Politics

Senators who vehemently defend the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for legislation are nonetheless about to accept a simple majority of 51 votes when they decide on the Covid-19 relief bill currently being debated. That paradox is made possible through an exception to the filibuster for fiscal measures known as “reconciliation.” It’s time to craft another exception.

The Biden administration told the Supreme Court on Thursday that it should dismiss pending cases concerning “sanctuary cities,” which limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. In letters filed with the court in all three cases related to sanctuary cities, the Justice Department said it had come to an agreement with the

New York Attorney General Letitia James was only a few months into her second term as New York City’s public advocate when, over a few hours during a dinner party with friends, a stunning twist of fate put her on a collision course with the state’s most powerful man, Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In a report

As Donald Trump plotted his Conservative Political Action Conference appearance last week, and a broader, more-robust plan to return to politics as an omnipresent disruptor, one person was conspicuously absent from the confab. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, was notably not on the list of advisers assisting the former President. Kushner, who previously served as chief

Alabama’s statewide mask mandate to curb the coronavirus is being extended to April 9 — but it won’t be extended after that, Gov. Kay Ivey said Thursday. Ivey’s remark came as she announced that the state’s broader “Safer at Home” order, which includes the mask mandate and other measures, would be extended until the evening

America’s infrastructure received an overall grade of C- from the American Society of Civil Engineers, according to the group’s 2021 Report Card, released Wednesday. The scorecard — which the society has released every four years since 1998 — is the first time the nation’s infrastructure has scored outside the D range in 20 years, the

The Senate on Thursday released its version of the Democrats’ massive coronavirus relief package, after the House passed its package last week. Lawmakers made several changes throughout the legislation, but two were particularly notable — narrowing eligibility for the stimulus checks and nixing an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Much

The top State Department diplomatic security official in Afghanistan was removed from his role for declaring the “death of America” and making racist comments about Kamala Harris in a post on his Facebook page when President Donald Trump lost November’s presidential election, according to four sources familiar with the matter. “Sad day in American history.

Mississippi moved one step closer to banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports after the state House approved a bill on Wednesday that could make the state the first in the country to add anti-transgender legislation to its books this year. Senate Bill 2536, which prohibits transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams

Federal investigators are examining records of communications between members of Congress and the pro-Trump mob that attacked the US Capitol, as the investigation moves closer to exploring whether lawmakers wittingly or unwittingly helped the insurrectionists, according to a US official briefed on the matter. The data gathered so far includes indications of contact with lawmakers

Sen. Ron Johnson seems to be relishing his place at the center of the controversies dominating Washington. For two months, the Wisconsin Republican has taken on everyone who blamed former President Donald Trump for inciting the deadly riot at the Capitol: Democrats, the mainstream media, even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He’s raised questions about

The Senate is bracing for a marathon effort and a late night of voting on amendments before lawmakers take a final vote on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill — it’s just not yet clear exactly when that will take place. The chamber voted Thursday afternoon to open debate on the legislation, but