The deadly January 6 insurrection in the Capitol may have caused many voters to recoil at former President Donald Trump’s election lies. But on Capitol Hill, it’s a different story. In interviews with more than two dozen House and Senate Republicans this week, a wide variety of GOP lawmakers refused to debunk Trump’s lie that
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A little known but powerful Senate official has ruled against including the increase in the minimum wage in the Covid relief bill, sources tell CNN. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough made her ruling Thursday evening, after being thrust into the spotlight this week as Democrats were eager to see whether an increase to the federal minimum
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday he would “absolutely” support former President Donald Trump if he became the GOP presidential nominee in 2024, a notable commitment following his recent blistering critiques of the former President. While McConnell maintained that the 2024 presidential election cycle would be a “wide-open race,” when pressed by Fox News’
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House Democrats have included a minimum wage hike in their latest Covid relief bill, although a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian means it can’t be included in the final package. Improving worker pay is unrelated to pandemic relief in that raising the minimum wage has long been a Democratic priority. It is completely related in
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The US military struck a site in Syria on Thursday used by two Iranian-backed militia groups following rocket attacks on American forces in the region in the past two weeks, according to a US official. The strikes mark the military’s first known action under President Joe Biden. The site was not specifically tied to the
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As Democrats begin their march toward reinstating earmarks, Republicans are grappling with how their party will handle bringing back directed congressional spending. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested in a Fox News interview Thursday evening that Republicans won’t be asking for earmarks, which would have huge implications for spending legislation going forward and give Democrats
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri protesters who repeatedly block traffic without permission could face felony charges under a bill passed by state senators. The GOP-led Senate voted 24-9 Thursday to pass the bill. The measure follows protests last summer in the St. Louis area over the death of George Floyd, including demonstrations that blocked
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Opponents of affirmative action asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to use their case against Harvard to overrule precedent that has long allowed consideration of race in admissions and particularly enhanced opportunities for Black and Hispanic students. The challengers claim that as Harvard College favors certain minority students, it unlawfully discriminates against Asian Americans by
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Acting US Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman warned Thursday that militia groups involved in the January 6 insurrection want to “blow up the Capitol” and “kill as many members as possible” when President Joe Biden addresses Congress. Pressed by House lawmakers to provide a timeline for removing the razorwire fencing and other enhanced security measures
Continue Reading Laid-off workers will be allowed to turn down jobs they think are too risky because of Covid and continue to collect unemployment benefits, under guidance issued by the US Department of Labor Thursday. The new rules, which stem from a directive signed by President Joe Biden last month, expand the conditions under which workers may
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President Joe Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on Thursday ahead of the release of a long-awaited US intelligence report on the killing of Saudi insider turned dissident Jamal Khashoggi. The congressionally mandated release of the report, which is expected to further implicate Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in
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The tier includes teachers, childcare employees and grocery store employees.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Poor Missouri families could get money for private school through a tax credit program advancing in the state House. The Republican-led House voted in favor of the measure Wednesday. Under the program, private donors would give money to nonprofits that would dole out scholarships to low-income families. Donors would get state
Continue Reading President Joe Biden on Thursday commemorated 50 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered since he took office, using it as a measuring stick against his promise to put 100 million shots in people’s arms in his first 100 days. But he also warned there’s “a long way to go” before life will return to normal. “The
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An Iowa bill aimed at limiting voting and making it harder for voters to return absentee ballots is headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk this week after passing both Republican-controlled chambers of the state legislature. The bill, introduced by a Republican state senator, specifically would reduce the number of early voting days from 29 days
Continue Reading Days after a Republican senator said the US Capitol attack wasn’t an “armed insurrection,” a Maryland man pleaded not guilty to carrying a loaded handgun on the Capitol grounds on the day of the attack. Christopher Alberts, one of the first men charged in the insurrection, pleaded not guilty in DC federal court on Thursday.
Continue Reading Congressional Democrats said Thursday that they would be open to an even partisan split for a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, but a dispute over the panel’s scope remained a key sticking point as Congress feuds over the creation of the independent commission. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is denying allegations from a former aide who accused him of sexual harassment, including an unwanted kiss, in a Medium post on Wednesday. Lindsey Boylan alleged that in 2018, the Democratic governor kissed her on the lips following a one-on-one briefing in his New York City office. “As I got
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Arizona lawmakers are debating a new set of voting bills — including one that would allow lawmakers to review election results “if needed” and would grant the legislature the power to pick the state’s presidential electors — as Republican lawmakers around the country work to change election laws in the wake of the 2020 election.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken will launch a diversity initiative to make the US’ oldest Cabinet agency look more like America itself, an effort he is framing as a national security imperative to make the country’s diplomacy “stronger, smarter, more creative and more innovative.” Blinken announced Wednesday that he will appoint a chief diversity and
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