News

The Senate is gearing up for a busy day of votes on Friday as lawmakers try to clear its legislative to-do list before leaving Washington for the August recess. The chamber is expected to take up a series of nominations, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s bid to formally lead the Justice Department. Blanche’s nomination...

Michigan health officials eased the state's guidance on lettuce consumption on Thursday amid declining numbers of cyclosporiasis cases.  State residents are now advised to follow “routine guidance” when consuming produce, following earlier “broad, precautionary recommendations” against the purchase and consumption of bagged salad mixes during the height of the outbreak.  The state has reported 12,485...

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to design complete, functioning viruses with genomes never seen before in nature — a breakthrough that could open new avenues for fighting drug-resistant bacterial infections. A Stanford University-led research team used generative AI models trained on millions of genomes to design viruses, known as bacteriophages, that can kill bacteria like...

America should invest in light crude refining for three reasons.

A federal appeals court panel blocked President Trump’s White House ballroom in a 2-1 vote on Friday, saying that work must stop except for below-ground construction, including installations Trump says are needed for security. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel ruled that Congress retains control over funding for development at the White House and...

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced Friday morning he will support Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as attorney general, all but ensuring the controversial nominee will have the votes he needs to be confirmed. “All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy announced, and then added with a tone of resignation: “I will be...

The U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.1 percent, according to new data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Economists had expected American employers to add 83,000 jobs and the jobless rate to hold steady at 4.2 percent last month, according to consensus estimates. This comes on the heels of relatively weak jobs numbers in June, in which the U.S. workforce initially saw...

The Senate is scrambling to leave for its August recess but has several hurdles to jump before it gets there after a week of infighting. The biggest items on the list include acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination for the permanent job. On Friday morning, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced she was a "no" vote,...

Congress designed Section 301 as targeted economic diplomacy.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) doubled down on his comments Thursday after drawing criticism for telling Americans concerned about high food prices to “stop whining” and “get a job,” as a viral debate over the cost of a $20 burrito exposed divisions among the GOP over affordability. “Just hearing about this dumb $20 burrito debate so...

Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race takes center stage next Tuesday, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong appears to be the favorite for the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile, a look at new tension inside the Democratic Party after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said she will skip her state’s nominating convention over safety concerns from the crowd. Join The...

President Trump declined to back Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-N.D.) for a second term as Republican leader in the chamber, saying he did not want to discuss the matter, in an interview that aired on Friday.  “I don’t want to get into that necessarily,” Trump told Punchbowl News. “I get along with him. It’s...

It's not enough just to point out all the kookery.

Greetings, gentle readers! There’s no Whole Hog Politics newsletter today. Not that there wouldn’t have been plenty to talk about, with the meltdown in both parties continuing apace and all. But the widening gyre will have to keep widening without me this week, since I am on vacation. We are not leaving you Hog-less, however....