Republicans and the White House are seeking to ease growing anxiety around potentially widespread midterm losses following Democrats’ redistricting win in Virginia on Tuesday. Virginia’s referendum could give Democrats as many as four more House seats by this fall. That will force Republicans to try to counter those gains by helping Florida's GOP-controlled state Legislature...
The surge of House resignations this month has triggered calls from both parties for a broader overhaul of the ethics process and how the chamber polices its own. While many lawmakers have welcomed the hasty departures of former Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), their cases have also stirred up...
Senate Republicans are divided over how to handle the 60-day mark of the military conflict against Iran, with some arguing that Congress would need to vote to continue military action beyond the window set by the 1973 War Powers Act. A group of Republican senators, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Susan Collins...
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing pressure from all sides as he insists on passing a GOP-only bill to fund immigration enforcement before taking up bipartisan legislation to fund the rest of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even as the department is set to run out of money to pay employees in a few...
President Trump's executive order loosening research restrictions on psychedelic medicine, which was kick-started by a text to Trump from podcaster Joe Rogan, could help legitimize an industry that's long operated in the shadows. Advocates and researchers said they are optimistic about a potential shift in how the government views psychedelic drugs, but without further action,...
New deadline. Same problems. Lawmakers last week punted the battle to renew the nation’s spy powers for 10 days, extending not only the deadline to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), but also the difficult discussions over how to reform it. The program allows the government to spy on foreigners located...
Book challenges neared a record high in 2025, showing an increase in pressure from political groups and officials as opposed to parents, as well as new targets in the challenged titles. The American Library Association (ALA) found 4,235 unique titles were challenged in 2025, barely missing the 2023 record of 4,240, with the “Top 11 Most Challenged Books”...
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) broke ranks Thursday morning and voted against a budget resolution that could set the stage for ending the two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Murkowski, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, opposed the budget resolution because it would lay the groundwork for...
Four Republican senators voted against an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to instruct the Senate Rules Committee to find a way to add the core elements of the SAVE America Act to a budget reconciliation package that could pass next month with a simple-majority vote. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom...
Six candidates running for California governor squared off on the debate stage Wednesday, yet the forum may have created more questions than answers for politcal observers, as Democrats struggle to coalesce around a candidate ahead of the June primary The debate came just weeks after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who was seen as a Democratic frontrunner in the race, dropped out and resigned from...
Three Republican senators broke with the rest of the Senate GOP conference Wednesday night to vote in support of an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) to address insurance companies delaying or denying necessary medical care. Vulnerable Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) joined conservative Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in voting with...
Senate Republicans on Wednesday defeated an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) to create a reserve fund to lower grocery costs and reverse an estimated $187 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enacted by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Two vulnerable Republican senators — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine)...
New York City Council member Chi Ossé (D) was arrested on Wednesday during a protest to stop a city resident from being evicted from her home. Ossé was later released, telling reporters outside the New York City Police Department's 79th Precinct that three men "manhandled" him, The Gothamist reported. "It takes a lot to lift...
Senate Republicans on Wednesday voted against an amendment sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to create a point of order against any future budget reconciliation bill that doesn’t lower out-of-pocket health care costs for Americans. Schumer offered a motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to his amendment in order to put...
