Actor Mel Gibson applauded U.S. officials on Wednesday for securing the release of American Mark Swidan, who has been detained in China since 2012. “He was wrongfully detained there for a crime he did not commit and spent over a decade in prison in horrible conditions and his release was procured,” Gibson said in a...

The United States is urging Ukraine to “look hard” at removing policy mandates that limit the nation to drafting soldiers aged 25 and up, a senior administration official told The Hill on Wednesday. They’ve suggested lowering the age to 18, which would expand their manpower in the fight against its Russian adversaries. The official said...

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire goes into effect A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect early Wednesday morning, after the Israeli and Lebanese governments approved a U.S. proposal to halt the fighting. © AP Ahead of the truce's...

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment   The Big Story Biden blocks new coal mining at federal hub The Biden administration is blocking new coal mining on public lands at a major center for the fossil fuel. In recent days, the Biden administration has released two decisions on the future of mining in the Powder River...

Americans’ opinion of the Republican Party is on the rise, according to a new poll from The Economist/YouGov. In the poll, 45 percent of Americans said they feel “favorable” toward the Republican Party, up 6 points from an Economist/YouGov poll in late October, when 39 percent said they felt favorable toward GOP. The number of...

Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy   The Big Story  Musk, Ramaswamy headed for Capitol  House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has announced plans to host Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-leads of the newly established “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), at the Capitol next week....

Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) has conceded defeat in her reelection bid against Democrat Derek Tran to represent California’s 45th Congressional District.  Steel’s race is one of two that Decision Desk HQ, which partners with The Hill, hasn’t called yet, but Tran declared victory Monday. The apparent win for Tran is a flip for Democrats that...

President-elect Trump on Wednesday said he had a productive conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo over the phone.