Politics
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Liberals pressure Senate Democrats to confirm more Biden judges while they can
Demand Justice, a progressive organization focused on the judiciary, is set to bombard Capitol Hill with a message for the closing weeks of the 118th Congress: Do “whatever it takes” to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees as a second Donald Trump presidency looms. Democrats have confirmed 213 of Biden’s judicial nominees during his presidency.
5 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Trump issues early challenge to GOP Senate with defiant nominations
Just hours after Republican Sen. John Thune was elected as the incoming Senate majority leader on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump presented him with one of his first tests — an announcement that he intends to nominate controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general. The Florida Republican is one of the more universally disliked members of Congress, including among GOP lawmakers after he led the effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. Gaetz denies the allegations.
5 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Gaetz pick shows value Trump places on loyalty — and retribution — as he returns to Washington
Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz, who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect and emphatically amplified the Republican's rallying cry that the criminal investigations into him are “witch hunts.” In announcing his selection of Gaetz as attorney general and John Ratcliffe a day earlier as CIA director, Trump underscored the premium he places on loyalty, citing both men's support for him during the Russia
5 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Justice Dept. employees stunned at Trump's 'insane,' 'unbelievable' choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general of the United States sent shockwaves through the Justice Department.
3 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
How a Republican trifecta makes way for Trump’s rightwing agenda
GOP majority in House and Senate could give the president-elect ability to extend tax cuts and roll back Biden-era laws
5 min read - USNBC News
Trump’s pick for defense secretary doesn't want women serving in combat
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has said that he believes women should not serve in combat and that he wants to see the military purged of “woke” officials who support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins reelection to Arizona US House seat
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani won reelection to a U.S. House seat in southeastern Arizona in a rematch that pitted him against the Democrat he narrowly beat two years ago. Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel in the race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, which runs from Tucson east to the New Mexico state line and includes a stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border. With Ciscomani’s win, Republicans have enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power
2 min read - USNBC News
Matt Gaetz, Trump’s pick for attorney general, had been a subject of a sex trafficking investigation
Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department, has previously been investigated over allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl — a federal probe that ultimately did not yield criminal charges.
3 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump picks former House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence
President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he will nominate Tulsi Gabbard, a former House Democrat who became a high-profile Trump supporter, to be director of national intelligence.
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
The new Senate GOP leader walks a MAGA tightrope: From the Politics Desk
John Thunes will quickly face challenges as the new Senate GOP leader, ranging from the legislative filibuster to confirming Trump's Cabinet nominees.
8 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Republicans promise to protect the Senate filibuster, even if it hinders Trump's agenda
The new Senate Republican majority is promising to leave the filibuster alone — even if it stands in the way of the Trump agenda they hope to advance.
5 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Special counsel Jack Smith and his team to resign before Trump takes office
Special counsel Jack Smith and his team plan to resign before Donald Trump takes office, with two outstanding criminal cases against the president-elect now upended by the election.
3 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Pennsylvania Senate race heads to a recount
Pennsylvania’s Senate race is heading to a recount, which the narrow margin between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Sen.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says he was detained in airport over being 'disoriented'
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was detained by police at an airport near Washington, D.C. earlier this month. McCaul said he became “disoriented” at Dulles International Airport after he took medication and drank alcohol before his scheduled flight back home to Texas.
1 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
So Much For The ‘Candidate Of Peace’: Trump Fills Cabinet With Neoconservative Hawks
Donald Trump’s national security adviser pick literally worked for Dick Cheney.
8 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump baffles Republican senators by picking Matt Gaetz for attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump stunned Senate Republicans by announcing that he will nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general.
4 min read - PoliticsPolitico
Gaetz resigns from Congress — possibly skirting long-awaited Ethics report
His resignation came the same day Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general, but some Republicans think he had other motivations.
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that he will continue pushing lawmakers to phase out the state income tax, even with the possibility of federal spending cuts that could affect states after Donald Trump begins his second term as president. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the U.S., and it receives billions of dollars a year from the federal government. One of the biggest chunks of federal money is for Medicaid, a government health insurance program for low-inco
3 min read - PoliticsPolitico
Attorney Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
“Even in a town full of lawyers, Ted’s career as a litigator was particularly prolific,” said Mitch McConnell, the longtime Senate Republican leader.
3 min read - BusinessThe Guardian
FBI raids home and seizes phone of Polymarket founder
Shayne Coplan calls incident ‘discouraging’ as firm suggests raid was retaliation for site’s users betting on Donald Trump
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump's classified documents case
Special counsel Jack Smith asked a court Wednesday to pause prosecutors' appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican's presidential victory. Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in Washington before Trump takes office because of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. The case accusing
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump's election looming over talks
The flurry of contract agreements announced early this fall — including two more Wednesday — offer evidence that major railroads and their unions are working to avoid the standoffs that led them to a brink of a national strike two years ago. Both sides are also now keenly aware that President-elect Donald Trump — who has a track record of supporting big businesses — would be the one ultimately appointing the people who would help resolve the contract dispute this time if they can't work somethi
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
What to know about Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump's pick to serve as attorney general
In picking Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump is looking to install a fierce loyalist who has been seen as divisive even within his own party. Not one of the top names seen as a likely pick for the job, Gaetz's selection was first pushed out on Trump's social media network instead of a more formal announcement from his transition team as with most of his choices. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Gaetz resigned from Congress on Wednesday, meani
5 min read - PoliticsReuters
US prosecutors seek pause in Trump documents appeal
U.S. prosecutors asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to pause their bid to revive the criminal case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of illegally handling classified documents, citing his election victory. Special Counsel Jack Smith, in a brief court filing, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to "hold this appeal in abeyance" to allow prosecutors time to assess the impact of Trump's impending return to the White House on the case.
1 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Pennsylvania Senate contest headed toward a recount, and possibly litigation
The U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick is headed for a statewide recount, as counties continued Wednesday to sort through outstanding ballots and the campaigns jousted over which ones should count. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick last week, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. A noon deadline passed Wednesday for Casey to waiv
3 min read - PoliticsReuters
Factbox-Trump turns to Congress for Cabinet picks, whittling away at slim margins
President-elect Donald Trump has so far picked five Republican members of the U.S. Congress to join his administration, at least temporarily whittling away at the narrow majorities his party will hold in the Senate and House of Representatives. Republicans are on track to hold a majority of at least 52 seats in the 100-seat Senate, with one seat going to a recount, and on Wednesday secured the 218th seat they need for a House majority, with nine races left to be called. Trump's running-mate JD
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
FBI raids Polymarket CEO's home, seizing phone, electronics
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Federal law enforcement agents raided the downtown New York home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan on Wednesday, seizing his phone and electronics, the company confirmed. The early-morning raid of Coplan's SoHo apartment followed last week's presidential election, in which bettors on Polymarket, an offshore, crypto-fueled election gambling website, had for weeks put Donald Trump's odds drastically higher than those of Vice President Kamala Harris, in sharp divergence from opin
2 min read - USReuters
New York governor to relaunch Manhattan congestion charge plan, source says
(Reuters) -New York Governor Kathy Hochul will announce on Thursday that the state plans to revive a congestion charge for driving in parts of Manhattan that she indefinitely put on hold in June, a source told Reuters. New York City's congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the U.S., was initially to have charged a toll of $15 during daytime hours for passenger vehicles driving in Manhattan south of 60th Street starting June 30. The revised plan will need the fast-track approval o
2 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
Who is Matt Gaetz, the Trump loyalist picked for attorney general?
Hard-right congressman led successful charge to oust fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker
3 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump thanks Biden for 'smooth transition' in White House meeting
President-elect Donald Trump will return to Washington on Wednesday — entering the White House for the first time since being voted out of office — to meet with President Joe Biden for a ceremony meant to signal the peaceful transfer of power.
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Republicans win the House, NBC News projects, as Trump's party takes full control of Washington
President-elect Trump now has a clear path to enact his agenda and fill out his administration with both the House and Senate in Republican hands come January.
6 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Prosecutors say some erroneous evidence was given jurors at ex-Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial
Some evidence that a federal judge had excluded from the bribery trial of former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was inadvertently put on a computer given to jurors, federal prosecutors revealed Wednesday, though they insisted it should have no effect on the Democrat’s conviction. The prosecutors told Judge Sidney H. Stein in a letter that they recently discovered the error which caused a laptop computer to contain versions of several trial exhibits that did not contain the full redactions Stein h
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
Trump pick Rubio could harden oil sanctions on Iran, Venezuela
President-elect Donald Trump's pick of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state could signal stricter enforcement of oil sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, but concerns about retaliation by China could temper any efforts, analysts said on Wednesday. Rubio, a longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long pushed for a tougher U.S. policy on Iran and China.
4 min read - USAssociated Press
Bill on school bathroom use by transgender students clears Ohio Legislature, heads to governor
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a ban on transgender students using bathrooms that fit their gender identities and sent the measure to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. It requires the schools to designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations “for the exclusive use” of either males and females, based on one's gender assigned at or near birth, in both school buildings and facilities used for a school-sponsored event. State Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Kirtland Republican, said
3 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Small and 'chaotic' House Republican majority poses challenges for the new Trump era
Republicans win the House as well as the Senate, giving Donald Trump a clear path to pass legislation. But the small majority has struggled with unity and chaos.
7 min read - USReuters
Texas woman pleads guilty to threatening judge in Trump's election case
A Texas woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday after being charged with threatening to kill individuals including the federal judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion criminal case against Republican President-elect Donald Trump. Abigail Jo Shry of Alvin, Texas, pleaded guilty in federal court in Houston to a threat-related charge arising out of a voicemail prosecutors said she left with the chambers of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, in Washington, D.C., threatening to kill her and others.
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
'Never heard of him:' surprise and questions greet Trump's defense secretary pick
President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Pete Hegseth as U.S. defense secretary was met on Wednesday with surprise at the Pentagon and bewilderment among some European allies, but some Republican lawmakers rallied around the Fox News host. Hegseth, a veteran with scant government experience, has disdained so-called "woke" policies of Pentagon leaders, opposed having women in combat roles, and questioned whether the top U.S. general was in his position because of his skin color. The 44-year-
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
What to know about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be the next director of national intelligence, a powerful position that sits atop the nation's spy agencies and acts as the president's top intelligence adviser. Gabbard is a veteran who served for more than two decades but doesn't have the typical intelligence experience of past officeholders.
5 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Never-Trump Pundit Laughs At Idea Of Musk And Ramaswamy's 'Department of Government Efficiency'
Longtime Donald Trump critic George Conway dismissed the proposed advisory group as a "nonexistent department" during an appearance on MSNBC.
1 min read - PoliticsPolitico
After tumultuous campaign, Biden and Trump chat for 2 hours
Biden granted Trump the Oval meeting denied to him in 2020.
5 min read - PoliticsPolitico
California Republican Ken Calvert holds off Dem challenge in Palm Springs area
Calvert defeated Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor.
1 min read - PoliticsPolitico
Trump taps dark horse Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence
The surprise nomination of the former Democrat and fervent anti-interventionist is likely to meet stiff resistance in the Senate.
4 min read - PoliticsReuters
Trump picks former Democratic congresswoman Gabbard as director of national intelligence
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday chose Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's foreign policy, to become his director of national intelligence. Gabbard, 43, left the Democratic party in 2022 and was considered a possible candidate to become Trump's Republican running mate.
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Things to know about Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump's pick for secretary of state
President-elect Donald Trump has named Sen. Marco Rubio as his choice for secretary of state. Rubio, 53, was born in Miami and still calls the city his home. In his first Senate campaign, he repeatedly reminded voters of his working class background and “only in America” story as the son of Cuban immigrants who became a U.S. senator.
4 min read - PoliticsReuters
Democratic governors create group to resist Trump policies
The governors of Illinois and Colorado on Wednesday said they will co-chair a coalition of mostly Democratic-led states to fight back against polices incoming Republican President Donald Trump has vowed to push through. With their Governors Safeguarding Democracy group, Democrats J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado join attorneys general and other Democratic governors who have pledged to resist conservative Trump policies on everything from immigration to rollbacks on environm
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Trump promises to turn Washington upside down. He's being welcomed back anyway
The fireplace was crackling in the Oval Office on Wednesday morning as President Joe Biden shook hands with Donald Trump and congratulated him on his election victory. “Welcome back,” Biden told Trump, who said the transition “would be as smooth as it can get.” Here was Biden, who once made it his mission to prevent his predecessor from becoming his successor, preparing to hand over power to Trump, who never conceded his defeat to Biden four years ago.
5 min read - PoliticsReuters
Trump picks former rival Marco Rubio for secretary of state
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump officially announced on Wednesday he is nominating Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a senior member of both the foreign relations and intelligence committees and former political rival, to be secretary of state. "He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries," Trump said in a statement. The choice could come as a relief to U.S. partners worried t
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
The United Nations faces uncertainty as Trump returns to US presidency
The United Nations and other international organizations are bracing for four more years of Donald Trump, who famously tweeted before becoming president the first time that the 193-member U.N. was “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.” In his first term, Trump suspended funding for the U.N. health and family planning agencies, withdrew from its cultural organization and top human rights body, and jacked up tariffs on China and even longtime U.S. allies by flaunting
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who served two Republican presidents as one of the country’s best known conservative lawyers and successfully argued on behalf of same-sex marriage, died Wednesday. The law firm Gibson Dunn, where Olson practiced since 1965, announced his death on its website. Olson was at the center of some of the biggest cases of recent decades, including a win on behalf of George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida presidential election recount dispute that went before the U
4 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Republicans Keep Control Of House Of Representatives, Complete Washington Trifecta
The GOP fended off enough Democratic challengers to retain its House majority.
3 min read
