Polls suggest that Democrats might return to power in Congress, winning both the House and the Senate. If so, California is a warning about what deep-blue control looks like.
President Trump announced Saturday he approved new fuel economy standards that eliminate an electric vehicle (EV) mandate introduced under the Biden administration. The 2024 EV mandate aimed to facilitate the transition from gas-powered to EVs by setting new pollution standards for automakers' vehicle fleets, which were intentionally difficult to meet without introducing new electric or...
Former Kennedy Center employees accused the iconic performing arts venue's leadership in a letter to Congress of halting planned waterproofing repairs earlier this year. In the Thursday letter, David Seide, an attorney representing the whistleblowers, shared internal documents which he said challenged the Kennedy Center board's claims that these leaks constituted the venue's immediate closure. ...
President Trump rejected a new seven-day proposal from Iran Saturday morning to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt military operations in the ongoing conflict between Tehran and the U.S. “They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine,” the president told reporters at the White House. “I like making a deal, too, but...
Pollsters and independent handicappers are increasingly convinced that Democrats aren’t experiencing an artificial “sugar-high” in polling but that multiple metrics are right now pointing to a good midterm environment for the party. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report became the latest independent forecaster this week in predicting that Republicans looked poised to lose the...
Former President Trump is giving moderate GOP lawmakers some breathing room on the explosive issue of abortion, treading unusually carefully on a topic Democrats are trying to make a political liability for swing-district Republicans. During a closed-door meeting with House GOP lawmakers last week, Trump urged Republicans to talk about abortion in a way that makes...
A coalition of environmental, labor and healthcare groups called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to classify extreme heat and wildfire smoke as “major disasters" to unlock federal funding for states during these weather events. The petition, filed on Monday by dozens of groups across several states, seeks to assist states and local regions...
The U.S. has paused safety inspections of avocadoes and mangos from the western Mexican state of Michoacan in the wake of security concerns for U.S. Department of Agriculture staff, an agency spokesperson told The Hill. The inspection program will stay paused until the security situation is reviewed and safeguards are in place for their personnel,...
Melinda French Gates revealed she plans to vote for President Biden over former President Trump in November, pointing to the former president's past remarks on women and reproductive rights. When asked by "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King if she will campaign or endorse a particular candidate, French Gates said, "More than likely, yes." French Gates,...
The state of Kansas filed a lawsuit on Monday against pharmaceutical company Pfizer, alleging the company made "misleading claims" about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and the risks associated with the shot. The suit, filed by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) in the District Court of Thomas County, claims Pfizer misled Kansas residents...
McDonald’s will halt the pilot for an artificial intelligence-powered ordering assistant, potentially marking a setback for the technology’s takeover of daily life. The fast food giant will end its two-year partnership with IBM for the AI system by July 26, meaning the tech will be removed from about 100 stores nationwide, industry publication Restaurant Business...
The National Weather Service issued its first tropical storm watch of the year for parts of southern Texas on Monday, as a storm develops in the southern Gulf of Mexico with the potential to bring dangerous rains and flooding to the Gulf Coast in the coming days. Potential Tropical Cyclone One is currently in the...
Former President Trump weighed in on two tight GOP House primaries in Alaska and Utah on Monday, making endorsements as primary season gets into full swing. In Alaska, Trump backed Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom over Nick Begich III. The contested primary has carried echoes of the 2022 race between Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin,...
Senate Democrats are making a push this week to ban bump stocks after the Supreme Court overturned a Trump-era federal rule that banned the device, which allows semiautomatic weapons to fire off hundreds of rounds per minute. The effort will come to a head Tuesday when Democrats plan to attempt to pass legislation that would...
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) unsealed a 13-count indictment against South Jersey political heavyweight George Norcross III for using his power and influence to craft legislation that would benefit Norcross’s development project in Camden. According to Platkin, Norcross’s enterprise received $29 million in tax credits from the state. “This alleged conduct of the...
A U.S. Secret Service member was robbed at gunpoint in Tustin, Calif., last Saturday while President Biden was in the state for a Los Angeles fundraiser, according to authorities. The Secret Service member was returning from a work assignment late Saturday when an armed robbery occurred, prompting them to fire their service weapon, according to...
A Texas man who threatened Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner sentenced Brian Michael Gaherty, a 62-year-old living in Houston, to 33 months after he pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a U.S. official. Klausner, an appointee of former President George...
President Biden’s campaign is leaning into former President Trump’s conviction, suggesting it believes that reminding voters often enough that the presumptive GOP nominee for the White House is a felon will pay off at the polls in November. The emerging strategy is crystalized by a Monday campaign ad drop that highlights Trump’s conviction in the...
Multiple wildfires gained momentum this weekend across California in an early-season appetizer of what might be in store later this summer. "This is not a peak-season fire situation," Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said at a Monday webinar. "This is more of an episodic or wind-drive, little mini outbreak...
