National Politics

A ragtag team of former aides, lawyers, elected Republicans and sycophants from the outside have grabbed Donald Trump’s ear at a time when many of his longtime allies in government have backed away from the President’s increasingly extreme ploys for staying in office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged Joe Biden won the election

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat on Tuesday, choosing the first Latino in state history for the role. Newsom, who had been under intense pressure within California to choose a Black woman to replace Harris because of the lack of diversity in the

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday said the “darkest days” in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic “are ahead of us, not behind us,” and urged Americans to prepare themselves for the struggle. “One thing I promise you about my leadership during this crisis: I’m going to tell it to you straight. I’m going to tell you

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is imposing sanctions on 18 individuals and entities — including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s wife and some of her immediate relatives, the commander of the Syrian military intelligence, the Central Bank of Syria and close advisers to Assad — in an effort to hurt Assad economically and draw

Just weeks after a federal court ordered that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals be restored, a judge in Texas heard arguments in a case challenging the legality of the program, which shields hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation. The case before Judge Andrew Hanen on Tuesday,

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday delivered remarks ahead of Christmas in Wilmington, Delaware. “This has been a — one of the toughest years we’ve ever faced as a nation. And the pandemic, the economic crisis, calls for racial justice, historic and punishing wildfires and storms,” Biden said. The President-elect continued, “So this season of reflection

Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. While in Afghanistan, Miller met with President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul “to discuss the ongoing US military support to the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces amidst a historic opportunity to achieve peace in the

The massive legislation package passed by Congress Monday night also greenlights the establishment of two long-awaited Smithsonian museums in the nation’s capital: one focused on American Latinos and another dedicated to American women’s history. Though the museums could take years to conceptualize, curate and build, Congress’ approval is a victory for the museums’ advocates whose

President-elect Joe Biden will deliver remarks ahead of Christmas in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday afternoon. Biden is expected to address the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine distribution, the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress on Monday and the recent cyberattack against the United States. The remarks are expected to take 10 minutes or less, aides say, and

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tested positive for Covid-19 Monday evening. The Republican governor, 73, is “experiencing mild symptoms with a cough and slight fatigue,” his office said in a statement Tuesday. The governor has been in quarantine since his wife, Peggy, tested positive for the virus on Friday. The first lady remains asymptomatic, according

More than 1.6 million ballots have already been cast in Georgia’s crucial US Senate runoffs with two weeks to go until Election Day — most of them at early in-person voting locations rather than by mail. The wave of early voting in the Georgia runoff mirrors high turnout ahead of the general election in November.

A slate of GOP lawmakers who downplayed different concerns about the coronavirus pandemic or ignored public health advice are now facing a wave of backlash for being among the first to receive a vaccine. With only limited doses available across the US, members of Congress have been prioritized for inoculation in an effort to maintain

US Treasury Department email accounts were compromised in the suspected Russian hack of government agencies, a key Democratic senator said Monday, adding new details about the extent of the wide-reaching breach. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement that the committee had been briefed on

Congress has finally addressed one of Americans’ biggest health care headaches: surprise medical billing. Lawmakers included a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to stop the practice in this week’s government spending bill. The deal among key players in both the House and Senate was released earlier this month — a year after the last joint-chamber agreement was

Hundreds of students at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis have received a grade of “incomplete” as the academy reviews “potential inconsistencies” in physics exams that were submitted earlier this month. The academy would not elaborate on the “inconsistencies,” but the review is notable in light of reports about a major cheating scandal at the

President-elect Joe Biden is poised to nominate Connecticut education commissioner Miguel Cardona as his education secretary, two people familiar with the matter say, a decision that could be one of the final Cabinet selections before Christmas. Biden has set a goal of reopening most schools within the first 100 days of taking office, a position

Don’t call Rep. Jim Clyburn a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s inner circle. Yes, with his pivotal endorsement of Biden in the South Carolina primary, he helped the President-elect secure the Democratic nomination. And yes, every two days or so, Clyburn’s phone rings and it’s Biden on the line. And, in fact, in one of