Featured Articles in National Politics

Speaker Johnson: Only Republicans Can Restore American Greatness

House Speaker Johnson spoke yesterday at the kickoff of the House Republican policy summit, delivering a wide-ranging address that touched on the party’s legislative agenda, U.S. military action in Venezuela, Democratic opposition, and the sudden passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Republicans Leading on Tax Policy, Speaker Says Speaker Johnson emphasized Republican achievements on tax policy, Read More…

Democrats slam Venezuelan strikes, Maduro capture

(The Center Square) – Democratic lawmakers criticized President Donald Trump’s announcement of land strikes against Venezuela and leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture. In a post to social media, Trump announced the U.S. carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife. The two are in U.S. custody and charged with “narco-terrorism conspiracy, Read More…

Illinois legalizes physician-assisted suicide; critics warn of moral, safety risks

(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1950, prompting strong backlash from medical, disability, religious and legal groups who say it was rushed and violates key ethical and legal protections. State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, a practicing physician, said Pritzker showed signs of hesitation but ultimately “his leftist ideology took over and he Read More…

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Senate committee authorizes subpoenas in GOP investigation into origins of Mueller probe

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to authorize 53 subpoenas in connection with an investigation into the origins of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The afternoon vote along party lines grants the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the authority to issue the subpoenas, Read More…

Minneapolis City Council members intend to defund and dismantle the city’s police department

Minneapolis (CNN)Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council on Sunday announced they intend to defund and dismantle the city’s police department following the police killing of George Floyd. “We committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually Read More…

Nancy Pelosi backs Rep. Engel after AOC endorses Democratic challenger

Illustrating the divide in the Democratic Party, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D-Bronx) after progressive darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threw her weight behind his challenger, Jamaal Bowman. “I firmly support Eliot Engel for Congress and I support Alexandria for Congress as well,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday. “I think the people of Read More…

Maxine Waters blames Trump for ‘cops killing black people’ and says cop who knelt on George Floyd ‘enjoyed doing it’

Waters, a Democrat from California who frequently launches wild attacks at Trump, told TMZ she thinks the Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed with his neck on Floyd’s knee, “enjoyed doing it.” Trump on Wednesday called the death “very sad and tragic”. Video from Monday night shows Chauvin holding Floyd, a 46-year-old who was suspected of using a forged check at a deli, down Read More…

Graham urges senior judges to step aside so Trump, GOP can replace them

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is publicly urging judges in their mid- to late 60s to consider stepping aside ahead of Election Day to help ensure that their seats could be filled by Republicans. Asked during an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt if he knew if any judges would take “senior status,” a semi-retirement status that Read More…

Donors can now give $620,600 to Biden and DNC, expanding Democratic big-money fundraising

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will ask donors to give as much as $620,600 to support his White House bid and down-ballot candidates, dramatically expanding his fundraising capability to compete with President Trump’s big-money machine.   The Biden Victory Fund, a committee that raises money with the Democratic National Committee, on Saturday filed an agreement that Read More…

Val Demings’ stock rises on VP shortlist

Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president is deep in Democratic talent, filled with governors, senators and former rivals for the presidential nomination. But one of the least-known among them is attracting an increasing amount of attention from Biden advisers, donors and Democrats in Congress — Val Demings. The presumptive nominee himself acknowledged her appeal after Read More…

Michigan Cancels Legislative Session to Avoid Armed Protesters

(Bloomberg) — Michigan closed down its capitol in Lansing on Thursday and canceled its legislative session rather than face the possibility of an armed protest and death threats against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The gathering, meant to advocate opening the state for business despite the coronavirus pandemic, followed one April 30 that resulted in pictures Read More…

Supreme Court justices warn that Electoral College cases could lead to ‘chaos’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with a dispute over whether Electoral College voters have a constitutional right to diverge from their state’s popular vote in two cases that could have implications for November’s presidential election. The arguments featured hypotheticals about what would happen if electors were to take a bribe, get hacked by a Read More…

The money is on Trump

Even after the White House’s delayed response to the coronavirus outbreak, unprecedented job losses and a bruising recession, investors and betting markets are still putting their money on President Trump to win re-election. The big picture: Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a sizable lead in most national and individual swing state polls — but money managers Read More…

House Judiciary Committee asks Jeff Bezos to testify about whether Amazon misled Congress

The Democratic-led committee threatened to subpoena Bezos if he does not comply. Amazon’s stock fell after the announcement. Seven bipartisan members of the committee said in a letter to Bezos that a recent Wall Street Journal report on Amazon’s use of third-party seller data appears to show that Amazon may have misled Congress in previous statements. “If Read More…

A black woman is ‘not a must’ for Biden’s running mate, Clyburn says

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden’s remarkable comeback from the depths of a fifth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary to all but locking up the Democratic nomination this month can be traced to his overwhelming support among black voters. And one critical endorsement — from South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn — helped reinforce that support at a tenuous moment in his Read More…

A California politician resigned after he appeared to throw his cat and drink a beer during a Zoom meeting

A planning commissioner for the city of Vallejo, Calfornia has resigned from his position after throwing his pet cat and appearing to consume an alcoholic beverage during a publicly-accessible Zoom meeting between city officials, Vallejo Times-Herald reported. During the Planning Commission’s meeting on April 20 — the group’s first teleconference amid the coronavirus pandemic — Chris Platzer told Read More…

AOC suggests low-income workers should boycott after coronavirus shutdown ends

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) argued Wednesday that many Americans should protest economic insecurity by refusing to work after coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted. “When we talk about this idea of reopening society, you know, only in America does the president — when the president tweets about liberation — does he mean go back to work. When Read More…

Twitter fight erupts between Alaska politicians and Sen. Chuck Schumer over coronavirus relief cash

The battle over whether for-profit Alaska Native corporations should get a slice of the $8 billion in coronavirus relief intended for U.S. tribes exploded Thursday into a Twitter fight among U.S. senators, an Alaska-born Interior Department official and the governor.   Let’s get you caught up: Congress has agreed to give $150 billion in relief Read More…

How top Sanders surrogates feel about his endorsement of Joe Biden

Some of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ top campaign surrogates spoke to the New York Times about what it means that their former candidate, the leader of a massive grassroots movement, has endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Why it matters: Convincing progressives to support Biden is viewed as key to building the coalition needed to defeat President Trump Read More…

Senate will vote to pass more small business aid Thursday, McConnell says

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said he hopes to approve further funding Thursday to buoy small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. “I will work with Secretary Mnuchin and Leader Schumer and hope to approve further funding for the Paycheck Protection Program by unanimous consent or voice vote during the next scheduled Senate session on Thursday,” he Read More…

AOC says coronavirus proves US is a ‘brutal, barbarian society’

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the United States as a “brutal, barbarian society” for the “vast majority of working-class Americans.” As Ocasio-Cortez was discussing certain policies she wishes Congress would adopt to combat the coronavirus, including canceling rent payment and reforming healthcare, she blasted the U.S. as a “barbarian Read More…

Democratic National Convention postponed until August due to coronavirus pandemic

MILWAUKEE — The 2020 Democratic National Convention has officially been postponed until August due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Democratic Party announced Thursday. The convention was originally scheduled for July 13-17. It will now be held the week of August 17. “In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take Read More…

After Bernie Sanders, socialists look to AOC and ‘the squad’ for leadership

Who will lead the revolution? With Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign just about Berned out, some are looking to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her friends to pick up where the 78-year-old socialist left off. “There is definitely an opportunity for her and other members of the squad,” Jabari Brisport, a Democratic Socialist-endorsed candidate running for state Senate in Read More…

Pence hires ex-Bush Labor official Jacob as new legal counsel

Vice President Pence is hiring a former George W. Bush administration official to serve as his office’s legal counsel. Pence’s office confirmed Monday that Gregory Jacob will take over the role being vacated by Matt Morgan, who is joining the Trump reelection campaign as director of litigation and legislation. “Greg is a man of deep professional experience, but also one Read More…

AOC says coronavirus bailout should ban stock buybacks — especially for airlines

Don’t get AOC started on bailing out corporate America over coronavirus. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens) fired a political shot across the bow of the airline industry and others hoping for multi-billion dollar taxpayer bailouts as the crisis worsens. “If there is so much as a DIME of corporate bailout money in the next relief package, Read More…

AOC admits there’s ‘no sugarcoating’ Bernie Sanders’ crushing defeat

Even the leader of the Squad is conceding a big defeat for Bernie Sanders. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens) conceded a major setback for her progressive hero after Joe Biden crushed Sanders in Michigan and several other states. “There’s no sugarcoating it. (It’s) a tough night,” Ocasio-Cortez told supporters on an Instagram video. Ocasio-Cortez sought to Read More…

With Montana Gov. Steve Bullock in, Senate Democrats’ map gets easier, but …

Democrats are doing everything they can to position themselves to win back the U.S. Senate. It still might not be enough.   Monday, term-limited Montana governor and former 2020 presidential candidate Steve Bullock announced he’s running for Senate there, putting up Democrats’ strongest candidate to take this seat from Republicans. The same happened in Colorado when Read More…