In The News

DES MOINES, Iowa — The first signs of trouble in the Iowa Democratic caucuses emerged early Monday afternoon when a handful of county chairs had problems downloading and logging onto a new app designed to report results. “A lot of... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby appeared to soften a little Tuesday on a potential return of earmarks in spending bills this year, after saying last week his Republican colleagues probably wouldn’t allow it. The Alabama Republican said... Read More

WASHINGTON — During the 2003 SARS epidemic, Starbucks barely had 100 stores in China to worry about. The company responded by postponing staff meetings, and pushing stricter hygiene and store-cleaning procedures for employees. This time around with the new coronavirus... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, on the eve of his likely acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, delivered his third State of the Union address — and added to the drama with a handful of stage-managed surprises. His 78-minute remarks... Read More

Although most of us focus on the candidates running for president, in reality, the primaries and caucuses in which we vote are a process of selecting delegates in each state to send to their party's national presidential nominating convention. Once... Read More

AURORA, Colo. — Cassie Larimer is the assistant director of Happy Ladybug Early Learning, a child care center and preschool tucked into a one-story brick building in this city east of Denver. But her new business cards, emblazoned with a... Read More

WASHINGTON - A majority of U.S.- based large employers are expanding paid leave benefits by increasing the number of days available for leave, broadening eligibility, and considering new types of paid leave, a new Business Group on Health survey found.... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats Monday called for an end to federal budgeting by temporary, continuing resolution, throwing their support behind a measure requiring Congress to pass all appropriations bills on time. H.R. 5226, the Funding... Read More

The Nevada Democratic Party said Tuesday that it will not use the app involved in the disastrous Iowa caucuses for their own election contest on Feb. 22. “Nevada Dems can confidently say that what happened in the Iowa caucus last... Read More

The speaker of Wisconsin's state assembly said Sunday that legislative maps soon to be created by a new nonpartisan redistricting board have very little chance of ever being used. Appearing on WISN television in Milwaukee, Speaker Robin Vos said he... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of 48 lawmakers, led by Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., in the House, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, in the Senate, are urging the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to quickly distribute rapid diagnostic tests... Read More

WASHINGTON - Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and John Boozeman, R-Ark., are among those joining in a bipartisan push to get the Education Department to expand its planned analysis of K-12 education spending to include dual and concurrent... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — Saying he wants a firm grasp of how long it will take Texas to comply with federal voter registration mandates, a U.S. judge on Monday ordered opposing sides to meet with technology specialists by the end of... Read More

CHICAGO — Customers spent $39.2 million on recreational marijuana during the first month of legal weed sales in Illinois, and operators say they don’t expect sales to slow down any time soon. Sales to Illinois residents totaled more than $30.6... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer tightly hugged Rep. Adam B. Schiff just after the closing argument in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, then spoke directly into the House lead manager’s ear for about 10 seconds. Before the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republican lawmakers are bracing for a whole new level of partisan belligerence from President Donald Trump at the State of the Union on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the Senate is expected to vote to... Read More

DES MOINES, Iowa — Democrats crowded into local caucuses Monday night as Iowa embarked on its first-in-the-nation tradition of picking presidential candidates, with clear divisions along the lines of ideology and age affecting their choices. Early entrance polls conducted for... Read More

Former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg held a slight lead in a last-minute poll of Iowa Democrats, released by Focus of Rural America. In a poll conducted for the Democratic group last week by David Binder Research, Buttigieg, who... Read More

WASHINGTON - Virginia motorists lose 9.5 billion annually on roadways that are rough, congested and lacking in some desirable safety features, according to a new report by TRIP, a nonpartisan research organization focusing on transportation issues. The nonprofit says the... Read More

Dr. George Pink is a professor who studies rural health, not a doctor who tries to provide it. For the sake of his own blood pressure, he’s grateful. “Not a day doesn’t go by that I don’t thank God I’m... Read More

WASHINGTON — Democrat Amy Klobuchar vowed to battle on for the 2020 Democratic nomination even as her support lags and said she hasn’t made a deal to work in concert with Joe Biden’s campaign in Iowa. The senator from Minnesota... Read More

The outbreak of the coronavirus has prompted dozens of nations and airlines to restrict travel, increasingly isolating the country of more than 1.3 billion people. Nearly 10,000 flights were canceled between the outbreak of the virus and Jan. 31, according... Read More

The presidential campaigns have been on full boil in Iowa for months, but the outcome won’t be known until after 7 p.m. Monday night. That’s when Iowans gather at county fairgrounds, school lunchrooms and community centers to cast the first... Read More

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Democratic presidential candidates hopscotched across the state Sunday in their final day of campaigning before the Iowa caucuses, as jittery anticipation of the start of voting mixed with a bittersweet sense of the long buildup coming... Read More

WASHINGTON — On Dec. 18, immigration reform stalwart Richard J. Durbin’s announcement on the Senate floor about a rare bipartisan breakthrough flew largely under the radar, overshadowed in the chaotic flurry of impeachment. Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Republican Sen.... Read More

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The first time she used kratom, Ashley McCaughan was scared. Someone had suggested she try the controversial herbal supplement to fend off the aches and pains of her job managing a personal watercraft company in Florida.... Read More

WASHINGTON — State lawmakers across the country are calling for huge investments to mitigate the effects of wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, droughts and other natural disasters made more devastating and frequent by climate change. Following the hottest decade on record, which... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump marked the roughly third-year anniversary of his controversial “travel ban” on Friday by adding six African, Central and East Asian countries to the list of those whose nationals face restrictions on travel to the United... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted narrowly Friday to bring the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump to a close without issuing subpoenas for witnesses or evidence, rejecting Democrats’ principal demand and clearing the way for an all-but-certain acquittal to take... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Democratic National Committee on Friday eliminated a qualifying fundraising requirement for a February debate in Las Vegas, potentially paving  the way for Michael Bloomberg to appear on the debate stage for the first time. The debate is... Read More