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Suit alleging suppression of free speech met with skepticism at U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court seemed skeptical Monday of a lawsuit alleging the federal government colluded with social media companies to suppress the freedom of speech, with a majority of justices across the ideological spectrum raising issues with the case and its potential consequences. The Biden administration argued to the court there is no […]
Schumer levels heavy criticism at Israel on U.S. Senate floor, calls for elections there
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged an overhaul of both Israeli and Palestinian Authority leadership and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has lost his way,” in strong and lengthy comments delivered on the U.S. Senate floor Thursday morning. The New York Democrat — the highest-ranking Jewish member in Congress — called for […]
U.S. House votes to ban TikTok unless it is sold by China-controlled parent
WASHINGTON — Citing major national security concerns, the U.S. House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a bill that effectively bans TikTok unless the company splits from its Chinese owner ByteDance. The 352-65 vote occurred just a week after lawmakers introduced the bipartisan proposal and days after the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce unanimously advanced […]
Business owners, union leader urge U.S. Senate to move ahead soon on stalled tax package
WASHINGTON — Business owners, CEOs and a steelworkers’ union official urged lawmakers Tuesday to quickly pass a tax policy bill that has been stalled in the U.S. Senate since the end of January. The witnesses invited to testify on manufacturing taxation before the Senate Committee on Finance told the panel that the proposal, which includes […]
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa bids for No. 3 GOP leadership post against Tom Cotton
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa will face Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas in the race to become the next Senate Republican Conference chair, her office confirmed Monday. Ernst, if elected, would move up one spot in the Senate GOP leadership lineup and be the first woman to hold the position for the […]
Bill to split TikTok from Chinese ownership gets unanimous vote from key U.S. House panel
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on the powerful U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved a White House-supported bill that would force TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company or face prohibition from U.S. app stores and web hosting services. Members voted 50-0 Thursday to advance the Protect Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, […]
Biden to announce U.S. will construct a port on Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to use his State of the Union address Thursday night to announce that the U.S. military will build port infrastructure on the Gaza Strip coast to allow humanitarian aid to arrive by sea. Senior White House officials briefed reporters earlier in the day on the plan that they […]
Trump, Biden close in on clinching nominations after broad Super Tuesday victories
WASHINGTON — Despite facing 91 felony counts, hefty civil penalties and a packed 2024 legal calendar, Donald Trump emerged on Super Tuesday as the Republican Party’s presumptive choice as its presidential candidate in November. The former president has secured 995 of the necessary 1,215 GOP delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, and likely will […]
Biden, Trump set for massive delegate hauls in 16 nominating contests
WASHINGTON — Voters in more than a dozen states will cast their choice for U.S. president Tuesday in the largest single day of nominating contests on the 2024 election calendar. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the clear Republican front-runner, are chasing more than one-third of their respective parties’ delegates during the “Super […]
Five months late, Congress is poised to pass a huge chunk of federal spending
WASHINGTON — Congress is on track to approve a staggering $468 billion in government spending this week, finishing part of the work it was supposed to complete by Oct. 1 — including a big boost intended to shore up the federal WIC nutrition program for women, infants and children. Other agencies will see cuts, including […]
What happens next in the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas?
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is expected to head to trial later this month after House Republicans impeached Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Tuesday in a historic move against a sitting Cabinet member. A special core set of impeachment rules that were last revised in the 1980s requires the body to consider resolutions […]
Former GOP officials warn of ‘terrifying possibilities’ if Trump immunity claim accepted
WASHINGTON — Accepting former President Donald Trump’s claim of presidential immunity would embolden future presidents to use military force to stay in office indefinitely, a group of anti-Trump Republican former officials warned in a Tuesday brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. Rejecting Trump’s immunity claim, which he has said should protect him from prosecution on […]