Political News

WASHINGTON - A day after announcing members would be returning to Washington, House leadership reversed course Tuesday and announced they will not bring the chamber back into session next week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., made the announcement Tuesday... Read More

The coronavirus crisis has dominated headlines in 2020, but research shows some Americans are paying more attention than others. According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, nearly all U.S. adults -- about 92% -- say they’re keeping... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats endorsed a bipartisan bill on Monday that would establish a commission to assess the nation's readiness to deal with future pandemics. H.R. 6429, the National Commission on COVID-19 Act, was introduced... Read More

New York election officials on Monday canceled the state's Democratic presidential primary due to concerns over spreading the coronavirus, infuriating Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and his supporters. The decision by the New York Board of Elections was unanimous, and the... Read More

President Donald Trump says states should “seriously consider” reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens already have said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or fall. Trump made... Read More

Everyone wants to know: When, oh when, will it go back to normal? As some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, hopes are soaring that life as Americans knew... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The first major test of an almost completely vote-by-mail election during a pandemic is about to unfold in Ohio, offering lessons to other states about how to conduct one of the most basic acts of democracy... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — As states gear up to reopen, a poll finds a potential obstacle to controlling the coronavirus: nearly 1 in 10 adults say cost would keep them from seeking help if they thought they were infected. The Gallup-West Health Healthcare... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — The second round of loan applications for the government's small business relief program has been slowed by computer issues at the Small Business Administration. Lenders complained Monday that they couldn't get their applications into the SBA... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Monday ordered federal prosecutors across the U.S. to identify coronavirus-related restrictions from state and local governments “that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.” The memo to... Read More

WASHINGTON - NewDEAL, a network of state and local leaders, is urging Congressional leaders of both parties to consider the input of those on the front lines of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill to... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House and Senate will return to work on Capitol Hill on May 4, some 11 days before the stay-at-home order currently in effect in the District of Columbia is set to expire. “Senators will return to Washington... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that an annotated version of Georgia's state law code is not subject to copyright protection because it is a "government edict" and must be free for all to use. In a 5-4... Read More

WASHINGTON - Some federal prosecutors are opposing the trend of granting inmates supervised release from jail to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In U.S. District Court filings, federal prosecutors argue most of the inmates asking for home confinement instead of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission is asking the Supreme Court to review media ownership rules to allow broadcast stations to own newspapers. The FCC, along with the Justice Department, says the current regulations that prevent media companies from owning... Read More

The day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early April advised everyone to cover their faces in public, the co-owner of a small network of grocery stores in Wisconsin logged into Facebook and began a post: “HELP!”... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ support for mail-in voting has jumped amid concerns about the safety of polling places during the coronavirus pandemic, but a wide partisan divide suggests President Donald Trump’s public campaign against vote by mail may be resonating with his... Read More

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau needs more time to wrap up the once-a-decade count because of the coronavirus, opening the possibility of delays in drawing new legislative districts that could help determine what political party is... Read More

LONDON (AP) — Nations and U.S. states have begun easing coronavirus lockdowns, each pursuing their own approach but all with a common goal: restarting their economies without triggering another surge of infections. Restrictions are being lifted piecemeal with no clear... Read More

WASHINGTON - Due to a combination of the passage of multiple economic stimulus bills and a deep recession caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the federal deficit for the 2020 fiscal year will quadruple to $3.7 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives approved a new coronavirus relief package on Thursday, replenishing funds for small business loans, hospitals, and to expand virus testing. The bill, signed by President Trump Friday afternoon, adds $310 billion to the Paycheck... Read More

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 — 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 - 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

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