Political News

U.S. unemployment claims figures gave a mixed picture of the labor market amid government changes to seasonal adjustments to account for distortions from the pandemic. Initial jobless claims in state programs totaled 881,000 in the week ended Aug. 29, according... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump encouraged North Carolina voters Wednesday to mail in their ballots and then — if their vote hasn’t been counted yet — go to the polls to vote, which is in violation of state election... Read More

KENOSHA, Wis. — Joe Biden visited this crucible of the nation’s debate over race and policing Thursday with a clear mission: to set up a clear contrast between his compassion for victims of racial injustice and the harsh “law and... Read More

WASHINGTON — Terrorism hasn’t disappeared just because a pandemic is happening. In fact, calamitous world conditions embolden those who want to do others harm, and police budget cuts, virus-related conspiracy theories, and other vulnerabilities are exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4% from 10.2% even as hiring slowed, with employers adding the fewest jobs since the pandemic began. Employers added 1.4 million jobs, the Labor Department said, down from... Read More

Voters who plan to participate in the 2020 election say they trust Democrat Joe Biden more than incumbent Republican President Donald Trump to protect their health care options and to deal with the persistent coronavirus pandemic. The new survey, released... Read More

The presidential race between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is tightening in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a new poll from Monmouth University shows, with Biden holding a 4-point lead over Trump in the key swing... Read More

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed doubts about whether Congress can get a deal on another pandemic relief package when lawmakers return to Washington after a monthlong recess, despite the Trump administration’s push for a quick, targeted stimulus. “I don’t... Read More

WASHINGTON — Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sent a letter last week to the nation’s governors with an urgent request. The Trump administration wanted them to do everything in their power to eliminate... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., wants to reduce the barriers currently preventing many Rural Utility Service borrowers from refinancing their debt to take advantage of lower market rates. Unlike most private lenders, the Rural Utility Service, a division of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the moderators for its upcoming general election debates with Chris Wallace of Fox News presiding over the first meeting of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The moderators for the... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. – Elected officials rallied with voting rights advocates this week in support of New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman’s proposed bill that would authorize election boards to establish absentee ballot drop off locations statewide. The Democratic legislator staged... Read More

WASHINGTON — National Democrats will spend more than $5 million over the next five weeks on TV ads in Missouri to boost Democrat Nicole Galloway’s campaign against Republican Gov. Mike Parson. A Stronger Missouri, an independent expenditure group linked to... Read More

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Rep. Richard E. Neal, who over his 16 terms in Congress has risen to the top of one of the House’s most seminal committees, overcame a Democratic primary challenge from his left Tuesday by defeating Holyoke Mayor... Read More

WASHINGTON — The pharmaceutical industry’s leading lobby group said Tuesday it did not know of a meeting at the White House to discuss lowering prescription drug prices, after President Donald Trump said executives were coming in this week to negotiate.... Read More

Senate Republicans hope to vote next week on a so-called “skinny” coronavirus stimulus package even as the gap between the White House and Democrats remains as wide as ever. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a close ally of Majority Leader Mitch... Read More

DETROIT — In a new letter to the nation’s parents, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is encouraging them to send their kids back to school, warning of students falling behind academically without directly addressing the health risks posed by the coronavirus.... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s support has eroded among key groups of voters who backed him in 2016 — a major reason why he continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden and a prime motivator for the president’s reelection... Read More

KENOSHA, Wis. — In front of a brick building northwest of downtown, on a day when the nation’s gaze again fixed on this once-strong factory city, Justin Blake declared that President Donald Trump must be defeated as he stood over... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress directed tough questions at the U.S. Treasury secretary Tuesday about fraud and abuse in the Trump administration’s coronavirus relief program. They said billions of dollars intended to protect jobs and family homes were being diverted... Read More

If there is a COVID-19 vaccine by Christmas, Santa Claus -- and his fellow frontline seasonal workers -- could be among the first to receive it. After appearing before the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices last... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Lincoln Project, a group of prominent Republicans working to prevent the re-election of President Donald Trump and members of Congress who support him, unveiled a coalition of veterans, members of the military and individuals from the national... Read More

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and leaders in Connecticut’s entertainment industry called on Congress to pass the Save Our Stages Act, otherwise known as the SOS Act, which would provide Small Business Administration grants for independent live music and event operators... Read More

Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., made a little history on Monday by launching the Blue Dog Democrats' first-ever virtual rural opportunity roundtable series. The discussion with local and tribal leaders focused on the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on rural and... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s recent statement during a press conference that he would nominate an African American woman to the Supreme Court if he is elected is narrowing the list to three likely nominees. Although he declined... Read More

WASHINGTON — With just weeks left in the legislative year, Congress faces two big transportation deadlines on Sept. 30, a transportation to-do list and potentially dire consequences if it does not act. Without congressional involvement, airlines have signaled they will... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released eight weekly reports from the White House Coronavirus Task Force this summer that showed concerns about the coronavirus’s spread, the same time period when the administration prematurely declared victory... Read More

KENOSHA, Wis. — Still in mourning from three shootings last week that left a Black man paralyzed at the hands of police and two white men dead from the bullets of a teenage vigilante, Kenosha was bracing for more unrest... Read More

In Austin, Texas, they’re expecting more closures. In New York, they’re struggling to pay the bills. In San Francisco, they worry that the old normal is never coming back. Small businesses are often described as the heart of the U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON - As America inches toward perhaps the most consequential election in its history -- the first to be played out against the backdrop of a global viral pandemic -- a heated debate continues to rage. Since the election of... Read More