Political 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 — 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

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 - 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 - 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

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

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 - 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 - 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 (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