Democrats embrace tougher border enforcement, seeing Trump's demolition of deal as a 'gift'
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats plan to โconstantly over the next yearโ remind voters that it was Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, who torpedoed a bipartisan bill on border enforcement.
McConnell tries to reassure colleagues about his health, vows to serve out term as Senate GOP leader
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared again that he plans to finish his term as leader despite freezing up twice at news conferences over the summer, brushing off questions about his health as he sought to reassure colleagues heโs still up to the job.
Manchin rails against 'revenge politics' on permit plan
Sen. Joe Manchin on Tuesday railed against what he called โrevenge politicsโณ being used against him, as liberals in the House and Senate team up with Republicans to oppose his plan to speed permits for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects.
Surprise Senate vote would overturn Biden environmental rule
In a surprise victory for Republicans, the Senate on Thursday voted to overturn a Biden administration rule requiring rigorous environmental review of major infrastructure projects such as highways, pipelines and oil wells โ a victory enabled in part by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
GOP unity? Some aim for reconciliation after tough primaries
Two days after losing a bitter primary to a rival she once deemed a โselloutโ for occasionally working with Democrats, Katie Arrington appeared at a โunity rallyโ to urge South Carolina Republicans to come together and back Rep. Nancy Mace in the fall general election.
Former Rep. Giffords tells Congress 'be bold' on gun reform
Eleven years after her own life was massively altered by gun violence, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords stood in front of the Washington monument and once again lobbied for stricter gun laws after yet another string of mass shootings in America.
NRA stages big gun show in Texas days after school massacre
The National Rifle Association begins its annual convention in Houston on Friday, and leaders of the powerful gun-rights lobbying group are gearing up to โreflect onโ โ and deflect any blame for โ the deadly shooting earlier this week of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Senate Dems strike jobless aid deal, relief bill OK in sight
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ Senate leaders and moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin struck a deal late Friday over emergency jobless benefits, breaking a logjam that had stalled the party's showpiece $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. AdMore significantly, the jobless benefits agreement suggested it was just a matter of time until the Senate passes the bill. The House approved a relief bill last weekend that included $400 weekly jobless benefits โ on top of regular state payments โ through August. Republicans criticized the overall relief bill as a liberal spend-fest that ignores that growing numbers of vaccinations and signs of a stirring economy suggest that the twin crises are easing. AdIn another late bargain that satisfied moderates, Biden and Senate Democrats agreed Wednesday to make some higher earners ineligible for the direct checks to individuals.
Biden surveys Texas weather damage, encourages virus shots
โWhen a crisis hits our states, like the one that hit Texas, itโs not a Republican or Democrat thatโs hurting," Biden said. With tens of thousands of Houston area residents without safe water, local officials told Biden that many are still struggling. AdThe president's first stop was the Harris County Emergency Operations Center for a briefing from acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton and state and local emergency management officials. Some state officials initially blamed the blackouts on renewable energy even though Texas relies heavily on oil and gas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent emergency generators, bottled water, ready-to-eat meals and blankets.
Ties with Saudis at stake as US releases findings on killing
President Joe Biden is expected to speak to Saudi King Salman for the first time in Bidens just over a month-old administration. The language came in contrast to Biden's pledge as a candidate to make Saudi Arabia โa pariahโ over the killing. The Saudi Arabia Embassy spokesman in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. U.S. intelligence findings are coming out more than two years after Khashoggi walked hand-in-hand with his fiancee to the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Once in office, Biden said he would maintain whatever scale of relations with Saudi Arabia that U.S. interests required.
LIVE STREAM: Merrick Garland Senate confirmation hearing for Attorney General
The once-snubbed Supreme Court pick will finally come before the Senate, this time as President Joe Biden's choice for attorney general. Garland, an appeals court judge, is widely expected to sail through his confirmation process, beginning Monday at a hearing, with bipartisan support. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON โ Merrick Garland, President Joe Bidenโs nominee for attorney general, will appear for his confirmation hearing vowing to prioritize civil rights, combat extremist attacks and ensure the Justice Department remains politically independent. Others, including two sons of former Attorney General Edward Levi, have also written letters of support to Congress. A special counselโs inquiry started by William Barr, while he was attorney general, into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation also remains open.
AG nominee Garland vows Capitol riot will be top priority
Judge Merrick Garland, nominee to be Attorney General, is sworn in at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. โThe attorney general represents the public interest, particularly and specifically as defined by the Constitution and the statutes of the United States,โ Garland said. That is what I intend to do as the attorney general, I donโt care who pressures me in whatever direction,โ he said. Garland said the death penalty gives him โgreat pauseโ and is concerned about what he sees as the โalmost randomness or arbitrariness of its applicationโ and the โdisparate impactโ the death penalty has on Black Americans. Others, including two sons of former Attorney General Edward Levi, have also written letters of support to Congress.
Snubbed as Obama high court pick, Garland in line to be AG
The once-snubbed Supreme Court pick will finally come before the Senate, this time as President Joe Biden's choice for attorney general. Now, the once-snubbed Supreme Court pick will finally come before the Senate, this time as President Joe Biden's choice for attorney general. Garland's high court nomination by President Barack Obama in 2016 died because the Republican-controlled Senate refused to hold a hearing. The Justice Department on late Saturday released a copy of Garlandโs opening statement. Graham said in a tweet that Garland would be a โsound choiceโ to lead the Justice Department.
From city halls, the plea for COVID-19 aid is bipartisan
City agencies in Arlington, Texas, have been cut by up to 8%, with officials bracing for more later this year. AdA bipartisan group of mayors notes that aid should be the easy part. A Republican, Williams has joined Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, to lead the U.S. Conference of Mayorsโ lobbying effort for local aid. State and local lobbies tried again in a second round of COVID-19 aid but were left out altogether. AdMayors attributed the rebuff to McConnell blocking state and local aid as leverage against Democrats who opposed Republicansโ provision to shield businesses' immunity from lawsuits related to COVID-19.
Lawyer defending Trump accustomed to political disaster
He argued that Trump could not have โ and would not have โ encouraged the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. โWeโre really here because majority in the House of Representatives does not want to face Donald Trump as a political rival in the future. AdHis reemergence as an impeachment lawyer for Trump was a head-scratching moment for Pennsylvania's political and legal world. He had not campaigned for Trump, and a longtime friend, Brian Miles, told the Inquirer that the two men had never discussed Trump before Castor mentioned recently that he was up for the job. For all the criticism directed at him, Castor suggested that Trump did not criticize his performance.
Trump fumes, GOP senators baffled by legal team's debut
In this image from video, Bruce Castor, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, speaks during the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. Senators, too, criticized what they described as an unfocused and rambling performance as Trump's team and Democratic House managers began to lay out their cases in front of the Senate jury. The anger was echoed by Trump allies, who blasted the lawyers both publicly and privately and with repeated profanities. GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Castor โjust rambled on and on and on and didnโt really address the constitutional argument. Trump's team did not respond to requests for comment on the day's events or questions about whether they are planning any shakeups to the legal team.
White House budget chief nominee apologizes for past tweets
Neera Tanden also admitted to spending โmany monthsโ removing past Twitter posts, saying, โI deleted tweets because I regretted them." He said that included Tanden calling Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton "a fraudโ and tweeting that โvampires have more heartโ than Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford said Tanden had tweeted more over the past four years than even Trump did. Still, Senate discussion of Tanden's nomination is likely to center more on her past tweets than her budget priorities. Cotton has said they were โfilled with hate.โ Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn suggested previously that she'd face โcertainly a problematic pathโ to nomination.
At 80, Vermont's Sen. Leahy ready to run impeachment trial
The Senate's longest-serving member, 80-year-old Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening for observation after not feeling well, a spokesman said. Now, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont is stepping into one of his most visible and physically grueling roles: presiding over former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial. โI had some muscle spasms," Leahy, 80, told reporters the morning after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Carle, Leahy's spokesperson, said Senate leaders have been discussing the trial process, and it is โlikely to be limited in duration.โ Trump's first impeachment trial lasted almost three weeks. Leahy will preside as Senate president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial post that usually goes to the majority party's longest-serving member.
At 80, Vermont's Sen. Leahy ready to run impeachment trial
The Senate's longest-serving member, 80-year-old Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening for observation after not feeling well, a spokesman said. Now, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont is stepping into one of his most visible and physically grueling roles: presiding over former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial. โI had some muscle spasms," Leahy, 80, told reporters the morning after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Carle, Leahy's spokesperson, said Senate leaders have been discussing the trial process, and it is โlikely to be limited in duration.โ Trump's first impeachment trial lasted almost three weeks. Leahy will preside as Senate president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial post that usually goes to the majority party's longest-serving member.
Democrat floats Trump censure as conviction grows unlikely
House Democrats are busy preparing their formal case against the former president for inciting an insurrection, with arguments starting the week of Feb. 8. A week later, on Jan. 13, the Democratic-led House impeached Trump with the backing of 10 Republicans. She said that five is probably โa high mark on what youโre going to see for Republican supportโ for convicting Trump at trial. Some said the censure resolution was too late because Democrats had rejected GOP suggestions of censure before the House voted to impeach. โI guess if we can censure former presidents, then when Republicans get in charge, we can censure Barack Obama or Democrats can censure George Bush."
GOP largely sides against holding Trump impeachment trial
In this image from video, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is presiding over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, swears in members of the Senate for the impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Late Tuesday, the presiding officer at the trial, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was taken to the hospital for observation after not feeling well at his office, spokesman David Carle said in a statement. The vote means the trial on Trump's impeachment will begin as scheduled the week of Feb. 8. โYouโre asking me to vote in a trial that by itself on its own is not constitutionally allowed?โ he asked. Instead, Leahy, who serves in the largely ceremonial role of Senate president pro tempore, was sworn in on Tuesday.
Growing number of GOP senators oppose impeachment trial
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)WASHINGTON โ A growing number of Republican senators say they oppose holding an impeachment trial, a sign of the dimming chances that former President Donald Trump will be convicted on the charge that he incited a siege of the U.S. Capitol. โI think the trial is stupid, I think itโs counterproductive,โ said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.. Arguments in the Senate trial will begin the week of Feb. 8. A few GOP senators have agreed with Democrats, though not close to the number that will be needed to convict Trump. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said he believes there is a โpreponderance of opinionโ that an impeachment trial is appropriate after someone leaves office.
Austin wins Senate confirmation as 1st Black Pentagon chief
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, greets Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist as he arrives at the Pentagon, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington. Biden is expected to win approval for others on his national security team in coming days, including Antony Blinken as secretary of state. Before heading to the Pentagon, Austin wrote on Twitter that he is especially proud to be the first Black secretary of defense. Austin retired in 2016 after serving as the first Black general to head U.S. Central Command. The House and the Senate approved the waiver Thursday, clearing the way for the Senate confirmation vote.
EXPLAINER: Can Trump be impeached after leaving office?
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump might argue the calendar is his friend when it comes to a second impeachment trial. In 2019, the last time Trump found himself impeached by the House, he had nearly a year left in his presidency. But on Wednesday, with the inauguration of Joe Biden, Trump will be out of office by the time any Senate trial gets started. On Tuesday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she doesnโt think a post-presidency impeachment trial is constitutional. The consequence the Constitution sets up for a president who is impeached and convicted is removal from office.
Biden: We'll 'manage the hell' out of feds' COVID response
โ President-elect Joe Biden pledged Friday to boost supplies of coronavirus vaccine and set up new vaccination sites to meet his goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. โYou have my word: We will manage the hell out of this operation,โ Biden declared. Another carryover from the Trump administration plan: Biden said he intends to mobilize local pharmacies to administer vaccines. Two medical groups, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Group, said Friday evening they โstrongly supportโ the Biden plan. The Biden administration also plans to launch a public education campaign to overcome doubts about vaccination.
EXPLAINER: How Congress will count Electoral College votes
(Samuel Corum/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON โ Wednesday's congressional joint session to count electoral votes could drag late into the night as some Republicans plan to challenge Democrat Joe Biden's victory in at least six states. Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.
EXPLAINER: How Congress will count Electoral College votes
Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The appointed "tellers" from the House and Senate, members of both parties, then read each certificate out loud and record and count the votes. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.
EXPLAINER: How Congress will count Electoral College votes
Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. At the end, the presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.
EXPLAINER: How Congress will count Electoral College votes
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON โ The congressional joint session to count electoral votes is generally a routine, ceremonious affair. Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The tellers record and count the votes, The presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president.