COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri protesters who repeatedly block traffic without permission could face felony charges under a bill advancing in the state Senate. Senators on Tuesday gave the measure initial approval. The measure follows protests last summer in the St. Louis area over the death of George Floyd, including demonstrations that blocked major highways.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, left Texas and traveled to Utah last week while the state was being rocked by severe winter storms. Paxton’s campaign spokesperson, Ian Prior, would not tell CNN when the couple had departed or returned but said the attorney general “did not leave Texas
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When President Joe Biden welcomed his Canadian counterpart to the White House on Tuesday to “reinvigorate” a cross-border relationship strained under his predecessor, he did so by addressing a large television monitor. “The sooner we get this pandemic under control the better, and I look forward to seeing you in person in the future,” he
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When President Joe Biden welcomed his Canadian counterpart to the White House on Tuesday to “reinvigorate” a cross-border relationship strained under his predecessor, he did so by addressing a large television monitor. “The sooner we get this pandemic under control the better, and I look forward to seeing you in person in the future,” he
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Two men face criminal charges for allegedly threatening Michigan public officials, including a US senator and congresswoman, regarding the results of the 2020 election, according to a news release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Daniel Thompson of Michigan is charged with three counts of malicious use of service provided by a telecommunication service provider,
Continue Reading A large part of the conversation on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic in the US has focused on the success of the vaccine rollout and how quickly schools can reopen for in-person learning. The Biden administration, however, has struggled with its messaging over the goals and timelines for each, continually shifting and at times contradicting
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The Senate confirmed Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the next US Ambassador to the United Nations Tuesday. The vote was 78-20 and her confirmation comes less than a week before the United States’ presidency at the UN Security Council for the month of March. Following her swearing-in, she will travel to New York and is expected
Continue Reading The pressure is mounting for Democrats to remain united on nominees moving through the Senate, as Republicans signal a growing resistance to backing some of President Joe Biden’s picks for key domestic policy posts. The nomination hearings of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and Rep. Deb
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A little known but powerful Senate official is being thrust into the spotlight this week as Democrats are eager to see whether an increase to the federal minimum wage will be kept in President Joe Biden’s Covid relief package. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has been advising the chamber on how its rules, protocols and precedents
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The Senate confirmed Tom Vilsack as President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary, sending the former Iowa governor to the same Cabinet position he served for the entirety of the Obama administration. The vote was 92-7. Vilsack, 70, will now be tasked with helping farmers hard hit by former president Donald Trump’s trade wars and the coronavirus
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two applications to grow medical marijuana will receive licenses after the state initially rejected them. The state Administrative Hearing Commission on Tuesday approved cultivation licenses for Heye Kirksville and Heya Excello. The decision comes after the state denied hundreds of medical marijuana business applications, many of which prompted challenges to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican-led state House is trying to ban the use of eminent domain for a large wind-energy power line. Lawmakers in a voice vote Tuesday advanced a bill to prevent the use of property owners’ land for the Grain Belt Express power line without their permission. The high-voltage power line would
Continue Reading South Dakota is hoping to keep the newly revived July 4th celebration at Mount Rushmore going, and the state’s governor is trying to get the message to President Joe Biden’s nominee for Interior Secretary. During Tuesday’s nomination hearing for Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas told Haaland that South Dakota
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SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna took a conciliatory tone toward US senators on Tuesday as he acknowledged his company’s role in unwittingly facilitating a devastating security breach of at least nine federal agencies and dozens of private businesses in a suspected Russian spying campaign. Calling the security breach an “unfortunate and reckless operation,” Ramakrishna said SolarWinds
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Law enforcement officials told lawmakers Tuesday they were prepared for the possibility of limited violence on January 6 at the US Capitol, but the intelligence available ahead of time did not warn of a coordinated attack like the insurrection that overwhelmed officers and led to multiple casualties. “The breach of the United States Capitol was
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Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has carved out quite a niche for himself in recent weeks: He’s the guy willing to push wild conspiracy theories about what happened before, during and after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. Johnson has previously suggested that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (California) impeached former President Donald Trump over
Continue Reading Senate Democrats and the White House are not yet abandoning the nomination of Neera Tanden to serve as President Joe Biden’s budget director — even though her confirmation hinges on the backing of two moderate senators who have yet to declare their intentions. Two key Senate committees on Wednesday are expected to vote on whether
Continue Reading President Joe Biden said Tuesday the White House will “probably” move to send face masks directly to Americans as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a plan originally proposed by health officials during the Trump administration but was blocked by the former President. “We’re probably going to be sending out an
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Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has carved out quite a niche for himself in recent weeks: He’s the guy willing to push wild conspiracy theories about what happened before, during and after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. Johnson has previously suggested that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (California) impeached former President Donald Trump over
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President Joe Biden’s choice for the nation’s top health official largely avoided hostile fire from Republicans while testifying before the Senate Health Committee Tuesday, though several GOP senators expressed concerns about his lack of direct health care experience as well as his support for abortion rights. Xavier Becerra, who is California’s first Latino attorney general,
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