Politics
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Matt Gaetz evokes 'standing by' language adopted by Proud Boys as he attends court with Donald Trump
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz evoked language adopted by the far-right Proud Boys extremist group as he appeared at court Thursday to support Donald Trump at his hush money trial, reflecting the undercurrent of activist elements present among the presumptive GOP nominee's supporters as he seeks a return to the White House. “Standing back, and standing by, Mr. President," Gaetz wrote as he posted a photo on social media of him with other congressional Republicans standing behind Trump in a hallway outsid
3 min read - USReuters
U.S. unveils proposal to ease restrictions on marijuana
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday unveiled a historic proposal to ease restrictions on marijuana, a rule that if enacted would also enable more research on its medicinal benefits. The proposal, first announced in April, would reclassify cannabis from a so-called schedule one drug to a schedule three. Schedule one drugs, such as heroin, are considered highly addictive with no medical benefits, while schedule three drugs are considered to have a moderate to low potential for physical and p
2 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
Democrats aim for a breakthrough for Black women in the Senate
Carol Moseley Braun, one of only two Black women to have been elected to the Senate in U.S. history, was in Paris on Wednesday when she was informed that another Black woman, Angela Alsobrooks, had won the Democratic nomination for an open Senate seat in Maryland. “Praise the Lord,” she said with relief and surprise. “That’s wonderful.” With Alsobrooks’ come-from-behind victory in Tuesday’s primary, voters in November will most likely have the chance to double the number of Black women ever elec
7 min read - PoliticsUSA TODAY
Nikki Haley is on a roll in the primaries despite dropping out. Is it a red flag for Trump?
Nikki Haley dropped out in March but her "zombie campaign" got 20% in Maryland's GOP primary, 18% in Nebraska and 22% in Indiana. Should Trump worry?
4 min read - BusinessYahoo Finance
Biden's big inflation problem: Prices are now up nearly 20% since he took office
Inflation cooled slightly in April, but the seasonally-adjusted Consumer Price Index has now risen 19.4% in the three-plus years since Biden took office.
4 min read - PoliticsReuters
Democratic divide on Gaza war, campus protests hurting Biden, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Democrats are deeply divided over President Joe Biden's handling of both the war in Gaza and the U.S. campus protests against it, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Some 44% of Democratic registered voters responding to the May 7-14 poll said they disapprove of Biden's handling of the crisis. Democrats who disapproved of his response were less likely to say they would vote for Biden in the Nov. 5 election --
4 min read - PoliticsPolitico
A Trump-Biden Tie Could Upend Politics Like We Haven’t Seen in 200 Years
The political upheaval of 1824 changed America. The same could happen in 2024.
10 min read - PoliticsNBC News
GOP Sen. Mitt Romney says Biden should have pardoned Trump
Sen. Mitt Romney said President Joe Biden should have pardoned Donald Trump and pressured New York prosecutors not to pursue the hush money trial against the former president.
4 min read - USHuffPost
Hakeem Jeffries Calls Out Speaker Mike Johnson Over Missing Jan. 6 Plaque
Congress was supposed to put up a plaque honoring police officers who fought Donald Trump's mob, but there's been a holdup.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump says he has 'no problem' welcoming RFK Jr. to debates if he qualifies
Donald Trump said in a new interview that he has “no problem” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joining him and Joe Biden on the debate stage if he meets the criteria.
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
US to speed up immigration cases of recent border crossers in new program
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration will speed up the immigration court cases of some single adults caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border under a new program announced on Thursday, part of a broader effort to reduce illegal immigration in the run-up to Nov. 5 elections, senior administration officials said. Single adults with court dates heading to five cities - Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City - could be placed in a "recent arrivals docket," senior
2 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
New immigration court docket aims to speed up removals of newly arrived migrants
The Biden administration is creating a new process aimed at cutting the time it takes to decide the fates of newly arrived migrants in immigration courts from years to roughly six months at a time when immigration is increasingly a concern among voters. But Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, urged fellow Republicans to kill the deal and it quickly died.
3 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Justice Department takes 'major step' toward rescheduling marijuana
President Joe Biden's Justice Department took a significant step toward rescheduling marijuana as lower-risk and remove it from Schedule I.
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming presidential debates
Learn more about the upcoming 2024 presidential debates, including who will participate, when to watch and how the Trump and Biden camps agreed on the events' logistics.
6 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Donald Trump's allies are doing his dirty work while tiptoeing around his gag order
While Trump has been uncharacteristically restrained, a cast of GOP lawmakers and Trump allies have traveled to court to attack the proceedings.
4 min read - USAssociated Press
Disability rights advocate says state senator with violent history shoved him at New York Capitol
A disability rights advocate made a complaint to New York State Police saying he was shoved twice in the state capitol building by state Sen. Kevin Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat with a history of violent behavior. Michael Carey said his confrontation with Parker took place Wednesday after he approached the senator before a committee meeting and asked him to cosponsor a piece of legislation. Parker lost his temper, Carey said, after the advocate described the legislation as tackling a “Dr. Martin
2 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
Michael Cohen admits to prior lies under cross-examination at Trump hush-money trial
Former lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump is under fierce attacks on his credibility by the ex-president’s legal team
5 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
'Stand Back And Stand By': Matt Gaetz Parrots Trump's Call To Violent Extremists At His Trial
The House Republican, one of several who joined Trump at his criminal trial in New York, repeated a line hailed by the neo-fascist Proud Boys.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Biden moves to block release of audio of his classified documents interview with special counsel Hur
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur, the Republican federal prosecutor who declined to recommend charges against the president over his handling of classified documents.
6 min read - USAssociated Press
The late Rev. Billy Graham is immortalized in a statue unveiled at the US Capitol
A bronze sculpture of the late Rev. Billy Graham was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, with Christianity's most prolific evangelist once known as “America’s Pastor” immortalized in the halls of Congress on behalf of his native North Carolina. Graham's likeness, depicting the Charlotte-born minister with his archetypal gesture toward an open Bible in his hand, was revealed inside National Statuary Hall during a gathering attended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Roy Cooper, former Vic
4 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
Serbia Approves Contract With Jared Kushner for Hotel Complex
WASHINGTON — The Serbian government has approved a contract with Jared Kushner on plans to build a luxury hotel on the site of the former Defense Ministry in Belgrade, putting him directly into business with a European state as his father-in-law, Donald Trump, vies to return to the White House. Kushner is pursuing the $500 million hotel project in partnership with Richard Grenell. A former Trump administration aide, Grenell first proposed that U.S. investors attempt to redevelop the long-vacant
5 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Speaker Mike Johnson echoes Trump's 'frustration' with cases and believes threats to his gavel are behind him
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended visiting Donald Trump at his New York trial and said he doesn't expect another motion to remove him as speaker.
8 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
House to vote on requiring delivery of bombs to Israel in GOP-led rebuke of Biden policies
The House was set Thursday to deliver a rebuke to President Joe Biden for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, voting on legislation that would seek to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war. Seeking to discourage Israel from its offensive on the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Biden administration this month put on hold a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs — some as large as 2,000 pounds — that are capable of killing
5 min read - WorldReuters
US establishes Gaza pier to try to boost aid to hungry enclave
U.S. President Joe Biden announced the plan for the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to improve access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes. Below is a timeline of events leading to the arrival of the pier off Gaza. March 7 - Biden says in his State of the Union speech the U.S. military will build a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea.
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Maverick Kentucky congressman has avoided fallout at home after antagonizing GOP leaders
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has made a habit of antagonizing Washington's most powerful leaders in his own party, but so far it hasn't eroded his support back home in his staunchly conservative Kentucky district. Four years ago, Massie drew the wrath of then-President Donald Trump when the congressman singlehandedly caused a delay in passing a massive COVID-19 relief package. Trump called the Kentuckian a “third rate Grandstander" for his stalling tactic.
5 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
White House Blocks GOP Request For Audio Of Biden's Special Counsel Interviews
Republicans only want recordings of Biden's special counsel interviews "to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes," the White House said.
3 min read - PoliticsReuters
Garland swings back at House Republicans over attacks on US Justice Dept
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday criticized what he called "unfounded attacks" on the Justice Department by congressional Republicans as he rejected their request for audio recordings of a special counsel interview with President Joe Biden. In a letter to the chairmen of the House of Representatives Judiciary and Oversight committees, the Justice Department said the Biden administration was asserting executive privilege, a legal doctrine that shields certa
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
House panel advances Garland contempt after White House blocks access to Biden special counsel tape
The House Judiciary Committee voted to move forward with an effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress hours after the White House blocked access to an audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with a special counsel who oversaw an investigation into his handling of classified documents. “The department has a legal obligation to turn over the requested materials pursuant to the subpoena,” Rep. Jim Jordan, the GOP chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said du
5 min read - PoliticsNBC News
'That was a lie!': Trump's lawyer gets heated during questioning of former fixer Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen will be back on the witness stand to continue facing off against Donald Trump's defense as the historic criminal case against the former president nears an end.
7 min read - BusinessHuffPost
Billionaire Frank McCourt Planning Bid To Acquire TikTok’s U.S. Operations
The social media platform faces an uncertain future after Biden signed a bill that could ban it nationwide.
3 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
The Pro-Palestinian Movement Finds Its Footing As Biden Inches Left
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s team encouraged progressives to applaud President Biden’s ultimatum to Israel. Not every activist is ready to cheer just yet.
10 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
Why Biden Wanted to Debate Trump Early, and Why Trump Said Yes
WASHINGTON — Tens of millions of dollars of advertising has not changed President Joe Biden’s polling deficit. Donald Trump’s criminal trial has not altered the race’s trajectory. And Biden’s significant cash and infrastructure advantages have yet to pay political dividends. So on Wednesday, the one weekday Trump is not confined to a courtroom, the Biden campaign shook up the race, publicly offering to bring forward the first presidential debate by three months. The move was meant to jolt Americ
7 min read - PoliticsReuters
Trump, allies are laying the groundwork to contest potential election loss
Donald Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to contest a potential loss in November, stoking doubts about the election's legitimacy even as opinion polls show the Republican presidential candidate leading in battleground states. In recent interviews, Trump has refused to commit to accepting the election results. At his rallies, he has portrayed Democrats as cheaters, called mail-in ballots corrupt and urged supporters to vote in such large numbers to render the election "too big to r
6 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Here's what the economy could look like with a Biden or Trump presidency
BI looked at President Joe Biden's and former President Donald Trump's plans for eight major economic categories that affect Americans' daily lives.
23 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Ex-Trump Lawyer Explains How GOP Stooges Could Hurt The Case More Than Anything
Tim Parlatore recalled one moment in particular that could have “a negative impact” on the jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
Biden commemorates Brown v. Board of Education anniversary with White House meeting
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday met with family members of the plaintiffs in the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in American public schools. Biden, a Democrat who is running for re-election in November, commemorated 70 years since the ruling took place at a meeting with a key player and relatives of the plaintiffs in the White House Oval Office. across the country, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office sa
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Biden's upcoming graduation speech roils Morehouse College, a center of Black politics and culture
When he gives the commencement address at Morehouse College, President Joe Biden will have his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war at a center of Black politics and culture. Morehouse is located in Atlanta, the largest city in the swing state of Georgia, which Biden flipped from then-President Donald Trump four years ago.
7 min read - PoliticsReuters
Donald Trump is supportive of AUKUS defence pact, former Australian PM says
Donald Trump gave the AUKUS defence pact a "warm reception", during a meeting with former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the latter said, one of the few public signs about Trump's view of the deal. Morrison, who left office in 2022, met Trump on Tuesday at the former president's home in New York for talks that covered AUKUS, China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, and the threat to Taiwan, he said in a post on X.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
'I'm really curious about the dog': Trump weighs in on Kristi Noem at a private fundraiser
Donald Trump told a room of wealthy donors that he had questions about Cricket, the 14-month-old dog who was shot and killed by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Jim Jordan accuses New York hush money prosecutor of Trump 'obsession'
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is demanding documents from the New York attorney general related to the hiring of a lead prosecutor in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
North Carolina lawmakers push bill to ban most public mask wearing, citing crime
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are pushing forward with their plan to repeal a pandemic-era law that allowed the wearing of masks in public for health reasons, a move spurred in part by demonstrations against the war in Gaza that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses. The legislation cleared the Senate on Wednesday in a 30-15 vote along party lines despite several attempts by state Senate Democrats to change the bill. The bill, which would raise penalties for s
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Donald Trump asks New York’s high court to intervene in fight over gag order in hush money trial
Donald Trump is seeking to have New York’s highest court intervene in his fight over a gag order that has seen him fined $10,000 and threatened with jail for violating a ban on commenting about witnesses, jurors and others connected to his hush money criminal trial. The former president’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal Wednesday, a day after the state’s mid-level appellate court refused his request to lift or modify the restrictions. The filing was listed on a court docket, but the document
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Biden and Trump agree to debates in late June and September
President Joe Biden's 2024 campaign on Wednesday challenged Republican nominee Donald Trump to two debates hosted in a television studio ahead of the November election — a departure from the traditional system that has been used.
8 min read - PoliticsNBC News
How Biden came around to debating Trump: From the Politics Desk
How President Joe Biden came around to challenging Donald Trump to two general elections debates, with the first on June 27 in Atlanta hosted by CNN.
5 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Biden administration advances potential $1 billion weapons sale to Israel
The Biden administration informally notified Congress on Tuesday that it is continuing to advance a potential $1 billion weapons sale to Israel through the State Department review process, a U.S. official familiar with the process told NBC News.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
RFK Jr. accuses Biden and Trump of 'colluding' to exclude him from debates
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. currently does not meet the qualifying threshold for the first presidential debate Biden and Trump agreed to participate in.
3 min read - BusinessBusiness Insider
Biden's new tariffs show he's willing to play hardball as China ramps up exports, Nobel economist Paul Krugman says
"Biden's moves are more than a symbolic gesture. They're a shot across the bow," Paul Krugman wrote about the new China tariffs.
2 min read - USYahoo News
Sen. Bob Menendez's federal corruption trial is underway. Here's what to know about the case involving gold bars, a jacket lined with cash and a Mercedes.
While former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial continues in Manhattan criminal court, a criminal trial involving another elected U.S. official is happening just a few blocks away.
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two of the state’s six congressional districts, potentially boosting Democrats’ chances of gaining control of the closely divided House of Representatives in the 2024 elections. The justices acted on e
5 min read - USAssociated Press
US border arrests fall in April, bucking usual spring increase as Mexico steps up enforcement
Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico fell more than 6% in April to the fourth lowest month of the Biden administration, authorities said Wednesday, bucking the usual spring increase. U.S. officials have largely attributed the decline to more enforcement in Mexico, including in yards where migrants are known to board freight trains. Mexico won’t allow more than 4,000 illegal crossings a day to the U.S., Alicia Barcena, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, told reporters T
2 min read
