Politics
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Potential jurors express anxiety about deciding Trump hush money case as jury selection nears close
Potential jurors expressed anxiety Friday about deciding Donald Trump’s hush money case, with one woman breaking down in tears, as lawyers worked to round out the panel that will hear the first-ever trial of a former U.S. president. After a jury of 12 New Yorkers was seated Thursday, lawyers turned their attention to picking alternate jurors, who will listen to the case just like the rest of the panel, but they will not participate in deliberations unless one of the main jurors needs to drop ou
5 min read - USBusiness Insider
Man sets himself on fire outside the courthouse where Trump is standing trial
A man lit himself on fire Friday outside of the courthouse where Donald Trump's criminal trial is taking place, witnesses and police said.
4 min read - USThe New York Times
This GOP Senate candidate says he grew up on a family farm. Not exactly.
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — David McCormick’s origin story goes something like this: He grew up in rural Pennsylvania, southwest of Scranton. He baled hay, trimmed Christmas trees and otherwise worked on his family’s farm. And from those humble beginnings, he rose to achieve the American dream. “I spent most of my life in Pennsylvania, growing up in Bloomsburg on my family’s farm,” McCormick, now a Republican candidate for Senate, told Pittsburgh Quarterly in 2022. “I’ve truly lived the American dream,” h
8 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
Fearing for Ukraine if Trump returns, some in Europe try outreach now
VILNIUS, Lithuania — As many in Europe worry about the possibility of a second presidency for Donald Trump that they fear could bring an end to U.S. support for Ukraine, some of Russia’s most fervent foes are taking a different tack: making nice with the Trump camp. To that end, the governing party of Lithuania, a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, last month organized meetings between Ukrainians, Baltic politicians who want increases in military spending to counter Russia, and a group of former Tr
7 min read - PoliticsThe Hill
Schumer has only hours left to avoid FISA warrantless surveillance shutdown
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has less than 24 hours to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) warrantless surveillance program before it expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday, and he has a tough path ahead to meet the deadline. Schumer needs to get around a coalition of Republican and Democratic senators who want to…
6 min read - USThe 74
Title IX Rewrite Focuses Law on Victims, Including LGBTQ Students
The U.S. Department of Education on Friday restored protections for students against sexual harassment and assault that many advocates argued were lost under the previous administration. The new Title IX rule, which goes into effect Aug. 1, requires districts to promptly investigate complaints, even if they occur off school grounds, and to extend those protections […]
7 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
Johnson has a tough job. McCarthy’s concessions are making it tougher.
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson’s push to advance an aid package for Ukraine in the face of vehement opposition from his own party was never going to be easy. But it has been made even more politically perilous by a pair of concessions to the far right that he inherited from his predecessor: allowing a single lawmaker to call a snap vote to oust the speaker, and giving ultraconservatives a bloc of seats on a crucial panel that controls what legislation can make it to the House floor. Both of t
5 min read - WorldReuters
US State Dept 'fully expects' to finalize new AUKUS trade exemptions in next 120 days
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department said on Friday it fully expects to finalize new trade exemptions for the AUKUS defense project with Australia and Britain in the next 120 days, signaling a further delay in the move, but offering the prospect of a positive outcome in the project to counter China. The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act requires President Joe Biden to determine within 120 days of his signing it into law on Dec. 22 whether Australia and Britain have export contr
3 min read - USYahoo News
Trump’s hush money trial jury is set. Here’s why we won’t learn much about them.
The jury that will decide whether Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records is made up of seven men and five women who live in Manhattan.
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Republican Wisconsin Senate candidate says he doesn't oppose elderly people voting
The Republican candidate in Wisconsin's closely watched U.S. Senate race emphasized this week that he doesn't oppose elderly people voting after initially saying that “almost nobody in a nursing home" is at a point in life where they are capable of voting. Eric Hovde faces Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the race that is essential for Democrats to win in order to maintain their majority in the Senate. A Marquette University Law School poll this week showed the race is about even among likely
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Northern Ireland prosecutor says UK soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday won't face perjury charges
Fifteen British soldiers who allegedly lied to an inquiry into Bloody Sunday, one of the deadliest days of the decades-long Northern Ireland conflict, will not face perjury charges, prosecutors said Friday. There was insufficient evidence to convict the soldiers or a former alleged member of the Irish Republican Army about their testimony before an inquiry into the 1972 killings of 13 civilians by Britain’s Parachute Regiment in Derry, also known as Londonderry, the Public Prosecution Service s
3 min read - USNBC News
Potential jurors in Trump’s hush money trial break down crying, express anxiety during tense jury selection
Jury selection continued in intense fashion Friday in former President Donald Trump's historic New York criminal trial, with two potential jurors breaking down in tears and three saying they were too anxious to be on the jury.
7 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Ukraine Aid Package Clears House Hurdle; Prime Minister Hopes To See Weapons Soon
Carried by Democratic votes in a GOP-led House, the bill is one of four foreign aid and security bills expected to clear Congress in the next few days.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
US sanctions fundraisers for extremist West Bank settlers who commit violence against Palestinians
The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising for extremist Israel settlers already sanctioned, as well as the founder of an organization whose members regularly assault Palestinians. The Treasury Department announcement comes as the West Bank has seen some of its worst violence perpetrated by extremist settlers against Palestinians since the war in nearby Gaza began. There is also friction between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Ben
2 min read - USAssociated Press
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
CLAIM: New York Judge Juan M. Merchan told former President Donald Trump on the first day of his hush money case that he can’t attend his son Barron’s May 17 high school graduation because he must be in court that day. THE FACTS: Merchan said on Monday that he was not prepared to rule on a request that court be adjourned on May 17 so that Trump can attend the ceremony. Despite that, Trump said as he left court following the trial’s first day, “it looks like the judge will not let me go to the
8 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Bill Barr Says He'll Back 2024 GOP Ticket, Claims Biden Is More Dangerous Than Trump
"Trump may be playing Russian roulette but a continuation of the Biden administration is national suicide in my opinion," the former attorney general said.
3 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
Trump’s hush-money trial: here’s what’s happened so far
Donald Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges. Here’s what you need to know about the New York case
2 min read - USPolitico
Education Department boosts legal defenses for transgender students
The Biden administration is touting the rule as the “most comprehensive coverage” students will receive in the nearly half-century of Title IX.
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Pennsylvania's presidential and state primaries
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will go before voters Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s presidential primaries, a prelude to the November general election, when the commonwealth is expected to once again play a critical role in the race for the White House. Biden clinched the Democratic nomination and Trump clinched the Republican nomination on March 12, and neither faces serious opposition on the primary ballot. Biden just completed a three-day campaign swing that began Tuesday
7 min read - WorldReuters
Factbox-Iran oil sanctions in US aid package for Ukraine
U.S. lawmakers have tucked sanctions on Iran's oil exports in the House of Representatives' aid package for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific after Tehran's missile and drone strike on Israel last weekend. If passed through both the House and Senate and signed by President Joe Biden and then implemented and enforced, the measures could eventually impact Iran's oil exports.
2 min read - USThe Guardian
‘This is a violent attack against women’: Florida Senate candidate seeks to channel abortion outrage
Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is challenging incumbent Rick Scott and highlighting his ‘unapologetic and proud’ support for the state’s six-week ban
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
If Congress passes funding, this is how the US could rush weapons to Ukraine for its war with Russia
The Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine within days if Congress passes a long-delayed aid bill. Moving fast is critical, CIA Director Bill Burns said Thursday, warning that without additional aid from the U.S., Ukraine could lose the war to Russia by the end of this year. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said, “We would like very much to be able to rush the security assistance in the volumes we think they need to be able to be successful.”
5 min read - USReuters
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump. The man burned for several minutes in full view of television cameras that were set up outside the courthouse, where the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president is being held. One of those pamphlets included references to "evil billiona
3 min read - PoliticsReuters
US House Speaker Johnson risks fellow Republicans' wrath with Ukraine vote
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson looks set to push forward this weekend on a $95 billion aid bill for Kyiv, Israel and other allies, despite a firestorm of protest from hardline Republicans that could lead to an attempt to oust him. His performance, six months after the 52-year-old Louisiana Republican acquired the speaker's gavel, has won him accolades from centrist Republicans who worry that party infighting could erode U.S. status on the world stage. Johnson was elected speaker after a small
4 min read - USAssociated Press
Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska's petroleum reserve
The Biden administration said Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm. The decision — part of a yearslong fight over whether and how to develop the vast oil resources in the state — finalizes protections first proposed last year as the Democratic administration prepared to approve the contentious Willow oil project.
5 min read - USAssociated Press
Biden’s new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, but transgender sports rule still on hold
The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden.
5 min read - USNBC News
Judge denies Trump co-defendants' motions to dismiss charges in classified documents case
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday denied motions by two of former President Donald Trump's co-defendants to dismiss charges in the classified documents case.
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
Biden's tariff warnings signal sharp anti-China election battle
The Biden administration's threat to impose more tariffs on China is the latest election-year signal that frostier relations with China are likely to follow regardless of who wins the U.S. presidency. U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday to call for higher tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products, and top administration officials have signaled those are unlikely to be his last salvo against China this election season. This week, the adm
4 min read - USAssociated Press
US deports about 50 Haitians to nation hit with gang violence, ending monthslong pause in flights
The Biden administration sent about 50 Haitians back to their country on Thursday, authorities said, marking the first deportation flight in several months to the Caribbean nation struggling with surging gang violence. Authorities didn't offer details of the flight beyond how many deported Haitians were aboard. Thomas Cartwright of Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data, said a plane left Alexandria, Louisiana, a hub for deportation operations, and arrived in Cap-Hait
4 min read - PoliticsYahoo News
Trump trial update: Trump rebuked by judge for speaking during jury selection — and 7 jurors are seated
On Tuesday, the second day of former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan rebuked defense lawyers after Trump was heard muttering his disapproval of an answer given by a potential juror in the case.
2 min read - USReuters
Maine lawmakers pass gun bills in wake of October mass shooting
Maine lawmakers on Thursday sent a draft of gun safety measures to the governor to sign into law, fulfilling a promise to take swift action designed to prevent mass shootings such as a rampage last year that killed 18 people in the city of Lewiston. Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat who sponsored some of the legislation, was expected to sign the bills. Among the measures approved this week by legislators before ending their session was a bill establishing a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchas
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
How young people see the matchup between two senior citizens: From the Politics Desk
A new Harvard poll shows how young voters are viewing the rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
US committee releases sealed Brazil court orders to Musk's X, shedding light on account suspensions
A U.S. congressional committee released confidential Brazilian court orders to suspend accounts on the social media platform X, offering a glimpse into decisions that have spurred complaints of alleged censorship from the company and its billionaire owner Elon Musk. The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee late Wednesday published a staff report disclosing dozens of decisions by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordering X to suspend or remove around 150 user profil
6 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Kennedy family members endorse Biden over RFK Jr.
More than a dozen members of the Kennedy family endorsed President Joe Biden for a second term Thursday, passing over family member Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
6 min read - USThe Guardian
Trump on Trial: ‘We have our jury’
After hours of jury selection in former president Donald Trump’s first criminal case, presiding Judge Juan Merchan had good news
5 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Senate advances renewal of key US surveillance program as detractors seek changes
The Senate advanced legislation Thursday that would reauthorize a key U.S. surveillance tool as lawmakers and the Biden administration rushed to tamp down fresh concerns about the program violating Americans' civil liberties. The bipartisan legislation would reform and extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, which U.S. officials say is vital to preventing terrorism, catching spies and disrupting cyberattacks. A bill renewing the program passed the Ho
4 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
A silent Trump glowers and stares during third day of criminal trial
This was not Donald Trump the business mogul or Donald Trump the 45th president – it was Donald Trump the defendant
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Trump loses bid to halt Jan. 6 lawsuits while he fights criminal charges in the 2020 election case
Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied defense lawyers' request to put the civil cases seeking to hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on hold while the criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his election defeat to President Joe Biden plays out.
2 min read - USBusiness Insider
There's a conservative 'great migration' from blue states — and one place is the big winner
Conservatives are increasingly moving from blue states to Republican-stronghold South Carolina, in what some are calling "the great migration."
4 min read - USAssociated Press
Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia, including congresswoman's daughter
New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University on Thursday and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including the daughter of a prominent Minnesota congresswoman. Several students involved in the protest said they also were suspended from Columbia and Barnard College, including Isra Hirsi, who is the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. Omar had questioned Columbia's president, Nemat Shafik, at a hearing Wednesday in Congress about the school’s tar
2 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Kennedy Family Endorses Biden Over Their Own Relative, RFK Jr.
The campaigns of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have worried that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., running as an independent, will pull voters from their side.
4 min read - USThe Guardian
Exclusive: Georgia lawmaker runs secret election-conspiracy Telegram channel
Bridget Thorne, a Republican elected in Fulton county in 2022, has spread election fraud lies and accused county employees of crimes
9 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Trump trial sketch artists catch the former president's many courtroom moods: sleepy, grumpy, and — less often — happy
Courtroom sketch artists have been able to offer the public glimpses of Donald Trump at his historic New York criminal trial.
3 min read - PoliticsYahoo News
Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Growing majority of Americans want Congress to restore Roe v. Wade protections
A new poll found a full 54% of Americans now want Congress to pass “a law that keeps abortion as legal and accessible as it was nationwide under Roe v. Wade."
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Iraq's prime minister heads to Michigan to meet Arab Americans at a tense time for the Middle East
The leader of Iraq traveled to Michigan on Thursday following a sit-down with President Joe Biden to meet with the state's large Iraqi community and update them on escalating tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s weekend aerial assault on Israel. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's trip to both Washington and Michigan to discuss U.S.-Iraq relations had been planned well before Saturday's drone and missile launches from Iran-backed groups. The visit has been thrust into the sp
3 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Mike Johnson and progressives are strange bedfellows on Israel and Ukraine aid
The GOP House Speaker is holding separate votes on Israel and Ukraine aid, and he's getting applause from an unlikely source: progressive Democrats.
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secures ballot access in battleground state of Michigan
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has secured a place on the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan, state officials confirmed Thursday, elevating his potential to affect the November election. Kennedy's independent bid has spooked allies of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, who fear his famous last name and dedicated support among a slice of disaffected voters will be enough to tip the el
2 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
House leaders toil to advance Ukraine and Israel aid. But threats to oust speaker grow
House congressional leaders were toiling Thursday on a delicate, bipartisan push toward weekend votes to approve a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as several other national security policies at a critical moment at home and abroad. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson this week set in motion a plan to advance the package, which has been held up since October by GOP lawmakers resistant to approving more funding for Ukraine's fight against Russia. As t
5 min read - WorldNBC News
Biden imposes new sanctions on Iran after drone and missile attack on Israel
The Biden administration announced new sanctions on Iran targeting its missile and drone program after its attack on Israel last weekend.
2 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
Is Trump’s Trial Really About ‘Hush Money’?
As former President Donald Trump’s first criminal trial begins, there is one battle taking place in a Manhattan courtroom, where he faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. But there is another fight taking place in the court of public opinion, which concerns a much more basic question: What should this trial even be called? Many media outlets — including The New York Times — have used “hush-money trial” as a shorthand for the proceedings. It’s a nod to the fact that Trump is accus
6 min read
