans to virtually attend Department of Veteran Affairs claims hearings from home. The legislation was introduced by Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C, and John Katko, R-N.Y. in October.... Read More

WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump's name will be printed on the stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is about to start sending to millions of Americans across the country. The inclusion of Trump's name was first... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is expanding its highly regarded rapid response program to provide aid and comfort to even more veterans during the coronavirus pandemic. Newly rebranded as the IAVA's "Quick Reaction Force," the initiative... Read More

WASHINGTON — Despite the widespread hoarding of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other items that continue to leave many store shelves bare, U.S. retail sales plunged 8.7% in March, an unprecedented decline, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The deceleration of... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., a tireless advocate for fiscal responsibility whether on her own or as co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats, has been awarded the 2020 Fiscal Hero award by the Committee for a... Read More

WASHINGTON - The global economy will likely experience the worst recession since the 1930s as governments around the world fight to end the coronavirus outbreak and restart their economies, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. The organization, which is headquartered... Read More

When the coronavirus started shutting down livestock markets, Darvin Bentlage knew his farm would take a hit. Springtime cattle sales usually bring in about a third of his ranching income, and cattle prices were already at a low, he said. ... Read More

WASHINGTON - Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden on Tuesday, re-entering the political fray after months of maintaining his neutrality. The former president's endorsement came a day after Biden's last remaining rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gave his endorsement... Read More

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers will not return to Capitol Hill for regular legislative activity before May 4, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday. “As the country continues working together to flatten the curve, following the advice of health experts, the full... Read More

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced Monday that they've come to an agreement on a shared vision for reopening their economies and controlling COVID-19 in the future. In a joint statement, Govs. Gavin Newsom, Kate Brown and Jay... Read More

WASHINGTON - The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus is urging the House leadership to seize opportunity from a grave national crisis and adopt new policies ensuring members can carry out their obligations to debate and vote on legislation even if they... Read More

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a series of bills this past weekend that dramatically expand voting rights in the state, by eliminating its voter ID requirement, increasing access to early voting and making Election Day a state holiday. “Voting is... Read More

Ocean City, Maryland, can continue to enforce its ban on topless women at its popular beach, a federal judge ruled last week. There’s a fundamental difference between topless women and topless men that is supported by case law and tradition,... Read More