Attorney General Merrick Garland made an impassioned plea Wednesday for Congress to renew a controversial government spying authority, warning that if the "Section 702" powers go away the U.S. will suffer in its ability to keep track of China's efforts to undermine the country.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told lawmakers that he has "no regrets" about how the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan was carried out, despite the quick toppling of the U.S.-backed government and the August 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 170 Afghan civilians.
President Biden will not veto a Republican-led bill to end the COVID-19 national emergency, giving vulnerable Senate Democrats free rein to back or oppose the effort.
Board members picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World said Wednesday that their Disney-controlled predecessors pulled a fast one on them by passing restrictive covenants that strip the new board of many of its powers.
The Senate passed a measure Wednesday to reject President Biden's new rule to expand the federal government's jurisdiction over streams and wetlands, marking the latest congressional rebuke for the president and setting the stage for his second veto.
China has a well-established record of manipulating the international system to its benefit. It conditions access to its economy on bowing to Beijing's demands, whether that be on content, sharing proprietary information, or partnering with Chinese businesses.
For years, liberals, Democrats, and other leftists have called for more laws to deal with the country's gun violence problems. They have claimed that stricter laws would lead to fewer deaths in horrible tragedies such as school shootings. On the flip side, conservatives, Republicans, and others on the Right have pointed out that it's not the gun that kills people — it is the shooter. They also argued that plenty of existing laws are going unenforced, such that violators are left free to commit further crimes with guns, which are often acquired illegally anyway.
First-year Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) embarrassed Attorney General Merrick Garland and exposed intentional dereliction of duty by Justice Department officials telling federal marshals not to arrest people illegally demonstrating at the homes of Supreme Court justices.
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan will visit the East and West coasts of the United States next week, with a meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Tsai likely.